- Joined
- May 21, 2019
- Messages
- 6
- Purraise
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I'm trying to get to the point of having one wet meal and one dry meal a day, but a couple things are causing me problems and I'm hoping anyone can offer some suggestions for making this more manageable.
Right now I have six cats, ranging from 12y to 9m. The two biggest issues for me are cost and ...ease of feeding, I guess?
Cost was not too bad when I only had 3 adult cats. But with 6 cats, and 3 of them young so getting extra food/special food, feeding all wet or even part wet is becoming very expensive, and I am currently on a pretty tight budget. I'm generally willing to spend on the cats vs me, because I get more enjoyment out of taking care of them, but the wet food is double or more what I would spend on dry. I'm currently feeding Purina One Sensitive Systems/Kitten and the occasional Fancy Feast Gravy varieties, and trying to do a daily salmon oil squirt in the dry food. (No one is picky about what they eat, but Smoke has less issues on Sensitive Systems, so everybody gets it!) What have been your best options for lowering food costs while still trying to feed decent?
The ease of feeding is also becoming an issue for me. With dry food, I can just dump it in their bowls and keep an out for the adults trying to steal the tasty kitten food. With wet ... opening all those little cans, scooping them out, fending everyone off from everyone else's dish, cleaning out the cans so they don't stink in the trash, watching the fast/slow eaters like a hawk, cleaning off the messy eater's faces - I can't even leave the bowls in place, I have to bring them all to the counter and then try and put them down as quickly as possible, while not stepping on anyone. I have to do it in the evening, because there's not enough time in the morning before work, so I'm already tired and kinda cranky (hate my job). Even buying the stuff - the largest box I can buy locally is gone in four days. With 3 cats, everyone knew their dish and went to it and stayed there and I could dump the wet food in just as easily. it's making me not want to bother with wet food at all, but then I worry about their health. Does anyone have suggestions for how they deal with feeding many cats at once, keeping them to their bowl, making serving faster or easier, training to idk, wait for me?
Right now I have six cats, ranging from 12y to 9m. The two biggest issues for me are cost and ...ease of feeding, I guess?
Cost was not too bad when I only had 3 adult cats. But with 6 cats, and 3 of them young so getting extra food/special food, feeding all wet or even part wet is becoming very expensive, and I am currently on a pretty tight budget. I'm generally willing to spend on the cats vs me, because I get more enjoyment out of taking care of them, but the wet food is double or more what I would spend on dry. I'm currently feeding Purina One Sensitive Systems/Kitten and the occasional Fancy Feast Gravy varieties, and trying to do a daily salmon oil squirt in the dry food. (No one is picky about what they eat, but Smoke has less issues on Sensitive Systems, so everybody gets it!) What have been your best options for lowering food costs while still trying to feed decent?
The ease of feeding is also becoming an issue for me. With dry food, I can just dump it in their bowls and keep an out for the adults trying to steal the tasty kitten food. With wet ... opening all those little cans, scooping them out, fending everyone off from everyone else's dish, cleaning out the cans so they don't stink in the trash, watching the fast/slow eaters like a hawk, cleaning off the messy eater's faces - I can't even leave the bowls in place, I have to bring them all to the counter and then try and put them down as quickly as possible, while not stepping on anyone. I have to do it in the evening, because there's not enough time in the morning before work, so I'm already tired and kinda cranky (hate my job). Even buying the stuff - the largest box I can buy locally is gone in four days. With 3 cats, everyone knew their dish and went to it and stayed there and I could dump the wet food in just as easily. it's making me not want to bother with wet food at all, but then I worry about their health. Does anyone have suggestions for how they deal with feeding many cats at once, keeping them to their bowl, making serving faster or easier, training to idk, wait for me?
