cost of cat food

Seabiscuit · 07-09-2005, 11:47 PM

I have four healthy cats. They have been eating Science Diet. I love how shiney and bright thier eyes are compared to when they ate just any old food. Our situation has changed and I am presented with a problem, the cat food BUDGET. I could only imagine the horror if the cats heard me having this conversation since food is their life! lol I have one that can't stand to see even the smallest glimpse of the bottom of the cat bowl peeking through.

I cringe at having to buy just any old cat food again. Any suggestions on a cheaper cat food that is still good stuff? I don't know, we may just have to put the cable tv on the back burner rather than the cat food. With that being said, I could only imagine the horror if my husband heard me say that! LOL

Thanks!

Ianthe · 07-10-2005, 12:31 AM

Well, first of all, I hate to tell you, but Science Diet *IS* junk!

It really is not a very high quality food at all...if you read the ingredients, it is full of corn, by products, etc....it is like overpriced Meow Mix.

Fortunately, there are a LOT of really good, high quality foods that are cheaper than Science Diet. Right now, I am feeding my cats "Chicken Soup For The Cat Lover's Soul" food...I get a 7 pound bag for $8.99.

Good luck...I know what you mean about feeling guilty when the bowl gets low.

Zoe&Nuny's Mom · 07-10-2005, 12:41 AM

As for good foods that are economical, I can recommend:

Felidae
http://www.canidae.com/- they have a store locator that you can check for a local retailer. It runs about $8 for a 5 lb bag and about $17 for a 10 lb bag.

Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloversso ... snew.html- This one runs about $7-$8 for a 6 lb bag

Premium Edge
http://premiumedgepetfood.com/- This runs about the same as Chicken Soup

Authority (Petsmart Brand)- For a generic food it's decent and decently priced. It's better that Science Diet ingredient wise. It is also very economical when on a tight budget.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... 0970320578

Hope that helps.

Seabiscuit · 07-10-2005, 12:53 AM

Thank you so much! I feel so stupid. This entire time I have been spending loads of money on SD and to find out it's really not that good...ouch.

I have been going over some of the posts on here and read breifly about someone's cat having dandruff and one of my cats has dandruff that never cleared up even when on the SD....might be all the corn in it.

Once again thank you for the links and everything. I will be checking to see what is available in my area.

Ianthe · 07-10-2005, 01:01 AM

Don't feel dumb.

You can't help but think SD is a good food, since it is so highly recommended by most vets.

But what people don't know is that vets only take about 1 class in pet nutrition in school, and guess who teaches it? Science Diet representatives.

RockysMom · 07-10-2005, 01:58 AM

My cat is 14 yrs old and I have fed her Science Diet Dry most of her life. I just changed to Wellness canned very recently. (which she loves) But she is 14 and healthy - Science Diet couldn't have been that bad for her! I hope you can find something better priced for your budget. 4 cats has to be expensive to feed. Maybe some of the other brands can be bought in larger bags to save money?

Celebsilmare · 07-10-2005, 02:09 AM

You can also try Natural Balance. It's sold at Petco and priced about the same as Iams. Except (as my bf would say) without the evil. It's good food and they don't abuse animals!!

coaster · 07-10-2005, 09:42 AM

When you look at the cost of food, be sure to calculate the cost per pound, not the cost per bag. Some of the premium foods are really not that expensive per pound. And usually a cat doesn't need to eat as much of a good quality food.

icklemiss21 · 07-10-2005, 09:55 AM

Kinda in the vein of Tim's post... its best to calculate by how much you need to feed per feeding rather than by the lb or bag.

I feed Innova EVO which I pay $46 (CAD) + taxes for a 15.4lb bag, but the portion sizes I feed my cats is nearly half that of the last food I was feeding therefore making the "REAL" cost of the bag more like $25 + taxes, which is the price of the original food to begin with. Except the original bag had 18lbs of food, with portion sizes, makes it more economical to feed EVO.

I can highly recommend the chicken soup as a cheaper high quality food, mine had bad dandruff that cleared up great while eating it, and my cat who has a sensitive tummy did well on it too.

pjsalls · 07-10-2005, 03:15 PM

my problem is that my cats are too picky. They hate the can food, which was fancy feast. The dry food I have to change all the time because they get "bored" if I feed them the same food all the time. The only food that is consistant is the science diet for sensitive stomachs that my Jack loves to eat. Any suggestions on a brand that they will all love. My next soultion is lunchmeat, which they absolutely love Maple glazed ham is their favorite

07-09-2005, 11:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
Seabiscuit Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 45	cost of cat food I have four healthy cats. They have been eating Science Diet. I love how shiney and bright thier eyes are compared to when they ate just any old food. Our situation has changed and I am presented with a problem, the cat food BUDGET. I could only imagine the horror if the cats heard me having this conversation since food is their life! lol I have one that can't stand to see even the smallest glimpse of the bottom of the cat bowl peeking through. I cringe at having to buy just any old cat food again. Any suggestions on a cheaper cat food that is still good stuff? I don't know, we may just have to put the cable tv on the back burner rather than the cat food. With that being said, I could only imagine the horror if my husband heard me say that! LOL Thanks! __________________ "It's really the cat's house--we just pay the mortgage." ~ Unknown

07-10-2005, 12:53 AM	#4 (permalink)
Seabiscuit Jr. Cat Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 45	Thank you so much! I feel so stupid. This entire time I have been spending loads of money on SD and to find out it's really not that good...ouch. I have been going over some of the posts on here and read breifly about someone's cat having dandruff and one of my cats has dandruff that never cleared up even when on the SD....might be all the corn in it. Once again thank you for the links and everything. I will be checking to see what is available in my area. __________________ "It's really the cat's house--we just pay the mortgage." ~ Unknown

07-10-2005, 09:55 AM	#9 (permalink)
icklemiss21 Cat Addict Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Burlington, Canada Posts: 2,976	Kinda in the vein of Tim's post... its best to calculate by how much you need to feed per feeding rather than by the lb or bag. I feed Innova EVO which I pay $46 (CAD) + taxes for a 15.4lb bag, but the portion sizes I feed my cats is nearly half that of the last food I was feeding therefore making the "REAL" cost of the bag more like $25 + taxes, which is the price of the original food to begin with. Except the original bag had 18lbs of food, with portion sizes, makes it more economical to feed EVO. I can highly recommend the chicken soup as a cheaper high quality food, mine had bad dandruff that cleared up great while eating it, and my cat who has a sensitive tummy did well on it too. __________________

07-10-2005, 12:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
Ianthe Premier Cat Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 5,157	Well, first of all, I hate to tell you, but Science Diet IS junk! It really is not a very high quality food at all...if you read the ingredients, it is full of corn, by products, etc....it is like overpriced Meow Mix. Fortunately, there are a LOT of really good, high quality foods that are cheaper than Science Diet. Right now, I am feeding my cats "Chicken Soup For The Cat Lover's Soul" food...I get a 7 pound bag for $8.99. Good luck...I know what you mean about feeling guilty when the bowl gets low.

07-10-2005, 12:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
Zoe&Nuny's Mom Cat Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 176	As for good foods that are economical, I can recommend: Felidae http://www.canidae.com/- they have a store locator that you can check for a local retailer. It runs about $8 for a 5 lb bag and about $17 for a 10 lb bag. Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul http://www.chickensoupforthepetloversso ... snew.html- This one runs about $7-$8 for a 6 lb bag Premium Edge http://premiumedgepetfood.com/- This runs about the same as Chicken Soup Authority (Petsmart Brand)- For a generic food it's decent and decently priced. It's better that Science Diet ingredient wise. It is also very economical when on a tight budget. http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... 0970320578 Hope that helps.

07-10-2005, 01:01 AM	#5 (permalink)
Ianthe Premier Cat Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 5,157	Don't feel dumb. You can't help but think SD is a good food, since it is so highly recommended by most vets. But what people don't know is that vets only take about 1 class in pet nutrition in school, and guess who teaches it? Science Diet representatives.

07-10-2005, 01:58 AM	#6 (permalink)
RockysMom Cat Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: California Posts: 293	My cat is 14 yrs old and I have fed her Science Diet Dry most of her life. I just changed to Wellness canned very recently. (which she loves) But she is 14 and healthy - Science Diet couldn't have been that bad for her! I hope you can find something better priced for your budget. 4 cats has to be expensive to feed. Maybe some of the other brands can be bought in larger bags to save money?

07-10-2005, 02:09 AM	#7 (permalink)
Celebsilmare Senior Cat Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 847	You can also try Natural Balance. It's sold at Petco and priced about the same as Iams. Except (as my bf would say) without the evil. It's good food and they don't abuse animals!!

07-10-2005, 09:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
coaster Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 17,798	When you look at the cost of food, be sure to calculate the cost per pound, not the cost per bag. Some of the premium foods are really not that expensive per pound. And usually a cat doesn't need to eat as much of a good quality food.

07-10-2005, 03:15 PM	#10 (permalink)
pjsalls Kitten Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 6	my problem is that my cats are too picky. They hate the can food, which was fancy feast. The dry food I have to change all the time because they get "bored" if I feed them the same food all the time. The only food that is consistant is the science diet for sensitive stomachs that my Jack loves to eat. Any suggestions on a brand that they will all love. My next soultion is lunchmeat, which they absolutely love Maple glazed ham is their favorite

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