Temporary Cheap Cat Food Options?

oldgloryrags88 · Nov 11, 2016

I'm going through a bit of a crappy time right now and let's just say limited on what I can get for the girls...

Anyways, does anyone know of a decent but cheap food (kibble and canned) to feed my 5 (4 'seniors' and 1 kitten) cats until December when money improves? (as said in the title this is temporary). It needs to be under $20 ideally as I still have to get them litter and I own a farm and must even out the feed bill until December. I'm not totally broke but I can't afford what I normally rotate with now (blue buffalo, taste of the wild, instinct, etc). I have no canned food left and only 5lbs of kitten food left and about 4 lbs of adult food left.

I live in a rural area so options must be from tractor supply co or petsmart (I have own local feed store here but they're out of stock of the only kibble cat food they carry). I was thinking meow mix, fancy feast, and friskies for canned food and 9lives for kibble and maybe something by purina cat chows varieties as kibble? Which is the lesser of two evils? Please no lectures or mean comments. I understand these foods are poor quality but it's all I can afford right now.

Suggestions are welcome! (like I said, this is temporary). Thanks!

Columbine · Nov 12, 2016

I'm not great with US brands, but the wet foods you mention look just fine to me

I would suggest that you stick to the pate versions though, as they'll be the lowest carb and so closer to what you normally feed. Sheba pates are good too, but I believe they're a little more expensive.

With the kibble, the Cat Chow looks better than 9Lives to me, as it does at least list meat as the first ingredient. Paws and Claws Complete Nutrition and Whiskas are others that list meat first. In general, if you look for meat (even meat meal) as the first ingredient you'll be making the best choice for your limited budget. The next thing I'd personally look for is no artificial colours.

One thing I'd strongly urge you to do is to introduce the new kibble gradually to avoid upset tummies. Switching kibbles (especially to such different recipes) is what's most likely to cause problems, so that is where I'd be most careful

There won't be such a big difference with the wet foods, as they will still be high meat (and, even at these prices, some will even be grain free

).

You have nothing to feel bad about here. We all have financial issues from time to time, and running a farm of any size is tough. You're looking to do the best you can with what you've got, and that's what counts :nod:

sarahlove · Nov 12, 2016

What about Tractor supplies brand 4health?
5.5 ounce cans are 59¢ and 69¢(grain free) and the 13 ounce cans are 99¢. The dry food is 5lbs for $7.99 and 18lbs for $22.99.

AbbysMom · Nov 12, 2016

Looking over the Tractor Supply website, I was going to suggest the 4Health as well. :nod:

LTS3 · Nov 12, 2016

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

Petsmart's generic GrreatChoice is basically simlar to Fancy Feast and Friskies and costs less.

You can look at these other threads for other suggestions:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/327692/cheapest-most-affordable-grain-free-or-healthiest-canned-food

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

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/204668/petsmart-food

thegreystalker · Nov 12, 2016

Jet.com has posted very good prices on these items recently.

Nulo Salmon & Lentil; DRY 5lbs $11

Pro Plan True Nature Chicken & Egg; DRY 6lbs $10

At Chewy's, for canned food check out...

Nutro Max Cat Chicken & Lamb

Sheba Pate

Purina Poultry Platter

Trimumph

None of these recipes contain corn, wheat or soy.

catpack · Nov 12, 2016

Another vote here for Tractor Supply's 4Health! You can get large size (13 oz) cans of food for $0.99 and a 5 lb bag of dry (regular or grain-free) for $7.99.

Willowy · Nov 12, 2016

My cats don't like 4Health canned :/. Maybe your cats will. It costs about the same as Friskies. If they won't eat it, stick with Friskies pate flavors. You can add an occasional can of 9 Lives or Paws and Claws, but I've never had much success with those brands---I think Purina has a better vitamin mix, because the ingredients look similar so it must be a difference with the vitamins.

I would entirely avoid Meow Mix dry; it has almost no actual meat. Friskies is OK but has soooo much coloring! Purple and green kibbles, for pete's sake! I prefer Purina Cat Chow out of the cheaper brands. It does have red food coloring but it's not nearly as heavily dyed as Friskies or 9 Lives. If you can afford dry 4Health that would be best, but if not the Cat Chow should be fine. If they have Cat Chow Naturals, try that---it has no coloring and only costs a little bit more than regular Chow.

Also---don't buy the little bag, of any brand, unless you absolutely can't scrape up the $$ for the big bag! Small bags cost almost twice as much per pound as the large bags, so you'll save a lot in the long run by getting the biggest size available.

Oh, the Petsmart foods: my ferals would not touch Grreat Choice dry. Grreat Choice canned has similar ingredients to Friskies, but has a different texture. My cats like it fine but, like I said, I think Purina has a superior vitamin mix. But the canned food could be in the rotation. The other Petsmart brands aren't particularly low-cost, although they are cheaper than most of what Petsmart carries. I only buy from Petsmart on clearance/sale, they're just too expensive. They charge almost twice as much for Tidy Cats, compared to Walmart prices!

oldgloryrags88 · Nov 12, 2016

Thanks y'all!

I'll report back with what I get soon...in the main time, what do you guys think of tractor supply co's paws n' claws canned food? About 3 weeks ago, I bought 2 cans of their pate varieties and the girls loved it! I think the quality is similar to friskies, what do you guys say? They have 2 flavors (turkey and giblets) and (ocean white fish and tuna) 22 oz cans for 79€ where I live. My girls like both flavors.

Thanks guys for not being judgmental

I belonged to another forum and everyone acted like I'm a horrible pet owner....

oldgloryrags88 · Nov 12, 2016

Willowy said:
My cats don't like 4Health canned :/. Maybe your cats will. It costs about the same as Friskies. If they won't eat it, stick with Friskies pate flavors. You can add an occasional can of 9 Lives or Paws and Claws, but I've never had much success with those brands---I think Purina has a better vitamin mix, because the ingredients look similar so it must be a difference with the vitamins.

I would entirely avoid Meow Mix dry; it has almost no actual meat. Friskies is OK but has soooo much coloring! Purple and green kibbles, for pete's sake! I prefer Purina Cat Chow out of the cheaper brands. It does have red food coloring but it's not nearly as heavily dyed as Friskies or 9 Lives. If you can afford dry 4Health that would be best, but if not the Cat Chow should be fine. If they have Cat Chow Naturals, try that---it has no coloring and only costs a little bit more than regular Chow.

Also---don't buy the little bag, of any brand, unless you absolutely can't scrape up the $$ for the big bag! Small bags cost almost twice as much per pound as the large bags, so you'll save a lot in the long run by getting the biggest size available.

Oh, the Petsmart foods: my ferals would not touch Grreat Choice dry. Grreat Choice canned has similar ingredients to Friskies, but has a different texture. My cats like it fine but, like I said, I think Purina has a superior vitamin mix. But the canned food could be in the rotation. The other Petsmart brands aren't particularly low-cost, although they are cheaper than most of what Petsmart carries. I only buy from Petsmart on clearance/sale, they're just too expensive. They charge almost twice as much for Tidy Cats, compared to Walmart prices!

My cats don't really like 4health canned either

They eat the kibble but its not their favorite. Is meow mix canned okay or nah?
Thanks for your help as well

I saw your reply after I posted mine.

Willowy · Nov 12, 2016

I think Meow Mix wet food only comes in those tiny plastic cups, and they're expensive (figured per ounce). But not too bad of quality.

Like I said, Paws and Claws canned is OK, I'd still rotate with Friskies though. But wow! 79 cents for the 22-oz can? It costs more here, hmph. I think here the 13-oz can is 79 cents and the 22-oz can is around a dollar.

destinyz12 · Nov 12, 2016

I think Purina would be the best choice amongst what's been listed so far- especially if you can afford the Purina pro plan or Purina beyond (most of those are grain-free and have meat listed first) although it's possible that it's slightly more expensive than the regular Purina, but not sure. I would definitely avoid Meow Mix and nine lives. Fancy Feast Classics would probably a decent choice as well.

oldgloryrags88 · Nov 13, 2016

Hi y'all,

I bought our regular BIG pack from sam's club for $21. It has 4 flavors in it and 48 cans total (they're 5 oz cans). Friskies classic pates. I deciced to skip the dry food this month all together and just buy canned food/use up my remaining kibble. Thanks everyone for all your help!

Temporary Cheap Cat Food Options?

oldgloryrags88

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