Cat Supplies And Budgeting....

sweetblackpaws

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I am spending a lot on supplies each month (around $ 200.00, sometimes more). I have 3 cats (about to take in a 4th as soon as I can catch her) and four litter boxes. One makes crystals so he has to be on prescription food. The others get Fancy Feast and the feral gets Friskies. I also have 2 water fountains so I always need filters. I buy Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief litter because otherwise two of them will cough. I use spring water because there is too much chloramines in the water here. I use a litter champ so I have to buy refills. I am not destitute, but I would like to at least get it down to $ 150.00. Any tips would be much appreciated! Thank you!
 

LTS3

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Prescription food often isn't necessary for urinary issues. Many cats only need to temporarily be on a prescription diet to dissolve the crystals and then can be maintained on a regular commercial canned food diet. What prescription food is your cat on? You can ask the vet about a commerical canned food only diet but don't expect much support since many vets insist on prescription foods.

Are the cats eating canned food or dry food?
 
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sweetblackpaws

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He had PU surgery last year - I nearly lost him. He is on Royal Canin SO - it's about $ 60.00 a bag (17 lb bag). He makes a lot of crystals. I was thinking maybe I could switch him to the Purina One Urinary formula from the grocery store? The other 2 eat Fancy Feast plus some of his kibble (the vet said that was okay). So basically, I have all three eating the prescription kibble. I tried the Rx wet, but he did not like it.
 

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One way to cut down costs is to do a homemade version of the litter champ: I buy grocery store bags in bulk ($15 for a thousand bags) and got a trashcan with a tight fitting lid. Each time you clean the litterboxes, scoop into a grocery store bag, tie off tightly, and place in the trashcan. Same principle for a fraction of the cost.
 

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There may be alternatives to the Royal Canin SO: Alternatives to expensive Urinary SO food

Dry food is the worst thing you can feed to a cat who is prone to urinary issues. Dry food is one reason why many cats get urinary issues in the first place. Any commerical canned food is helpful. You don't need a urinary specific formula. Or the vet's permission. There's good info here to read: Cat Urinary Tract Diseases: Cystitis, Urethral Obstruction, Urinary Tract Infection

If you can feed the PU cat only commerical canned food, that would reduce your montly costs a bit. Buying 5.5 oz or larger sized cans and in cases rather than individual cans also helps. Most pet stores have holiday sales now. Check out the local ads online for what brands of food are on sale and stock up.

https://www.petco.com/local-ad
PetSmart Black Friday

Can you use a bowl for the water? Water fountain filters end up being costly over time and you typically have to replace a filter monthly or sooner if it gets dirty.
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Here is what it looks like assuming there is nothing extra needed for the month:

1 month pet supplies breakdown:

Fancy Feast (approx. 6 cases) - 24 pak cases $78.00
6 boxes Dr. E litter (4 litter boxes) $72.00
Litter champ refills $5.99
Friskies (24 pak) = 2 cases $22.56
Royal Canin (1 bag lasts approx 3 mos) $20.00

So the bulk of my spending is food and litter - I don't know how to cut that. I buy Dr. E online and it's about $ 12.00 for 20 lbs, but with 3 cats, I go through it like crazy.

Fortunately, I don't need flea meds!
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Yes, I could use bowls instead of the fountains, but they drink more with the fountains,which I want to encourage. But you are right, those filters do add up!

I don't think taking him off his Rx kibble and putting him on wet would save money if I'm doing the math right. His kibble breakdown comes to about $ 20.00 per month. Occassionally, he eats the FF, but only the pate formula, and no seafood flavors.

I am not sure there is much I can do. :-(

I think I can get rid of one of the litter boxes and change litter brands if I can find one with no dust. Maybe switch to non-clumping?
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Prices are based on ordering from Chewy.com which I find to have the lowest prices (at least for what I buy). I am not affiliated with them in any way. :) I save nearly $3.00 per case of FF ordering from them.
 

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:wave3: I really like this one we use, I usually purchase at the store for under $10.00 and go through a jug a month for one cat. I need to check the price on Chewy.com. Keep us updated and post lots of photos. You are fantastic for caring for all your fur babys. :heartshape:
Our litter.jpg
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Thank you, everyone, I truly appreciate the advice! Regarding the Rx food, I did look at Purina One for Urinary Tract Health and it is $22.00 for the 16 pound bag, vs. Royal Canin which is $60.00. Chicken is the third ingredient on the Purina One, so it is not as good, though. I think it's worth asking the vet about, though? That would save a lot.
 

dustydiamond1

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Thank you, everyone, I truly appreciate the advice! Regarding the Rx food, I did look at Purina One for Urinary Tract Health and it is $22.00 for the 16 pound bag, vs. Royal Canin which is $60.00. Chicken is the third ingredient on the Purina One, so it is not as good, though. I think it's worth asking the vet about, though? That would save a lot.
Darn! Chicken is third? That really s#cks. We keep a small amount of Purine One purposeful nutrition indoor advantage down for Gypsy at all times and turkey is the first ingredient. We feed Fancy Feast gravy lovers for her wet food and real meat is the 2nd ingredient, real broth is 1st.
 
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sweetblackpaws

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I also notice that the Rx food contains D-Methione (sp?), a urinary acidifier. I do not see a comparable ingredient in the PUrina One Urinary formula. I think I had best leave him on the prescription kibble for now. I can cut corners by using a cheaper litter, maybe having 3 boxes instead of 4? They use them all, though.
 

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What's your litterbox maintenance routine? You can usually get by without completely changing clumping litter for quite a while as long as you scoop regularly. Basically---take a good sniff after scooping. If it doesn't smell bad, no reason to change it. If there are any drips/smears on the box itself, just use a paper towel to tidy up.

If they have respiratory issues I wouldn't suggest changing brands. But you might be able to get more use out of it.

One litterbox per cat plus one is recommended, so I wouldn't remove a box. Don't want litterbox issues.

How much Fancy Feast do you give them? Most spayed/neutered indoor cats only need 2 cans a day. . .less if they're getting dry food too. 6 cases would be 72 cans each, seems a bit much (although that depends on how many cans the guy on the SO kibble eats). Will they eat canned Friskies? If so, you could alternate between Friskies and FF. If you stick to the better flavors like Mixed Grill and Poultry Platter it's OK.
 
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sweetblackpaws

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I used to change all boxes weekly (Dr. Elsey is great for asthma, but does not have the best odor control). I have cut back to about 3 weeks now (4 litter boxes). The brand that Dusty Diamond recommended does have a hypo-allergenic formula, so Maybe I will try that. The Dr. E is SO heavy to lift, too.

The two girls eat about 2 cans each per day of the FF (in addition to some of my boy's prescription kibble). So yeah, I guess that is closer to 5 cases, not 6. I think alternating with the Friskies is a great idea - plus, they are larger cans.
 

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amazon is great dr elseys is usually on sale there. if you have a bjs wholesale store near you, they usually have other brands of cat litter on sale. its what i used to do, they unfortunately dont have dr elseys.
 
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