What's your cat food budget per month?

[samus]

 
haven't tried that one, and don't have a blender.  I'll ask Hekitty to get me one for Christmas...she's the best shopper

  She always knows just exactly what I want!  I'll let you know after Christmas how it went.  I may get it for myself before if the budget allows.  I so want to get her on something besides straight kibbles.

@missmimz She won't even touch raw.  This is one finicky pussycat.  I did try raw, chicken, turkey, beef, even pork.  Nothing doing.

You could do it without a blender, just mash a bit of water in with a fork. Doesn't get quite so nice and creamy, though. And if you use too much water, it'll separate and the cat will drink the water and leave the solids.

Have you tried "lightly cooked" raw? (Basically, seared or broiled a bit on the outside.)

When I got my cat to start eating wet, I was throwing away the majority of it for a week or so before she got into it. I was persistent and didn't try too many flavors, just kept putting out the same thing, a little bit under the dry food, and then a little bowl of cat soup. She would only eat it if it was the perfect consistency. Too dry got licked a few times and ignored, too wet the liquid all got drank leaving the solids behind. Something like a thick pea soup texture worked best, thick enough it stuck to her tongue when she licked it.

 

[sparkymema]

I remember back when I used to breed show cats. When the mother would have a litter and once the babies grew up enough to eat wet and solid food I think I was spending about $400+ a month on 4-6 kittens. But this was in the 90's and if I remember correctly getting your hands on really good premium foods and supplements was a lot harder and more expensive back then.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
I remember back when I used to breed show cats. When the mother would have a litter and once the babies grew up enough to eat wet and solid food I think I was spending about $400+ a month on 4-6 kittens. But this was in the 90's and if I remember correctly getting your hands on really good premium foods and supplements was a lot harder and more expensive back then.

Good Grief!  But yeah, back then, you thought Purina Pro Plan was the be-all and end-all of what you could get without special ordering.  What kind of cats were you breeding?

Samus, I'll give the lightly seared a try.  I'm doing chicken tomorrow night ~mutters to self~ i barely cook for myself, and I'm gonna be a cat chef.

 

[mikiandnino]

My monthly budget for two cats is around 100 Dollars/ 80 Euro, but I am buying my cats juts organic food or 100 % meat food.

 

[sparkymema]

I did mostly Bengals, Russian Blues, and a Maine Coon mixes. I only went to a few shows myself. But I was more of a breeder just raising and selling show quality kittens. Funny enough it was the same time I was working training hunting dogs. I think I had a Siamese litter also. For some reason most people wanted them at 4 months so I ended up sometimes losing money on them.

 

[2bcat]

I am continuing to buy specific foods but I do try to get the best cost I can for those.  Right now I'm buying Primal freeze-dried pork in the 14oz bags and Tiki Cat chicken in the 6oz cans.

With 2 cats, 7lbs or so each, this is costing me probably at least $100/month, but I'm sure it's less than $4/day so less than $120/month.  Average of Tiki cans is $3 and I get 3 servings out of each, that's their morning meal, so $2/day max, and often I get a discount from that so could be notably less.  The Primal is their other meal, that bag makes about 28 servings and costs sometimes $28 but usually a little less.  So with one serving each at night that's another $2/day max but often less.

So, $50-60/cat/month, although I figure that's on the high side for such small cats.  I'd like to get a few more foods in rotation, but I've been saying that for months and haven't been able to make it higher priority.  Wouldn't mind spending less either but I'm getting by with it as is.

 

[lonelocust]

 
Don't you think I've tried?? LOL 

Haven't had the chance to trap all of them! There was a small cat colony. I managed to trap most of them, and as soon as they were spayed/neutered they turned into "basket case" for the rest of the cats.. So, I found them homes. The others cannot be caught. I've tried everything. They've just become too smart for the traps. But when they give birth, I find homes for the babies.. Well most of them, cause 2 of them have grown with one of the mommies and have turned out just like her. Too hard to get. 

These are 2 pairs.. 2 females and their "steady" male mates.. One of the females is the one who has raised the babies just like her, so plus 2 "heirs" of the throne 

 That's 6 in total. They have found refuge in an old house next to my building. But they're not always there. Also, whenever I put traps they don't even go near them. They know damn well what that is. When I try to pet them, or go near them in general, they don't trust me. But somehow they trust me around their babies. Go figure.. 

These are the only ones I couldn't find homes for. And I don't think they will fit into a home. They're too "wild" to interact with humans, or children for that matter.. So, right now, I do what I can.. They cannot be caught, but I don't let them starve.. If they get pregnant, I see to develop a relationship with the little ones from the start, so I don't have hard time finding them homes in the long run.. But the parents, remain "strongheaded".. 

 

I applaud your efforts and feel your pain. Nearly 10 years ago now I lived in a small apartment building where a VERY fruitful mommy cat - whom we named Ilyad- manage to pop out about 5 litters a year for at least 7 years. (I was there for only 2 years of that, but my housemate remains still and reported that Ilyad had died 5 years after I left.) We managed to catch and TRN or adopt out dozens of her children, and many of them were VERY sweet cats. We also got a few of the local tomcats, but Ilyad eternally eluded our traps. She was a good mommy - we'd see her hunting even for her older children who ended up being TNRed - and she came nowhere near our traps ever. I once almost thought I had her by hand in the parking lot while in flagrante delicto, but the conjoined cat couple managed to run and dive under a fence. This is still one of the most absurd visual memories in my brain. 

 

[bonepicker]

I applaud your efforts and feel your pain. Nearly 10 years ago now I lived in a small apartment building where a VERY fruitful mommy cat - whom we named Ilyad- manage to pop out about 5 litters a year for at least 7 years. (I was there for only 2 years of that, but my housemate remains still and reported that Ilyad had died 5 years after I left.) We managed to catch and TRN or adopt out dozens of her children, and many of them were VERY sweet cats. We also got a few of the local tomcats, but Ilyad eternally eluded our traps. She was a good mommy - we'd see her hunting even for her older children who ended up being TNRed - and she came nowhere near our traps ever. I once almost thought I had her by hand in the parking lot while in flagrante delicto, but the conjoined cat couple managed to run and dive under a fence. This is still one of the most absurd visual memories in my brain. 

Oh lord , those are the ones that have to be caged pregnant, deliver and spay.

 

[kittyluv387]

I applaud your efforts and feel your pain. Nearly 10 years ago now I lived in a small apartment building where a VERY fruitful mommy cat - whom we named Ilyad- manage to pop out about 5 litters a year for at least 7 years. (I was there for only 2 years of that, but my housemate remains still and reported that Ilyad had died 5 years after I left.) We managed to catch and TRN or adopt out dozens of her children, and many of them were VERY sweet cats. We also got a few of the local tomcats, but Ilyad eternally eluded our traps. She was a good mommy - we'd see her hunting even for her older children who ended up being TNRed - and she came nowhere near our traps ever. I once almost thought I had her by hand in the parking lot while in flagrante delicto, but the conjoined cat couple managed to run and dive under a fence. This is still one of the most absurd visual memories in my brain. 

Thats hilarious. Thank you for sharing lol.

 

[picklespepper]

We used to buy the premium foods but my husband lost his job and we were going over our expenses and premium cat food is A LOT.  Even with a job I don't think we really can afford it -- not with two cats at least.  And my kitties are so picky that I was throwing out half of it in the bin anyways.  So right now we're just getting WHISKAS dry food.  I'm not entirely happy with it but I know they'll eat it.  A large bag costs about $14 and lasts us a little over two weeks so about $25 a month.  I actually still haven't found the perfect food for our female Pickles.  I think she simply eats enough to not starve.  But she's happy and very, VERY active.  And neither has been accepting any wet food for a few months now.  I used to pretty much feed wet exclusively so don't know what triggered them to suddenly reject it all.  Oh well.  My philosophy is as long as they're fed.

I am tempted to buy a small bag of grain free kibble to mix in with the WHISKAS but will wait until we're a few paychecks into my husband's new job (starts this week). 

 

[bonepicker]

We used to buy the premium foods but my husband lost his job and we were going over our expenses and premium cat food is A LOT.  Even with a job I don't think we really can afford it -- not with two cats at least.  And my kitties are so picky that I was throwing out half of it in the bin anyways.  So right now we're just getting WHISKAS dry food.  I'm not entirely happy with it but I know they'll eat it.  A large bag costs about $14 and lasts us a little over two weeks so about $25 a month.  I actually still haven't found the perfect food for our female Pickles.  I think she simply eats enough to not starve.  But she's happy and very, VERY active.  And neither has been accepting any wet food for a few months now.  I used to pretty much feed wet exclusively so don't know what triggered them to suddenly reject it all.  Oh well.  My philosophy is as long as they're fed.

I am tempted to buy a small bag of grain free kibble to mix in with the WHISKAS but will wait until we're a few paychecks into my husband's new job (starts this week). 

Buy some cheap wet instead to supplement.

 

[lonelocust]

 
We used to buy the premium foods but my husband lost his job and we were going over our expenses and premium cat food is A LOT.  Even with a job I don't think we really can afford it -- not with two cats at least.  And my kitties are so picky that I was throwing out half of it in the bin anyways.  So right now we're just getting WHISKAS dry food.  I'm not entirely happy with it but I know they'll eat it.  A large bag costs about $14 and lasts us a little over two weeks so about $25 a month.  I actually still haven't found the perfect food for our female Pickles.  I think she simply eats enough to not starve.  But she's happy and very, VERY active.  And neither has been accepting any wet food for a few months now.  I used to pretty much feed wet exclusively so don't know what triggered them to suddenly reject it all.  Oh well.  My philosophy is as long as they're fed.

I am tempted to buy a small bag of grain free kibble to mix in with the WHISKAS but will wait until we're a few paychecks into my husband's new job (starts this week). 

I'm not sure what your location/delivery options situation is, but have you already looked into buying large bags online? I was buying premium food at petshop prices (which seemed pretty consistent across every pet shop and vet), but when I wasn't able to afford it anymore, I looked online and found the same food for literally less than half the price I was paying at the pet shop, which made it actually cheaper than the cheap supermarket brand. I still had to drop €50 at one time to buy it in bulk which can be an issue if your budget is very tight. Sorry if you've already looked into it and I'm stating the obvious. I just want to bring it up because I didn't dream that I could get it that much cheaper at the time I started looking. I had gone looking for another wheat/corn free alternative because when I switched to the cheap food it became clear my younger cat had an allergy but ended up finding the exact same food. 

 

[picklespepper]

Buy some cheap wet instead to supplement.

I would but my cats have stopped eating wet.  I used to feed exclusively wet including the cheap stuff but they suddenly stopped eating it.  And that is still more costly than dry (especially when you have to throw out so much when it gets old).   I've been crunching the numbers and we're doing dry.  I might get some wet food for occasional treats to see if they will start eating it again that way.

I mean, we're all eating really cheap right now.  I didn't think it was right to buy the good stuff for my cats and make my own children eat no-name mac n' cheese.  

And I've looked into ordering online.  The Canadian sites aren't really that much cheaper -- not enough to justify the shipping costs especially as I love in a rural area.  

 

[Ashley&Cats]

Old post but I would like to add what I spend per month to this thread maybe other newer members like me would like to know this information.

I spend $6.15-$7.15 plus tax a day on my 2 indoor cats (only goes outside on harness or pet stroller) or $184.50-$214.50 plus tax per month. I buy Primal freezer dried raw for my 6 year old female tabby cat and frozen Primal raw for my 4 month old male ragdoll kitten and I also get them Fancy Feast Pate (Classic in USA) this cost does not include any other pet essentials or accessories like toys (they have too many so I don't buy them toys often unless they have destroyed them which my kitten has done to 2 mouse!) or litter (my parents buy this for me when it's on sale and on no tax days at the superstore since my mom also gets a 10% discount) my budget is $200 per month (hoping to make this budget or less once my kitten is an adult but if he is 18-20lbs which I'm thinking he will be I might have to up my feeding cost budget!) so depending on if I get the more expensive meat choice in Primal it will defer in the monthly cost but stick in the rang of $184.50-$214.50 plus tax.

Primal cost $34.99 for a 14 oz freezer dried bag (approx .70c a nugget) and $22.99-$34.99 for a 14oz frozen bag (approx .48-.70 a nugget) and has 48 nuggets in a bag. I go through 1 frozen bag every 12 days right now for the kitten and 1 freezer dried bag in 12-20 days depending on how much my adult cat eats (she prefers canned)

Facey Feast cost .58-.70c a 3.3oz can when it's not on sale.

 

[Evie's Mommy]

I live in Canada, so everything is more expensive here.

My 2 cats eat 2 cans each of Fancy Feast per day. At $0.64 a can that's $76.80 a month.
Their dry food is Blue Wilderness, a 5 lb bag is usually $28 at Petsmart. That will last 1 month.
One large bag of PureSnacks is $11.50.

That's $115.80 a month in total.

 

[orange&white]

Two cats and one dog eat approx. 1 pound of meat per day on a homemade raw diet. The dog eats about half, so the cats eat approx. 1/2 pound a day, or 15 pounds a month. My average cost for meat/bones/organs is $2/lb or less from shopping sales. $30 per month for food, plus maybe $10 per month or less on supplements.

$40 a month is a pretty close estimate to feed the two cats here.

 

[Vega's Dad]

Facey Feast cost .58-.70c a 3.3oz can when it's not on sale.

Based on the prices provided, I assume you may be in Canada? 70c per 3.3 Oz can is a bit pricey. Regular price in Walmart is 0.64. Dollarama carry FF sometimes in some stores and selling at 2 for 1.25. Canadian tire also worth to keep an eye on. Their regular price is not cheap but may have good deal sometimes. 50 per can early this year, for example. I don't know if you have Lawton's near you. 60 per can yesterday and 10% off for students . Not sure how long the sale would last.

 

[Ashley&Cats]

I live in New Brunswick Canada .70c FF canned is at superstore (my mom gets 10% discount uptop of that price) I am just now starting to look for sales on the FF to cut costs even more. I've found that so far Friskies is almost always on sale and I have yet to come by FF on sale in the past month. I do have a lawtons so maybe I'll call there today to see if the sale is on. I usually buy from Walmart since it is .64c a can or .58 if I get the box of 12 FF Pate cans

 

[MeganLLB]

Two cats cost about $50 per month on 50/50 wet dry. I split the cost with my mom because I'm taking care of her cat, so I pay $25/ month. In reality I get large orders of food online and spend about $125 or so about every 2.5- 3 months. And I bought a really big bag of dry food that will last until the apocalypse. Next time I will buy a smaller bag.