Cheap cat food for a feral/stray cat?

[Ayzurea]

So I've been feeding a stray/feral cat for a few days now. I'll probably never adopt it though* but I do want to keep on feeding it. Because it's a feral cat it normally avoids humans so idk what it eats outside of me. I just want to know what to look for in cat food or what cat food I should get for it?

I don't want to make the cat into chonker because it needs to roam freely. But I don't want to spend like ALOT of money on ultra premium foods. (Loc: US)

The food I've been giving it was generic supermarket canned cat food and friskies seafood sensations. I know it likes chicken, and fish.

* I'm deeply allergic to cats. I know ironic.

 

[backwoodsvet]

Thank you for caring for this feral in your situation, I'm feeding 24 strays/ferals is why I felt like I had to post, any feral that will eat any kind of wet food is a big plus, it's a treat, it's moisture inside the body, and biggest gift of all, it's a great way to also treat for fleas, hairballs and certain skin conditions etc. etc.........If I ever have strays/ferals stop eating wet food, now you have a whole other problem, a cat that will always eat wet is always a gift(make sure it's drinking to)...
That hungry mouth is the best way to care for them if they are stray/feral........I go thru 90+ cans of wet per month caring for strays/ferals so my wallet is always a big concern, I use both 9-lives and friskies, both between .70-.95 cent a can.....but like I said, as long as it will eat whatever wet you are giving it is a plus for any future involvement on your part(fles, hairballs, skin).....it will get bored with only a flavor or two in time so I would suggest at least 5-7 diff flavors, and always try keeping to the same feeding time..........

 

[Ayzurea]

Thank you for caring for this feral in your situation, I'm feeding 24 strays/ferals is why I felt like I had to post, any feral that will eat any kind of wet food is a big plus, it's a treat, it's moisture inside the body, and biggest gift of all, it's a great way to also treat for fleas, hairballs and certain skin conditions etc. etc.........If I ever have strays/ferals stop eating wet food, now you have a whole other problem, a cat that will always eat wet is always a gift(make sure it's drinking to)...
That hungry mouth is the best way to care for them if they are stray/feral........I go thru 90+ cans of wet per month caring for strays/ferals so my wallet is always a big concern, I use both 9-lives and friskies, both between .70-.95 cent a can.....but like I said, as long as it will eat whatever wet you are giving it is a plus for any future involvement on your part(fles, hairballs, skin).....it will get bored with only a flavor or two in time so I would suggest at least 5-7 diff flavors, and always try keeping to the same feeding time..........

I originally saw this cat sleeping under a tree kinda hidden. So I gave it a can. But boy it ate that can instantly. Also super cleanly too like no wasted food. I guess it's something with feral cats not knowing when is the next meal?

My main concern is I don't want to accidentally cause the cat to become fat. Thus ruining its chances of running around freely. So I'm not sure if the grains in cat food matter or not. Some of the cheaper ones do have some grains. (Corn, rice, potato) I tried to give it dry food too and it seems to eat that too.

 

[backwoodsvet]

You said that ya found the cat sleeping under the tree, is it cold were you live ? strays and ferals use tree roots next to the trunk to stay warm, I've seen it before or they like to sleep in leaves thats been sun-warmed through the day during cold nights........
Don't worry about getting a feral/stray fat, in 11 years of colony care I've never seen one with a weight problem, I come across more cats with worm issues keeping there weight down than the other way around, so feed away and lets hope that the hunger is just hunger and not worms, and yes, my colony always cleans the plates clean........
I don't worry about what's in my 9-lives/friskies because as long as they will gooble it up, it's a very important route to get something injested into the cat, as long as you've got this cat eating, ANY wet is great, like I said the problem starts when you lose that option(force feeding is no fun).......
My colony always gets wet first with any added stuff I put in, then they get dry.........
In the future, if this feeding keeps up on a normal basis, you may want to start adding something to fight fleas and other stuff can be added to fight other things.......So to me and the colony, it's not so much what they have for wet, it's a blessing that you are able to add to that wet something helpful that will make the cat's life better...................

 

[Ayzurea]

You said that ya found the cat sleeping under the tree, is it cold were you live ? strays and ferals use tree roots next to the trunk to stay warm, I've seen it before or they like to sleep in leaves thats been sun-warmed through the day during cold nights........
Don't worry about getting a feral/stray fat, in 11 years of colony care I've never seen one with a weight problem, I come across more cats with worm issues keeping there weight down than the other way around, so feed away and lets hope that the hunger is just hunger and not worms, and yes, my colony always cleans the plates clean........
I don't worry about what's in my 9-lives/friskies because as long as they will gooble it up, it's a very important route to get something injested into the cat, as long as you've got this cat eating, ANY wet is great, like I said the problem starts when you lose that option(force feeding is no fun).......
My colony always gets wet first with any added stuff I put in, then they get dry.........
In the future, if this feeding keeps up on a normal basis, you may want to start adding something to fight fleas and other stuff can be added to fight other things.......So to me and the colony, it's not so much what they have for wet, it's a blessing that you are able to add to that wet something helpful that will make the cat's life better...................

I live in SoCal so it's not THAT cold but it was raining recently. Surprisingly this cat doesn't seem to care about rain. So this cat's sleeping location evolved from a tree. To under the stairs.

I have seen a chonky stray cat though(only 2). Mainly because these cats would rub up against any human. In turn that human will feed it something.

If it is worms how can I tell? I don't know where this cat poops. Pretty sure this cat poops at night because it goes off chasing mice at night lol. (I never seen a street cat go this fast) Or can I just give the cat a deworming treatment in case it does?

I thought flea meds were topical. I don't think this cat trusts me enough to let me touch them. As I can get near like a foot but if any closer it runs. It got some long claws too.

Yeah I have the supermarket brand wet food canned. It mainly is mystery meat though as "byproducts" but the cat seems to love it. It's only about 9% to 10% protein though. Vs the dry that has like 30% I guess I should probably mix them in a meal.

Also I can't tell if this cat is solo or lives sorta with a group. As there's this one other cat that follows my feral around at night only.

 

[fionasmom]

I currently have three ferals who are long term residents on my property and have managed a colony at my workplace. I do agree that worrying about weight right now is not something that you need to be concerned about. If this cat becomes more friendly, starts to trust you, allows some interaction you can move on to concerns like weight. You are very kind to have taken an interest at all and if you are able to feed wet food including brands like Friskies you are doing the cat a huge favor.

Don't try to touch the cat and don't worry about worms. If the cat poops nearby and you can see the stool, great. Otherwise, he may not be using any place near your house. If you see worms, you can come back here for advice, although it would mean administering and also obtaining medication (vets will often not prescribe for a cat they have never seen).

Do you have any idea of whether this might be a male or female? It may be possible for you to provide some kind of covered bed or other sleeping place for the cat if he hangs around your house long enough.

 

[Ayzurea]

I currently have three ferals who are long term residents on my property and have managed a colony at my workplace. I do agree that worrying about weight right now is not something that you need to be concerned about. If this cat becomes more friendly, starts to trust you, allows some interaction you can move on to concerns like weight. You are very kind to have taken an interest at all and if you are able to feed wet food including brands like Friskies you are doing the cat a huge favor.

Don't try to touch the cat and don't worry about worms. If the cat poops nearby and you can see the stool, great. Otherwise, he may not be using any place near your house. If you see worms, you can come back here for advice, although it would mean administering and also obtaining medication (vets will often not prescribe for a cat they have never seen).

Do you have any idea of whether this might be a male or female? It may be possible for you to provide some kind of covered bed or other sleeping place for the cat if he hangs around your house long enough.

I have no clue on the gender as it keeps the tail low to the ground.

The canned food I was feeding is (I only have two cans left.) It's somewhat similar in ingredients to friskies. And it smells similar too. (Not gonna attempt to taste test it )
SmartLabel - Mixed Grill Classic Pate Cat Food - 021130422920

https://smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/10870398/ingredients

 

[backwoodsvet]

A Ayzurea , Your probably never gonna get a look at a stool for worm infestation, once that stool gets a day or two old, they will be gone......besides if they have made it to the stools, they are full inside, what a belly ach.....sad
The first way I can tell that I may have a worm issue on one of my strays/ferals is that if you are feeding daily and the cat is getting enough food, they probably will never get "fat", but watch for on the "skinny" side even with regular feedings(most of my colony members look to be of perfect weight), also I treat my colony once a year for worms using Pyrantel added to wet food, no taste-masking needed because the brand I use is flavored, my problem has always been with 16 cats I can only do bulk worm treatments, in your case, working with one cat, treating for worms would be easy.....I'd do it anyway, will not hurt cat even if no worms present...........
On the flea treatment, you have a perfect cat to use flea drops on if you can get as close as you say you can, don't worry about parting the fur or getting the applicator down against the skin, not gonna happen, while he/she is busy eating that wet you just put down, carefully and quietly move that applicator as close as you can get to the shoulder blades and pour away, don't squeeze to hard or quickly on drop tube cause if it makes a disturbing noise, it's two steps backwards in progress.....I'm on a big budget, I've been using Sentry Fiproguard for many years and am happy with the results.........6 for about $20. on e-bay......
Oh, and U.T.I. is always a constant concern with my strays/ferals, Always get them to drink, very important, I use a crush-up pills for U.T.I. prevention, this pill I crush-up in wet food makes the cat thristy and will make them drink more.......

 

[backwoodsvet]

I'd never tell anyone what to do with their cat, there's 3 things that you can do for this cat that can start helping it have a better life out there besides a full belly, 1. flea drops 2. U.T.I. prevention 3. hairball prevention.......Things to consider AND Thanks again for caring..

 

[Ayzurea]

Man this cat is like me....(like a clone)

So I decided to go and buy some more expensive cans just because. Like a treat for being adorable. The cat doesn't like the grain free organic can in a way it's a plus. It only likes the cheap stuff & medium stuff.

 

[backwoodsvet]

For future thought as your checking out different kinds of wet food, keep this in mind, once a cat starts getting the best wet out there, it will probably never want to go back to stuff like 9-lives and friskies, but thats totally up to you...............

 

[CyberTiger]

It's really cool that you're willing to help, despite having the bad allergy!

Man this cat is like me....(like a clone)

So I decided to go and buy some more expensive cans just because. Like a treat for being adorable. The cat doesn't like the grain free organic can in a way it's a plus. It only likes the cheap stuff & medium stuff.

Going from salty Friskies to grain free organic is a huuuge jump. You're not really supposed to just give a cat a full can of brand new food, especially if it's pretty different from what they usually eat. A lot of cats will refuse foods offered that way. And if they don't, they can get an upset stomach.

You give it to them a little at a time, put with the current food they eat. Usually, the packages for fancier brands mention the process for introducing it to them across a week. You can follow the same process for any of them. The site here might have an article about it, too.

So it might not be worth it if it's an expensive food you wouldn't be able to give to them fairly regularly.

If you want to do better without paying too much, go for the fair quality grain free. Like Fancy Feast Classics, Chewy's Tiny Tiger, or store brands like Petco's Wholehearted. If those seem pretty affordable to you.

 

[Ayzurea]

It's really cool that you're willing to help, despite having the bad allergy!



Going from salty Friskies to grain free organic is a huuuge jump. You're not really supposed to just give a cat a full can of brand new food, especially if it's pretty different from what they usually eat. A lot of cats will refuse foods offered that way. And if they don't, they can get an upset stomach.

You give it to them a little at a time, put with the current food they eat. Usually, the packages for fancier brands mention the process for introducing it to them across a week. You can follow the same process for any of them. The site here might have an article about it, too.

So it might not be worth it if it's an expensive food you wouldn't be able to give to them fairly regularly.

If you want to do better without paying too much, go for the fair quality grain free. Like Fancy Feast Classics, Chewy's Tiny Tiger, or store brands like Petco's Wholehearted. If those seem pretty affordable to you.

As long I'm not THAT close to the cat and I have my EpiPen handy I'm fine. But I mostly just sit somewhat near the cat and just exist. Idk it's kinda relaxing.

So today I tried the most expensive can(Reveal brand) I bought. It ate it all up instantly. I guess it's actually just the brand. But I always mix some friskies kibble + whatever can ver. Yesterday the cat ate all the kibble and avoided the grain free organic.

I'm mainly trying out different brands or companies to find out what this cat likes or not. Including what flavor they like. So far I know they dislike beef, okay with chicken, nuts about salmon, okay with whitefish/tuna. The fancy feast I tried the cat eats it well. And it looks good(?) Like it looks like meat not mystery meat.

So far the best liked brand is Sheba. And best liked flavor is salmon.

Im guessing kibble is just kibble so there isn't much variation between companies...