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I recently posted here about my wife and I adopting our first cat. I'm happy to report that after 9 weeks in her forever home Glinda is adjusting nicely. The biting issue I had previously posted about has gone away (thanks for all the tips). It has been amazing to watch her transformation over the past two months as she adjusts to her new environment and now we can't imagine life without her.
When we adopted her from the rescue they gave us a small bag of the food she was currently eating (Hills Science Diet for Adult Cats 1-6). This being our first cat we are still learning the ropes and automatically continued to feed her the food she was used to. However after lurking on this forum and reading older posts I have come to realize feeding our cat a dry cat food is not the best option. I honestly had no idea that cats get most of the water they need from the moisture in wet food. Now that I know I am looking into wet food options but I am OVERWHELMED by all the choices and price ranges.
I know looking at the ingredients and finding something Grain Free will be important in any choice that we make, but I am curious what other people are feeding their cats and how much $$$ I should plan to budget monthly for feeding one 9lb adult cat? From searching the forum and reading older posts it looks like a lot of people recommend Weruva, Wellness, and Tiki Cat which I know I can find in my local pet store and on Chewy. I also see a lot of people recommending Fancy Feast which is readily available at my grocery store. Are these good places to start? Are there better options out there to explore?
I really appreciate all the feedback! In the meantime here are some pictures of Glinda as she settles in. I promise we have a real bed for her. She just likes to play with the shoe box!
Last edited by North_Raleigh_Guy; 02-14-2020 at 07:37 AM..
For almost her entire life (18 years), I fed my cat dry food in the mornings and wet food in the evenings. After her companion cat was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and eventually died, I eliminated the dry food. For the last 10 months, I've been feeding wet food only.
I have transitioned to raw food - Stella & Chewy's raw foods in the last couple of months and have noticed a marked difference in her feces. Before it was quite smelly and now I don't get that raunchy smell when she defecates. I still feed her a little Friskies, Fancy Feast and some better brands. She seems to like Whole-hearted and Wellness best.
Now the 10-year old Newbie (had him for 7 months) is a different story as I try to expand his palate.
I think a lot will depend on your budget. If you can afford the better quality foods, by all means spend the extra money.
My cats are raw fed. I use grocery store meat, using as much non-GMO Project Verified meat as I can source, and a premix called EZcomplete made by Food Fur Life.
8 years ago when I transitioned, only one resisted, but I persevered. Took about 2 months to finally convince her. Now she won't touch a canned meal.
My cat was getting Costco's organic canned grain free food, but wasn't that passionate about it. I supplemented with a small handful (1/8 cup) of grain free dry food (Blue Wilderness). I buy a small bag an it lasts forever. But last time I was at Costco, they were out of the in-house canned food, so I bought Friskies. The kitty LOVES it. She screams for it. I'm a little worried they're lacing it with meth or something, but I figure I might as well go with it - I generally trust Costco on quality. It's WAY cheaper too.
I am feeing mine Earthborn. I really like it and so does my cat. I add a little extra water to the food always. This cat I have now is 14 years old and very healthy. Every other cat I have ever had died about 10 usually of kidney problems and had teeth problems and various other issues. This cat is the only cat I have fed majority non grain wet food. Healthy. Coincidence? I think not.
Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I know this probably gets asked a lot, but I appreciate the feedback. I will start getting her some wet food and work on finding some that she likes. If treats are any indication I think I may have the best luck with chicken and turkey protein based foods. She doesn't seem very interested in treats based on salmon and tuna. Thanks again!
My cats are raw fed. I use grocery store meat, using as much non-GMO Project Verified meat as I can source, and a premix called EZcomplete made by Food Fur Life.
8 years ago when I transitioned, only one resisted, but I persevered. Took about 2 months to finally convince her. Now she won't touch a canned meal.
We also feed raw. We get the grind from Miami raw feeding (we live close so we save shipping), and add EZ. I put into ice cube trays and pack into little bags. A little work but she loves it.
At night we sometimes feed some can. She loves Blue (grainfree). We stay in the price range of Blue / Natural Balance etc, but all grain free. We got some Organix on sale the other day and I purchased everything they had in stock :-)
We still have kibble at home but rarely feed them. But we noticed if we do, she immediately goes to the water bowl.
With our previous cat, we fed kibble in the morning (I added lots of water!), as easier and faster and cheaper, and cans at night.
I feed a rotation of canned and raw. I use Fancy Feast Classic pate, Stella & Chewys (raw), Instinct Bites (raw), sometimes Tiki Cat canned, Sheba pate.
I feed a rotation as well. Any of the following. She eats 2 small cans per day, plus 1 mid-day snack-sized (sheba or meow mix), plus sometimes an early morning half-snack if she starts biting us in bed at 4 in the morning, just to make her stop doing that til we're ready to actually get up.
1. Fancy Feast "tender" pate (beef, chicken/liver, chicken/beef)
2. The store brand version of the same (most stores have their own version of Fancy Feast, just make sure it's the "tender" which has low carbs, high protein, and no grain)
3. Petco's "WholeHearted" brand of pates - they actually get a decent rating, compared to the higher end foods but they're actually a little less expensive than Fancy Feast
4. Stella & Chewy's Chick Chick Chicken dinner, freezedried raw (add extra water for a nice gravy)
5. Tiki Cat chicken mousse, as an occasional treat to break from the monotony - she gets bored if she eats the same foods over and over again and this is an expensive indulgence..
6. Whiska's "simple servings" and Sheba purfect portions (one half of the sheba pair, or one simple serving, per day as a mid-day snack)
7. BFF/Weruva, fed just slightly more often than the Tiki mousse.
My cat rejects water entirely from the bowl or toilet or sink or shower, so she gets 100% of her water intake from the food dish. As a result I end up adding a teaspoon or two of water to her morning can, and on days when I prepare the Stella and Chewy's I always make it extra wet.
It sets us back around $50/month.
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and now I don't get that raunchy smell when she defecates. I still feed her a little Friskies, Fancy Feast and some better brands. She seems to like Whole-hearted and Wellness best.
as I try to expand his palate.
