Tiki Cat Concerns

[AntonioFlower]

A few months ago my vet said we should switch to a higher quality food (he's a big advocate for feeding animals the absolute best). So we did some research and decided Tiki Cat has to be one of the top brands and bought some. Here's the issue:
It is quite expensive for the amount they give you per can. Just afraid that 1 can will not fill my cat up and then she'll actually have a reason to beg for treats. I understand that the price probably comes from the higher quality of food but it's so small. So if anyone has any experience or advice, I would happily accept them!

 

[KarenKat]

Most of the time shredded meat style foods are lower calorie than a pate. Pates generally are more bang for your buck. I feed some expensive foods like Rawz, and mix in some slightly cheaper foods like Fromm. You might want to look into a pate that is still really good but cheaper per kcal

 

[lisahe]

Most of the time shredded meat style foods are lower calorie than a pate. Pates generally are more bang for your buck. I feed some expensive foods like Rawz, and mix in some slightly cheaper foods like Fromm. You might want to look into a pate that is still really good but cheaper per kcal

This is generally true! And there's also nothing wrong with feeding a variety of foods that have a variety of calorie contents. And textures, too, if the cat will eat them.

 

[moxiewild]

Yeah I love Tiki cat quality, but it’s super low calorie and low fat. You have to feed a lot more of it, which makes it even more expensive than it already seems on the surface!

Tiki is now designated as 1-2x a week snack for our guys, with one can being split between 2-3 of them.

 

[lisahe]

Tiki is now designated as 1-2x a week snack for our guys, with one can being split between 2-3 of them.

That's how we feed it, too: about twice a week, splitting a can between two cats. It's a great bedtime snack. Plus our cats are middle-aged and don't need super high calories, even though they're pretty active. They get the calories from other meals!

There's also the option of Chewy's knockoff, which used to be called Miko but is now apparently labeled "American Journey." It's significantly cheaper but not tons cheaper (especially since they relabeled!) but our cats like that one, too. (Once a week!)

 

[Azazel]

Most of the time shredded meat style foods are lower calorie than a pate. Pates generally are more bang for your buck. I feed some expensive foods like Rawz, and mix in some slightly cheaper foods like Fromm. You might want to look into a pate that is still really good but cheaper per kcal

The reason for this is that most shredded foods use chicken breast which is leaner (higher in protein). The denser pate foods are made up of primarily fat (fat is twice as dense in calories as protein). So, yes, the lower calorie foods are more expensive for the amount of calories in the can, but most of the calories come from animal protein, whereas, the high calorie pates (e.g., Rawz) are primarily made up of the fatty parts of meat.

I think doing a rotation between the two is fine, but the higher protein, moderate fat, foods are more ideal.