SURVEY: How much are you spending per cat per day?

This will probably be easier math-wise for people who feed canned or raw - but I'm interested in all perspectives including those who feed dry.  How much do you spend per cat per day? 

As it stands right now - based on a 30 day month - I am spending $.74 per cat per day.

3 cans per day x 30 days = 90 cans

60 cans (2 meals/day) Sophistacat at .36 per can = 21.60

30 cans (1 meal/day) high end grain-free at avg price 1.50 per can = 45.00

21.60+45.00=66.60 (total spent per month)

66.60/30 days = 2.22 per day for 3 cats

2.22/3 cats = .74 per day per cat

However, Sophistacat is by-product based and that's why it's dirt cheap.  I am trying to transition away from this for health and nutrition reasons and am trying to figure out what a reasonable amount is so I don't overpay for grain-free online.  I currently have an order in my cart at PFD for a couple brands of 95% foods and the cost with shipping is 1.14 per cat per day.  That seems okay but I'm not sure and it also doesn't include any Wellness which would skew the price up.  I've mostly been a "stop by Petsmart and pick up a 1-week supply on my way home" cat food shopper so I'm interested in buying bulk/online/deals to cut costs (vs. buying in-store, not vs. what I pay now obviously) and need some perspective.

Canned, dry and some raw roughly 45 cents per cat per day

€1.09 / €1.16 a can (grain-free, free shipping) = $1.42 / $1.51 x 2 = $2.84 / $3.02 a day per cat (2), plus prescription dry in varying amounts.

I'd rather not know at all. It's hard to figure out b/c each cat eats varying amounts of dry food & canned food. Fafeena's on K/D for renal failure, so her food is much more expensive.

white cat lover said:

I'd rather not know at all...

 

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That is EXACTLY what I was thinking...  

I have 5 Kitties inside, plus 4 to 6 Ferals outside... really don't want to think about the cost.

But, I love them all, and want them to be as Happy and Healthy as possible, so it is worth it!   

I do know that I am saving a lot of money by using PFD and AutoShip for everyone's cans and the GF Dry,

and I buy 4Health Dry for the Ferals' breakfast at Tractor Supply (15 lbs for $19.99.)

Going all frankerprey/raw, $1.52/day/cat..... Used to be for Bugsy and Hope $5/day each (canned), plus prescription dry, plus Lucky's food, plus tons of vet bills :lol3:
It can be done cheaper - I am picky on the meat quality, and a buy a lot out of town....

$0.33 per cat each day.  I feed prey model raw, and try to keep the cost under $2.00 a pound - I feed beef cheek, beef heart, beef liver, beef kidney, chicken gizzards, chicken heart, whole fryer chickens, chicken liver, pork shoulder, and turkey meat.  Occasionally I'll get something more expensive like duck for a bit of extra variety.

Right now I'm feeding almost all canned (Friskies :anon, and some raw. The 13 ounce cans of Friskies cost about a dollar each. The 21 cats are eating 8-9 cans a day. Plus one or 2 5.5 ounce cans split between the older cats. And I give about 8 ounces of raw at dinnertime. I use various brands of commecial raw plus some regular meats, I try to keep it around $4 a pound. So about $9 in big cans, about $1 in small cans, and about $2 in raw. $12 a day divided by 21 cats. . .about 57 cents per cat per day. I may be able to phase out the commercial raw and buy cheaper meats, and replace more of the canned with raw. That could bring the price down a bit.

I do feed some dry food. Mostly on days that I won't be home to dole out the cans. The dry food (several brands mixed) averages about $1.50 a pound. I have never figured out how much dry food they eat each. But if you go by the bag's feeding recommendations, somewhere between 1/2 cup and one cup. Usually there are 4 cups of kibble in a pound. So if I were feeding all dry, they would collectively eat about 16 cups (4 pounds) a day. So that would be about $6 a day, about 28 cents per cat. Half the price of feeding canned food. But I know the moisture is important. And it's cheaper than fixing urinary and kidney problems.

And the ferals. I keep an autofeeder full for them, Cat Chow and Purina ONE mixed. Let's say about a dollar a pound. It seems like I put about a pound out every day, plus one 5.5 ounce can of store brand food, about 35 cents. I have 4 regular ferals but I have no idea how many other cats (or other critters!) come in for a snack. So I can't say how much per cat. But $1.35 a day.

Don't make me add that all up! Yikes. Plus litter. . .

I feed raw now. My cost is coming down, but is around $5 a pound (including shipping for stuff I don't buy myself and supplements) currently. They need approximately 2 pounds a day. So 8 cats, that's $1.25 per day per cat. That's less than the $1.50 I was spending per cat daily when I was feeding canned.

white cat lover said:

I'd rather not know at all. It's hard to figure out b/c each cat eats varying amounts of dry food & canned food. 

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SevenWonders said:

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking...  

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No need to answer if you don't want to figure it out/don't want to share!     Just wanted to get an idea so I could figure out what's a good deal and what isn't.  

Seems to be around 1.30-1.50 per day for most folks, so I think 1.14 is a good deal, especially considering 2 of the cases are EVO 95%.  I'll go ahead & place my order!

On dry/canned, roughly 70 cents a day for my one kitty.

On raw, generally it will end up being about the same, depending on the proteins I buy... chicken is of course the cheapest but something like quail or rabbit is a bit more expensive. But still, it won't be too much more.

Not sure but they are fed more than me and the dog.

Two kinds of dry to choose from

A tablespoon of can but it takes two cans and a baby food for breakfast(can food time)

They have a plate of smart balance vegetable oil set out for their omega3 fix and hair balls

I feed all raw. About $0.81 per cat per day. 

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I'd rather not know at all. It's hard to figure out b/c each cat eats varying amounts of dry food & canned food. Fafeena's on K/D for renal failure, so her food is much more expensive.

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LOL

Exactly what my husband said when I saw the thread and read it to him.

Mods - this thread should really be deleted don't you think!!        Just kidding. LOL

Also a comment on the better quality, more expensive food, and raw foods - in addition to saving on vet costs, I'd say you could also be saving on things like Litter because the food waste becomes less?  I don't know, just a thought. 

GloriaJH said:

Also a comment on the better quality, more expensive food, and raw foods - in addition to saving on vet costs, I'd say you could also be saving on things like Litter because the food waste becomes less?  I don't know, just a thought. 

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Not exactly.... they are peeing like firetrucks :lol3:
Poop on the on the other hand..... very little I suppose if anyone had costs with home deodorizing sprays.... yeah - no need for that expense anymore

Carolina said:

Not exactly.... they are peeing like firetrucks :lol3:
Poop on the on the other hand..... very little I suppose if anyone had costs with home deodorizing sprays.... yeah - no need for that expense anymore

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Well, I added so much water to their canned food that mine are peeing less on raw. They're still peeing a lot, but I am saving on litter. The LACK of poop volume is crazy! :lol3:

Just wanted to say I hope I didn't offend anyone with this question.  It's the opposite of mandatory - no one has to answer if you don't feel comfortable.  I felt like a per cat per day was a useful statistic to measure by so I wanted to get some input.  I've been astounded by the varying answers, especially some of the 100% raw feeders.  So thanks everyone!

Carolina said:

Not exactly.... they are peeing like firetrucks

Poop on the on the other hand..... very little I suppose if anyone had costs with home deodorizing sprays.... yeah - no need for that expense anymore

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That's funny. Love your analogy.    Peeing is a good thing.

parsleysage said:

Just wanted to say I hope I didn't offend anyone with this question.  It's the opposite of mandatory - no one has to answer if you don't feel comfortable.  I felt like a per cat per day was a useful statistic to measure by so I wanted to get some input.  I've been astounded by the varying answers, especially some of the 100% raw feeders.  So thanks everyone!

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no offense taken - I was just kidding because I, for one, try not to think about the costs of caring for 15 cats - I think we're looking at around $800-900 a month, and that's the stuff I can find a receipt for.     That takes care of any Social Security "income" I get a month. ugh!    

In fact, the information IS very interesting.

I would say around 85 cents a day per cat