Trying new food for the cat questions

I have some questions about trying new foods(canned mostly.

1. How often do you switch food flavors within a brand?

2. Should I try new foods of just one or two new brands, or would several different kinds be too much?

3. I'm generally against dry food, but I'm on a super tight budget and so I'm thinking I'd do mostly wet, and dry at night or when I'm gone for a long time(I'm usually home most days).

I'm on a tight budget but I want to switch her to healthier foods. I'm currently feeding her Friskies pate types, a different each day(she likes, from what I can tell, salmon, turkey, mixed grill, poultry platter, mariners catch, and seemed to like the new one I introduced, but I think she's had it before.

She generally either likes something right away or not, tho I'm not sure how it makes her tummy feel. Anyways, the local pet store here has coupons for free samples, but I'm wondering if I should only try one or two new brands as the large amount of different samples might be too much of a change.  Should I go with the healthier food being dry or wet? I don't know if I can afford to do both wet and dry to be expensive brands, heck I run out of money weeks before the month is over, as she doesn't eat much wet at night after around eight pm. 

I appreciate all answers, thanks so much!

Have you thought about making your own food?   If you buy the meat when its on sale it can be done very cheaply and is your healthiest option.

Thank you I have, but I can barely afford to feed us both as it is, I visit the food bank at least every other month. I've read that its best to have a grinder as well and I can't afford one. Also the extra nutrients would have to be purchased to make sure that it was a balanced diet, all that at once would be too much for me to afford. Thanks so much tho!

Good on you for knowing your limits. Taking the dive into homemade is a big jump - cost aside, it requires time and research and careful balancing to ensure your cat's nutritional needs are met, and bluntly, it's very easy to mess up. An improperly made homemade diet can make a cat very ill, and some homemade feeders have a strong preference for or against typical grocery store meats (especially if you would intend on feeding it raw) due to the bacteria it comes into contact with, which can be doubly problematic for sensitive tummies.

1) I switch brands and flavours every day or few days. It depends how long it takes to get through one can of food, and I usually mix flavours because one of my little snots gets bored of the same food for several meals in a row.

2) If you can afford to try a few here and there, I would say do that. Finding new foods your cats will eat is the most expensive part of the process, because once you know what they'll eat readily, you can buy larger cans of it and buy it in bulk to save money. I tend to just grab cans of food as I stumble upon them, one or two of each flavour at a time and take them for a test run over the course of a week or two.

3) That sounds like a good compromise. Many of us feed wet and dry, and it does help budget. I feed dry as a treat at night and when we leave for the weekends, the cats get half a bowl of dry food along with pre-prepared frozen wet food cubes. They have had no issues, and if you can find a good quality food you can afford, all the better. A brand I like that has a lower price, but is higher protein and lower carb is Petsmart's Simply Nourish Source. It's harder to go wrong with wet food because they're already low carb, low grain, and higher protein than cheap dry, and they have way more moisture. If I had to compromise one, I would go cheap wet and good dry.

Abbi said:

 
I have some questions about trying new foods(canned mostly.

1. How often do you switch food flavors within a brand?

2. Should I try new foods of just one or two new brands, or would several different kinds be too much?

3. I'm generally against dry food, but I'm on a super tight budget and so I'm thinking I'd do mostly wet, and dry at night or when I'm gone for a long time(I'm usually home most days).

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You can switch between varieties in a brand daily if you wanted to. Some cats are ok with eating one variety for a few days, others need a change every day.

Stick with one or two brands that you know your cat will eat. Maybe once in while buy a can or two of another brand just give your cat something new.

It's fine to feed a little dry food Just be sure to add some water to the canned food to keep your cat well hydrated.

Abbi said:

 
Thank you I have, but I can barely afford to feed us both as it is, I visit the food bank at least every other month. I've read that its best to have a grinder as well and I can't afford one. Also the extra nutrients would have to be purchased to make sure that it was a balanced diet, all that at once would be too much for me to afford. Thanks so much tho!

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A grinder isn't always necessary. Some people buy already ground raw meat to use instead of grinding it themselves. I buy ground raw meat from the pet store, Hare Today and Oma's Pride brand. Instead if buying individual supplements, I buy a raw food pre-mix so it's just a matter of measuring the powder, adding water, add the meat, and mix together.

Don't feel bad if you can't do a raw diet. It's not for everyone.

I stay within the same brand but switch flavors (I buy a big variety pack)

You can definitely try other brands/types to see what they like, it is recommend not to change their diets too often, since it can upset their stomach, but it's food to test out different ones at first to see what they like!

Buys large packs (most brands probably do packs of 4, 12, and 24) is normally a bit cheaper, also buying in sale and using coupons is a good way to save too!

I also have am transitioning to a wet food diet, and I am giving him 2 meals wet, 1 dry. A great way to increase the water intake of the wet food is to add a tablespoon or two of water and mix it into the wet food (very easy to do with Gravy type canned food)

Abbi said:

 
Thank you I have, but I can barely afford to feed us both as it is, I visit the food bank at least every other month. I've read that its best to have a grinder as well and I can't afford one. Also the extra nutrients would have to be purchased to make sure that it was a balanced diet, all that at once would be too much for me to afford. Thanks so much tho!

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That`s fine.... I usually just mention it since not everyone knows it is an option.   

One thing I would suggest that might help you is to check for pet `food banks` in your area.   I volunteer for one in my city and there is a lot of food that gets distributed to folks who need it from our pantry.   We get most of our donations from pet shops who have food that is about to or has expired.    This is not a problem really since the expiration date is very conservative so the food is good for a while after that.... the stores just can`t sell it though and this way it doesn`t go to waste.    If you are having trouble locating one then try talking to folks at any nearby volunteer rescue as they would definately know about it.

Good luck!

Thanks all! Wow I feel like an idiot, I totally forgot you can buy meat ground up haha! Maybe I can do some raw food ocasionally, she loves raw meat. When she had acess to the outside it was easier but now that shes inside for good, its hard to open any meat up without my shadow there to "supervise" lol! I get the yearly calanders from PetCo, and they have a ton of samples, thats why I was wondering about that I buy a variety of flavors and switch everyday, I hope thats not too much. As long as its pate, she seems to not care to much. She liked Iams for a while, but got bored real quick after I bough it for a change/treat. Yes, dry food is great for treats, saves on money LOL! I still get her treats. She gets brushed in the morning, then two hairball treats. I didn't realize she liked catnip so much!(shes two) till last week. I usually give it to her twice a week but I made her a toy with it and she plays with it at least every other day haha! Hope I covered everything and thanks again!

Thanks! I do use food banks, but I don't know if they have much cat food, I think there is a place for helping people with pets nearby, I need to get a hold of them, I somehow always seem to have enough for the cat, tho I am cautious when it comes to people food. I think a month or so ago I just gave her a bit of extra raw meat to get her by and she seemed to like that. 

Oh yeah those big packs are nice, especially the giant ones from Costco lol! They are so heavy tho and Costoco is really out of the way on the bus, so I've been getting them by singles. I did think of getting the larger cans of food but wasn't sure if those were meant for larger amounts of cats in one house.

Can you send me a link to the pre-food mix or is it bought locally?

Abbi said:

 
Can you send me a link to the pre-food mix or is it bought locally?

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A raw food pre-mix? There are a few you can try:

http://tcfeline.com/

http://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/cat_food_better_in_the_raw

http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/alnutrin_supplements.html

http://felineinstincts.com/store/products-page/ (there's a few different ones to choose from)

http://www.completenaturalnutrition.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=74

All of the above are bought directly from their web site. I have never seen any sort of premix sold in pet stores.

If you decide to start raw food, please post over on the Raw forum for more information.

Commercial raw pet food may be an option. Most are complete diets to there is nothing to add to the food. Nature's Variety Intinct Raw Bites is a good one to try.

I think OP is priced out of commercial raw.   Thats why I mentioned buying meat that on `manager`s special` usually around 50% off at least in the ShopRite near me it is.

Thanks all! I never thought of seeing how much I actually spend on the cat stuff, I'll have to check and compare prices, but I'm sure even if I can switch ocasionally its probably better than Friskies canned and some cheap or even expensive dry all the time haha! Lucky kitty is getting chicken today as I bought a whole one and I like to chop it up myself, something to do.