Cats on the cheap

[NovelMama]

We really want to get a pet, and we all fell in love with a cat we saw for adoption at PetSmart today. Obviously I don't want to gamble with an animal's health, but are there cheaper ways to feed a cat well than the $1.10/tiny can (on sale!) of all-natural cat food we saw there? Do they HAVE to have cat food or can you feed them canned tuna, salmon, etc less expensively?

And what are the best options for litter? (Both brand and places to buy.)


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[domesticzookeeper]

They have to eat cat food Muscle meat alone is not going to meet their nutritional needs, and a balanced diet is going to significantly reduce their chances of needing veterinary care for digestive issues, allergies, bladder stones, etc So basically, the money you'd save would need to be funneled right into a medical fund

Now, I make my own cat food from *whole* ground chicken and supplements. Comes out to about $20/month per cat, and it's been fantastic for their overall health

As for litter, the best "cheap" option that we found was the large bags of pelleted horse bedding that you can buy at any large animal supply or feed store, usually for about $5-$7 for a 40lb bag. It doesn't clump up, but that's not a deal-breaker IMO. It does cover smells nicely

The one tricky thing about litter...

Cats have a vote in whether or not they will use it, and some cats will exercise that right liberally

My 10 yo cat decided to change her litter preferences this year, so now we use a more expensive clay clumping brand. I'd rather we didn't, but she loves it...and it is her bathroom Whaddya gonna do?

---------- Post added at 05:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:40 PM ----------

And while I'm not convinced that every single cat needs to live an indoor-only lifestyle, you do have to factor the outdoors into your expenses if you plan to let kitty roam. Namely, the higher risk of injury and/or disease (and, along with that, the potential need for more regular vaccination). Sheltered lives are cheaper to maintain.

[backtobasicsmum]

While I really can't say if it is the best for a cat's health, anecdotally, my cat growing up and my current cat only were fed dry cat food. Neither have or had any health concerns. My cat growing up lived to be 16 and died of old age, and my kitty now is 14 and still going strong. We buy a hairball control formula, and find he has the most problems with hairball when he is fed tidbits of people food (he loves dill pickles, green olives and cheese) and when he's not been brushed enough.

[ECingMama]

My mom also makes her own cat food with a powder supplement made for cats. She believes in raw meat diets for cats.

Cats need clean, clean, clean litter boxes or they may pee elsewhere. Maybe have a box on every level.

[cheri]

I had cats my entire life until my I had kids with severe cat allergies

They're really not cheap pets. They do need cat food. Canned tuna can actually make cats sick. And ITA that higher quality food equals fewer health issues. They really do need wet food to be healthy.

And if you let your cat go outside, there are vaccinations that are an absolute must. You can't be anti-vaccine with pets. And flea prevention (and you can't get a cheapie collar that's actually dangerous, you have to get the expensive stuff like Frontline) I had an indoor cat when I lived in an apartment and it got fleas I guess from the neighbor's dog, so I dealt with fleas even with a cat that never went outside.

Litter, again, ITA that they'll choose their litter. And if they don't like it, they WILL go outside of the box. Or if it's not clean enough, it will go somewhere else.

I think you have to have some money set aside for vet bills, too. Not just the vaccines, but health stuff. I had a cat with urinary tract issues. And a cat that ate something that made it sick.

[milkmommy]

Our cat can't have gluten or she gets very loose bloody stools and ends up going everywhere even with super clean liter. Ideally would be a raw diet but honestly our fridge freezer space is so limited now I just don't want to full time.
Their are a few "lower" quality brands that at least overall eliminate the hrsh fillers and gluten cats REALLY don't need the classic variety of fancy feast is one (must be the classic) Sheba is another these run around .50-.60 a can.. With the more premium brands you still have to be somewhat careful some I'd say are pretty good others again use too many odd fillers above all cats need protein.
Like my kids our cat is also super picky.. She hates anything pate like or anything with turkey.. We use http://www.petflow.com/product/natur...FcRcMgodvWgAbQ though not this flavor since I just said she doesnt like turkey LOL run just under $1 each and she gets 2 a day.. So yea it is cheaper than many options but still kinda expensive. Ours is also an indoor out door pet she she catches and dines that way as well. (We watch her devour lizards and desert rats pretty often)

liter wise I'm super picky and so is my cat.. We use ever clean in unscented it is a clay clumping liter which some believe isn't cat safe but we have no issues it will be something you'll have to decide your self. It also isn't cheep but works wayyyy better than anything else we tried and it lasts a long time and we tried so many things. It also one of few that doesn't irritate my asthma but it could to another.

[MrsHutch]

We feed our cats a decent quality dry cat food (Goodlife Indoor Formula) that isn't the most expensive out there, but doesn't have any corn, soy, or wheat.

After struggling for YEARS with stinky litter that tracks everywhere, we've settled on Premium Choice Solid Scoop and are super happy with it.

[Zooey]

I feed my 2 cats nothing but dry cat food. Now, they do steal the occasional treat from my food, but the little one can't tolerate more than that, she gets an upset tummy.
If you use a good quality dry food, it supplies all their needs; check the bag/box, as it will be marked as a complete food if it is one.

---------- Post added at 09:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 AM ----------

Originally Posted by domesticzookeeper

The one tricky thing about litter...

Cats have a vote in whether or not they will use it, and some cats will exercise that right liberally

My 10 yo cat decided to change her litter preferences this year, so now we use a more expensive clay clumping brand. I'd rather we didn't, but she loves it...and it is her bathroom Whaddya gonna do?

.

This is absolutely true.

(Ask me how I know......)

[thankfulheart]

We have three cats. We got them as rescues at a day old an they were my bottle babies. And really they don't know they are cats!

We feed 4Health cat food from the Tractor Supply. It's not grain free but it has no corn, wheat or soy. They also get some canned food. They flat out refuse to eat any of the quality food and any seafood makes them vomit. So they get canned Friskies. Just a can in the morning and a can at night.

We use Tidy Cat for multiple cats clumping litter. I scoop the box at least twice a day. We actually don't use a cat litter box. Instead we use a storage tote that is long and has tall sides. That way they don't kick out as much or pee over the sides. Plus, they are BIG cats. lol They need the extra room.

They are strictly indoor cats. They haven't had any vaccines since their first round of kitten shots. (our dogs do have theirs because they go outside and with us all over the place) They didn't take them well. We never vaccinated our other cat and she was strictly indoors as well and she lived to be over 20 years old.

If you're going to vaccinate it can be done fairly cheap at a shot clinic at petsmart or a farm feed store. Most low cost spay/neuter clinics offer low cost vaccinations as well.

Definitely start saving money for unexpected vet bills. You need that with any pet.

[Soliloquy]

If you buy the cheaper cat food, the cats will eat twice as much and fill up their litter boxes twice as fast. Higher quality food really pays for itself. Cats thrive on an almost carb-free diet. They are obligate carnivores. I don't have the time or funds to do a raw diet, which I think is the ideal. We switch around amongst the grain-free dry cat foods that have the most animal protein. Taste of the Wild, Merrick, and Blue Evolutionary are some that we use. I think a $20 lb bag lasts about 2 months but I'm not positive because I'm buying for other animals, too. We don't ever buy canned food unless we have to get medicine down.

For cat litter, our favorite is chicken feed crumble (about $15 for a 50-lb bag and it clumps). It's almost as good as The World's Best Cat Litter (which is really the best we've ever tried) but much, much less expensive.

Clumping or non-clumping clay litter can be really bad for people with lung issues. We choose not to use clay litter.

[Zooey]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

If you buy the cheaper cat food, the cats will eat twice as much and fill up their litter boxes twice as fast. Higher quality food really pays for itself. Cats thrive on an almost carb-free diet. They are obligate carnivores. I don't have the time or funds to do a raw diet, which I think is the ideal. We switch around amongst the grain-free dry cat foods that have the most animal protein. Taste of the Wild, Merrick, and Blue Evolutionary are some that we use. I think a $20 lb bag lasts about 2 months but I'm not positive because I'm buying for other animals, too. We don't ever buy canned food unless we have to get medicine down.

For cat litter, our favorite is chicken feed crumble (about $15 for a 50-lb bag and it clumps). It's almost as good as The World's Best Cat Litter (which is really the best we've ever tried) but much, much less expensive.

Clumping or non-clumping clay litter can be really bad for people with lung issues. We choose not to use clay litter.

I totally agree about the big difference that it makes to use quality food. I am feeding my two cats for about a third as much $$ as it cost me to feed one before.
And the litter box definitely stays cleaner longer, too.

[mamajane]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

For cat litter, our favorite is chicken feed crumble (about $15 for a 50-lb bag and it clumps). It's almost as good as The World's Best Cat Litter (which is really the best we've ever tried) but much, much less expensive.

Clumping or non-clumping clay litter can be really bad for people with lung issues. We choose not to use clay litter.

We have a cat box for the first time and are using clay cat littler that claims to be 99.6% dust free but I can't help but wonder if it's cauing my current tightness of breath...
I think the onlu chicken feed here that's that cheap is the cracked corn and wheat combo, "chicken scratch". Is that what you use?

[Soliloquy]

As long as it is "chicken crumble" it should work. "Scratch" usually refers to whole or cracked grains which wouldn't clump, I don't think.

Whatever you do, don't buy medicated chick crumble because it has antibiotics in it. Unmedicated chick crumble would work.

[Llee]

We use the 4health products from Tractor Farm Supply here too, for food and litter. The clumping kind. Between 2 cats and a dog, we spend $55 on good (grain-free) dry food and litter. I don't do wet food and they don't like human food. Well, one cat likes frosting and steals it when she can. I called around to get prices on things. The vet we go to will run us $40/cat for rabies and distemper shots--they are indoor/outdoor cats because we live in the country and they like to go on walks with us (you've seen the pics ).

So shots, yes now that they are outdoorsy at times. A vet visit is $40 if just doing a check-up or getting something more than shots done. Flea stuff is $66 for 2 months' supply for 2 cats, when they have flea issues. The loves and cuddles and fun? Priceless.

[Zooey]

Tractor Supply is a great place to get all things relating to pets. It was recommended to me by the Humane Association when I got my girls.