Which is the better choice: super premium dry food only or mid-quality dry food + cheap wet food?

dan138zig

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Hi everyone,

I have a budget that's enough to feed my cat either super premium dry food only (orijen) or a combination of mid-quality dry food (grain-free but only contains chicken and maybe fish as the animal source. say, pure vita) and supermarket wet food (something slightly better than whiskas/friskies). With the latter I'd only be able to feed my cat one small can of wet food every other day, though. Opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

bigperm20

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We need to know more about your cat. Age? Any health issues? Etc?

I'm no expert, but I would 86 the dry food all together. I am on a fixed income as well right now as I'm unemployed. I was feeding dry and some wet to my kitten Oksana when I got her. From speaking to folks on here; most people feel that even the worst wet, is better than the best dry. I now feed Friskies canned only. When I get a job I'll probably feed EVO but Friskies Pate' style is good. The sliced and diced varieties are not as healthy due to additives.

I would concentrate on what the best wet food you can afford is. Your cat will be much healthier for it. Also, I choose to give my kitties a few treats every day designed to remove plaque and clean their teeth. I hope that it helps to keep them strong since the wet food doesn't offer much of a crunch.
 
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dan138zig

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Hi, thanks for replying. My cat is 11 months old, no serious health issues, just mites and fungus that's beIng treated. Currently I feed him Nutrisource which contains corn. Feeding all wet is simply out of my budget. It'd cost three times of feeding him Orijen.
 
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emilymaywilcha

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It is true cats should never eat kibbles unless there is nothing else to feed them. However, cats absolutely must eat every day - without it, they can get hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease), which is fatal if left untreated. So if you can't afford to buy enough premium wet food for every meal, you shouldn't starve your cat just to avoid dry food. If you must feed a low-quality wet food to buy enough of it, at least look for the words "grain-free" on the can and don't buy a fish-flavored product.
 
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dan138zig

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No, sorry. Even whiskas wet as the only food is out of my budget. Correct me if I'm wrong but it's still more expensive than feeding him orijen.
 

carolina

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Hi Dan!
Yes, having wet, the most you can, is best.... You have a budget too, and that's crucial....
Moisture is so important for the kitties, that I will say the second option, the lower quality grain free kibble and the canned.
Now..... There is an alternative, if you are open to it, which is raw, homemade.... That is very affordable, when you feed from the supermarket, like I do. And as a kitten, easier to intro too! Cheers!
 
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dan138zig

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Hi Dan!
Yes, having wet, the most you can, is best.... You have a budget too, and that's crucial....
Moisture is so important for the kitties, that I will say the second option, the lower quality grain free kibble and the canned.
Now..... There is an alternative, if you are open to it, which is raw, homemade.... That is very affordable, when you feed from the supermarket, like I do. And as a kitten, easier to intro too! Cheers!
I have a problem with the second option though; my cat always ask for more wet and ignore kibble for a while after being fed wet. But that's another story, I guess.

I'm not sure about raw since he didn't show any slightest interest when I tried to feed him some. Since then I didn't bother trying again. And also, the only available meats in my area are chicken, beef and goat.
Not trying to sound rude, what is your monthly budget for cat food? 
That's not rude at all :) About $30. Please note though that I live in Asia so cat food is imported, therefore more expensive than the original price.
 
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fair2middling

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I have a problem with the second option though; my cat always ask for more wet and ignore kibble for a while after being fed wet. But that's another story, I guess.

I'm not sure about raw since he didn't show any slightest interest when I tried to feed him some. Since then I didn't bother trying again. And also, the only available meats in my area are chicken, beef and goat.

That's not rude at all :) About $30. Please note though that I live in Asia so cat food is imported, therefore more expensive than the original price.
Since you asked, if it were me, I would go with the Orijen because the cost of the imported canned is so high & a lot of the canned cat foods for sale in Asia are fish heavy. My answer will not be very popular with most posters on this site, sometimes we humans tend to over think things. Stick to your budget enjoy your cat & don't feel guilty about not being able to afford canned food for now. Orijen  has an excellent reputation. In the future, if your finances allow you can always add canned or raw.
 

emilymaywilcha

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I'm not sure about raw since he didn't show any slightest interest when I tried to feed him some. Since then I didn't bother trying again. And also, the only available meats in my area are chicken, beef and goat.
What did you try to feed him? Did you add anything to the meat?

Carolina spent 35 days trying to get a kibble addict to lick raw meat. Now that cat, Lucky, is on a raw diet full-time. Her thread about that is on the Raw Feeding subforum.
 

otto

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Since you asked, if it were me, I would go with the Orijen because the cost of the imported canned is so high & a lot of the canned cat foods for sale in Asia are fish heavy. My answer will not be very popular with most posters on this site, sometimes we humans tend to over think things. Stick to your budget enjoy your cat & don't feel guilty about not being able to afford canned food for now. Orijen  has an excellent reputation. In the future, if your finances allow you can always add canned or raw.
Orijen is full of fish. It's a dry food AND fishy, two strikes against it.

Any canned is better than none. And, no fish.
 
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bigperm20

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Friskies makes their Pate' in large 13oz cans. The sell for $1 a piece here in the states. I can get 2 meals out of the 5.5 oz cans so those would obviously be cheaper. Friskies Pate' is a pretty healthy food when compared to dry.

If your budget is $30 a month, 15 cans of this should be plenty. Surely there isn't a 100% mark-up, but then again, I know very little on that subject.
 

sugarcatmom

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Orijen is full of fish. It's a dry food AND fishy, two strikes against it.
Any canned is better than none. And, no fish.


Also, in many cases the better the cat's diet, the lower the vet bills. The mites and fungus that your 11th month old cat has are mostly an immune system issue. Diet plays a role in immune system health, so it's entirely possible that by improving his diet you'll save money on future vet visits and treatments.
 
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dan138zig

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Whoa, just checked this thread again. Sorry I won't reply to everyone but I'm sure thankful for the advice.

So here's my plan: I'll be feeding my cat half a can (200 gr) of whiskas/friskies every day with mid quality grain-free dry as his main food.

Now the problem is this: as someone stated above, all of the whiskas/friskies canned here are based on fish. And the ingredients are junk to be honest. So do you still think this is a better option than feeding him 100% super premium kibble? Or maybe I should use higher quality canned but reduce the feeding to half a can every other day? Thanks!
 
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dan138zig

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Here are the labels on both brands:

http://yfrog.com/kepwgskj
http://yfrog.com/odrarzzyj

Looks fishy to me! Errr, dubious fishy, not fish fishy. I mean, "quality ingredients"? The heck does that mean? Why don't they list the complete ingredients? Isn't that against the rule?
 

just mike

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I have a problem with the second option though; my cat always ask for more wet and ignore kibble for a while after being fed wet. But that's another story, I guess.

I'm not sure about raw since he didn't show any slightest interest when I tried to feed him some. Since then I didn't bother trying again. And also, the only available meats in my area are chicken, beef and goat.

That's not rude at all :) About $30. Please note though that I live in Asia so cat food is imported, therefore more expensive than the original price.
Ahhh... Well Dan, my best advice is to feed the best possible wet your budget will allow.  If you want to do a mixed of wet and dry, you might want to keep the majority of the kitty's diet wet and a minimal amount of the dry between wet meals.  Best of luck in your quest.  I am sure you will do what you feel is best for your feline pal
 
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