We have 4 cats here (2 adults and 2 kittens under 6 months) and have been feeding them Friskies Indoor whatever. Yes, I know, garbage. It's cheap. However, in addition to the 'it's garbage' issue, my older cats have developed what their vet called 'jungle pouches' and since adding the kittens to the mix, are no longer on their feeding schedule. The older boy is called Chubbs for a reason, but he's getting bigger than I'm comfortable with, as is his sister. She used to be all sleek and lovely and now she's a bit chubby and lovely
I've been doing a lot of research and keep reading about how if cats are fed more of the nutrition they actually need and less (down to NONE) of the fillers they can't process, they'll eat less and cost less in vet visits. I like this concept, yet I'm unsure of how to go about it. I'm puzzled by the plethora of dry food, all claiming to be awesome for cats, to the point where I know Friskies, Whiskas, and Meow Mix are terrible to feed them, yet not knowing what would be healthier yet fit in my price range.
We budget roughly $25 a month for cat food (two medium bags of dry and 12 cans wet and $15 for kitty litter, but I would be willing to up it a bit if it would help them be healthier. I also want to incorporate raw into the mix, as all the cat love chicken, but I don't.... Yeah. I'm beginning to repeat myself.
With a household of 2 3yos and 2 kittens under 6 months, what can I feed them that would cost under $50 for cat food itself (both dry and wet) and how would I go about adding fresh chicken to the mix so that I don't over-feed them or short them on nutrition?
Note: Food bowls are in the bathroom, as we live in a studio apartment, so separate feeding is nigh impossible. Lack of space has required creativity, so there are nooks and cranny, a couple high spaces for the bigger cats, and a 7-block Kitty City by the windows. They seem happy, especially since all of them get loved on by at least 3 different people every day.
I've been doing a lot of research and keep reading about how if cats are fed more of the nutrition they actually need and less (down to NONE) of the fillers they can't process, they'll eat less and cost less in vet visits. I like this concept, yet I'm unsure of how to go about it. I'm puzzled by the plethora of dry food, all claiming to be awesome for cats, to the point where I know Friskies, Whiskas, and Meow Mix are terrible to feed them, yet not knowing what would be healthier yet fit in my price range.
We budget roughly $25 a month for cat food (two medium bags of dry and 12 cans wet and $15 for kitty litter, but I would be willing to up it a bit if it would help them be healthier. I also want to incorporate raw into the mix, as all the cat love chicken, but I don't.... Yeah. I'm beginning to repeat myself.
With a household of 2 3yos and 2 kittens under 6 months, what can I feed them that would cost under $50 for cat food itself (both dry and wet) and how would I go about adding fresh chicken to the mix so that I don't over-feed them or short them on nutrition?
Note: Food bowls are in the bathroom, as we live in a studio apartment, so separate feeding is nigh impossible. Lack of space has required creativity, so there are nooks and cranny, a couple high spaces for the bigger cats, and a 7-block Kitty City by the windows. They seem happy, especially since all of them get loved on by at least 3 different people every day.