Yeah, my cats weigh more, even though two could lose some weight which would still equal more food if they did lose some weight. So I'd be looking at more than $180. It'll be a stretch to even afford what might be considered better kibble and do some sort of wet along with it. I'm barely getting by as it is as low income as I am as it stands anyway.
I am too squeamish for that, unfortunately.
I have persal reasons I'd not feed raw with raw currently, it's enough that I feed a obligate carnivores, for me anyway. Raw diets also require vitamins and supplements in the right amounts, if not the consequences could be dire, which is worrisome too especially when I free feed. Plus, I've tried giving chicken chunks once before and they didn't recognize it as food which is common I guess. I think it'd be difficult to train them into thinking it's food let alone the fact that you have to feed hearts which I have no clue how I'd acquire and wouldn't feel comfortable feeding anyway. It looks like I'm just out of luck when it comes to cat food options given my budget isn't very big at all. I'm not sure how I'd fit in buying Orijen at $63 per 12 lbs but I'd think it could very possibly last longer if I feed based on calories per cat which makes it the best option thus far!
I honestly do not pay that much attention to the "feeding Instructions" with the foods i feed. I have 2 girls that weigh in at 7 and 8 lbs, and two boys that are 11 and 12 lbs. I feed two wet meals per day, split two 3 oz cans of wet in the morning between the 4 and 2 cans split again in the evening. I leave Dr. Elsey's kibble, chicken flavor. out all the time, i normally put out 3/4 cup per day, sometimes they finish it, sometimes they don't. I will often feed a mini meal at noon if they are acting hungry, split a can of wet, or give them all a big spoon full of Farmina kibble. Seems to work for my guys, the vet says all healthy and at a good weight.
duckpond
Thanks! That helps give me an idea of how much wet to feed. Although I'm not sure I can afford 3 of the 3 oz cans a day either at Fancy Feast price of $0.65 or Chewy's price of $0.57 for some types. Plus, that on top of buying a kibble would be a lot for me. As far as kibble I think I like Orijen because they use whole prey in their food and supposedly they use human-grade meat too which I guess is something to look for in dry kibble according to one website. The 12 lb bag is $63 or so but if I'm feeding much less could last awhile. I'm still not 100% sure I can even afford that though. I'm still searching around to find the best option for my very small budget. I'm not a fan of what I currently feed, it's one of the cheapest grain free options on the market. Hopefully I can find something, even if it just uses peas which someone said is lower in carbs than others used. My options seem extremely limited. And, yesterday I forgot raw isn't an option either because I don't drive therefore I buy cat food online, freeze dried raw is too expensive and the others I don't know the brands but have read they require freezer/I've packs which make the prices outrageous! I just can't do it!
I like orijen, but my cats are hit and miss with it. sometimes amazon sells small 12oz bags you can try, but i find amazon to actually be higher priced on cat food than chewy and a few other online stores. Another food that some started talking about after Evo was discontinued is American Journey Turkey & Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food it has good reviews and seems to be a decent food. Another one you might look at, quite a few people like crave Crave with Chicken Adult High-Protein Grain-Free Dry Cat Food these are slightly lower in price, but seem like fairly good foods, then the budget might allow 1 wet meal per day, and dry for the other?
From what i understand you want as much protein as you can get, moderate fat, and as low carb as possible. 17% is not bad for a dry food. calories matter, but i find with higher protein and less carbs cats eat less. I have read that a cat body needs so much protein per day, and they will eat until they get that amount if possible. so it would seem that they over eat on high carb foods, trying to get the protein. I don't really count calories for my guys, no one is to skinny, or to heavy, but i think the recommendation is normally around 200 calories per day, give or take a few depending on the size and activity of the cats. There is a lot of debate on peas potato and tapioca, i don't really know which i think is better or worse, so i try to go with the lowest carb count i can find. i use this website quite a bit
I think we've established that already in this thread before but nothing else is possible for me, as I keep saying. I cannot afford to feed solely wet. I can't afford freeze dried or ice packed raw either. Due to not driving I have to also order my cat's food online.
the site may not have been updated, if there has been a change in the foods? i know chewy will respond if you post the question on the carbs to them. and from what i hear the lady that takes care of the database has a Facebook page, and will answer questions or update her information if asked.
