Best Canned Food when on a budget?

[Rebbie]

Because I am *slightly* conscious of money spending (this is where my sister would snort and say 'You mean crazily obsessive'), I have been plotting out different possible costs for my future kitty and all the basic needs they will have.

Which is where I came to food. After looking at a lot of different sites, and a lot of different brands, and a lot of different articles about what makes good canned food, I decided to call in some reinforcements.

So Calvary, what is the healthiest canned cat food to buy at roughly 30$ a month? (Now, I am willing to spend about 5$ more when I first buy, and even 10$ more in the long run per month after I figure out what my cat actually likes if the benefits are big enough. So price is not set in stone.) I would like to hear of a couple different styles (pate, sliced, etc) and brands in order to eventually test the meals as from reading past topics on similar subjects I have discovered cats are very, very picky. Very. So a couple different options would be awesome!

I have also considered raw, but as I will be learning the basics of sharing a apartment with a cat, while trying to learn to be a official adult *whimpers*, I figured I would not drive myself crazy for a bit and try out a raw diet later when I can properly obsess over calculations and balanced meals to prepare, and the different benefits of different meats. Though I will be trying to incorporate some for them whenever I buy it for my own meals, so a eventual switch will not be too difficult for the cat.

Can you tell I'm obsessing a bit?

I blame boring application filling. It leaves room for other thoughts.

[MowMow]

I spend about 48.00 - 52.00 a month for a higher quality grain free cat food. Mine may be a bit higher than most because my guy can't have chicken and all the cheapest stuff seems to be made from chicken.

[doodlebug]

I had a long reply almost finished and my browser crashed. Time to head to bed, but the upshot was...

If you're planning to feed one adult cat canned food only...a 10lb cat will need about one 5.5 oz can per day (kittens will eat more). You cannot get into a good food for $30 a month unless you buy 13 oz cans (which severely limits your choices to a handful of brands) or you aggressively shop sales and/or buy online when there is a good deal...which will mean buying in bulk to hold you over to the next good deal.

[MP2011]

This site made me change to Taste of the Wild. Cat Food Glossary They do a nice assessment of some of the major brands... breaking down cost, ingredients, etc.

Our local pet store swears by "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul." An 18 lb. bag of dry food costs about $19. The cans cost about 85¢ for a 5.5 oz. can (the 24-pack was even cheaper per can).

I have not tried it, but my brother feeds it to his cat and they both seem quite happy (his vet approved as well).

[Rebbie]

Originally Posted by doodlebug

I had a long reply almost finished and my browser crashed. Time to head to bed, but the upshot was...

If you're planning to feed one adult cat canned food only...a 10lb cat will need about one 5.5 oz can per day (kittens will eat more). You cannot get into a good food for $30 a month unless you buy 13 oz cans (which severely limits your choices to a handful of brands) or you aggressively shop sales and/or buy online when there is a good deal...which will mean buying in bulk to hold you over to the next good deal.

Well, as I said my price is flexible to up to $40 a month, and I might be willing to go higher if there is that much of a difference (or, my cat ends up loving it more). The $30 was more meant as a 'if you know anything in this price range that is the best of that price range, awesome! If not, throw in some of the brands which you know are solid though they might cost a bit more.'

And I do plan to buy in bulk, in the sense of buying a bunch per month for the month, and I grew up with a Costco mom so I am used to deal shopping. And I am already signed up for a coupon site.

Originally Posted by MP2011

This site made me change to Taste of the Wild. Cat Food Glossary They do a nice assessment of some of the major brands... breaking down cost, ingredients, etc.

Our local pet store swears by "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul." An 18 lb. bag of dry food costs about $19. The cans cost about 85¢ for a 5.5 oz. can (the 24-pack was even cheaper per can).

I have not tried it, but my brother feeds it to his cat and they both seem quite happy (his vet approved as well).

Thank you! Wow, that site is perfect for me. Easy way to break down everything. I will definitely grab up Chicken Soup (Ah, memories of those books... darnit, I have the dog lovers soul and the horse lovers soul, I'm going to have to get the cat lovers soul books now too, won't I?), and Solid Gold Indigo Moon looks great and is in my price range as well! I will also check out Taste of the Wild too.

/keeps browsing different reviews and brands

Seriously, thank you for this site!

And yay, my favorite local quirky city pet stores carry these brands too!

[October]

Rebbie, do you have a Trader Joe's near you? Their own brand of canned cat food is only 59 cents a can, and it has been rated pretty highly by the experts here on the forum.

[dweamgoil]

Will you be feeding any kibble at all? Some people stretch their budget with the dry, by either mixing it with the canned or alternating meals. When I fed dry, I went with the Orijen in the yellow bag (it was chicken and some other stuff).

I feed Weruva chicken varieties and 1/2 raw. But, take into account, I have 4 cats.

I buy from petfooddirect.com a case of Weruva for 24 5.5 oz cans for $36.50, which comes out to $1.52/can. With one cat, buying by the case can be challenging since you will need to stick to one flavor or spring for next month's case upfront and then alternate from there. This site usually has 15% off so shipping comes out free and I save a few bucks so for about $105, I get 3 cases and it ships to my house.

In your case, you may be able to order 2 cases and then order every other month. But, it will be a rough number since the case brings 24 cans vs. 30 to even out with the days of the month.

[Carmel]

Around here, with one cat 30 dollars a month is what you'd pay for Friskies (if you buy the smaller tins), unless you find a cheaper than average store like Costco. ... I think one of the best middle of the road foods is Chicken Soup for the Cat, I feed my cats this kibble on the side.

[Braxen]

For brands, I feed my kitten Weruva (his favorite), Blue Wilderness, and Wellness. I also feed him Blue Wilderness dry as it's more cost-effective for me. It tends to be a bit expensive, but I always buy everything when it's on sale so it brings down the price. In the long run, I feel it's better as he'll be less likely to get problems caused by poor diet.

[Rebbie]

Originally Posted by October

Rebbie, do you have a Trader Joe's near you? Their own brand of canned cat food is only 59 cents a can, and it has been rated pretty highly by the experts here on the forum.

I checked, and it seems the nearest one for me is 11 miles out on my least favorite road to drive. (It's the road from the pit, I swear. Everyone drives horribly on it and it is always busy as heck). However, if I am ever out that way for something else I might pick out a couple to try. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Originally Posted by dweamgoil

Will you be feeding any kibble at all? Some people stretch their budget with the dry, by either mixing it with the canned or alternating meals.

I buy from petfooddirect.com a case of Weruva for 24 5.5 oz cans for $36.50, which comes out to $1.52/can. With one cat, buying by the case can be challenging since you will need to stick to one flavor or spring for next month's case upfront and then alternate from there. This site usually has 15% off so shipping comes out free and I save a few bucks so for about $105, I get 3 cases and it ships to my house.

One of the first things I did was calculate Weruva, so glad to see I'm not the only one breaking it down by can! For Weruva, 1.52 per can x 30 days (assuming my cat will eat the average of one 5.5 oz can per day, if it eats more then I will have to expand my budget a bit) then that is 45.00 per month if I feed it the wet exclusively. However, I was considering a pure wet-food diet because of the threads here, but do you think it might be healthier to get higher quality wet food and cut the price by also feeding dry?

Originally Posted by Carmel

Around here, with one cat 30 dollars a month is what you'd pay for Friskies (if you buy the smaller tins), unless you find a cheaper than average store like Costco. ... I think one of the best middle of the road foods is Chicken Soup for the Cat, I feed my cats this kibble on the side.

Maybe the price is different in your area? Maybe I should clarify my own position...

I live in America in Virginia, in a big city. Where I live Friskies would be about .49 per can, which would be roughly $15-$20 a month (extra bumping given to the cat needing more food because of the lack of nutrition in each serving). Foods like the Gold Indigo Moon brand is sold at a local store of mine that makes it their mission to only carry healthy pet food (and I plan to get their opinions as well, but I am always a little leery when someone is trying to sell you something, especially when you want the best bang for your buck). That is roughly 1.19 per can, which would come to roughly $35 per month (and I am willing to go above $30 if it is a good deal for a healthy cat meal).

Now, this is assuming my cat will be average and eat about one 5.5 oz can per day (going by what other people have said their 10 lbs cats eat on these forums). Should the cat eat more, I will adjust my budget out of necessity. Also, this is all not counting snacks, which will be a separate budget.

...I obsess a lot. (Oh, this also isn't counting taxes, so there is that... stupid taxes.)

Anyway, I guess the same question about kibble applies here- should I get higher quality food and soften the price by mixing it with kibble? What is better?