Low Cost, Better Quality Cat Food List For My Kitties

[whits_end]

Hey all!

I've been on the hunt for some better quality wet foods that won't break my bank. (I recently returned to teaching, which I love, but doesn't exactly rake in the bucks.) I have three kitties, and they go through about 4 (small) cans of canned food a day, which was getting expensive for the higher quality foods. They are also kind of picky - gravy gives all three of them diarrhea without fail, and and won't go near pate. (They try to bury it, every single time.)

Anyway, I know this is a specific set of guidelines, but I made an Amazon list of the foods that worked for me, based on the catinfo.org Nutritional Chart. All of the wet foods on this list are

• Low in carbohydrates (less than 20%)
• High in protein (over 50%.)
• Non-gravy (for those kitties with digestive issues,)
• Non-pate (for my picky eaters.)
• Non-seafood (to avoid addiction issues)

Also, at time of posting, all of these foods cost less than $0.30 per ounce. (Sometimes this is for the larger cans, or for multi-packs.)

Here is the list: Amazon.com - Idea Lists

Anyway, if this kind of sharing is not allowed, mods please let me know! I just thought I would share the list in case anyone else is in a similar situation.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

/Wow, I'm kind of shocked that Meow Mix falls into your categories, but glad it does because you can't beat the price. It certainly helps offset the cost of the Weruva

 

[whits_end]

I was surprised about the Meow Mix as well! And part of me still wonders if their protein might be partially from some non-meat sources, but I don't have any real evidence to back that up. And the Weruva isn't too bad if you get the big cans and refrigerate the rest, which was a pleasant surprise!

 

[Neo_23]

I don’t think Weruva is that affordable given that most of the varieties are so low in calories. You have to feed more of it than other canned foods.

 

[Willowy]

Don't the "roasted" Fancy Feast varieties have gravy? I wondered how you found a food that's non-gravy and non-pate, lol. Is there a difference between "sauce", "broth", and "gravy"?

Also, don't all the Meow Mix flavors have seafood in them? I think I remember that from other discussions.

Oh, kitties. The things we'll do to find something you'll eat!

 

[thegreystalker]

wet...Natural Value, Iams Purrfect Delights, Purina True Nature, Under the Sun.
dry...Nutro, Evolve

 

[duckpond]

my cats love the nutro minced chicken, and all the other minced and sliced flavors. lately they have really enjoyed the merrick backcountry, the chicken and the rabbit. another one i found, but its hit or miss with my guys is the whole hearted chicken recipe, but it looks good.

 

[MissMolly08]

My budget is super tight... around 20cents/oz but luckily my kitty is fine with pate! I've honestly been doing mostly Friskies canned lately which I know people here have different opinions about. I was doing a little Dave's and Fancy Feast too on a rotation but can't find Dave's locally and to order on Chewy, I have to get $49+ of food at one time to get free shipping so if I don't have that much up front, it's hard. Easier for me to grab just a few cans or 1 case of Friskies (only $15) when kitty needs food. I do still plan to throw in some other foods when on sale locally and will look into Meow Mix now! Kitty is doing well though and I feel like it was better to do it this way than to go back to dry (we just recently switched to wet and then some changes in health insurance tightened our budget even more, I don't want to go back to dry!).