Cheap Wet Food

[MeganLLB]

I just lost my job, so I'm trying to cut back on my expenses until I find a new job. I'm wondering if there are some cheaper foods I could feed my two cats.

Right now they eat about 1/8 cup of Instinct Ultimate protein dry food.

And

Wellness beef & chicken pate
American journey chicken pate
Fancy feast poultry and beef classic pate

I buy the 12 oz cans except the FF of course.

I was looking at maybe adding some Friskies into the rotation if they'll eat it. I hate that it has rice but it's so cheap.

The FF really isn't that economical with two cats because the cans are so small. And Friskies comes in 13 oz cans.

Is there anything else that I could look into? Maybe feed them more dry for awhile?

 

[MissMolly08]

Nothing wrong with Friskies, IMO. My cat has been eating like 98% Friskies for the last few months because money is tight and I was told any wet is better than dry.
I throw in some Fancy Feast on occasion if it's on sale or something but really the only difference between FF and Friskies is the rice and it just isn't worth the price difference to me.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

As long as you stick with the Friskies PATEs, they aren't too bad. And if you buy the FF in bulk, the price isn't bad. Can you pick up carton's of it at Walmart? I know you can get them from Chewy.com, but then you have to pay for shipping if you don't order $49 worth, I think. Hard to do if you aren't working

 

[duckpond]

I think the Friskes is fine. and something i do as well is check local pet food stores, and tractor supply often. They quite often have some cheap prices on foods that are close to the BB date.

if you will check the food chart i find it helpful. I do not have a diabetic cat, so i go with what she says about the 15% carbs. my guys wont eat the pate for love nor money, but they like some of the others.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

[MeganLLB]

I think the Friskes is fine. and something i do as well is check local pet food stores, and tractor supply often. They quite often have some cheap prices on foods that are close to the BB date.

if you will check the food chart i find it helpful. I do not have a diabetic cat, so i go with what she says about the 15% carbs. my guys wont eat the pate for love nor money, but they like some of the others.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

There is a TS in town, but other thab that just walmart. I have to drive 45 mins out of town to get to any local pet store or a petco or petsmart, so i cant check often for sales. I'll see if they will eat friskies pate and cut back on the others.

 

[duckpond]

we dont have much in the way of local pet stores either, ours is about 2 hours away, but when i get down there.... watch out
Hopefully they will like the friskies, if they dont like the pate i would not hesitate to try the shreds, or the prime fillets.

 

[lisahe]

Tractor Supply's relatively new Paws & Claws "Kitchen Selects" foods are pretty decent: they're a lot like Fancy Feast Classics, also in small cans, but they're cheaper at about $12 for a 24-can pack. I just bought that recently and have only tried the cats out on turkey and giblets so far (there's also beef and chicken in the pack) but they liked it. I actually think the ingredients are a little better than FF: the first ingredient is meat rather than byproducts and there's no menadione, the vitamin K stuff I don't like to feed very often.

Most of all, I'm sorry to hear about your job situation, MeganLLB , and hope you find something new (and better!) soon.

 

[duckpond]

lisahe is right about the Tractor supply new kitchen selects. my guys like the country chicken dinner, and they are not fans of pate, but they like it. My sons cats who have always eatten a lot of fancy feast classics, because thats about the only food his ibd kitty can eat, like it as well. they have been feeding it for a few months now, and the ibd kitty seems to do as well on it as she does the fancy feast, and they like it.

 

[lisahe]

lisahe is right about the Tractor supply new kitchen selects. my guys like the country chicken dinner, and they are not fans of pate, but they like it. My sons cats who have always eatten a lot of fancy feast classics, because thats about the only food his ibd kitty can eat, like it as well. they have been feeding it for a few months now, and the ibd kitty seems to do as well on it as she does the fancy feast, and they like it.

The biggest downside to the Tractor Supply Kitchen Selects is that -- at least at my store -- you have to buy 24 cans all at once so if your cat doesn't like it, you're stuck with the food. But if the cats like it, it's a pretty decent deal.

 

[duckpond]

The biggest downside to the Tractor Supply Kitchen Selects is that -- at least at my store -- you have to buy 24 cans all at once so if your cat doesn't like it, you're stuck with the food. But if the cats like it, it's a pretty decent deal.

our store sells the chicken dinner, the mixed grill, and the fish flavors individually. The country chicken dinner is the only one my non pate cats like.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
at Walmart, take a look at GoodLife, PureBalance and Special Kitty and also Delectables treat pouches. If you have a King Soopers, they have Pet Pride pouches, Sheba including meaty sticks for treats, Luvsome and Abound.
Hang in there!!

 

[Willowy]

Someday I'll post a few pics of some of my kitties who haven't eaten anything except canned Friskies pate since I got them. They're all sleek, slim, and healthy . So I think Friskies is just fine.

My oldest cat will only eat the shreds, and her coat isn't terrific so I wish she'd eat the pate. But at her age she gets what she wants, oh well.

Walmart has the 13-oz cans for $1.09 each (here anyway), TSC charges about the same (if they charge more I think they'll price match if you bring them a Walmart receipt). Sometimes you can find a better price online. . .Amazon currently has 13-oz Poultry Platter priced at under $10 for a case of 12.

 

[MeganLLB]

I bought some paws and claws, friskies, and 4 health. Last time I tried these foods they didn't eat them but I think that's because I got turkey and they don't like turkey. So i got beef and chicken flavors. Maybe they will eat them.

 

[Furballsmom]

Aren't cats odd creatures and no two are alike it seems. My Big Guy won't touch anything with beef.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I wouldn't stress out about the Friskies =) Cats probably don't "need" rice but if they handle it well, I wouldn't worry much. (I didn't "need" that double cheeseburger yesterday, either, and I'm fine! )
A few people I know have "bulked out" canned foods a few days a week with inexpensive (sale) ground meat from the store, boiled.

 

[lisahe]

Aren't cats odd creatures and no two are alike it seems. My Big Guy won't touch anything with beef.

Cats can be so particular! Our cats didn't like the Kitchen Selects beef at all. Oddly, Ireland finished her bowl with lots of treats on top but Edwina, who will gladly eat nearly anything, would only eat it with treats. And didn't even finish it then. Someone barfed during the night so I think that's the end of that experiment!

 

[MeganLLB]

Cats can be so particular! Our cats didn't like the Kitchen Selects beef at all. Oddly, Ireland finished her bowl with lots of treats on top but Edwina, who will gladly eat nearly anything, would only eat it with treats. And didn't even finish it then. Someone barfed during the night so I think that's the end of that experiment!

Yes they are very particular. I don't know of another animal that is so particular about food. Mine don't like turkey, salmon, and most other fish flavors are hit and miss. They usually like beef and lamb, love chicken. Only like pate watered down. Make a mess with bits in gravy, won't even touch the minced or shredded. Prefer room temp over hot or cold. And yet they love people food and regularly try to steal food from when I'm cooking or eating, lick my plates clean, bite holes in my cereal boxes, bread, cheese, lunch meat. THEN they don't seem so picky.

 

[lisahe]

Yes they are very particular. I don't know of another animal that is so particular about food. Mine don't like turkey, salmon, and most other fish flavors are hit and miss. They usually like beef and lamb, love chicken. Only like pate watered down. Make a mess with bits in gravy, won't even touch the minced or shredded. Prefer room temp over hot or cold. And yet they love people food and regularly try to steal food from when I'm cooking or eating, lick my plates clean, bite holes in my cereal boxes, bread, cheese, lunch meat. THEN they don't seem so picky.

Yes, they really sound like cats! At least they like chicken, which seems to be the most common meat for cat food. One of our cats also loves bread (it has to go in a closed cabinet or she'll gnaw through the bag) and cheese (she'll hop on the table for the Parmesan), and she's stolen other things, too.

I wish I could give you the food ours don't like!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Cats can be so particular! Our cats didn't like the Kitchen Selects beef at all. Oddly, Ireland finished her bowl with lots of treats on top but Edwina, who will gladly eat nearly anything, would only eat it with treats. And didn't even finish it then. Someone barfed during the night so I think that's the end of that experiment!

One of ours will bring up anything beef except beef organs =/ What's odd is bison he seems OK with in small doses and elk is no big thing.
I've wanted to try feeding him 100% grass finished beef vs. grass/grain fed as an experiment (is it something in the beef from grain vs. grass fed?) but it just seems mean to feed him something I know he might get sick on =/
One of our girls used to bring up anything rabbit but now she doesn't. So weird!!

 

[lisahe]

One of ours will bring up anything beef except beef organs =/ What's odd is bison he seems OK with in small doses and elk is no big thing.
I've wanted to try feeding him 100% grass finished beef vs. grass/grain fed as an experiment (is it something in the beef from grain vs. grass fed?) but it just seems mean to feed him something I know he might get sick on =/
One of our girls used to bring up anything rabbit but now she doesn't. So weird!!

That's interesting! Ours have eaten homemade (with EZ) beef, Rawz beef, and something Fancy Feast without incident... the Tractor Supply food is pretty decent -- meat comes before byproducts on all three kinds -- though I wouldn't be surprised if there's something in the flavorings and other stuff that bothered someone's stomach. These cats definitely have weird little stomachs, too!