Financially I will have to feed a combination of wet and dry unfortunately--Suggestions?

catlover100

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I have posted several times about my cat Jack's urinary problems and I feel he needs to stay on Royal Canin So at $1.88/can. As of now he is only eating about 1 can a day when I mix a little Fancy Feast in with it. So that alone comes to about $60/month. Depending on what price I can get the Fancy Feast for and feed my other two cats one can of it each mixed in with Friskies the Fancy Feast comes to $33.00/month. And this is not adding the cost of the Friskies in this. So as my other post said I am still looking at $100/month at least. 

I am trying one of my cats on Tractor Supply 4 Health canned grain free which will be cheaper than the FF. My oldest cat had some loose stool when I tried him although it could have been from something else.

Anyway I had bought a bag of Iams not grain free because one of my cats cannot tolerate all the added carbs in grain free and I can't afford a high price dry one that may not have the added carbs in it. I may have to start them on part dry and part can. 

So this is frustrating. They have adjusted well to the canned food. But I don't think I really have a choice here. I live on a very tight budget. I made some extra money at Christmas working and I wonder where it went. I look at a list I wrote where I spent so much on cat food since before Christmas and that is where it was spent.  

What about adding water to dry food? I read a thread where some agree it's ok and some do not.

Should I feed half dry and half canned or as much canned as I can afford really. I appreciate any suggestions.

I know canned food is best but even buying the cheapest looks like it will cost too much.
 

Columbine

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I really wouldn't add water to kibble. Far better to feed the kibble dry and add extra water to the wet food to compensate. [article="30756"]​[/article] has loads more ideas. Hydration really is key with urinary issues, so keeping fluid intake up is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to help prevent a recurrence.

Where are you buying the Royal Canin from? It's often significantly cheaper to get it online instead of from your vet.

Don't feel bad about not being able to afford all wet food. All you can do is your best. So long as they're all happy and healthy, and you compensate for the dryness of kibble, then give yourself a break. If half and half is what's most realistic for your budget then go with that. If you can comfortably go, say, two thirds wet and one third dry then do that.

My boy had crystals years ago, and I keep an eye on the pee clump size in the litterbox. So long as I'm seeing big clumps I know things are working well. If I start consistently seeing more smaller clumps I schedule a vet check. So much easier and cheaper to catch it early ;)
 

louann jude

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I understand having a tight budget. At the moment we have five, two are fosters. I feed them 9 lives and Kitten chow. They share two cans in the morning and evening and dry twice a day. It equals to about 80 a month. I know its not the best but they are healthy and happy. When I get more money they will get better food. Until then some wet is better than none and their bellies are full. 
 

lmj1954

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Columbine

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It's never a good idea to feed an UNBALANCED homemade diet. Plain meat is a great treat once in a while, but the bulk of the diet must be properly balanced - no matter whether it's bought or homemade.
 
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catlover100

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It is somewhat cheaper about .20/can to buy Royal Canin at chewy.com is I get auto ship and $49 order. Their large cans of Friskies are cheaper so I could sometime buy both of them to qualify for free shipping.

I think my other two cats are going to have to get used to eating less Fancy Feast. I have an overweight cat that will usually eat anything. He is losing more weight now that I have switched to canned. The oldest I still may give him more Fancy Feast to keep encouraging him to eat more.

Oh how we worry about our babies!! :)
 
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