Food We Can Share?

[CalliopeUno]

Because of some economic changes it looks like Galileo and I will soon need to be sharing some of our meals. I still have about 6 lbs of his dry foods left (nulo, I and Love and you) and a few packs of wet. I've been giving him fish once or twice a week when I have it. Am relatively aware of what ratio of protein, carbs, fat I want to give him and am considering continuing grain-free since that's what he's used to. But not opposed to adding brown rice, barley, quinoa, etc if that is healthy for him as I eat it myself.
Basically, since I find that I'll be unable to return to work for medical reasons, I'll have more time, but less money. Was hoping to feed dry food a few times a day and share a dinner. He's used to free-grazing. ~11-12 lb 5 yo siamese adopted about 4 months ago. Suggestions, cautions, wisdom and advice very welcomed. Thx

 

[LTS3]

Grains are a no-no since cats don't need them in the diet. Stick with meat that has been supplemented properly. The easiest way to supplement meat is to use a pre-mix such as EZComplete. Add the pre-mix to the meat with some water, mix to combine, portion out, then store in the freezer pulling a container out as needed.

 

[Azazel]

Yes, as LTS3 said, you need to make sure that your cat is getting the right nutrients. They have very different nutritional needs as us, and one of those needs is for taurine. Just sharing your own food will likely lead to malnutrition. There are recipes for how to make raw food for your cat on catinfo.org and feline-nutrition.org. It can be very cost-effective.

Also, I wouldn't feed fish on a regular basis because it is high in heavy metals.

 

[MargoLane]

Making your own raw can be the most affordable way to feed your cat! Especially if you have a relationship with a butcher, or if you have the time to get the sales at the grocery stores and chop/grind up the meat. Search some of the raw food forums to see how people are able to feed raw for $20-30 bucks a month. If you're uncomfortable feeding raw, you can find a similar recipe but with instructions on how to cook the meat.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I don't know about whole meals to share, but things like eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt are things most cats like and most people like. Most times they're relatively inexpensive, just make sure the yogurt doesn't contain added sugars, dyes, and NO xylitol. (Aim for plain, whole fat yogurt).
If you eat meat too, buy it in more bulk to save. It's sometimes cheaper to get things like ground meat at a butchers and you can get as much or little as you want, and most butchers are happy to pack it in any weight (1 pound, 2 pounds, etc.) based on what would be easy.
MargoLane is right, most raw feeders can feed for a fraction of the cost of a good quality diet but it depends on what you can source/get, how often, and how much storage space you have.
We don't feed grains but we had a cat practically standing on his head for a taste of polenta. We gave him a teaspoon or so and gobbled it up. Weird cat.

 

[Azazel]

I don't know about whole meals to share, but things like eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt are things most cats like and most people like. Most times they're relatively inexpensive, just make sure the yogurt doesn't contain added sugars, dyes, and NO xylitol. (Aim for plain, whole fat yogurt).
If you eat meat too, buy it in more bulk to save. It's sometimes cheaper to get things like ground meat at a butchers and you can get as much or little as you want, and most butchers are happy to pack it in any weight (1 pound, 2 pounds, etc.) based on what would be easy.
MargoLane is right, most raw feeders can feed for a fraction of the cost of a good quality diet but it depends on what you can source/get, how often, and how much storage space you have.
We don't feed grains but we had a cat practically standing on his head for a taste of polenta. We gave him a teaspoon or so and gobbled it up. Weird cat.

I would just add a caution that while all the foods listed above are great, they should be considered 'treats' and shouldn't make up more than 10% of a cat's diet. Cats need complete meals with the right nutrients and supplements. That's why it's important to follow a recipe if making your own food.

Also, if you use ground meat from the supermarket or butcher make sure you cook it. Cats do perfectly fine on whole cuts of raw meat, but ground meat has more pathogens in it and shouldn't be fed raw.

 

[1 bruce 1]

OH, and if you decide you're interested in doing a few raw meals a day, do NOT overlook things like hearts, necks, and livers and other "gross stuff" most people can't buy. Most times these things get thrown away because no one is brave enough to try them.
Chicken hearts are a huge staple to our cats diets. Very rich in taurine, very good for cats, and they love them. It might be a nice addition if you're looking to simply supplement some dry food.

 

[MissMolly08]

Do you have an idea what your budget is going to be?

I know PP mentioned people feeding raw for $20-$30 a month but I feed 100% canned Friskies for even less than that... about $15 a month to feed my 1 adult cat.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I would just add a caution that while all the foods listed above are great, they should be considered 'treats' and shouldn't make up more than 10% of a cat's diet. Cats need complete meals with the right nutrients and supplements. That's why it's important to follow a recipe if making your own food.

Also, if you use ground meat from the supermarket or butcher make sure you cook it. Cats do perfectly fine on whole cuts of raw meat, but ground meat has more pathogens in it and shouldn't be fed raw.

That's where it gets tricky, when you're on a budget either long or short term. You want to bulk the meals out, keep them healthy and full without compromising health.
Hoping this thread will help C CalliopeUno and others reading.

 

[Willowy]

Generally speaking, cat food is cheaper than people food. It's probably not cost-effective to share your meal with a pet unless you're getting the human food on food stamps or from a food pantry. Yes, some raw feeders claim they can do it cheaper but they must put a lot of time into shopping because I've never been able to figure it out.

A cheaper canned food is fine. My cats are doing very well on canned Friskies.

 

[1 bruce 1]

One more thought for C CalliopeUno then I'm done.
Approach stores that carry pet food and ask if they have any surplus of dented cans/taped up bags that are deemed not salable due to damage in shipment. Odds are the stores help out shelters and rescue groups, but with one cat to help feed for a few months, they may have some options for you and be able to help you out a bit on cost.

 

[Azazel]

Generally speaking, cat food is cheaper than people food. It's probably not cost-effective to share your meal with a pet unless you're getting the human food on food stamps or from a food pantry. Yes, some raw feeders claim they can do it cheaper but they must put a lot of time into shopping because I've never been able to figure it out.

A cheaper canned food is fine. My cats are doing very well on canned Friskies.

I feed 2 cats on completely homemade raw and I spend as little as 30-40$ a month on each cat. I could probably do it for cheaper but I choose to get expensive cuts of meat sometimes. Once you buy the supplements and grinder it's just a matter of buying some raw meat every month. There is some cost upfront, but it's cheaper in the long run. It's also healthier than canned food.

 

[Willowy]

it's just a matter of buying some raw meat every month.

Sure, but I don't know where people find cheap meat. I think that involves being closer to stores to be able to hit the sales.

As it is, I spend about $1.19 on a 13-oz can of Friskies, and each cat eats an average of 5-6 ounces a day. So it's only around 45-55 cents a day per cat. One could argue that raw is healthier but it sure isn't cheaper than that.

 

[1 bruce 1]

For us, finding raw is a matter of knowing people in our community and depending on the community, that will vary.
It's easier to find ranchers in certain areas of the country than it is if you live in LA or NYC, for instance. Sometimes they're overstocked with people who want "scrap" food for pets and have nothing left, sometimes they're so happy to find someone to take that food off your hands they give it away or sell it for a low cost.
A poultry farmer I know called us a few months ago and asked if we wanted hearts, livers, gizzards, and maybe some feet if they didn't sell. The feet did sell (great chicken stock) but we got a lot of food for a lot of cats (and some dogs) for very cheap.
Good farmers and ranchers hate butchering an animal to throw parts away. It's bad for money and is also a terrible waste and a waste of life.
(Raising your own is the best option, but not everyone is capable/willing to do so and that's totally OK, I don't really blame them.)
If I were unable to find these deals and we had to buy meat from the store, we'd be feeding something else.
And no way in hell could we afford premade.

 

[Tobermory]

I usually average about .70 a day per cat. That’s feeding mainly ground/chunked boneless chicken thighs and adding the necessary individual supplements (per the recipe on www.catinfo.org). I’ve had trouble finding inexpensive chicken thighs at lower cost grocery stores that don’t have added saline or other sneaky stuff. So the thighs usually run $2.99/lb. at Costco. And yes, I do sometimes divert some of the thighs to feed the humans!

 

[yeva2292]

It costs me $1.50 a day to feed my cat homemade raw lamb. I use boneless leg of lamb that I grind with my kitchenaid attachment grinder (works great on frozen meat!) and make my own supplement mix. If I could feed chicken or turkey my costs would be even lower, probably closer to or less than a dollar a day. I would be hard pressed to feed myself a balanced diet every day on $1.50 (though doable with lots of planning)!

If you aim to make your own pet food, my suggestion is to buy taurine as a loose powder instead of in pill form. Is significantly cheaper! Also, drug stores and supermarkets often have "buy one get one" events on supplements - this becomes the perfect time to stock up on bone powders (I use Bone-up, which has trace minerals that are essential for long-term feeding), fish oil, and vitamin e.

Something you should try is asking around your local animal shelters if they have pet food available for families in need. Our shelter has a mobile pet food pantry to help families with financial difficulties to keep pets in their homes instead of surrendering to shelters.

 

[valentine319]

Great advice! I don't see it mentioned but it's not recommended to do kibble and raw food. It's hard on their digestion. Maybe while you do the research, pricing everything out, getting the recipes figured out, supplements and such you finish off the kibble. The idea is to first switch to complete soft food. Then go raw or cooked. With that being said if this isn't the right time I get that too. Normally I'd say work on going full soft then dump the kibble but unless there are health issues finish out the kibble while slowly switching to soft. From there you'd know what raw would cost and slowly introduce it. It can take time to switch a cat to raw or it can go really fast but rushing can be hard on their digestive systems. Everything above is great.

 

[Azazel]

Great advice! I don't see it mentioned but it's not recommended to do kibble and raw food. It's hard on their digestion. Maybe while you do the research, pricing everything out, getting the recipes figured out, supplements and such you finish off the kibble. The idea is to first switch to complete soft food. Then go raw or cooked. With that being said if this isn't the right time I get that too. Normally I'd say work on going full soft then dump the kibble but unless there are health issues finish out the kibble while slowly switching to soft. From there you'd know what raw would cost and slowly introduce it. It can take time to switch a cat to raw or it can go really fast but rushing can be hard on their digestive systems. Everything above is great.

I think the no kibble plus raw thing is a bit of a myth. Or at least an unsubstantiated claim. I don’t advocate feeding kibble because it’s generally quite unhealthy but I don’t think there are actually any specific digestive issue when mixed with raw.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I've heard people say they feed them in the same meal with no problems and other say it wasn't a good experience.
For the masses I guess if it were true, we humans wouldn't dare eat a cooked piece of meat or a cooked dish with a salad, since the cooked and raw foods digest differently?
If it works, go with it, if feeding raw and kibble together is an issue for your cat, don't do it!
If you want to be cautious, feed them separately many hours apart and see what happens, IMO.

 

[CalliopeUno]

Thanks all. Lots of food for thought (sorry,couldn't resist). I live in a very tiny town about 45 minutes from everywhere lol, closest "big" city is Santa Barbara which is where I adopted my cat. Nearest other shelter still 30 minutes away. We do have a couple of feed stores and lots of horse ranches and an ostrich farm (!) but still probably out of luck on freebies. Right now I've been continuing his dry with a little wet on top at night (like 1/2 oz) and giving him a little bit of cooked fish or chicken when I have it a few times a week. I figure at least with the nulo grazing and drinking water all day his basic nutritional needs are being met for now. I know a lot of people here oppose it but maybe he'll just have to end up staying mainly with a pretty good quality dry food.