Low Carb for Kitten (On a budget)

elim · Aug 26, 2016

Hello everyone, I’m hoping I might find some help with cat nutrition, budgeting and general information here. At the moment we’re considering adopting a shelter kitten around my birthday (end of October), and I’m trying to put together a budget for my mom and I to look over.

Due to various health problems, I’ve been mostly housebound for the last two years. It’s been very isolating, but I’ve always found that being around animals has helped to relieve stress and pain.

I’ve mostly grown up with big, working breed dogs. And though It’s been awhile since I’ve had a pet/companion, they’re the sort of animals I most easily bond with. That said, my mom and I just wouldn’t be able to afford the monthly feed costs.

Also, I really don’t like small dogs, so that’s not an option.

Anyway, I think cats are great too. Especially those with more quirky personalities. I just haven’t owned one, so my experience is limited to friend’s cats.

But I DO understand about the importance of proper nutrition. It’s something that I have to be very aware of in my own eating. I have visual issues that make it hard to do extensive research online, but I’ve been doing my best to become informed. I’ve even made my sister read aloud a few cat care books. She’s going to be volunteering at the local shelter soon, so we’ve both been brushing up on our cat facts.

For instance, I had no idea that wet food was heather than dry food, or that cats need a lower carbohydrate diet. If possible, I would like to feed my potential cat on a grain-free low carb diet that’s fit for a kitten’s specific needs.

1) Can I keep a growing kitten eating such a diet on $30 a month?

2) What’s the best cheap litter for someone sensitive to chemical odors? Can I mix it with pine shavings (horse bedding) to save $?

3) If I have to ween potential kitten off of kibble, what’s a quality food that isn’t as high priced as Orijen?

4) Is it ok to cheat sometimes and pick up a few cans of Trader Joe's Turkey & Giblets, even though it’s not grain free?

Confusingly, I’ve been reading that many grain-free foods are actually loaded up with plant carbs. I’m having trouble understanding labels too, especially when they don’t list full nutritional facts like human food.

Sorry for the ramble, this is essentially my plea for help and clarity. Please help spare my eyeballs.

THANK YOU!

~ Elim

Norachan · Aug 27, 2016

Hi Elim, welcome to The Cat Site.

It's wonderful that you are thinking of adopting a shelter kitten. I'm really impressed that you're taking the time to do some research before bringing the little guy or girl home.

Kittens are adorable, of course, but have you thought about adopting an older cat? Cats that are around one year old or older often get overlooked at shelters, but they can be a lot easier to take care of than kittens. They're almost always litter trained and don't have that crazy kitten climb-everything mentality. They will have already been neutered or spayed and vaccinated too, which absorbs a lot of the costs of a new kitten.

Yes, you can use alternatives to regular cat litters. I guess you mean the clay clumping litters? These aren't great with little kittens any way, they can be very dangerous if the kitten swallows any. I use a pine chip litter, but other people use shredded paper or wood shavings. You can even use dirt from your back yard if you want to. The advantage of the more expensive cat litters is that they absorb smells as well as liquid, but as long as you scoop the litter box regularly this isn't a problem.

You can feed a mix of dry and wet food if this suits your budget. Generally speaking, wet food is better but a lot of people feed their cats a balance of wet and dry.

It's fine to give your cat a variety of brands and flavours. It actually helps if your cat is used to getting different food every day in case you can't get their favourite brand for any reason. I have good and medium price/quality wet and dry food on my rotation. If I manage to get a few hours overtime they get a treat of the really good stuff once a week. If things are a bit tight they might have to make do with a few cans of the cheaper stuff.

As long as you don't only feed cheap dry food a bit of the budget stuff won't hurt once in a while.

I'd let you know what brands my cats like the best, but as I'm in Asia that won't be much use to you. Here are some of the brands that our TCS members liked.

[article="33149"]Best Cat Food Of 2015 Tcs Member Choices[/article]

Some other articles that might be helpful.

[article="31127"]What Makes The Best Canned Cat Food[/article]

[article="0"]What Makes The Best Dry Cat Food[/article]

I suggest buying a little of several kinds of food at first and seeing what works best.

Let us see some pictures of the new cat/kitten when you get them.

LTS3 · Aug 27, 2016

Carbs aren't necessarily a problem unless you have a cat who requires a low carb diet for medical reasons. For healthy cats, you should try to stick with no more than 15% carbs or so. The occasional higher carb food as a treat is ok and won't cause any harm to your cat. If you limit yourself to less than, say, 5% carbs, the choices of food out there tend to be very very limited. Some people try to stay on the lower end of carbs as much as possible and will feed some foods towards the higher end (15% or so) so their cat has variety in the diet and it may help out with the food budget. My two cents on that

elim · Aug 27, 2016

LTS3 said:
Carbs aren't necessarily a problem unless you have a cat who requires a low carb diet for medical reasons. For healthy cats, you should try to stick with no more than 15% carbs or so. The occasional higher carb food as a treat is ok and won't cause any harm to your cat. If you limit yourself to less than, say, 5% carbs, the choices of food out there tend to be very very limited. Some people try to stay on the lower end of carbs as much as possible and will feed some foods towards the higher end (15% or so) so their cat has variety in the diet and it may help out with the food budget. My two cents on that

There are threads here on affordable canned foods:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/308964/healthy-but-affordable-canned-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272192/affordable-canned-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248594/best-hopefully-affordable-canned-food-kitten

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/313700/budget-friendly-can-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306956/new-affordable-petsmart-brand-d

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/311148/tell-me-about-trader-joes-canned-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/292890/4health-now-has-affordable-grain-free-wet-food

$30 a month for food may be tough for a growing kitten. Instead of the little 3 oz cans try to feed larger sized cans of food. It's ok if you need to feed a little bit of dry food. I know pet stores and supermarkets often have a 40 cans (3 oz size) for $20 or so which seems like a good deal but a growing kitten on a canned food only diet might eat all 40 cans in a little more than a week.

The occasional non grain free food is fine.

I'm not sure if horse bedding would be suitable. It doesn't really absorb urine well. Try these alternative litters:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/260271/chicken-crumbles-as-cat-litter

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/325241/alternative-litter

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/289840/thinkig-about-switching-to-wood-stove-pellets-for-cat-litter

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/167089/wood-stove-pellets-and-chicken-feed

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/225957/...free-healthy-not-bad-for-me-or-my-cats-litter

Wow! Many thanks for consolidating all those links! It’s much easier to read up on when I have it all laid out like that. I’ll be looking through them over the weekend.

As for loosening the carb intake, I think I’ll have to consider it. It’s defiantly going to be a balancing act between affordability and heath.

The pine shavings bedding I was thinking of trying was a brand that my friend uses for her rabbits: http://www.awf.com/american_wood_fibers_americas_choice_eco.htm

It’s about $8 for 6 cubic feet at my local feed store. It has higher absorption than most, which is why I thought it might help cut the cost of litter.

Clearly kittens have a bigger appetite than I thought! Perhaps $35-40 per month might be more reasonable.

Thanks again for the help.

elim · Aug 27, 2016

Norachan said:
Hi Elim, welcome to The Cat Site.

It's wonderful that you are thinking of adopting a shelter kitten. I'm really impressed that you're taking the time to do some research before bringing the little guy or girl home.

Kittens are adorable, of course, but have you thought about adopting an older cat? Cats that are around one year old or older often get overlooked at shelters, but they can be a lot easier to take care of than kittens. They're almost always litter trained and don't have that crazy kitten climb-everything mentality. They will have already been neutered or spayed and vaccinated too, which absorbs a lot of the costs of a new kitten.

Yes, you can use alternatives to regular cat litters. I guess you mean the clay clumping litters? These aren't great with little kittens any way, they can be very dangerous if the kitten swallows any. I use a pine chip litter, but other people use shredded paper or wood shavings. You can even use dirt from your back yard if you want to. The advantage of the more expensive cat litters is that they absorb smells as well as liquid, but as long as you scoop the litter box regularly this isn't a problem.

You can feed a mix of dry and wet food if this suits your budget. Generally speaking, wet food is better but a lot of people feed their cats a balance of wet and dry.

It's fine to give your cat a variety of brands and flavours. It actually helps if your cat is used to getting different food every day in case you can't get their favourite brand for any reason. I have good and medium price/quality wet and dry food on my rotation. If I manage to get a few hours overtime they get a treat of the really good stuff once a week. If things are a bit tight they might have to make do with a few cans of the cheaper stuff.

As long as you don't only feed cheap dry food a bit of the budget stuff won't hurt once in a while.

I'd let you know what brands my cats like the best, but as I'm in Asia that won't be much use to you. Here are some of the brands that our TCS members liked.

[article="33149"]Best Cat Food Of 2015 Tcs Member Choices[/article]

Some other articles that might be helpful.

[article="31127"]What Makes The Best Canned Cat Food[/article]

[article="0"]What Makes The Best Dry Cat Food[/article]

I suggest buying a little of several kinds of food at first and seeing what works best.

Let us see some pictures of the new cat/kitten when you get them.

Thank you for welcoming me, Norachan! I’m defiantly open to adopting an older shelter cat if we bond well. Thinking about it now, age isn’t really a high criteria. I think my only hesitation is the increased veterinary bills I associate with older animals. That being said, my local shelter tries to give everyone a great start and only charges $65 per cat adoption. This includes Spay/Neuter Surgery, FVRCP Vaccination, Flea Preventative, Deworming Preventative, Rabies Vaccination, Microchip, 1-Year Cat License, Free Health Check-Up Voucher, Cat Collar, ID Tag and Cardboard Carrier.

I do want to take my time finding the right cat and making sure my home is well prepared. This is why I’m doing my research two months in advance.

Honestly, thank you so much for all your suggestions and links. I’m printing it all out so I can have it on hand.

NewYork1303 · Aug 27, 2016

elkie · Aug 27, 2016

I'm new here but I've been researching for a while- anyone, please feel free to call me out if I give bad information

I'm on a pretty strict budget but I want the best food for my kittens. I like feeding in rotation in case one of the brands gets recalled. If you have a Tractor Supply Co nearby, the 4health brand makes great food. The grain free varieties are only .12 cents/oz, so cheaper and better than trader joes brand. The grain varieties aren't too bad for a canned food with grains.. .08 cents/oz. If you buy 12/13 oz cans it cuts down on price a lot, but only a few companies sell food in the large cans (including Wellness!). There's a brand called Dave's Pet Food on Chewy that's only .16 cents an oz and it's great quality. Fancy Feast Classics and Sheba are decent, but due to the small size they aren't the best deal unless you get them on sale.

I also save on cat litter- I picked up a Tidy Cats Breeze litter box and I use Equine Pine in it. It's about the same as Feline Pine litter but it's 40 lbs for $6

smells pretty good too!

tlco · Aug 27, 2016

I too am on a budget and have adopted seveal older cats over the yrs. I have 3 now and here are a few suggestions... no matter what the cost I can't afford wet/canned food for 3 adult cats. So every once in a while I give them a treat (the best I can find). Walmart is the closest store to me. They have a treat for cats (sorry can't remember name) but they are 100% meat..chicken, lamb or liver very responsible price. These r only treats not food. Then I feed Purina Goodlife dry cat food....chicken, brown rice, verious dried fruits and veggies plus vitamins and minerals. NO FISH please research this as well.

Next, cat little. If you get a kitten stick with something like shreded newspaper, or the bedding you spoke of. Once kitty is grown I highly suggest Walmart brand of silica cat litter it's $4 a bag but one bag per cat per month is all you need. I use this product and I love it, no smell and u only change it once a month per cat. NO chemical smeals. Well good luck with new kitty, keep asking question that's how we learn.

bonepicker · Aug 28, 2016

My cats love whole earth farms by Merrick, or Merrick pates, they also like soulistic all sold at petco, I feed friskies pates to my ferals, 50 cents a can at chewy.com, I feed my ferals Merrick dry, good middle of the road quality, sold at Petco or chewy.com. This is all doable for $30 a month for one cat

wasabii · Aug 29, 2016

Just wanted to Chime in and say that I am able to feed my two cats on 35 dollars a month, one being a kitten. Buying big bags of food helps because itll last a couple or more months which evens out the cost. I feed two wet meals a day and one dry and its how I afford my two kitties.

for the wet food I mix in what I can afford, which is nothing too good but consists of Friskies, grain free 4health (from tractor supply), whole earth farms, Nutro, and occasional cans of more expensive ones but not often. Dry food will be natures variety which I am switching to from Acana so I can afford more wet food. Just wanted to let ya know with one kitty I think 30 for food is doable.

Even if you don't mix in dry and get the cheaper wet foods.

hamhoos · Aug 31, 2016

1) Realistically, $30/month might be a bit low to provide for a growing kitten. Remember, kittens eat 2x the amount of adults. A high quality canned food is ideal at that age since it's still developing. But ultimately, it really depends on your budget: whether you buy wet/dry food and what brands they are. Obviously, a raw or wet diet is ideal, but costlier.

The Fancy Feast Pates (Classic line) are a fairly inexpensive wet food and the ingredients are actually decent. It's got a high protein/low carb composition, and no carrageenan. It does have meat by products, but cats in the wild eat an entire mouse whole so it honestly shouldn't be a big problem - just keep them on a rotation diet with other foods to keep costs low and to ensure your cat is getting all the nutrients it needs.

2) I believe Rona sells 40lbs of pine litter for $6.

3) I'd say the dry food hierarchy goes Orijen/Acana > everything else, haha. But I've heard Wellness Core Grain free is good. And other people on the board have mentioned that they really like the Good Natured Kitten Food from petsmart (it's very affordable as well). If you intend to give your cat more dry food than wet food, make sure they are properly hydrated. Cats have an innately low thirst drive, and get most of their water from their prey. A dry diet alone has been linked to kidney disease.

4) Unless your cat is actually super sensitive to grains, I don't see a problem in having it in their diet in moderation. Some cats are allergic to grains, so be sure to monitor your kitty for any adverse reactions.

The better you feed your cat (high quality wet food/raw food > dry food, high protein/low carbs, less filler ingredients), the healthier they will be (just like us). Yes, some cats can eat really cheap food and live long lives, but I liken it to us eating McDonald's everyday. Rotation/hydration is key.

I know many people are adamant against dry food, but ultimately it comes down to what you can afford and what your cat will eat. Just try out different brands and figure out what will fit your budget, it's really the only way to figure this out.

Good luck!

oldgloryrags88 · Sep 1, 2016

hamhoos said:
1) Realistically, $30/month might be a bit low to provide for a growing kitten. Remember, kittens eat 2x the amount of adults. A high quality canned food is ideal at that age since it's still developing. But ultimately, it really depends on your budget: whether you buy wet/dry food and what brands they are. Obviously, a raw or wet diet is ideal, but costlier.
The Fancy Feast Pates (Classic line) are a fairly inexpensive wet food and the ingredients are actually decent. It's got a high protein/low carb composition, and no carrageenan. It does have meat by products, but cats in the wild eat an entire mouse whole so it honestly shouldn't be a big problem - just keep them on a rotation diet with other foods to keep costs low and to ensure your cat is getting all the nutrients it needs.

2) I believe Rona sells 40lbs of pine litter for $6.

3) I'd say the dry food hierarchy goes Orijen/Acana > everything else, haha. But I've heard Wellness Core Grain free is good. And other people on the board have mentioned that they really like the Good Natured Kitten Food from petsmart (it's very affordable as well). If you intend to give your cat more dry food than wet food, make sure they are properly hydrated. Cats have an innately low thirst drive, and get most of their water from their prey. A dry diet alone has been linked to kidney disease.

4) Unless your cat is actually super sensitive to grains, I don't see a problem in having it in their diet in moderation. Some cats are allergic to grains, so be sure to monitor your kitty for any adverse reactions.

The better you feed your cat (high quality wet food/raw food > dry food, high protein/low carbs, less filler ingredients), the healthier they will be (just like us). Yes, some cats can eat really cheap food and live long lives, but I liken it to us eating McDonald's everyday. Rotation/hydration is key.

I know many people are adamant against dry food, but ultimately it comes down to what you can afford and what your cat will eat. Just try out different brands and figure out what will fit your budget, it's really the only way to figure this out.

Good luck!

$30 a month feeds my 4 adults and my 4 month old kitten. She is a Ragdoll and will grow for 4 years.

hamhoos · Sep 1, 2016

If you're feeding 5 cats on $30/month I'm sure the original poster would like to know what you're feeding them.

oldgloryrags88 · Sep 1, 2016

Its Taste of the Wild River Canyon, 15lb bag for $26. Lasts over a month. I also feed canned food but don't buy it monthly as I buy it in large amounts for $21 a case. I rotate all foods every so often.

elkie · Sep 1, 2016

@oldgloryrags88 I highly recommend feeding the Rocky Mountain flavor instead. It should be the same price everywhere, and it's 42% protein instead of the 32% in the River Canyon formula. Much better food for the price. Higher protein is almost always better.

oldgloryrags88 · Sep 1, 2016

Thanks for the suggestion! I use both.

oldgloryrags88 · Sep 1, 2016

Except to my one cat as its chicken based and makes her fur fall out.

elkie · Sep 1, 2016

oldgloryrags88 aw, poor kitty! I'm glad she does okay on the other variety. It's a nice food for the price!

oldgloryrags88 · Sep 2, 2016

Yeah. I like lots of brands.

catmom marcia · Sep 2, 2016

hamhoos said:
If you're feeding 5 cats on $30/month I'm sure the original poster would like to know what you're feeding them.

So would I.

Low Carb for Kitten (On a budget)

TCS Member

Thread starter

Moderator

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Animal Lover Extraordinare

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member