? How much do you spend per month to feed your cat(s)?

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Islandmomma

Islandmomma

Member Since 2016
Since Glen's diagnosis I have overhauled all of my kitties diet and am feeding strictly canned with some freeze dried raw for variety here and there.

I sat down and calculated how much it costs per month to feed these guys and it's about $4.50/day or $1.50/cat. It seems a bit high to me but I am trying to feed good quality, non-fish based & low carb canned. Just finding something that they will all eat has been a major challenge and a lot of wasted money!

I think they have finally settled on some selections of Friskies & Weruva Cats in the Kitchen. I also give them a can of Fancy Feast with it. So between the 3 they get one large can and a tin of FF split, morning and night. That gets left out all day. If I am home they may also get another tin of FF sometime during the day as s snack.

My one cat will eat something once and not touch it again for at least a week :rolleyes: He is such a princess:mad:

Anyways, just curious what it costs you to feed and seeing if I should try again to source out something that costs a bit less. The bigger cans (6 oz) of Weruva cost $2.29 here and Friskies not on sale is $0.75. FF are $0.60 at Walmart.

Also wondering if I am shooting myself in the foot by giving them 2 flavour/brand options in the morning? They all have their favs and maybes so at least they either get a fave or a maybe! If I do that they are at least guaranteed to eat some of it! :bighug:

This is Zeldan - unhappy his offering this morning
 

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I wonder how much guilt and shame factor into this. What! You're not using Super Holistic/Super expensive food? Shame on you! I just leveled with the guy I trust at the local Pet******* and said "Look, nine cats, a big dog, an aquarium and a mortgage. I cannot afford top of the line forever." So we went with middle of the road stuff and everything worked out. Noah hasn't really eaten very much today so I just opened a can of Pig Slop brand and he gobbled it down. Years ago when it was either the super market or Hills from your vet I had two cats that lived to 17 and 23 on wet low-ash and did fine. That was BEFORE CLUMPING LITTER, hard to imagine isn't it? Maybe if some of these companies spent less on prime time TV advertising they could spend more on research and development. I've worked in retail forever, it's not hard to fool people, including me. I never keep track of what I spend, I'd probably be horrified.
 
Noah & me said:
I wonder how much guilt and shame factor into this. What! You're not using Super Holistic/Super expensive food? Shame on you! I just leveled with the guy I trust at the local Pet******* and said "Look, nine cats, a big dog, an aquarium and a mortgage. I cannot afford top of the line forever." So we went with middle of the road stuff and everything worked out. Noah hasn't really eaten very much today so I just opened a can of Pig Slop brand and he gobbled it down. Years ago when it was either the super market or Hills from your vet I had two cats that lived to 17 and 23 on wet low-ash and did fine. That was BEFORE CLUMPING LITTER, hard to imagine isn't it? Maybe if some of these companies spent less on prime time TV advertising they could spend more on research and development. I've worked in retail forever, it's not hard to fool people, including me. I never keep track of what I spend, I'd probably be horrified.
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Haha so true! I'm happy with middle of the road and would feed Friskies and FF exclusively but they only like 2 kinds of the low carb Friskies. If they ate it I would feed it but they don't.
 
We bought this oversized house before it was a hole in the ground, too big for 2 humans. They don't make bungalows any more. So everything got flattened, no trees, no topsoil. We squealed like little girls when one day, after 3 years, we had squirrels in our backyard. That's the extent of nature in the burbs and ever since we probably spend $30/month on unsalted peanuts a month to make up for our crimes. The neighbors don't like the shells everywhere, so what, you'll live.
 
I feed 6 or 7 servings a day to 2 cats. Servings were usually 3 oz cans of FF, but are now usually 1/2 of 5.5 oz can of Friskies(turkey&giblets, chicken, or chef dinner pate). Was using the pricier FF option because carbs seemed to be half of Friskies. But they ( or one) seemed to be vomiting a bit and the switch to higher carb Friskies not much of an impact. Probably because of the smaller serving. Also seemed to be getting higher than usual food spikes from the FF sometimes also influenced decision to switch.

So cost weekly was about 45-50 cans of FF for two cats with Boo getting more than half of that. Now its about 25 cans of Friskies and sometimes I mix in Special Kitty cans. Wish there was a simple way to buy flats of Friskies at a reduced price.
 
I have four cats and I never get away from the pet store for less than $200.00 a month, if I shop all the sales. If I have to pay full price it costs closer to $300.00. I also try to shop at places that have a reward program (you know, free stuff after you spend X$ or $$ off your next order) and when I buy online I shop at places where I can use Ebates. It's not much, but it helps some, and just, in general, makes the sting of spending a small fortune on cat food a little less!
 
@Squalliesmom what are ebates?

Off hand I don't remember what it costs. I did not long ago. Homemade was definitely cheaper. A least now PJ and Tux eat the same thing and it's minimum two 3 oz can of Proplan each. I'm always trying to give a different one in between main meals.
 
I have no experience with adding Taurine (spelling?) and have never had any luck with home made in 30 years. Anybody else had consistently better luck? Our boys just walk away from chicken, tuna, salmon. "How about an onion ring?" "No, bad kittie". Elmo had some strange attraction to Diet Pepsi, can't explain that. Cats!!!!
 
babyBoo said:
Was using the pricier FF option because carbs seemed to be half of Friskies. But they ( or one) seemed to be vomiting a bit
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FYI..I switched my kitties to FF only and had a horrible vomiting problem from my diabetic kitty. The other one was fine. I have actually been hearing a bit about FF and kitties vomiting lately..
 
I pay $1.80 a day to feed Shaak. She eats three cans of FF a day, (only classics chicken feast) She had begun to refuse to eat it a while back so I changed up her food and that made everything worse. Turned out she had a UTI and that was why she was turning down food, so I switched her for no reason. I had jumped on the bandwagon that something was wrong with FF. The whole time I tried Friskies and nine lives she wound up with diarrhea all over the place and she fell out of remission. So now I am at a start over point. Her numbers are in the high 100's to low 300's, I am praying it will work to get her back OTJ. I do know it will never happen if I can't get her on a regular schedule with her insulin
 
So I'm thinking what I spend is about average.

2 of mine like commercial raw so may go back to that for them, for 1 meal a day. Zeldan won't touch it. He's the pickiest of them all!

I usually give 2 different flavours at feeding time. Thinking I need to stop that and give the one option!
 
Noah & me said:
That's not that strange,I had a cat that used my pillow ONCE. Vengeful little furball! Tiny turd, dead center.
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I once woke up to one of my male cats spraying me right in the middle of my forehead! That was a first for me! Fortunately, it was also a "last." I think...I hope!
 
Islandmomma said:
Haha so true! I'm happy with middle of the road and would feed Friskies and FF exclusively but they only like 2 kinds of the low carb Friskies. If they ate it I would feed it but they don't.
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What do you mean by " 2 kinds of the low carb Friskies "
 
Cathie and Shaak Ti said:
I pay $1.80 a day to feed Shaak. She eats three cans of FF a day, (only classics chicken feast) She had begun to refuse to eat it a while back so I changed up her food and that made everything worse. Turned out she had a UTI and that was why she was turning down food, so I switched her for no reason. I had jumped on the bandwagon that something was wrong with FF. The whole time I tried Friskies and nine lives she wound up with diarrhea all over the place and she fell out of remission. So now I am at a start over point. Her numbers are in the high 100's to low 300's, I am praying it will work to get her back OTJ. I do know it will never happen if I can't get her on a regular schedule with her insulin
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Do you think the Friskies is what made her fall out of remission? The reason I'm asking is because my cat also has just fallen out of remission and all I feed is Friskies (off of the safe list here ) , but he also has an infected tooth and I am in financial trouble because I am not working so I couldn't afford to get the almost $600 dental, so as of right now he is on antibiotics for his infection.
 
sherrib said:
Do you think the Friskies is what made her fall out of remission? The reason I'm asking is because my cat also has just fallen out of remission and all I feed is Friskies (off of the safe list here ) , but he also has an infected tooth and I am in financial trouble because I am not working so I couldn't afford to get the almost $600 dental, so as of right now he is on antibiotics for his infection.
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I'm thinking most likely it was the tooth.
 
I have two non diabetic cats, but still stick to the pate Fancy Feast mostly (they occasionally get a "grilled" one as a treat). The most I spend is $0.55 a can. That's what they cost at my local grocery store, and I think Walmart sells them for $0.54. With coupons and sales, I often get them for less than $0.50. My two cats get two cans each per day. So, $0.55 times 4 is $2.20 per day for two cats. That's $66.00 a month ($33.00 per cat) for Fancy Feast.
 
@Islandmomma can you please explain to me what you mean when you posted " 2 kinds of low carb Friskies "
Which ones do you use and what are their carb counts ? I use Friskies pate only and have been getting high BG levels and now my cat is out of remission, but he also has an infected tooth . But I really need to find out about Friskies, I have switched him over to fancy feast but I am feeding two cats and the 3 ounce cans are just getting too pricey for me to use right now because I am not working and just went through a divorce and I am in financial troubles
 
@sherrib .....any of the Friskies pates are OK.....You can also use Special Kitty pates to save some more money

I think she was just saying that her cats will only eat 2 of the flavors of Friskies
 
sherrib said:
Do you think the Friskies is what made her fall out of remission? The reason I'm asking is because my cat also has just fallen out of remission and all I feed is Friskies (off of the safe list here ) , but he also has an infected tooth and I am in financial trouble because I am not working so I couldn't afford to get the almost $600 dental, so as of right now he is on antibiotics for his infection.
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sorry, I did not see this til just now.

I couldn't say, I know several people think that Shaak's UTI was more the cause of her out of remission than the food switch up. I like to believe that they are right. So with that in mind I would think the same for you, her teeth caused it to happen most likely.
 
Does anyone happen to shop at Food Loin grocery store ? If so, have you tried their name brand pate?
 
sherrib said:
@Islandmomma can you please explain to me what you mean when you posted " 2 kinds of low carb Friskies "
Which ones do you use and what are their carb counts ? I use Friskies pate only and have been getting high BG levels and now my cat is out of remission, but he also has an infected tooth . But I really need to find out about Friskies, I have switched him over to fancy feast but I am feeding two cats and the 3 ounce cans are just getting too pricey for me to use right now because I am not working and just went through a divorce and I am in financial troubles
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@sherrib
I meant I give them 2 flavours at one meal! Yes, they are spoiled lol
But they all don't like the same things and they sometimes at least try the other flavours if presented with something they like
 
Islandmomma said:
@sherrib
I meant I give them 2 flavours at one meal! Yes, they are spoiled lol
But they all don't like the same things and they sometimes at least try the other flavours if presented with something they like
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Scared me LOL, I though only 2 were known to be safe now ( low carbs )
 
I spend $56 a month for two cats. Chuck gets 9Lives and Kitty eats friskies (he's not diabetic)
I recently spent $125 on young again zero mature which should last 6 months for both cats.
I spend $13 a month for my dog's kibble.
I easily spend $50 a month on test strips.
 
StephG said:
I spend $56 a month for two cats. Chuck gets 9Lives and Kitty eats friskies (he's not diabetic)
I recently spent $125 on young again zero mature which should last 6 months for both cats.
I spend $13 a month for my dog's kibble.
I easily spend $50 a month on test strips.
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I to thinking about getting the young again zero carb because his vet said that he needs to have at least 3 to 4 dry pieces of food a week to help control his teeth tartar, because can food is awful on their teeth. Given him that small amount should last me a very long time, of course I still won't be able to purchase this for a while
 
sherrib said:
I to you and thinking about getting the young again zero car,
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We are having a hard time switching to YA which is my fault. But the president of the company is helping me! I'm quite pleased with the customer care! When you break it down it costs about the same as feeding 2 cans of friskies a day.
 
StephG said:
I spend $56 a month for two cats. Chuck gets 9Lives and Kitty eats friskies (he's not diabetic)
I recently spent $125 on young again zero mature which should last 6 months for both cats.
I spend $13 a month for my dog's kibble.
I easily spend $50 a month on test strips.
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What carb count do you feed both your cats, I'm assuming the Nondiabetic is also on low carb
 
StephG said:
We are having a hard time switching to YA which is my fault. But the president of the company is helping me! I'm quite pleased with the customer care! When you break it down it costs about the same as feeding 2 cans of friskies a day.
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how are you getting help? I was thinking about contacting them for a sample bag.
 
sherrib said:
What carb count do you feed both your cats, I'm assuming the Nondiabetic is Arlo car as well
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Yes Chuck's is under 5%. Kitty is on the friskies pate. I haven't looked up the carb content on his but he usually eats the poultry and fish variety pack. I try to keep the fish option low on the list since he has problems with crystals in his urine. But he's over weight and has list since switching to only friskies wet.
 
sherrib said:
how are you getting help? I was thinking about contacting them for a sample bag.
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Email them through their website
www.youngagainpetfood.com and ask them for a sample to see how your diabetic cat reacts to their young again zero. I chose the mature Zero because both are 10 years old.
They sent a sample along with a ton of info. They emailed me to check in to see how he was doing and if he transitioned well. I emailed back with the issues we were having and the president responded. He told me to ask for him when I call since he's familiar with our issues from our emails.
 
sherrib said:
I to thinking about getting the young again zero carb because his vet said that he needs to have at least 3 to 4 dry pieces of food a week to help control his teeth tartar, because can food is awful on their teeth. Given him that small amount should last me a very long time, of course I still won't be able to purchase this for a while
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Ask them for a free sample. Youngagainpetfood.com
 
StephG said:
Email them through their website
www.youngagainpetfood.com and ask them for a sample to see how your diabetic cat reacts to their young again zero. I chose the mature Zero because both are 10 years old.
They sent a sample along with a ton of info. They emailed me to check in to see how he was doing and if he transitioned well. I emailed back with the issues we were having and the president responded. He told me to ask for him when I call since he's familiar with our issues from our emails.
Click to expand...
Michael is very passionate about the product. He called me a few weeks ago to ask how my cat was doing because he saw that she was diabetic. I called him back to let him know she was in remission and that I in no small way attribute some of that success to the food. We had a rather lengthy conversation. Very good customer service. There is a discount code for first time buyers.
 
StephG said:
Email them through their website
www.youngagainpetfood.com and ask them for a sample to see how your diabetic cat reacts to their young again zero. I chose the mature Zero because both are 10 years old.
They sent a sample along with a ton of info. They emailed me to check in to see how he was doing and if he transitioned well. I emailed back with the issues we were having and the president responded. He told me to ask for him when I call since he's familiar with our issues from our emails.
Click to expand...
Mine are 11 ,so I need the same kind as you
 
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Islandmomma said:
Anyways, just curious what it costs you to feed and seeing if I should try again to source out something that costs a bit less. The bigger cans (6 oz) of Weruva cost $2.29 here and Friskies not on sale is $0.75. FF are $0.60 at Walmart.
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Just to give you another price point from a new member, strictly food speaking, I'm about $55/ month or $1.83 / day for one kitty. :cat:

Also, where are you buying your Friskies? I get mine from Walmart for $0.50 or $0.55 each, all the time. Even some grocery stores are around the same price, not on sale.
 
After the dry food I have for Frannie is done, I have to switch completely to dry food. She was getting what equaled to 1/3 twice a day, but it has cut back to once a day about midway through her wet food feedings times. I get the FF Classic variety pack and feed her a half can morning and night, but when her dry food is done it will be going to one can in AM and PM feedings (so 2 cans a day). At this time with only having to feed a can a day, the 24 can variety pack would last at least a month, a bit more because of only feeding 1 can split into two meals. Once the change has been made, it will last less. Depending on if I get a 24 or 30 can pack, it ranged anywhere from like 15 to 20 a month at the rate of what I fed her, but will be less now. I get mine at PetCo and if have the rewards deal there, they will have specials on buy one get one half off on those.
 
Oh and I had also read someone mentioning about giving their cats so many dry food pieces daily, they do have the Greenie treats that is suppose to help with dental as well, which Frannie also has Stage 1 Periodontal disease and has for the last year. I give her at least 5-6 a day spread out.
 
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