Switching to all wet diet - how to budget in Canada?

Hi there! I'm switching my 12lb ragdoll kitten to an all wet diet after the vet found crystals in his urine I've fed him dry and gave a small can (the 3oz ones) spread through the week as a treat. I feed Royal Canin and it's $1.69 for a small 3oz can, which gets really pricey if I'm feeding him that only! I was wondering what you other cat parents do in Canada? US prices are so much better... I tried Fancy Feast and it just smelled AWFUL, the smell was so stinky (the chicken one) I couldn't stand it or feed it to him. I would like to spend ideally $30-50 on food a month, other than waiting for Petsmart to have sales how do I get him on good quality wet food on that budget? Any tips greatly appreciated!!! Has anyone tried the food from Costco? 

Costco here only has canned Friskies and Fancy Feast. What do they sell there?

Unfortunately, the cheaper canned cat foods are rather smelly :lol3:. That's why cats like them, lol. But if you can't stand to be around them I guess that's out.

I don't know anything about Canadian availability or prices. But, in general, the larger the can, the less you'll pay per ounce. If you can find a place that sells the 13-oz Wellness cans, that's probably your best bet. That is, IF he'll eat it after it's been opened. Some cats won't, picky beasts .

Shop around for your preferred brand as well.  Royal Canin has a listing of all the stores in your area that sell its product, I'm sure one of them sells it cheaper than PetSmart (they are overpriced on everything).  They're a Canadian company too so it's good to support them

If you just want inexpensive:

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/friskies-48-pk-variety-pack-48x156g/6000177657043  By far the cheapest - $0.58/can at 156g/can

Depends on where in Canada you are I think. Like Willowy mentioned, the 13 oz cans of Wellness are cheaper. I've gotten them before from Petsmart, though they might have limited quantities as I don't see it there all the time. It's usually $4.10 for a 13 cans, but I just checked on the Petsmart.ca website and they are on sale for $3.50.  Now, depends on where in Canada you are, I live in Mississauga, Ontario and there is a store called Ren's Pet Depot in Oakville and they usually have the larger can sizes of a lot of different canned cat foods. You can probably also try Global Pet Foods, since they are more warehouse-y. Not sure if you have those stores close to you, but it's worth looking into the larger can sizes, again, if your cat doesn't mind eating old food. However, most of the healthier 3 oz canned foods are usually priced at around $1.40-1.59, so look at what you can afford. 

Thanks everyone! I found global pet foods to be more expensive than petsmart :/ He's not super keen on eating old food, he likes the 3oz cans. How much should I feed him? He's 12lbs, so according to Royal Canin he should be eating 4 of those 3oz cans a day, which I feel like is a lot. I read that most cats are ok with 5-6oz of wet food a day. 

1 156g can or 2 x 85g cans is good for a day I've read as well.  Just so you're aware the 354g Wellness cans are not cheaper - it works out to $0.88 per 89g serving at the sale price vs Friskies $0.29 per 78g serving.

Global Pets is quite expensive.

I haven't seen a wet food from the Kirkland/CostCo brand; however, I've had luck getting 48 packs of 5.5oz cans of Friskies at CostCo for about $25, but I also get Pet Valu's store brands - they have one called Health Diet ($0.67 per 5.5oz can or $1.39 per 13oz can... on par with quality for Friskies, but the pates are grain-free) and one called Performatrin. Performatrin ($1.39/5.5oz or $2.69/13oz) has more in it in terms of fruits and vegetables, but I think it's also more specific in listing ingredients whereas Health Diet just lists "animal" products/byproducts. I also buy Petsmart's Grreat Choice wet food pates. The 5.5oz cans are currently on sale for $0.60 each (normally $0.65). Even Fancy Feast I only pick up when it's on a good sale.

I find Wellness to be expensive and my cat didn't like it, even though I thought it smelled like chicken soup. I think Performatrin smells pretty good too, but that was also a tough sell for the cat! I once had someone tell me, "the worse it smells to us, the better it smells to them".

I'll copy a list I made a little while back and just updated of some prices of readily available wet foods at chain pet stores or department stores. It is worth noting I included the 13% sales tax I would be paying on these foods, so take that into consideration with these prices if your sales tax is different (outside of Ontario).
My 9.5lb lean cat eats about 5-6oz of wet food per day. Something I do to help cut costs as well is feed a treat of kibble at night, maybe for her to chase or forage out of hiding spots in her tower or just as bonding time. While she is good at drinking water if she's eaten a lot of dry food, I do add about a tablespoon of water to all of her wet food meals just to up her water intake.

WafflesNomNom said:

Hi there! I'm switching my 12lb ragdoll kitten to an all wet diet after the vet found crystals in his urine I've fed him dry and gave a small can (the 3oz ones) spread through the week as a treat. I feed Royal Canin and it's $1.69 for a small 3oz can, which gets really pricey if I'm feeding him that only! I was wondering what you other cat parents do in Canada? US prices are so much better... I tried Fancy Feast and it just smelled AWFUL, the smell was so stinky (the chicken one) I couldn't stand it or feed it to him. I would like to spend ideally $30-50 on food a month, other than waiting for Petsmart to have sales how do I get him on good quality wet food on that budget? Any tips greatly appreciated!!! Has anyone tried the food from Costco? 

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Unfortunately, you're feeding your cat food filled w/fillers and fruits & vegies. When was the last time anyone had to fence up their garden from a cat? Some fruits & vegies are actually toxic to cats!.... You want to feed your baby the best stuff for him/her, & there WONT be any health problems:No more grain in food, it just messes w/a cats system and they aren't made for it... They Are True Carnivores! They need Protein, fat, (taurine) & other vitamins. Meat 1st on the label, no rice, or any wheat products. I buy a brand called Wellness brand. It has 12.5 oz cans on a case of 12 for around $30. Everything in it is what's designed for your cat. Can you order online from Petco, Petsmart, or the new one Jet.com to be delivered in Canada? You might try those sites... Unfortunately, Amazon has raised their prices SOO horrendously lately, you won't get a "Deal" from them...

I have Himalsyan Persians... And they thrive on the wellness...

Don't be fooled by marketing.  Wellness, while better than some of the alternatives, is still filled with a bunch of non-meat ingredients

Their "grain free" label contains:

...Potato Starch, Carrots, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor, Cranberries, Spinach, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Ground Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Canola Oil, Choline Chloride, Inulin, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Rosemary Extract.

The thing to remember about cats is that they do ingest non-meat items all the time in the wild.  They eat a mouse, that mouse eats grains.  They eat a bird, that bird eats berries.  They actively eat grasses as fibre.  The reality is that the science isn't there as to what is/is not healthy for cats.  It's barely there for humans.  As long as it doesn't contain things that are actively causing problems in your cat, chances are it's good enough for your cat to have a long and healthy life.  The oldest cat ever recorded had a diet that included coffee with heavy creme, asparagus, and broccoli (among other things) so I wouldn't worry about it unless your cat is showing signs of health issues (inflammation, weight issues, vomiting, etc).

I have been doing a whole lot of research on canned cat food in Canada, specifically Ottawa, ON. Here are my tips.

- If you plan on feeding only wet food as your original post states, I really believe the large 13 to 14 oz cans are the way to go. You will save a considerable amount of $$ because stores will often have "buy five cans get the 6th free". If you buy 5 cans of the 13oz compared to 5 can of the 5.5, you save more.

- Pet valu is my go-to store. They have a lot of those buy 5 get the 6th free deals, different ones each month. Plus, if you buy a case (12 cans - you can mix them too!), you get an extra 5% off. Wellness tends to be more expensive for nothing in my opinion. There are other brands with comparable or better ingredients at better prices.

- At pet valu I like to buy Performatrin Ultra and Holistic Select. I stock up when they come on sale and they last me for a while.

- Pet valu also sells the large cans of Nature's Variety Instinct Dog food (which is the EXACT same formula than the cat food). I will buy those when they come on sale as well.

- There is one other brand that I like to rotate, which is Boréal canned cat food. They are a Canadian company. I know they sell them at Global pet foods, but I buy mine at a store called Natural Pet Foods in Ottawa for only 2.99$ per 14oz can. The ingredients are superb and my cats love it. If you research stores in your area, you might be able to find a store that sells them besides Global.

-With most of these large cans, your cat should be fine with 1/2 can per day depending on his activity level AS AN ADULT. If he is still a kitten than he will need more as needed. My two cats (2 years old) are 9 pounds each and I have been giving them 1/3 each per day since they are 1 year old (and they are quite active). That said, with that portion in mind, your cat would get the fresh 1/2 of the can one day and then the 24hr old portion the next. If he's finniky about freshness you can try freezing and thawing the other portion or adding some warm water to the food. Cats love when their food is "blood temperature" - at least mine do.

- Next I plan to buy The Honest Kitchen's prowl. It is a dehydrated raw diet that you rehydrate with warm water at home. Ingredients are great once again. If your cat is 12 lbs, one 4 pound box will last you a month and it costs 51.65$ on amazon.ca right now with free shipping. That is still considering at adulthood.

All the food I feed is grain-free, therefore all these recommendations are of grain-free foods. Of course the foods with grain would probably cost less, but that is up to you!

Good luck with your kitty and your search! Let me know how it goes!

CattyCD said:

 
I have been doing a whole lot of research on canned cat food in Canada, specifically Ottawa, ON. Here are my tips.

- If you plan on feeding only wet food as your original post states, I really believe the large 13 to 14 oz cans are the way to go. You will save a considerable amount of $$ because stores will often have "buy five cans get the 6th free". If you buy 5 cans of the 13oz compared to 5 can of the 5.5, you save more.

...

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13-14 oz cans work out to about $0.67 per serving at the least expensive I could find (PERFORMATRIN).   Even bringing that down by 17% for the buy 5 get 1 free sale that's $0.56 per serving

You'd be better off buying http://petvalu.com/product/23882/chicken-dinner-health-diet during the 5/1 sale which would bring it down to $0.28 per serving

I recently bought a couple of store brand cans from TSC store. Unfortunately, my cats didn't like it much, but it was a lot cheaper and not that horrendous ingredient-wise.
I agree with PetValu having sales. Also Global, although they are quite expensive. They're still worth checking out as the do have the buy 5 get 1 free deals quite often, and my local one has a 50% off bin I usually score from. I've even stocked up at Canadian Tire when Friskies were on sale. I'm a big fan of stocking up to save in the long run.
ETA: As I said in your other thread, I do think it's important to give the prescription diet a shot though. I know the ingredients look questionable and it's pricey, but we found it worked to get our cat out of the cycle of crystals & UTIs.

CattyCD said:

 
I have been doing a whole lot of research on canned cat food in Canada, specifically Ottawa, ON. Here are my tips.

- If you plan on feeding only wet food as your original post states, I really believe the large 13 to 14 oz cans are the way to go. You will save a considerable amount of $$ because stores will often have "buy five cans get the 6th free". If you buy 5 cans of the 13oz compared to 5 can of the 5.5, you save more.

- Pet valu is my go-to store. They have a lot of those buy 5 get the 6th free deals, different ones each month. Plus, if you buy a case (12 cans - you can mix them too!), you get an extra 5% off. Wellness tends to be more expensive for nothing in my opinion. There are other brands with comparable or better ingredients at better prices.

- At pet valu I like to buy Performatrin Ultra and Holistic Select. I stock up when they come on sale and they last me for a while.

- Pet valu also sells the large cans of Nature's Variety Instinct Dog food (which is the EXACT same formula than the cat food). I will buy those when they come on sale as well.

- There is one other brand that I like to rotate, which is Boréal canned cat food. They are a Canadian company. I know they sell them at Global pet foods, but I buy mine at a store called Natural Pet Foods in Ottawa for only 2.99$ per 14oz can. The ingredients are superb and my cats love it. If you research stores in your area, you might be able to find a store that sells them besides Global.

-With most of these large cans, your cat should be fine with 1/2 can per day depending on his activity level AS AN ADULT. If he is still a kitten than he will need more as needed. My two cats (2 years old) are 9 pounds each and I have been giving them 1/3 each per day since they are 1 year old (and they are quite active). That said, with that portion in mind, your cat would get the fresh 1/2 of the can one day and then the 24hr old portion the next. If he's finniky about freshness you can try freezing and thawing the other portion or adding some warm water to the food. Cats love when their food is "blood temperature" - at least mine do.

- Next I plan to buy The Honest Kitchen's prowl. It is a dehydrated raw diet that you rehydrate with warm water at home. Ingredients are great once again. If your cat is 12 lbs, one 4 pound box will last you a month and it costs 51.65$ on amazon.ca right now with free shipping. That is still considering at adulthood.

All the food I feed is grain-free, therefore all these recommendations are of grain-free foods. Of course the foods with grain would probably cost less, but that is up to you!

Good luck with your kitty and your search! Let me know how it goes!  

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Thank you for suggesting pet valu!!! We live close to one! I also would like to get him onto the large cans. Do you put out 1/2 a can at a time or portion it throughout the day? I worry about it just sitting out in a bowl. My cat doesn't like Nature's Variety lol. 

pinkdagger said:

 
Global Pets is quite expensive.

I haven't seen a wet food from the Kirkland/CostCo brand; however, I've had luck getting 48 packs of 5.5oz cans of Friskies at CostCo for about $25, but I also get Pet Valu's store brands - they have one called Health Diet ($0.67 per 5.5oz can or $1.39 per 13oz can... on par with quality for Friskies, but the pates are grain-free) and one called Performatrin. Performatrin ($1.39/5.5oz or $2.69/13oz) has more in it in terms of fruits and vegetables, but I think it's also more specific in listing ingredients whereas Health Diet just lists "animal" products/byproducts. I also buy Petsmart's Grreat Choice wet food pates. The 5.5oz cans are currently on sale for $0.60 each (normally $0.65). Even Fancy Feast I only pick up when it's on a good sale.

I find Wellness to be expensive and my cat didn't like it, even though I thought it smelled like chicken soup. I think Performatrin smells pretty good too, but that was also a tough sell for the cat! I once had someone tell me, "the worse it smells to us, the better it smells to them".

I'll copy a list I made a little while back and just updated of some prices of readily available wet foods at chain pet stores or department stores. It is worth noting I included the 13% sales tax I would be paying on these foods, so take that into consideration with these prices if your sales tax is different (outside of Ontario).

fancy feast 0.84 = 3 oz     = 0.28 / 1oz friskies bulk (costco) 28.25 = 48x5.5oz     = 0.09469 / 1oz friskies individual 1.63 = 13oz     = 0.1252 / 1 oz 0.88 = 5.5oz     = 0.160 / 1oz performatrin (pet valu) 3.04 = 13oz     = 0.234 / 1oz 1.91 = 5.5oz     = 0.347 / 1oz 1.57 = 3 oz     = 0.524 / 1oz performatrin ultra (pet valu) 3.72 = 13oz     = 0.29 / 1oz 2.36 = 5.5oz     = 0.429 / 1oz 2.02 = 3 oz     = 0.674 / 1oz feline cuisine (pet valu) 0.78 = 3oz     = 0.26 / 1oz health diet (pet valu) 1.57 = 13oz     = 0.121 / 1oz 0.76 = 5.5oz     = 0.1377 / 1oz chicken soup for the cat lover's soul 2.03 = 5.5oz     = 0.368 / 1oz natural balance 2.14 = 5.5oz     = 0.388 / 1oz feline holistic select 4.17 = 13oz     = 0.3208 / 1oz 2.59 = 5.5oz     = 0.471 / 1oz

nutro 1.80 = 3oz     = 0.60 / 1oz authority 1.57 = 6oz     = 0.26 / 1oz iams purrfect grain free + iams purrfect delicacies 1.46 = 2.5oz     = 0.583 / 1oz iams purrfect delights 1.01 = 3oz     = 0.34 / 1oz iams proactive health 1.57 = 5.5oz     = 0.286 / 1oz grreat choice classic gourmet 0.77 = 3oz     = 0.256 / 1oz grreat choice 0.73 = 5.5 oz     = 0.133 / 1oz wellness 4.74 = 12.5oz     = 0.379 / 1oz 3.04 = 5.5oz     = 0.553 / 1oz 2.25 = 3oz     = 0.75 / 1oz wellness core 3.04 = 5.5oz     = 0.553 / 1oz taste of the wild 2.48 = 5.5oz     = 0.45 / 1oz 1.80 = 3oz     = 0.60 / 1oz wild calling! 3.38 = 5.5oz (rabbit)     = 0.614 / 1oz 3.04 = 5.5oz (duck)     = 0.553 / 1oz 2.81 = 5.5oz (chicken)     = 0.512 / 1oz

My 9.5lb lean cat eats about 5-6oz of wet food per day. Something I do to help cut costs as well is feed a treat of kibble at night, maybe for her to chase or forage out of hiding spots in her tower or just as bonding time. While she is good at drinking water if she's eaten a lot of dry food, I do add about a tablespoon of water to all of her wet food meals just to up her water intake.

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WOW thanks for this chart!!! That is some serious work! I've been adding 1/4 cup of water. 

pushylady said:

I recently bought a couple of store brand cans from TSC store. Unfortunately, my cats didn't like it much, but it was a lot cheaper and not that horrendous ingredient-wise.
I agree with PetValu having sales. Also Global, although they are quite expensive. They're still worth checking out as the do have the buy 5 get 1 free deals quite often, and my local one has a 50% off bin I usually score from. I've even stocked up at Canadian Tire when Friskies were on sale. I'm a big fan of stocking up to save in the long run.
ETA: As I said in your other thread, I do think it's important to give the prescription diet a shot though. I know the ingredients look questionable and it's pricey, but we found it worked to get our cat out of the cycle of crystals & UTIs.

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I definitely like the idea of the 50% off bin, I'll have to check my local one to see if they do that. Petsmart does that too sometimes, but it's hit or miss when they have it. We are retesting in a month, but I am keeping him on a low phosphorus diet, I don't know, I just hate Hill's >.<

Also, does anyone know the composition and mineral levels for the Pet Valu cat foods? 

WafflesNomNom said:

 
Thank you for suggesting pet valu!!! We live close to one! I also would like to get him onto the large cans. Do you put out 1/2 a can at a time or portion it throughout the day? I worry about it just sitting out in a bowl. My cat doesn't like Nature's Variety lol.

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I have two cats and they get three meals a day: 2 kibble meals, and 1 wet meal. For the wet meal I give them 1/8 of the large can each (sometimes 1/10 if the food is rich in calories) and add 1/4 cup of warm water to each of their bowls. Yes it does look like a big soup when it's all prepped but what can I say, they love it and it helps to hydrate them  . If you plan on giving just wet I would try and give your kitty 2-3 meals a day. 1/2 of a large can all at once is a lot of food lol.

WafflesNomNom said:

 
Also, does anyone know the composition and mineral levels for the Pet Valu cat foods?

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Here are the guaranteed analysis for the Pet Valu foods I recommended above:

PERFORMATRIN ULTRA TURKEY PATE


****They have a ton more flavours but I like to buy this one as it is the richest in calories (536 calories per 13.2oz can). Therefore it lasts me longer in the long run. Each 13.2oz can is 2.99$ without sale, therefore for one month (if you feed 1/2 can a day) it would cost you 44.85$ + tax for a month. However, because this particular one is so dense, you could ultimately feed 1/3 of a can a day (depending on how active your cat is). If he is very active you could always feed him a treat of dry food once per day to round out his calories. If you feed 1/3 of a can per day it would cost you 29.90$ + tax per month. That is without considering the buy 5 get one free sale.

HOLISTIC SELECT GRAIN-FREE CHICKEN LIVER & LAMB PATE RECIPE

Guaranteed Analysis
Calorie Content: (ME Calculated, as fed): 1,310 kcal/kg or 111 kcal/3 oz can, 204 kcal/5.5 oz can or 482 kcal/13 oz can.

***If you feed 1/2 a 13.0oz can a day, you will need 15 cans for a month. Currently at Pet Valu (without sale) each can sells for 3.69$. That would cost you 55.35$ + tax for one month. More expensive yes but I do still stock up on this one when it comes on sale ONLY.

THE HONEST KITCHEN PROWL DEHYDRATED CAT FOOD

Protein 35.00%
Fat 29.50%
Fiber 2.38%
Moisture 5.20%.

576 calories per cup

***The moisture content is low because you HAVE to add water to this food. It is very dense in calories therefore you don't have to feed as much per serving, saving you some money. This food is sold pretty much everywhere: Pet Valu, Global, Amazon...At Pet Valu it is 57.99 + tax for 4lbs and according to their feeding guidelines that should last you one month. Their 4lbs box is 57.99$. You save even more when it is on sale.

Here is the guaranteed analysis for the other brand I recommended:

BOREAL LAMB & BEEF
***They do not sell this at Pet Valu but I know they do at Global. I'm not sure of the price for Global. In Ottawa I buy them at a place called Natural Pet Foods. Each can cost 2.99$ there and the calories are lower for this food as it has a low glycemic-index: no potatoes in this food. So at 1/2 a can per day it would cost you 44.85$ + tax per month at 2.99$ a can. This food looks amazing and has great ingredients, which is why I like to buy it. They are also Canadian so that's a plus.

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As you can see there are great alternatives to Wellness on the market. One thing that I don't like about Wellness is that the food has carrageenan in it which has been found to be a carcinogen in humans. Research is unclear as to how this ingredient affects pets. The only food on the list I made for you that has this ingredient is the Performatrin Ultra. That's why I like to rotate the foods.

As you continue to research for the best food for your kitty, you will figure out what works best for you and him. Good luck and I hope the list I made will be helpful to you!

I have two cats and feed them 3 oz am and pm. The female gets a little less and big male a little more. Dry kibble is only a treat snack for the girl!