I've had a neighborhood stray befriend me and I started to feed her (and water bowl). I bought Purina Beyond Natural because it had no grain, but it's expensive. The cat eats a LOT and cries for more. The 3lb bag is empty in a week. Since she's not my cat and I'm on a small, fixed, income, I can't afford $20 a week to feed her. I don't have an indoor pet because I travel a bit to see relatives and would have nowhere to keep one while I was gone plus the expense of one would be too much for me (I've always had cats til a couple years ago but just can't have one inside with this apt lease or my new budget). Anyway, this little sweetling comes to my patio to hang out with me and I thought the occasional feeding would be ok, but it seems she's a chow hound, so now I'm stuck trying to figure out a decent enough food that is much cheaper for my budget. I did do an Advantage treatment on her so that I wouldn't track fleas in the house and she is very happy to have gotten rid of them. I don't know if she'll disappear tomorrow, so I don't want to keep much on hand and it needs to be dry food so I can keep it out since I'm not always home. She drinks a large bowl of water in two days, so water isn't a problem. What brand cheaper than the Purina would work ok, or is there one I could mix with the Purina so she's still getting more meat but something also that fills her up so she doesn't go through so much? Any advice would be helpful. She's adult, med-size, not overweight. Thanks!
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Inexpensive Dry Food for Stray Outdoor Cat
- Thread starter mscanon
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I recommend Purina Naturals. The 3.15 pound bag is less than $5 at Walmart and the 6.30 pound is less than $8
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cat-Chow-...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cat-Chow-...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n
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some people here buy the 4health cat food at Tractor Supply Co if they have one near you.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...k_cs%3A4health%26trade%3B&brandFacet=4health™
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...k_cs%3A4health%26trade%3B&brandFacet=4health™
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btw, 3 pounds in a week is a lot of food. that amount should last about 3 weeks.
It does seem like a lot. Would it be OK to feed kitten food which has more calories than adult? They cost the same. I would fed my feral at night & she seemed fine with this. Is she fixed?
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i feed my feral cats Purina Kitten Chow. you get a little more for the same price and it has more calories. and i supplement with Friskies wet food on the weekends.
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Don't feed her as much as she wants. In my experience, ferals are always huge chow hounds when given the chance because they never know when their next meal will be, and so have learned to eat to breaking point whenever they can. If you are able to feed her daily, only give her the recommended feeding amount or she will start gaining too much weight. 3 pounds of food in a week is far too much. Even though she will cry at controlled portions at first, eventually she will get used to it.
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I know you said you don't want to buy too much at once, but if you buy the largest bag, it can cost half as much per pound. A 50% discount, just that easy! For instance, at Walmart, Purina One costs $29.98 for a 22-pound bag, which is $1.36 a pound, and the 3.5-pound bag is $7.88 which is $2.24 a pound! OK, that's not quite half but it is a substantial savings.
I agree that Purina Naturals or Kitten Chow would be good. If you have to, regular Purina Cat Chow will be fine too, although some cats have trouble with food coloring. But don't get anything cheaper than that, such as Meow Mix or Kit 'n' Kaboodle or Alley Cat (or store brand dry food). Those are extremely low quality.
It would be good if you could give her a little canned food now and then too. Special Kitty canned food is fine, or Friskies. Canned food is generally higher-quality than the same brand of dry food.
I agree that Purina Naturals or Kitten Chow would be good. If you have to, regular Purina Cat Chow will be fine too, although some cats have trouble with food coloring. But don't get anything cheaper than that, such as Meow Mix or Kit 'n' Kaboodle or Alley Cat (or store brand dry food). Those are extremely low quality.
It would be good if you could give her a little canned food now and then too. Special Kitty canned food is fine, or Friskies. Canned food is generally higher-quality than the same brand of dry food.
I'd also check coupons.com once a week to see what coupons are available. I check it once a week before I do my shopping and they often have cat food coupons up for both dry and wet food.
This is a good point. If you're leaving the food out overnight, try only putting it down for her when you can watch her eat, and pick up any leftovers after.
Why don't you adopt her regardless? I mean you're already feeding her food and giving her water. I'd hate to leave a stray outdoor like that when she clearly has started a friendship with you. Give her a warm place to live. Cat's are pretty independent and can be left alone for quite long periods of time. If you're gone you can also get a neighbor to feed her. It's your decision and this is something for you to think about.
Also Tabbysia has a point. If the cat is eating that much then there's probably other animals getting into it. I use to live in a wilderness area and you wouldn't believe the kinds of wild animals that come out of the forest at night, we had problems with raccoons, possums, deer, and possibly other cats getting into the bird feeders, eating stuff of our fruit trees, and getting into food we use to leave out for our cat (night outdoor cat).
Also Tabbysia has a point. If the cat is eating that much then there's probably other animals getting into it. I use to live in a wilderness area and you wouldn't believe the kinds of wild animals that come out of the forest at night, we had problems with raccoons, possums, deer, and possibly other cats getting into the bird feeders, eating stuff of our fruit trees, and getting into food we use to leave out for our cat (night outdoor cat).
I agree! I was feeding my feral outside the porch & at first I didn't know when she came & how much she ate but the food was always gone. One night I went out to see if she have eaten & I found a skunk & two raccoons fighting over the food. I started watching my male cat & he let me know when she was there so I could put the food out. In the winter I would start feeding her as much as she wanted because I feel that's what keeps feral alive in the winter.
I too, fed my ferals Kitten Chow & my own cat for treats when he was outside. Then I read the ingredients on the bag! This is not the best food to feed anyone. I know it's inexpensive but it's cat junk food. Cat's love in but it isn't good for them. However, that said any food is better than no food. So many ferals die in my climate because without food they can't keep warm.
