low income any advice

[betsygee]

In our area, a couple of shelters have 'Community Care' areas.  People who for whatever reason don't need the cat food they have at home, take it to the Community Corner, and people who are in need can come pick up some food for their cats.  It might be worth it to see if your community shelters offer something like that--it could help supplement your friend's cat food supply a little.

 

[catapault]

When my old lady now Rainbow Bridge cat not longer liked her pate food I would smoosh it with some water in a Magic Bullet. You could try and if it works just freeze a week's worth of portions, each portion in a ziplock snack pack bag, put a week's worth in a sturdy freezer bag. What he would have to do is take the next day's packets out of freezer and put in refrigerator to safely thaw by morning. I do something similar with Mr Poe's chicken gizzards - he gets one a day but the gizzards are sold in 1 pound packages.

If cat really likes broth is it worth the effort to make some chicken broth, freeze in small amounts, and mix the defrosted spoonfuls with pate food? Or buy the low sodium boxed chicken broth and repack / freeze.

I feed a couple of flavors of Fancy Feast Classic pates and also the Sheba pates in the 3 ounce size. I buy  the Sheba at Wal-Mart in the box of 24 cans / three flavors. It has 2 can covers included and they accumulate to the point where I put them in the recycle bin.

It is a generous thing you are doing for both this gentleman and his cat.

 

[orange&white]

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Somewhat of a tangent but i wish broth was cheaper- the cat likes the broth and those tiny packets are expensive. Need like a bulk broth!

Don't feel bad.  You're being extremely generous in the first place to spend your time and money helping your friend and his cat out, especially with 6 cats of your own to feed.  The under 50 cent 5.5 oz cans will sustain the cat if the larger, more economical cans can't work.  It is a fact of life that poor people eat beans and rice while rich people eat steak and lobster, and both manage to survive.  The kitty will be better off on any canned food over dry, and you have a very big heart to offer that.

How functional is your friend?  I'm assuming the stroke was pretty mild if he is capable of living alone.  It's just hard to tell which "wires get twisted up" in the brain with stroke victims.  You're the best one to determine if he can properly use the larger cans.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Somewhat of a tangent but i wish broth was cheaper- the cat likes the broth and those tiny packets are expensive. Need like a bulk broth!

I have thought the same thing! I add water to chicken and turkey baby food (meat only, no onion/garlic) to give my cat her mirilax.  It's not a complete food; but I let the other cat have it as a treat sometimes too.  It's still not very cheap; but cheaper than those broth packets and the cats like them.

The lids that come with the Sheba cans are what I use on the small Fancy Feast cans. Unfortunately they have fish oil; so the food itself doesn't agree with one of my cats. I have never tried to see if the can covers made for human size food cans (like veggies, tuna, etc) work on those larger cans.  I did find some inexpensive covers at a local pet shop; but we ended up using the smaller cans based on what my girls were eating.  I have been through some health issues with my 2 in the last few years. They went from eating a better quality food; to my having to compromise between what they will eat and what I think is best.  I'm realizing; that after all the mental energy and grief I put myself through; it's been ok.  My girls are ok.  All we can do is the best we can with what situation are are in. 

  It's really great you are there to help your friend through this.  So often people show their true colors and abandon their friends when health issues strike.