I'm so upset. My cat has a UTI again. The big orange one has had one and had to have surgery, and this is the second time for this little tabby. The vet always says to feed them better food, but who can afford $250-600 or whatever, a month for food? I don't know what else it could be. They're not stressed, they have their own spots, places to eat, etc. They are fed only wet food, though it's Friskies. They're not great at drinking, so that's another reason we get wet food. Sometimes they do, sometimes they just don't drink water.
Every time this happens, I look at all the foods that are supposed to be better and end up crying, because ... how can people afford cats if that's how it is? And how is this better food SO much more expensive than this other food? Maybe I could afford dry food, I don't know, but everyone is like 'omg no!' I've looked and looked at that chart (I can't find it right now, but I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean), and trying to find more affordable food w/ less phosphorous always leads me to Friskies, though not always the type that is still made.
I don't get it. I was raised w/ cats and they never ever had issues like this and lived for 15-20 years. One would not eat anything but dry deli mix and lived to be 18. I grew up in the south and am now in the very dry NW, so maybe that's something?
I feel like I'm doing something wrong and I feel like someone else should take care of my cats since I can't afford to keep them happy, but who? And how does the shelter adopt so many cats out knowing full well that most of these folks can't afford good food? Like, "here's this cat you can adopt for $40, and btw, it costs $300 a month to feed it, unless you want it to die."
I'm at my wits' end and just don't know what to do.
Any advice?
Every time this happens, I look at all the foods that are supposed to be better and end up crying, because ... how can people afford cats if that's how it is? And how is this better food SO much more expensive than this other food? Maybe I could afford dry food, I don't know, but everyone is like 'omg no!' I've looked and looked at that chart (I can't find it right now, but I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean), and trying to find more affordable food w/ less phosphorous always leads me to Friskies, though not always the type that is still made.
I don't get it. I was raised w/ cats and they never ever had issues like this and lived for 15-20 years. One would not eat anything but dry deli mix and lived to be 18. I grew up in the south and am now in the very dry NW, so maybe that's something?
I feel like I'm doing something wrong and I feel like someone else should take care of my cats since I can't afford to keep them happy, but who? And how does the shelter adopt so many cats out knowing full well that most of these folks can't afford good food? Like, "here's this cat you can adopt for $40, and btw, it costs $300 a month to feed it, unless you want it to die."
I'm at my wits' end and just don't know what to do.
Any advice?