Best grocery dry food brands?

asheneclipse · Nov 5, 2015

I recently adopted Nova from our local humane society. They feed their animals Science Diet, and I was sent home with a small sample bag. I recently went to purchase some more, and had a bit of sticker shock. Now, I knew science diet was a more expensive brand, but I didn't realize it was that expensive. I bought it, because I know I need to ween Nova off to prevent tummy issues. But I need something else for her, because I can't afford kibble that pricey.

What are some decent foods that I can give her?

(One option I did think of was a mix of Science Diet and a less expensive brand, 50/50 maybe.)

As an aside, Nova is underweight. And from the way it looks - even though dental records seem to imply she's four - she looks like she didn't really get out of kittenhood. (I'm thinking she was pretty malnourished as a young cat.) I don't know what type of food would be best in her case. I don't know if she'll eat wet food; her previous owners surrendered her but only checked off the dry food box in the papers. (She was also free fed, so I don't know how in the world she got so underweight...)

crazy4strays · Nov 5, 2015

How much are you looking to spend per month on cat food?

asheneclipse · Nov 5, 2015

I don't know, to be honest. I do know that $15 dollars for 4 pounds of food - when Nova is both trying to gain weight and an active cat - is a bit too pricey. She can eat a lot - more than the cat in the house that recently passed and was twice her size. But she certainly is burning off all that energy.

crazy4strays · Nov 5, 2015

How long did that 4 pounds last you?

LTS3 · Nov 5, 2015

Is buying from a pet store an option? You can find a better variety of foods there and pet stores often have food sales. Ordering online is always an option but some places may charge a shipping fee if you don't meet the free shipping requirement. Here's a thread with suggestions on where to buy food online: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/308884/only-natural-pet-website

Purina Beyond has a grain-free dry food: https://www.beyondpetfood.com/products/cat/grain-free-white-meat-chicken-egg/ There's a $5 coupon you can print out. The other Beyond dry formulas have grains. Many people here recommend grain-free foods since cats have no use for grains in the diet. Grains can cause digestive issues in some cats.

Rachael Ray Nutrish has a new grain-free dry: http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/cat/dry-food/zero-grain-whitefish-potato The only problem is that is the source of protein is fish. Fish shouldn't be fed as the only source of protein because it can cause urinary issues in some cats and other cats get addicted to eating fish / seafood and will refuse to eat anything else. Fish / seafood is best limited to once in awhile meals. If you feed meat based canned food in addition to the fish dry food it might not be so bad. The other Nutrish dry foods have grains and fillers.

Science Diet really isn't a great brand. It's full of "junk" quality ingredients.

Avoid the really cheap brands: Meow Mix, Friskies dry (the canned is ok), 9 Lives, some store generic brands, etc. It's tempting to buy a huge 20 lb bag for like $10 but beware. They're cheap because they are full of cheap poor quality ingredients. Kind of the like the cat equivalent of fast food and heavily processed preservative laden junk foods.

If you can feed your cat at least some canned food, it would be greatly beneficial to your cat's health.

Here's some info on how to choose a food:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/grain-free-cat-food-what-does-it-mean

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat-part-2

My two cents

I haven't fed dry is years and refuse to ever feed it again. But I understand some people have to feed dry for one reason or another. I generally recommend the higher end brands like Nature's Variety Instinct and Wellness but not everyone can afford those brands, even if the brand is on sale and / or if coupons are used. Of course, a high quality food isn't great if the cat won't eat it at all.

Kat0121 · Nov 5, 2015

LTS3 said:
Is buying from a pet store an option? You can find a better variety of foods there and pet stores often have food sales. Ordering online is always an option but some places may charge a shipping fee if you don't meet the free shipping requirement. Here's a thread with suggestions on where to buy food online: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/308884/only-natural-pet-website

Purina Beyond has a grain-free dry food: https://www.beyondpetfood.com/products/cat/grain-free-white-meat-chicken-egg/ There's a $5 coupon you can print out. The other Beyond dry formulas have grains. Many people here recommend grain-free foods since cats have no use for grains in the diet. Grains can cause digestive issues in some cats.

Rachael Ray Nutrish has a new grain-free dry: http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/cat/dry-food/zero-grain-whitefish-potato The only problem is that is the source of protein is fish. Fish shouldn't be fed as the only source of protein because it can cause urinary issues in some cats and other cats get addicted to eating fish / seafood and will refuse to eat anything else. Fish / seafood is best limited to once in awhile meals. If you feed meat based canned food in addition to the fish dry food it might not be so bad. The other Nutrish dry foods have grains and fillers.

Science Diet really isn't a great brand. It's full of "junk" quality ingredients.

Avoid the really cheap brands: Meow Mix, Friskies dry (the canned is ok), 9 Lives, some store generic brands, etc. It's tempting to buy a huge 20 lb bag for like $10 but beware. They're cheap because they are full of cheap poor quality ingredients. Kind of the like the cat equivalent of fast food and heavily processed preservative laden junk foods.

If you can feed your cat at least some canned food, it would be greatly beneficial to your cat's health.

Here's some info on how to choose a food:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/grain-free-cat-food-what-does-it-mean

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat-part-2

My two cents

I haven't fed dry is years and refuse to ever feed it again. But I understand some people have to feed dry for one reason or another. I generally recommend the higher end brands like Nature's Variety Instinct and Wellness but not everyone can afford those brands, even if the brand is on sale and / or if coupons are used. Of course, a high quality food isn't great if the cat won't eat it at all.

I agree with this 100%. The only time my cats eat dry is if I have to go out of town for a day or so and I need to set up the automatic feeders. Buying feeders for wet food isn't really an option as I'd need 3 of them. One would never work. The dry I give them is Nature's Variety LID turkey. It's not cheap though.

Can you buy online? Chewy.com, Wag.com and Amazon often have better prices than the big box pet stores.

Merrick has a good line of grain free foods

Petco sells it too. They are famous for charging more to buy things in store than they do online so I'd call them to price check it but if you do decide to try it and buy it in store, here's a coupon

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/coupon-files/gf-coupon-2-PDF.pdf

The link to find it at Petco. Petsmart doesn't carry it

http://www.petco.com/product/113142...bazaarvoice-_-RLP-_-113142-_-productname_link

I agree about Science Diet. in my opinion, it's overpriced junk. I'd feed Merrick over it any day.

missmimz · Nov 5, 2015

I really would not feed grocery store dry food, it's almost exclusively full of fillers and the quality is questionable. I also don't think Science Diet is good food, either. There are much better foods you can purchase at a pet store that will last you longer. Your cat will eat less higher quality kibble because its better quality and higher protein with less fillers. I would suggest feeding lower quality canned, something like FF, Sheba, or even Friskies pate to cut costs, and supplementing with a higher quality dry.

paiger8 · Nov 5, 2015

+1 to everything everyone said above me. I know years ago when I was feeding 100% dry (I now feed almost exclusively wet) but cats could eat 1/2 cup of cheap stuff per meal, or 1/8 cup of the expensive high quality stuff. It has less fillers so it's more satisfying.

I will also caution you, the better the food, the less you're going to spend in vet bills. Cheap food can cause urinary blockages and other issues in cats. See if you can afford throwing in a couple cans of Fancy Feast Classic a few times a week if possible.

If you are going to feed exclusively dry, I'd highly recommend a fountain to encourage water drinking. Cats with UTI's are no fun.

Good luck fattening up your little kitty! I'm currently trying to fatten one up as well.

mservant · Nov 5, 2015

While many people believe that dry food can cause or contribute to urinary blockages and other health issues, it is important to remember that many cats remain very healthy on dry food only diets. This article linked by LTS3 earlier looks at the various options for feeding your cats so you can consider what would work best for you. It is always important to remember the cat must eat: you have to be able to afford to provide the food and the cat has to accept eating it, and if they don't do so happily they are unlikely to be healthy.

asheneclipse · Nov 5, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
How long did that 4 pounds last you?

I just bought it - I just finished the 1 lb bag that I got from the shelter when I adopted her - that took less than a week. (About 4 days, considering she wasn't eating much the first couple days due to not feeling well and moving stress.)

LTS3 said:
Is buying from a pet store an option? You can find a better variety of foods there and pet stores often have food sales. Ordering online is always an option but some places may charge a shipping fee if you don't meet the free shipping requirement. Here's a thread with suggestions on where to buy food online: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/308884/only-natural-pet-website

Purina Beyond has a grain-free dry food: https://www.beyondpetfood.com/products/cat/grain-free-white-meat-chicken-egg/ There's a $5 coupon you can print out. The other Beyond dry formulas have grains. Many people here recommend grain-free foods since cats have no use for grains in the diet. Grains can cause digestive issues in some cats.

Rachael Ray Nutrish has a new grain-free dry: http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/cat/dry-food/zero-grain-whitefish-potato The only problem is that is the source of protein is fish. Fish shouldn't be fed as the only source of protein because it can cause urinary issues in some cats and other cats get addicted to eating fish / seafood and will refuse to eat anything else. Fish / seafood is best limited to once in awhile meals. If you feed meat based canned food in addition to the fish dry food it might not be so bad. The other Nutrish dry foods have grains and fillers.

Science Diet really isn't a great brand. It's full of "junk" quality ingredients.

Avoid the really cheap brands: Meow Mix, Friskies dry (the canned is ok), 9 Lives, some store generic brands, etc. It's tempting to buy a huge 20 lb bag for like $10 but beware. They're cheap because they are full of cheap poor quality ingredients. Kind of the like the cat equivalent of fast food and heavily processed preservative laden junk foods.

If you can feed your cat at least some canned food, it would be greatly beneficial to your cat's health.

Here's some info on how to choose a food:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/grain-free-cat-food-what-does-it-mean

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat-part-2

My two cents

I haven't fed dry is years and refuse to ever feed it again. But I understand some people have to feed dry for one reason or another. I generally recommend the higher end brands like Nature's Variety Instinct and Wellness but not everyone can afford those brands, even if the brand is on sale and / or if coupons are used. Of course, a high quality food isn't great if the cat won't eat it at all.

Then why is Science Diet so highly recommended all over the place? I don't understand; do vets/shelters get a kickback of some sort? (Admittedly, Science Diet is probably better than what most animals that are in the human society got before...)

A pet store is an option, but it's out of the way - I'd rather have something I can get while shopping for my food instead of making a special trip.

Paiger8 said:
+1 to everything everyone said above me. I know years ago when I was feeding 100% dry (I now feed almost exclusively wet) but cats could eat 1/2 cup of cheap stuff per meal, or 1/8 cup of the expensive high quality stuff. It has less fillers so it's more satisfying.

I will also caution you, the better the food, the less you're going to spend in vet bills. Cheap food can cause urinary blockages and other issues in cats. See if you can afford throwing in a couple cans of Fancy Feast Classic a few times a week if possible.

If you are going to feed exclusively dry, I'd highly recommend a fountain to encourage water drinking. Cats with UTI's are no fun.

Good luck fattening up your little kitty! I'm currently trying to fatten one up as well.

Nova has been drinking better than any cat I had - I'm shocked. Though, now that she isn't all sneezey, her water consumption has dropped... I will look into a fountain, maybe I can find an older model on clearance or something.

Like I said, I don't know if she'll eat wet food. I personally hate the smell of it. But I suppose I could give it a try; Fancy Feast has those tiny cans. And I saw an ad for those broth things, which looked interesting.

And thanks! I'd love for her to get to the point that I feel like I won't break her by picking her up. xD (Not that she thinks I'll break her, from the way she climbs all over me and snuggles up next to me when I sleep!)

MServant said:
While many people believe that dry food can cause or contribute to urinary blockages and other health issues, it is important to remember that many cats remain very healthy on dry food only diets. This article linked by LTS3 earlier looks at the various options for feeding your cats so you can consider what would work best for you. It is always important to remember the cat must eat: you have to be able to afford to provide the food and the cat has to accept eating it, and if they don't do so happily they are unlikely to be healthy.

Considering I'm working part time and am a student, I'm pretty broke. I do aim to get the best I can afford for her though. Thank you for helping me feel less guilty about what I can afford. I was starting to feel a bit like I was a horrible pet parent because I can't afford the expensive brands.

bethanney · Feb 22, 2016

NEVER feel bad for giving a shelter cat -- especially one that was previously surrendered -- a loving home & the best food you can afford! I had 2 cats live to be 19 & 20 and that was on a steady diet of Cat Chow & Purina One (premium food back then was Nutro!) I have always feed a can of wet for dinner, and since my 15 year old is 2nd stage kidney, I feed them mostly wet with dry at night. (Based on everything these awesome cat owners at TCS have taught me.) Your kitty is so lucky to have someone love her & care about her well-being enough to research her best options.

fyllis · Feb 22, 2016

FYI: You can make your own water fountain using a stainless steel bowl and an inexpensive aquarium filter for under $25. Check on YouTube for DIY water fountains for cats. Be inventive!

kittens mom · Feb 22, 2016

I believe the 1lb bag of Science Diet given to us by the vet on Mercy's first visit had corn gluten as the second ingredient. I'm not going to run SD down. Them make a wide variety of specialty foods for cats with medical conditions.

You want to look for a food that has meat as the main ingredient. Stores like Pet Co and Pet Smart have their own brands of cat food that used to be much cheaper than the name brands.

Supermarkets vary. Our local store would see corn laden cat foods getting prominent display. A tad more upscale store you would see mid shelf dry cat foods with better ingredients. None of them are worth the price from the cheapest to the most expensive if you can't get your cat to eat them. Buy a small bag first. If your cat consumes a good amount of water dry food should not be an issue. If not there is always the option of moistening the food.

Willowy · Feb 22, 2016

Walmart has Purina Beyond, Pure Balance, and Rachel Ray Nutrish. Those are all fairly decent. Not especially cheap but should be less than Science Diet. I'm not sure which grocery stores carry those brands. I'm OK with Purina One----the ingredients aren't terrific, but my cats do better on it than many brands with better-looking ingredients. I've heard that Purina has the best vitamin/mineral mix in the industry; maybe that's why. I would recommend avoiding any dry food with food coloring in it---it's not great for cats, plus I've found it makes the litterbox really stink! The cheapest dye-free food I know of is Cat Chow Naturals, if you need a very low-cost food. It costs about the same as regular Cat Chow or dry Friskies.

It is a good idea to get at least some canned food in her diet, for the extra protein and moisture. Even just 1/4-1/2 can a day will help. You can get a plastic can cover to keep it fresh in the fridge. Friskies pate flavors aren't too bad. Fancy Feast pate flavors are good, too, but those tiny cans are not cheap! One of them costs more than a 5.5-oz can of Friskies. I've found that the fish-free flavors don't smell as bad as the fishy ones. Mixed Grill and Country Style are the fish-free Friskies flavors, I know Fancy Feast has a few too.

Is there a Tractor Supply Co store in your area? They have a lot of good foods to choose from and their prices are better than most places.

DreamerRose · Feb 22, 2016

Purina's Beyond has no corn, wheat, soy, or artificial colors in any of its flavors. It costs about $7 per 3-lb bag and is available in most grocery stores. My cat loves it. I also feed him one can of FF in the evening.

thegreystalker · Feb 23, 2016

Brought home my new baby from the rescue center a week ago. Received the sample bag of Science Diet from the rescue center, but have been feeding her Rachel Ray Nutrish Chicken and she likes it. Not a big eater so far (she's just under 6 pounds) but she does return to her pan of Rachel Ray often during the day. Not every supermarket near me carries Rachel Ray but it's easy to get it online. When my baby is done with Rachel Ray we will try the Purina Beyond Super Seafood Dry variety. Both brands have minimal or no corn content. Both are relatively affordable, compared to the high-end brands sold by vets and pet shops.

As a treat I do give her "McDonalds in a Can," a.k.a. 9 Lives and Friskies twice a week. She took to the 9 Lives Pate very well. You've probably discovered that 9 Lives is quite inexpensive.

crazy4strays · Feb 23, 2016

Friskies and 9 lives canned pates actually are pretty healthy. They are a great canned food for being budget friendly and are fairly low carb.

Kat0121 · Feb 23, 2016

Crazy4Strays said:
Friskies and 9 lives canned pates actually are pretty healthy. They are a great canned food for being budget friendly and are fairly low carb.

Agreed. As are Sheba and Fancy Feast pates. The 4Health line from Tractor Supply Company is another good one. They have a grain free line that is affordable for most at .69 for a 5.5 ounce can

crazy4strays · Feb 23, 2016

Yes, I love Tractor Supply grain free canned food! My kitties love it, it's healthy for them and my wallet is happier too.

I went shopping at an Amish discount store today. I found a few cans of Fancy Feast classic and a can of Purina Beyond grain free, for 29 cents each. I also found some premium dog food that was only $1.99 per bag. The only reason why it was there was slight cosmetic damage to the outside of the bag. So I bought a couple bags to donate to my rescue. I love finding pet food deals.

cattycd · Feb 24, 2016

Not sure if it is available in your area (I'm in Ontario, Canada). But over here Walmart carries this brand called Actr1um which I find quite good. They even sell a grain free variety (although the proteins are fish). You can buy a large bag for about 25$ of the non grain-free variety(which is a GREAT price here!). The grains in this recipe are Brown rice, barley and rye if I remember correctly.

Best grocery dry food brands?

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Kittens life was lost to a negligent veterinarian.

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