Looking for Wet Cat Food Brands

[varsettie]

Hello all,

I've been feeding my cats the Authority brand wet food (Beef, Chicken, Turkey and on occasion some of the fish) and it has been doing them pretty well but I've come across a problem. I can feed them 6oz of food a day and they're 'still' hungry. Not just sort of hungry, but ravenous to the point that my newest will trap herself in my flip lid garbage can to steal our food scraps and they started begging for our food off our plates. To experiment I began adding some dry food to their diet as filler to test and see if they'd stop and once they started getting a bit more filler in their diet they did stop trying to attack me for my food or jump in the garbage can, but I don't want to continue feeding them dry food as I know it's bad for their health. The issue here is that I can't really afford to give them more than what they're already getting in wet cat food as it is so I'm kind of stuck on what to do. I don't have the best job so money is getting in the way of taking care of my cats. That being said I'm wondering if there's another brand of wet cat food that is considered 'good and nutritionally balanced' for indoor cats that I can price check against the Authority Brand at my local pet stores?

I'm in need of some suggestions on how to feed these hungry monsters with out adding weight to them, but they're obviously still very hungry or they wouldn't be going in the garbage for food.

The only other thing I'd like to add is that I can not do Raw or Cooked home made cat food as it costs more than the wet canned food. I've done the math and it's just not an option at the moment.

 

[andrya]

You don't mention how old they are, are they still growing age? They will eat a ton of food until they reach 11 or 12 months old when they'll settle in to their "normal" appetites.

Personally l don't use Authority canned because of the high liver content, but that's just me.

You could try their kitten recipes as they've likely got a higher fat and meat content and will be more satisfying with the same amount of food.

l feed raw and it costs me less to do so. l get the livers and hearts from Farmboy and everything else when and where it is on sale. lt saves me a ton of money to make my own, but yeah the commercial raw is quite expensive around here. l buy Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw for gap days, it doesn't look like much but it does seem to be filling.

 

[andrya]

I meant to say mine still eat around 6oz a day and they're all slim adults.

 

[raintyger]

Homemade cooked or raw typically costs less than wet. Commercial raw is where things start getting expensive. Maybe someone in the raw forum can help you out as to where your extra expenses are?

I wouldn't use the Authority as a price not to go above. Some foods have more fat in them, making them more filling so you won't use as much.

Budget wet foods that are OK include Fancy Feast classic line and Friskies pate. Sheba is also good, but has by products. All of these you can find on sale at the supermarket. Costco carries Fancy  Feast and Friskies.

Personally, I'd see if you could switch to Friskies or Fancy Feast. The Authority is decent, but has grains.

 

[irinasak]

Are they eating 6 oz each or together, 3 oz each? An adult cat should do fine with 5.5 oz a day, however my 1 year old tom would starve on that quantity and my 1 year and a half Sophie eats about 3 oz.

The quality of the food is also important (if it has fillers like grains), but I can not say anything about the brand you're using as I only know about brands available in Europe.

However, the first thing that cones to mind is feeding them the same quantity more often. It might help them not feel so hungry.

 

[marc999]

(1) Friskies and Authority pates = both have rice and both toss in fish, somewhere in the ingredients.   Although, Friskies is going to cut your bill in 1/2, so I'd so go with that, if you're ok with by-products being the first ingredient in Friskies. 

Petsmart are turkeys when it comes to listing calorie content - I've sent an email requesting calorie content of their house brand - Grreat Choice. I'm not sure if Authority has the calorie content on the side of the can or not. 

(2) Sheba = not available in Canada, nor any time in the foreseeable future. 

(3) I would go for Friskies, or Grreat Choice (Country Style Dinner, Mixed Grill & Poultry Platter) - those 3 specifically.  They're inexpensive as well as decent ingredients at a Friskies price tag.   Yet, some of the Grreat Choice don't have fish or grains. It's the lesser evil choice between Friskies in my opinion. 

 

[dianamc]

I'm not familiar with Authority but my kitten (nearly 7 mos. now) turned into a bottomless pit a couple of months ago. I feel for you. There sure seems to be a big difference in how filling the different brands are.

 I like FF all right but it isn't one of the more filling ones.  I just got some Natural Balance on sale and it seems to be more filling. I don't know if Hound & Gatos is filling or she just doesn't like it.  We are going to try some new flavors.  Anyway, keep an eye out for sales on the "better brands" and you can add some variety.  Some of them are just like dessert though, IMO. They may be okay if you have a cat with a small appetite.

Also be sure and check out the price per ounce on brands that come in the large cans.  These often represent a substantial saving over the 3-oz. size. We can manage here with storing a can for 2 days so you could get a couple of flavors if you can afford to get a case at a time. Evo cat and kitten food is 23.29/12 13.2 oz. cans.  I haven't been able to try it though but it's one of the more economical ones.

 

[marc999]

That's right - don't be dissuaded by the initial higher price of a 13.2 oz. can of Evo 95%; many have calorie counts close to or exceeding 500.  You're looking at 5 meals right there, or in my case 2.5 days.  Not bad.  You may think I'm anal, but I keep a spreadsheet of various brands/sizes/calorie counts/preferences.  I dole out the exact grams or ounces to equal 100 calories per meal x 2 /day, using a digital kitchen weigh scale.  For a big can, I prep it into 5 meals (assuming it's 500+ calories) and put them into little glass pyrex containers. 

Grreat Choice or Friskies will have the large cans as well, slightly less calories, but substantially lower price. 

You're in Canada like myself - go check out President's Choice at your local RCSS - 'extra meaty' Chicken dinner, or Turkey & Giblet, or Beef.  I think you'll be surprised at the fair price and as importantly, ingredients are decent, chicken / turkey or beef being the first ingredient, with no grains, glutens and so on. 

Generally 2-3 different sizes available per protein and buy in groups of 10 or so, to get a discount. It's worth it.  

I bought all 3 and my cat likes them as much as any other.  Calorie contents are also listed on the can and are in line with any other comparable brand.  ~ 88-92 for a 3oz. can, ~ 200+ for a 5.5 oz. can, ~ 400 for a large Turkey&Giblet. 

 

[varsettie]

Alright, so far it's looking like Presidents Choice or Friskies are my best bet to look at then. I've actually never heard of or remember seeing Grreat Choice here in Ottawa and I've heard that Fancy Feast was too high in calories and fat?

The issue here is the cats themselves I think. One is turning 4 and one is 2. The older one is prone to getting too fat too fast and the younger one is a bottomless pit, but if I give the younger one more food then the older one fights with her for the plate with more food on it. Originally I switched to Authority because Atari, my older cat, was beginning to gain a lot of weight after her Spay and I needed something to get her weight off. Shortly after we got her down to a decent weight we found Fawkes (younger) in the dumpster outside my house and adopted her after turning her over to the SPCA to find her owner, who was never located. She was malnourished to the point where I could put one of my hands cupped around her rib cage and my fingers would touch. She is at a  great weight now though. 

I'm doing research on catinfo.org at the moment but there's a 'lot' to go through and most of it seems like it's all Home Made. The price of meat around here is astronomical at the moment, and the price of a grinder is even worse. If I go that way for them I'll go with out food myself. I feel bad about it because I do want to give them the best I can but having recently lost my full time position I'm not guaranteed 35 hours a week anymore. That's where I'm stuck with the home made cat food.

I also have no probelm buying my wet cat food in bulk Marc C;. I'll look in to the PC here. Easiest place to find PC anything in Ottawa is at Loblaws.

EDIT: I forgot to answer a question. They're each getting 6oz a day, not one can a day in total (which would be 3oz per cat).

 

[furmom101]

If they are fighting over food I'd separate them during feeding. I have to do that with one of mine.

As far as the fancy feast goes from what I've read on here FF classics is the better choice.

I feed friskies because my cats are picky, it's not expensive and seems to be the better choice out of the cheaper brands. I'm also going to try out some of the meow mix that are beef and poultry (not the sea food flavors.) But their main diet is friskies, again no sea food flavors.

 

[marc999]

I'll clarify further sorry. 

PC - Extra Meaty 'Chicken Dinner' 5.5 oz. can. is $0.50 per can if you buy 10.  

Same with Turkey&Giblet and/or Beef. 

http://www.loblaws.ca/en_CA/products/productlisting/pc-extra-meaty-cat-food---chicken-dinner.html  (156 grams = 5.5 oz.) - 183 calories.   

There's a meal for a day right there, along with perhaps a very small bit of kibble to get to 200 calories per cat. 

- Separate the cats during feeding time, however long it takes.  No sense in one getting porky and the other not getting a fair share. 

 

[varsettie]

I guess this is something more for the behavior form but what the heck. 

The reason I haven`t separated them is because I introduced them `with` food and that is how I got them used to each other and their scents. If I separate them at feeding time won`t that make them go back to not associating each other with something good? I'm scared if I change too much with their routine their behavior might backlash.

 

[raintyger]

I'm doing research on catinfo.org at the moment but there's a 'lot' to go through and most of it seems like it's all Home Made. The price of meat around here is astronomical at the moment, and the price of a grinder is even worse. If I go that way for them I'll go with out food myself. I feel bad about it because I do want to give them the best I can but having recently lost my full time position I'm not guaranteed 35 hours a week anymore. That's where I'm stuck with the home made cat food.

You do not have to have a grinder for raw. You can debone the meat, add something else for calcium (typically ground bones or eggshells), and put it in the food processor. Or you can feed frankenprey, which doesn't require meat be ground.

 

[marc999]

I doubt it - but I'm new to the cat world. 

I look at it from a pragmatic point of view - would you rather deal with a fat cat & malnourished cat down the road? OR

Separate them and give equal portions  - they probably eat at different rates but not much you can do about that. 

 

[furmom101]

You could separate them during feedings but give them treats together with lots of back rubs.

 

[laralove]

I switched from Fancy Feast to raw and it's not too much more, but meat may be cheaper here. I go with what's on sale and use this grinder ($23.48) which doesn't do bones, so I use egg shells. 

Oliver was eating about 6 ounces of Fancy Feast per day (he's 8 months). Since going raw he's tended to eat more like 8 ounces. The past few days though... heavens. He's eating about 10 ounces a day. Growth spurt, I think. He had these spurts on FF too, though. 

ANYWAY, if you do ever consider trying raw, check out that grinder for a beginners start. It works well.

 

[varsettie]

Furmom has a point. If I can't find something that can help me food wise I guess I'll have little choice but to separate them. I just don't want them fighting when they see one another anymore.

I'm going to be looking in to switching their brands regardless, because apparently Authority isn't all that grate for them. 

I don't know how you found that grinder Lara, but I'll be sure to look in to it. The cheapest one I can find around my home is close to $100. Yikes. :/

 

[Willowy]

You can keep Authority in the rotation. . .the more brands/flavors the better, IMO. Gives them a good variety of nutrients and tastes. A larger variety might be more satisfying as well.

 

[andrya]

l live in Ottawa too so l know how long the trip is, but ... do you have a US mailbox? l got one in Ogdensburg so l could have cheap items sent there that wouldn't get shipped to Canada. l would never advise anyone to sneak anything across the border of course 

 but there are always Canadians in the parking lot stripping off the packaging of their items before crossing back. The box is free to use, but it's $5 per parcel to pick it up. l've bought all kinds of things from Amazon US at way less cost than anything l could find here. lf you're interested in how to get a mail box, let me know and l'll pm you the website and details.

 

[varsettie]

Andrya: I actually have extremely bad luck with Border Patrol so I'm not sure that's a good idea. They always, 'always' search my vehicle. It's like I have a stamp on my head that says 'Up to no good'. They've never found anything but that doesn't stop them from checking me.

Willowy: That makes sense.