Advice, pointers & tips needed for frugal pet food shopping

[yaM yaM]

On with the quest for health for our family cats in general and especially for our one kitty who recently nearly died from a plugged bladder due to crystals.

I have found a local source of the Instinct cat food by Nature's Variety and . . . I cannot believe how much it costs. Searching around online has not produced any different results price-wise. At $2-$2.50 per can and $14 per 4.4 lb. bag of dry, this stuff is not practical for me with two cats and a dog coming soon (who will be eating comparable food as a preventative measure).

One idea I am pondering is - what if I can source a cheap canned chicken (that's meant for people) with no additives? What do you cat experts think of that? I could use it to supplement the dry kibble from Nature's Variety.


So, please do share your thoughts about ways to save money, sources for discounts, alternative options, etc. I'm also open to other options that are grain-free -- don't need to necessarily stick with Nature's Variety brand. I don't think I can do the homemade pet food thing at this point in my life and I also do not have fridge or freezer space to store perishable pet foods.


Beyond these limitations, I'm all ears. Thanks.

[lonegirl]

No this is not good. Cats need taurine supplemented in their diet it is required for normal cardiovascular (taurine deficiency has been proved to cause dilated cardiomyopathy in cats), reproductive, and visual function (taurine deficiency has also been proved to cause retinal degeneration). Canned chicken would be cooked and likely ground up....both which destroy the taurine levels in the meat.
Plus....if your kitty is proned to crystals he is more likely have issues again (my male has blocked 2x thankfully I'm the tech there and only had to pay for meds or it would have been $1500ea time).
It is important to feed a good food.

[yaM yaM]

Ok, I hear you on the no canned chicken idea. So, is the Nature's Variety Instinct food raw? What do you feed your kitties?

[greenmagick]

you have to keep in mind too that a high quality nutrient dense food you feed less of.

I feed RAW and it is usually cheaper than prepared food...

[yaM yaM]

That is a good point, greenmagick. Would you mind sharing how you do the raw thing?

[yaM yaM]

So, does everyone around here who has several pets in their family just have very high pet food expenses every month? It is looking like I will be spending around $60-80/month for our two cats and we're going to be adopting a German Shepherd in a few months, so, by my calculations, that figure will likely double.

I'm guessing now that there are no discount places to get better prices on the higher quality/grain-free brands. I definitely get that this diet is preventative of disease in the first place and really appreciate that -- that's why I'm wanting to make it work. Just wondering if there are any ways to save money in the process.

I am able to shop competitively for all of my human family's nutrition needs and do an excellent job of keeping costs low and quality high. It is disappointing that there seems to be no way to do that with pet food.

[blessedwithboys]

the canned food is not raw. they do make an excellent raw food, but you said you cant store it in your freezer.

you will get many more meals out of a 4.4# bag of super premium food than you would a 4.4# bag of meow mix, so while the bag itself costs more, it will last you longer, thus being cheaper in the long run, or at least about equal. also, you will likely save money on vet bills, but you already know all that. i havent had a cat in over 10 yrs, but i thought you werent supposed to feed a cat dry food bc of them not always feeling thirst? esp if yours has had issues already, i would think that canned or homecooked/raw is the way to go...

[WaitingForKiddos]

No idea if a cat prone to crystals can eat it but our cat is on one of the Chicken Soup foods....no corn and he's done really well. Before that I fed him raw. But then I started working and raw just wasn't a possibility.

[yaM yaM]

Thanks for the feedback, mamas. I'm needing a grain-free cat food, so the Chicken Soup brand won't work. As far as the feeding less because-of-denser-food idea goes -- I'm not seeing a difference in the volume of what they were eating before (Bench & Field dry) and what they're eating now (a mix of Instinct wet & dry). Hopefully, after a couple of months of time, I'll notice differently. It may be too soon to tell.