What to feed my feral cats?

[kittylover23]

I didn't know whether I should post this in the feral cat section or in the nutrition section, but I figured here would be more appropriate. Since I began feeding my ferals, I have always bought the multi packs of Friskies for them, since it was all I could afford. I have my indoor kitties on holistic, And I have been feeling bad for giving my outside kitties (who are my babies, I've raised them since they were kittens) cheaper quality food when I know it is bad for them. Our budget has been cut even shorter since we just paid almost 1500 in vet bills last week for our kitty Candy (rest in peace, angel kitty). I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what I should feed my lovely ferals?

 

[Willowy]

Are you feeding the canned food (I assume so since I don't think the dry comes in multi-packs)? Don't worry about it--even canned Friskies has less than 14% carbs (on a dry matter basis) and is better than most dry foods. Plus, outdoor ferals can hunt for fresh meat. It's better than being hungry or eating out of dumpsters . You could supplement with fresh raw meat (whatever is on sale) if you want to boost the meat content of their diet.

If you want a higher-quality canned food, you can find EVO 95% meat 13-ounce cans for less than $2 a can if you buy online (with free shipping and discounts, I got some for $1.65 a can!). That's the cheapest high-quality food I know of.

 

[ldg]

I agree with Willowy. :nod: I wouldn't feel too bad about whatever you feed them - it's better than nothing at all. And I'm sure they just use it as a supplement. When we chat about the various quality of foods on here, often the "I fed my feral cats the junkiest dry food and they lived to be 15 years old" (or whatever - you get the idea) always comes around. And IMO, it's not that the junky food isn't junk - it's that they actually had a much higher quality diet because they hunted. If you're feeding friskies wet food, I think they'll do just fine on it. :nod:

When I switched to raw for my indoor cats, I felt bad about feeding kibble to the feral cats. I was feeding 4Health, I think it was called, available from Tractor Supply. In the end, I did stop putting out kibble. I have one indoor that didn't completely make the switch to raw, and I keep EVO 95% meat canned, Before Grain canned, ZiwiPeak canned, various Wellness grain-free canned, some BFF, Pure Vita (I think that's what it's called), Earthborn Holistic and... I think that's it. I keep those around for her, and that's what I put out for the ferals. Well - right at the moment I have a pile of commercial raw food my indoor cats didn't like, so actually I'm working my way through that for the ferals right now. :lol3: But when that's gone, those are the canned foods they'll be getting when we can afford it. When we can't, they get friskies. In winter, they get most of their nutrition from the food we put out - but not in the summer. I watched one of them eat a mouse not too long ago. :lol3:

 

[catsallaround]

Just try to stick with the pate(meatloaf style)  the cuts/chunks/shreds maybe higher carb.

I have nearly 3 dozen cats eating the wet and a few eating dry also(my outsides I cant watch need to have dry access cause I have other animals who may steal the pricey wet).

Look into coupons and sale prices at the same time to get the most for your money the big cans are great when not on sale and no coupons.
 

 

[Willowy]

This is where I've been buying my canned Friskies: http://www.doggiefood.com/frisies-canned-classic-pate-mixed-grill.html --less than a dollar for a 13-ounce can before discounts (and they send discount codes by e-mail about twice a week). Same size can is $1.09 at Petsmart now, and Wal-Mart has spotty availability in that size. I can have it delivered to my door, AND pay less? It's a great deal!

And the EVO 95%: http://www.doggiefood.com/evo-95-chicken-turkey-canned-cat-kitten-food.html They also have good prices on regular EVO and Innova, but my cats just don't like them. They only like the 95%.

Oh, and California Natural is the same price: http://www.doggiefood.com/california-natural-chicken-brown-rice-canned-cat-and-kitten-food.html My cats are kind of so-so on this brand but will eat it.

 

[ritz]

Kittylover, thank you for feeding the ferals.

I have been feeding an established feral colony composing around ten cats for over a year in front of the condominium where I live.  I feed the cats in the morning and evening. 

I feed them Friskies with gravy, usually the 5.5 oz cans but sometimes the 13 oz cans.  Sometimes it is cheaper at the local grocery stores than PetSmart (PetCo is always more expensive).  I know the gravy kind has more carbs in it, but I think (correct me if I'm wrong) it also has more water which in the summer I think the cats need (despite their low thirst drive).  Plus, when I feed pate, a couple of the cats will grab the chunk and run.

Like LDG, I feed the ferals any of the raw food Ritz won't eat.  They also get the raw bones that are too big for Ritz (like turkey legs) but which still have a fair amount of meat/tendon on them.  Some of the ferals love it, some don't quite recognize raw food as food.  I have thought about giving the ferals a meal of all raw when I run into a super sale--thought about it, haven't done it yet.  (There is some contraindication about feeding raw and dry food within a short period of time, has to do with the way the cat digests dry/raw food.  But frankly, that isn't a big concern of mine; tainted meat in the dumpster is.)

I do give them a fair amount of dry food, roughly five cups a day.  It is almost always gone by the morning.

I *hope* these cats supplement their food by hunting mice; I've seen some whole dead birds and mice and have seen the cats dumpster dive.  The cats seems almost always hungry; I wish I could afford to feed them more wet food.

Insofar as recommendations for other brands, TraderJoe's is a good quality for one or two pennies more than Friskies (Washington, DC area).  I don't know if you have CostCos in Canada, but their Kirkland brand of dry food is also pretty good.  My feral colony did not like America's Choice, which is PetSmart's house brand. 

 

[ldg]

The only problem with the Kirkland dry (the Costco store brand) is that it is 41% carbs on a dry matter basis.

 

[feralvr]

I feed my feral cat's Friskies Pate. I also feed them Purina Cat Chow dry. I buy my Friskies from Costco. You can get 48 cans for about $20.00 and it is four different kinds of pate. I do agree that most feral cats get their proper nutrition from hunting and what I feed them is just in addition to their natural diet. I don't worry so much about what I feed my outside kitties because of that reason.

I am really sorry about your kitty, Candy.....

 

[trudy1]

I have been feeding my 8 feral cats chicken legs/thighs from walmart 10 lb bag $6.90 or about .69/lb...I supplement this with Sam's dry cat food 20 lb/$11 since they are fed only every two days at an old barn near the house.  Also raised from kittens plus mom and dad.  All spayed/neutered and seems to be doing well...have been feeding for about 1 1/2 years with no problems.

Except I really want to take a couple of them home...they are the most dossel, let me belly scratch, etc. but having 4 rescues at home already...well all of you know that story.

Hope this helps

Keep up the good work

 

[curiosityscat]

Why not a whole chicken? They cheaper long term and it would last longer if you chop it in sections or offer various parts through the week, (besides being more natural). Or a whole Turkey. You could also probably get some cheap cuts and parts from a local butcher. Even asking for meat that is fixing to turn. The cats shouldn't mind and it should be fine for them (so long as not rotten).. Just a thought. But, the main thing is, you are trying to help the ferals, and you are supplementing their diet, because in actuality, they are probably catching plenty of food on their own. So, don't feel bad, you are doing what you can, regardless of what that may be. You can also try contacting local cat groups and ask for assistance. There are even websites where you can raise money for your ferals to help with the cost. I think there is one called www.gofundme.com you can create your own cause. *HUG* Good Luck!

 

[ritz]

The only problem with the Kirkland dry (the Costco store brand) is that it is 41% carbs on a dry matter basis.

AND now some flavors have been recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination.

 

[jabster]

I feed a number of feral cats and kittens both dry and canned food. I cannot afford the premium canned food I was once feeding them for a while.  I now feed them two types of canned food - Friskies Pate (13 oz cans) and Trader Joe's cat food (5.5 oz cans).  I buy Friskies at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 a can and Trader Joe's cat food at $.69 a can.  It has no artificial additives or by-products.  I NEVER feed them anything with gravy in it - it is loaded with wheat gluten (like in the wheat gluten that was contaminated with melamine in 2007 that caused the pet food recall and a number of dogs and cats to die).  I also keep feeding fish and salmon- based foods to a minimum.  I follow the advice of a good vet who told me to always add water to canned pate food and make it like a stew.  Not only does this insure that the cats are getting hydrated (cats are not big on drinking water) especially during the hot months, but it also helps to flush out any urine crystals that can cause a cat to get blocked and die and flushes out toxins and bacteria. I also supplement their wet food with a premium dry food like Purina One Beyond or Nutro Max Cat - no by products, additives, artificial color, or unnatural preservatives.  And keep a large bowl or several small bowls of iced water near their food. Hope this info helps.

 

[purritocat]

I feed ferals FRISKIES PATE , about 1/2 can per cat. I add a little water in the dish to insure they get water.

 

[purritocat]

Boy are they making money @ $1.00 a can. I only pay .45 > .50 a can for the 5.5 oz

 

[Willowy]

Boy are they making money @ $1.00 a can. I only pay .45 > .50 a can for the 5.5 oz

$1.00 for the 13-ounce can, not the 5.5-ounce can. Wal-Mart here only charges 94 cents, but Petsmart charges $1.09.