Food We Can Share?

[CalliopeUno]

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.

He does always want a taste of my yogurt, cottage cheese, Graham crackers, etc so I usually only eat those when I've got him shut in the other room as I know they're not good for him. He's odd in many ways... He loves to bite cardboard but fortunately is not at all interested in actually chewing or eating it.

 

[valentine319]

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.

Maybe orange&white can chime in. I thought there was an issue with the stomach acid and expansion of food. Otherwise I'll look around tomorrow.

 

[yeva2292]

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.

When you're on a budget, you do what you have to do to keep you and yours fed . Have you looked through your local feed stores? The ones we have here carry inexpensive wet and dry cat food.

 

[Azazel]

Maybe orange&white can chime in. I thought there was an issue with the stomach acid and expansion of food. Otherwise I'll look around tomorrow.

We had a thread about this a while ago. There’s really no evidence of this that I know of.

 

[orange&white]

Maybe orange&white can chime in. I thought there was an issue with the stomach acid and expansion of food. Otherwise I'll look around tomorrow.

Here is an article explaining that the naturally acidic digestive tract of a cat is supported with raw food, and that adding carbohydrates to their diet requires them to produce less acid, creating a more alkaline environment to digest the carbs.

Raw Meat and Kibble Don't Mix

If you aren't planning a transition to raw food, then I think feeding mostly dry food, plus a little cooked human foods as "treats" is less of an issue.

 

[sabrinah]

Some feed stores also have good sales on food nearing expiration. If you're going to be feeding primarily dry food there wouldn't be an issue with buying a bag that expires in a month since you'll be able to use it up in time.

I feed both raw and dry because it's the only thing that works for us. My cat couldn't tolerate most canned food anymore and the ones she could eat were just too expensive. Raw is cheaper, but I can't afford to feed it exclusively. She also really just doesn't like it that much. Half dry, half raw (not mixed together, of course) eliminated the throwing up and diarrhea and is just barely in the range of what I can spend monthly.

 

[valentine319]

A quick note on the "my cat doesn't like raw food that much". Ok so in the world of what is best for kitty we must be prepared to make sure they eat. No matter how healthy something is it's worthless if kitty won't eat it. My cat went the opposite way. You also need to be prepared if you start raw and kitty won't touch anything other than raw. It goes the same with switching from kibble to soft. I don't recommend kibble. Cheap canned is better than expensive kibble. My goal was increase my cats health. That meant kibble had to go. Yes I understand having to get by. I personally believe the idea is to get away from kibble. Go with soft then transition to raw. All that being said it takes as long as it takes. If raw doesn't work for you then go soft. Most of all of kitty won't eat something don't play who can holds out longest. 48 hours of not eating can cause liver problems in cats. I say this as a reminder for all food. Transitions should be slow and if kitty is stubborn you make sure they eat even if it's not what you wanted them to eat.