New to cats. Need affordable but quality wet food.

[fhicat]

My cats weigh about 10 lbs each, so I think that means they need two 5.5 oz cans of wet food per day, correct? 
That's 4 cans of food per day at often $2 per can. 

Most people feed one can of 5.5 oz a day, unless it's a growing kitten or pregnant mother. Two a day seems like a lot.

Feeding a not-so-good brand of wet is still better than feeding dry. It's not going to kill them. You have to factor in your financial ability, and as long as you're giving them a good and happy life, don't feel bad for not being able to feed them filet mignon. Many cats live long, healthy lives being fed Friskies and Whiskas. It's not the best, but don't feel like it's the end of the world.

I don't really know the price of wet food because I feed raw - I used to feed Wellness and, like you, I couldn't afford to keep feeding my one cat $2 a day (over $700 a year!). I switched to raw, which costs me about 89 cents to a dollar a day. It's an expensive upfront investment though - I have to keep feeding raw for 8 months before it becomes cheaper than feeding Wellness. But long-term it saves me a lot of money.

 

[cprcheetah]

As mentioned above feeding a low quality canned food is 100x better than feeding even the best brand of dry food.  When my budget is tight I feed my cats Fancy Feast Classics and some of the Friskies canned.  I have 4 cats on canned food so I know how expensive it can get. 

I try to stick to this list: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm

 

[2blackkitties]

Maybe I did the math wrong? 
Friskies says to feed one ounce per pound of body weight per day. So, 10 oz per day is what I thought. 

 

[fhicat]

 
Maybe I did the math wrong? 
Friskies says to feed one ounce per pound of body weight per day. So, 10 oz per day is what I thought. 

Problem with those recommended feeding is that it assumes every cat needs the same amount of food per day, which is just incorrect. Active cats require more food than sedentary ones, nursing cats need much more, every cat has different metabolism rates. 

If you follow Wellness' recommended feeding, it says for a 10 lb cat, to feed 1/2 cup of dry and 3 oz of wet per day. So even pet food manufacturers can't make up their mind amongst themselves!

The best way to know how much to feed your cat is to invest in a weighing scale. Start with a can a day, and then weigh kitty weekly. Adjust if she is losing weight or gaining weight. I feed mine around 6 - 7 oz a day of raw, which is more than what generally people feed theirs, because Jed is a big cat and plays a lot. He has been maintaining his weight, so that amount is right for my cat.

Yours will be different.

 

[maewkaew]

 You might try the Merrick ones like Grammys Pot Pie.  that's sort of semi- chunky and some cats who don't like pate will eat it. 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Gunter definitely  needs to eat LOTS, since he is still a growing boy

.  Have you checked into the Wellness 13 oz cans.  I can usually find them for about the same price as the 5.5 oz cans (strange, but true).  You've got to shop around. 

And there is absolutely  nothing wrong with Fancy Feast CLASSICS (except they are Pate, or Sheba (also Pate though).  Do you have a Petco near you?  Their own brand, Soulistic, is NOT pate, and is grain free, so you might give that a try.  I think it also comes in a 13 oz can....not sure.  But it's much less expensive than Wellness.