how should I improve my cat's diet?

Currently I feed my 5-6 year old cat kirkland dry food and fancy feast. before that we used to feed her meow mix until I realized how bad it was. I want to continue to improve her diet. She is a little overweight, but still is active. I am only 15 and I can't drive and I don't have a job yet, but I have saved alot of money, but my mom can pitch in, cause this cat is her pride and joy.What grain-free dry food I could feed her that is not over-priced and affordable? Same with canned food, but I need a bunch of canned food that comes in a box, not individual cans. I can't visit the pet store very often. 

Also how many times should I feed her in a day, and how much?

I personally started feeding my kitten Wellness - they have grain free products. You can also try Innova - very good food as well. It really depends on your cats life style though. Is she out door or in door? And if you want her to loose weight, some cat food is made just for that.

If I may ask, what is the price you are willing to spend on cat food? Wellness is 1.50 a can, Innova low fat canned food is 1.19 a can, you can buy both brands in bulk online. I would also suggest getting her to eat canned food rather than dry - it's better for her, as she gets more of the liquid she needs

Hope this helps! It's really great to hear that you want to feed your cat better food!
 

If you want her to lose weight, putting her on all canned is the best way to go.  That way she cannot nibble whenever she likes and you and/or your mother can control exactly the amount of food she is taking in.  An overweight cat will usually automatically lose weight when switched to canned, as long as your don't overfeed it.  And normally if you feed what is on the can, that is a little too much . 

As far as kibble goes, though, the Kirkland food is not a bad brand.  Don't buy the weight control stuff though.  It actually has more of the bad stuff in it than the regular, and is less satisfying for your cat .  Cats needing to lose weight need to be on something similar to the Atkins diet...more protein, less carbs.  The Catkins diet, if you will.  Actually, all cats need to be on that diet, with VERY rare exceptions (that's for you, Tricia )

When I converted my cats from Kirkland kibble to canned, I used Soulistic (Petco's brand).  I believe it's made by the makers of Weruva, and you can purchase THAT via the internet in a variety pack.  It's grain free...both of those are, actually.  But, grain free doesn't necessarily mean low carb. 

Here's a thread that discussing some low carb canned foods you might find interesting.  Guess what's in there?  Fancy Feast Classics!

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/258959/low-carb-wet-food-recommendations

I ditto what mrsgreenjeens says. The best diet is a wet food diet as it usually contains higher amounts of animal based proteins and less plant based proteins. It also gives a cat more much needed water. But cats have done well when on a wet AND dry diet as well, if the dry is fed as a small meal and not free fed (left out all day for the cat to graze on all day long), which can lead to an overweight kitty. If feeding dry, encourage more water drinking by getting a cat water fountain (I'd get one even if you switch to all wet). Most cats love fountains and tend to drink more when one is around.

You can order anything you can afford online even from Petco or Petsmart. Places like http://www.petfooddirect.com/ have an auto ship option that adds a discount and offers free shipping on orders over $49. You can customize your needs.

I have a male cat who was getting a bit hefty and loved his dry food. Since switching him to an all wet diet in Jan, he has lost about 1lb. I wasn't even trying to get him to loose weight, just wanted him off dry and suddenly I noticed he had a waist again! LOL.

Fancy Feast CLASSICS (emphasis on classic) are not as bad as many believe, they are actually a decent low cab food as they have no grains. When looking at the grain free foods avoid those containing potato or peas. Many grain free still contain ingredients that make them high in fat, so read labels. Even if you don't buy anything from petfooddirect, it's a great site to use to get the ingredients of a food from. I use it for that purpose alone very often.

Thanks for the info, I never knew that fancy feast was grain free, I am still going to change her dry food, but I will also give her more canned than dry and prevent free feeding

chocomylove1 said:

Thanks for the info, I never knew that fancy feast was grain free, I am still going to change her dry food, but I will also give her more canned than dry and prevent free feeding

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Not ALL Fancy Feast!  Only the CLASSIC.  Makes a difference

I notice you mention a Kirkland product. If you have access to Costco, I noticed Friskies cans in bulk at my Costco. I know some other members have said that Friskies is not bad for a budget food. I don't know, however, if all Friskies is good or only certain Friskies lines are good.

Raintyger said:

I notice you mention a Kirkland product. If you have access to Costco, I noticed Friskies cans in bulk at my Costco. I know some other members have said that Friskies is not bad for a budget food. I don't know, however, if all Friskies is good or only certain Friskies lines are good.

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The Friskie pates are the ones recommended. Particularly Poulty Platter.

Fancy Feast is not terrible and most cats will scarf it down. If you do try new canned foods I would recommend only buying a small amount to make sure your cat will eat it, at least the first time. My cats can be fussy when it comes to the natural/ more healthy options. They will eat the cheaper stuff without problem (of course). I bought a whole case of Innova the 13 oz cans when it was on sale and not one of my cats will touch it. I thought I was saving money when I purchased. lol.

luvmy4 said:

Fancy Feast is not terrible and most cats will scarf it down. If you do try new canned foods I would recommend only buying a small amount to make sure your cat will eat it, at least the first time. My cats can be fussy when it comes to the natural/ more healthy options. They will eat the cheaper stuff without problem (of course). I bought a whole case of Innova the 13 oz cans when it was on sale and not one of my cats will touch it. I thought I was saving money when I purchased. lol.

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I'm finding Petsmart and Petco have pretty generous return policies. Petco let me return within 30 days, and anything over that I got a gift card for. Petsmart has a 60 day policy, with gift card thereafter. I don't care that I'm getting a gift card, as I'll just spend it on more food or other supplies. I am, though, looking into petfooddirect.com, as their pricing is 25% cheaper for one of the brands I buy.

Wow thanks Raintyger. I don't know if I have the receipt but I did use my pet perks card and my debit card at Petsmart for the Innova. I guess it doesn't hurt to see if they will let me exchange it or take store credit. I will definitely save my receipts from now on. I can't believe it never occurred to me that I might be able to return it. I've donated so much food that didn't work for my cats over the years.

 I guess that's not exactly a bad thing. 

luvmy4 said:

Wow thanks Raintyger. I don't know if I have the receipt but I did use my pet perks card and my debit card at Petsmart for the Innova. I guess it doesn't hurt to see if they will let me exchange it or take store credit. I will definitely save my receipts from now on. I can't believe it never occurred to me that I might be able to return it. I've donated so much food that didn't work for my cats over the years.

 I guess that's not exactly a bad thing. 

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You're welcome. At both Petco and Petsmart you get credit if you don't have the receipt. I would assume, though, that the food can't be beyond the expiration date, but most cat food doesn't expire for a 1-1.5 years.

Oh, and don't be afraid to tell the store clerks about the gift card policy or the return window period. I returned something today at Petco and the clerk said one of the foods was "way old," when 30 days would be on May 26th! Another can was outside the 30 days, but she wasn't going to give me even a gift card until I told her that was their return policy. Seems some clerks don't even know their own return policy!

Petsmart is really good about returns, too. We had just bought a big bag of dog food about two weeks before our dog died (he left us only a week after we found out he had cancer) and they let us return it with no receipt. We asked them to donate it to a rescue group if they could, since it was open. The cashier was so sweet and sympathetic, she gave us her employee discount on the rest of our purchases. Her kindness meant a lot to us.