Pet Food: Do you care what you’re feeding Fido/Mittens?

Other / Canada

After running out of my vet prescribed pet food, I was lucky enough to grab a bag of Royal Canin at the local animal shelter. I bought it not only based on brand recognition, but it was also breed-specific for my Persian. The 3lb-bag required a $2 donation, great deal!

Within a week, the bag was being gobbled up quickly, so I rushed back to the animal shelter only to discovered that their supply of quality pet food at the bargain basement price was all gone. 🙁

I looked up the prices for the Royal Canin and let’s just say that it’s budget-busting for the time being. So I’m looking at other alternatives.

I’m also not eager to return to buying food at my vet’s office because not only is it overpriced, but I’ve read reviews that the list of ingredients isn’t that much better than what I’d find on the shelves of a grocery store! So why should I dish out $70 for a similar item that would be 50% cheaper?

I don’t want to make decisions solely based on price, so I’m beginning to read ingredient lists as well. So based on that, I bought another brand while I was doing some shopping in the States.

(Geez, don’t even get me started on how much cheaper pet items are in comparison to Canada!)

Verdict? My cats aren’t touching this stuff with a 10-foot pole. Even though the ingredients are quality, they just aren’t biting. Luckily, at the back, bottom of the bag, there is a satisfaction guaranteed-type return policy.

And since I purchased it at a US Petsmart, I called the location closest to my house, and they said that they’d accept a return on an open bag as long as I had the receipt…which I kept.

So right now, I’m at a pet food crossroads: How do I determine not only what food is good to feed my cats, but what brand/type as there are just soo many out there?

Do you care what you feed your pet or do you just buy whatever is on sale at the grocery store?


97 responses to “Pet Food: Do you care what you’re feeding Fido/Mittens?”

  1. Sally says:

    I buy a bag of the royal canin and mix it in with a good but not “as good brand.

  2. Sami says:

    All three cats love Royal Canin for skin and Hair. They have to be really hungry to eat the Iams.

  3. Julie says:

    I used to buy from the vet but switched to a higher endbig box store brand.One word of caution yu can’t keep changing food without a transition of mixing old with the new for a few days.. It is hard on your pet’s system.

  4. MortgageQueen says:

    I refer to dryfood as “Kitty-crack” It’s junkfood for cats. If you have a cat with really healthy genes, “chances” are good, he’ll be ok.

    Here’s a thought to ponder. Tiny little can of cat food is from .60 to $1.50.
    A POUND of lean ground beef on sale is $1.99.. .or chicken legs, etc.(you can do the math)

    Cats are carnivores. They are supposed to eat 90 percent meat. With the purchase of a few supplements, you’re good to go.

  5. Zoe says:

    We tried everything for our dog – store brands, vet brands and nothing worked for him (he had really dry and sensitive skin) until we tried Riplees Ranch. It’s not sold in stores, but some kennels sell them or else you contact an independent distributor and they deliver right to your door. It was great food for him – he loved it (and he was a very picky eater), great for his skin and great and real ingredients (no preservatives). And it didn’t really cost us any more than vet food prices. Well worth it. He ate that stuff for almost 8 years.

  6. brooklynsmomma says:

    seeing as i consider my cats my children (and yes i have a human daughter as well)…i buy the best. my cats love Nutro brand dry food, so i buy it for them. i sometimes find coupons for it so that’s a good deal. and if not, i still buy it anyways. they like it, it keeps them happy and healthy, and that is what is important to me. i feed my pets well, just as i feed my daughter.

  7. Lisa says:

    Check out the ingredients in the bag of dog or cat food that you have. If you see by-products, corn gluten, or soybean mill run, please do some research to see what these ingredients are. So many pet foods have undigestible and other inexpensive non-nutritious ingredients added in place of good quality meat and healthy grains. I love the website dogfoodanaylsis.com It has a lot of reviews of dog food. Any questions, I’d be happy to answer!

  8. Sarah says:

    We were on Royal Canin before and my cats loved it. They were on the Senior Mature formula. It was a tad bit expensive but I figured it was worth it. Royal Canin is a medium quality food, not the best but most certainly better then whiskas and all that friskies junk.

    We had to switch because of a food allergy amoung the newbie of the house. We are now on Natural Balance Green pea and Duck. The cats didn’t like it too much to begin with but when I recently tried to switch them to Blue Buffalo (high quality) they preffered their duck. So will just keep them on that.

    Now, that being said, we go through LESS food now on the Natural Balance then we did on the Royal Canin. Plus Natural Balance is cheaper and better quality. The reason why we went through so much Royal Canin so quickly is because again, its medium quality food so it does have fillers shoved in there thus not keeping the cats full for long, thus making them eat more.

    Of course when it comes to wet food we don’t get a choice. I would LOVE to feed our cats high quality canned but they refused EVERY. SINGLE. DARN. CAN. No matter what we tried. We have to feed them wet for health reasons and them all being seniors with hardly any teeth. They will only eat Fancy Feast wet chicken and liver. NOTHING ELSE. Very serious business in the morning I promise you!

    I encourage EVERY pet owner to borrow the book “Food pets die for” from your local library. You will be horried as to what actually goes into some pet foods.

    And remember there ARE coupons out there for good quality food!

  9. Sarah says:

    Forgot to add that quality of food prolongs your animals life. Feed it garbage its whole life and expect big health issues later in their life.

    Think of it this way, eat potatoe chips, chocolate and candy all your life as opposed to a well balanced healthy diet. Which one will allow you to live longer and not have many health concerns?

  10. heather says:

    i feed my cats only high quality grain-free foods (Orijen dry, BFF wet). i spend about $75/month for the two of them, but, as Sarah pointed out, i want them to have the very best chance of a long and healthy life and if that means spending more for really good quality chow? so be it.

  11. S says:

    I feed my dog Orijen’s, its about $1/day, but I think it’s definitely worth it.

  12. James says:

    Here’s a helpful list for you.

    http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

    I feed my cat Orijen, Innova and Wellness.

  13. Kim says:

    I feed my dog and cat (when she was alive, lived till she was 20)ONLY holistic foods. It really is not any more than buying Pro Plan for example. And definately cheaper than the garbage they sell at the vets. The chemicals and crap and filler they put in the regular pet food is scary and incidents of cancer in goldens is so high that we decided to feed him as healthy as possible. As a benefit, he eats alot less of the quality food so it goes farther, smaller poops and the best thing is he does not smell like a dog. One time camping I ran out of his food and had pick up something off the shelf in the grocery store. I didn’t mention it to my family but all of the sudden after 2 days everyone was complaining that Odin smelled like a dog.
    So having said that, I switch between Orijen and Legacy. I also have used Canidae. There are alot of good brands available, just research it and pick one that is right for you.

  14. Alex says:

    Satori is the only fully Canadian brand and that is why we chose it for our dog. Orijen used to be the best, however some of their ingredients are sourced from outside of Canada. Pets are like kids – they are what they eat – having a healthy pet is good for the long term.

  15. Lisa says:

    My cats are fed Natural Balance. Its a good value for the quality of food. Fresh meat- no byproducts (byproducts are all the leftovers from human cuts- beaks, feet, heads etc.) No corn, cats & dogs do not digest corn or wheat very well, and there is other grains they get better nutrition from ie rice, otameal, barley, potatoes. I don’t feel comfortable buying from a large company anymore with all the recalls in the last few years from Iams etc. Check out PetValu, or Global Pet Foods, both have staff that are trained in pet food knowledge, and will beable to recommend something suitable.

  16. Eeyah says:

    Simply Nourish – when I got my kitty (7 months old now)he was on Purina Kitten and he had very little interest in it. Once it was gone I looked into “better” brands and I started to compare things – Simply Nourish was just as good as “Blue” but it was cheaper. Now the big thing I noticed (as others have also pointed out) is that he eats less (compared to the Purina) and his poop is smaller and much less smelly 🙂 I find one $17 bag (7kg I think) lasts about 2 months which is perfectly acceptable in my books. I suggest do some research and see what works for you 🙂

  17. Heather says:

    She’s just finishing off a bag of Wellness dry food, and seems to somewhat like it. We’re about to start her on Halo Spot’s Stew, which I’m excited for her to try. And every night for dinner, she gets 1/4 can of wet cat food mixed in with the dry stuff – those brands ranging from Meow Mix to Science Diet to Halo.

  18. orly says:

    We only feed our dogs raw food. Its like 100$ per dog (hes large dog) but its so worth it. I can’t imagine putting him back on that bagged food…its vile. Yeah its expensive, but I save a ton in the long run because he is healthy and happy and no vet bills ! 🙂

  19. joline says:

    My rule of thumb: I will not buy anything for my cats from any grocery store or a WalMart. Nor will I feed my cats anything that has a filler food within the first 5 ingredients. To put in perspective, I have been feeding my 15 year old cat high quality food her entire life. Her coat is and always has been beautiful, her teeth are healthy, her energy is adequate, she isn’t overweight, she has zero health problems. She looks and acts like she is half her age. My vet is impressed with her. I also have a 3 year old cat who also gets quality food, and I am expecting her to live just as long and healthy life. Currently, my food of choice for my “kids” are Innova and Blue. They also like Orijen. For treats, I will give them soft food every now and then, but when they get that, its only Science Diet or Spots Stew that I feed them. If you are looking for coupons, sign up at the different cat food sites and they will email you coupons. I get Blue and Spots Stew coupons all the time.
    Just a side note, if you are looking to save money on vet bills, I also do all of the immunizations for my cats. Its $15 (includes needle) for 3 years. I keep a record of what I injected into my cats, and I still take them to the vet once a year for a check up. I bring the record to my vet and she notes them in her chart as well. I immunized my cats for 3 years for $15, whereas the vet was going to charge me $85 for the same vaccinations for only a one year period. Injecting them is easy….tons of youtube videos that teach you how to do it.

  20. Saffron says:

    Do your cat or dog a favor STOP FEEDING KIBBLE. There is nothing good for an animal in these products. These animals don’t need vegetables and fruit, they need meat. The cheapest canned foods are better for your cat or dog than any kibble can ever strive to be and you can make it yourself with fresh meat for even cheaper. Do your animals a favor and stop feeding kibble.

  21. JEnn says:

    My cats are on a prescription food for urinary tract health. But my dog loves her Acana and even started picking it out of her bowl when I was still mixing it with her Nutro and Pro Plan. Her coat is looking great and she’s is happy and healthy after being on this food for nearly three years now.

    Acana is a bit less expensive than Orijen which is made by the same company based in Alberta. It’s a grain free food that is made with human grade ingredients most of which are purchased locally. Most pet foods, even vet and higher end foods, are all made in the same few plants across North America. Acana and Orijen are both made by the company itself.

    Acana and Orijen do seem more expensive if you are only comparing weight to weight. However, they are much higher in protein than most other foods so pets don’t need to be fed as much. My dog used to get 4 cups per day of Nutro or Pro Plan and now she gets just under 2 cups a day of Acana. Even though per bag it is more than a grocery store brand, it’s not really that much more expensive when you work out how much less they need to eat since it isn’t full of fillers.

    The biggest issue with switching to Acana or Orijen is working out what quantity per meal is best for your pet. It is an easy food for them to gain weight on if you’re not careful. Because it is such a high quality protein in the food though, it can help with healthy weight loss if you manage it properly.

  22. Ralph says:

    It irks me when pet owners quibble about dog food prices, knowing that the vast majority of “cheap” brands are primarily filler. Yes, the ads promote their food as what your dog wants and what serves its dietary requirements, but in most cases, they’re pushing garbage. When it comes to dog food, the major companies do well because too many people are more concerned with saving money to spoil themselves as opposed to treating their animal well. Research what your dog needs. Pay what it costs to feed your dog properly. If you’re not willing to do that, you shouldn’t have a dog. Period.

  23. Sarah says:

    Forget all this pet food poison, you cook for yourself and your family every night, why don’t you cook for your pets? I do, if you love your pets too. You wouldn’t buy them poison food that is devoid of any nutrition – would you feed your kids only packaged food day in and any out and not expect them to get ill? Food for thought

  24. Sarah says:

    I also only feed my cat organic meat and organic veggies and bottle water, if u won’t drink from the tap or eat GMO then neither will my pet family

  25. when my dad was taking care of the two dogs, previous to him passing he would always buy and cook chicken for them, I was like there was no way I was doing that once they moved in with me, I just don’t have the time to cook my own meals never mind there meals. I started them on fresh pet from walmart, its fresh in the cooler, and its no preservatives or so it saids. and they eat it took a while to convince them but once they were starving they started to eat it. only time I used vet pet food hard stuff was when my dog was so sick and having sensitive stomach i used it for a while but then stopped too expensive. as for reading the ingredients I couldn’t understand all I read on the back of those bags. one of my dogs is 10 years old and never had more then one vet visit and no health issues. no rabbies shot except once only stays within eyes sight so no need.. and has been fine, minus her first shots ofcourse.! and good teeth too, just give her the greenies expensive but clean her teeth great! good luck

  26. abbasgirl says:

    Believe it or not, I found the best food at the most reasonable price for my cats at Loblaws. President’s Choice makes corn, soy and wheat free food called “Nutrition First.” It’s high in protein and other quality ingredients. They also have a grain-free formula. My cats have been doing really well on it.

  27. Nicole says:

    My cat has digestive issues, she’s been through grocery store brands, vet brands, wet food, dry food and so on. After quite a while on the vet food which in my opinion was worse than the grocery store brands, I tried some higher quality food (via samples from the pet store). I ended up going with taste of the wild dry food, she loved it and it works for her. She has also had the wet food, but I don’t feed either of my pets wet food often. It’s usually reserved for when/if they go to a kennel for a weekend and they get fussy.

    I also have my dog on the canine formula. He was on purina pro plan selects recommended by the breeder, I could only find one retailer in my city, they only got ginormous bags of it, and it was expensive… he developed allergies to it, so I had to change his diet as well. He loves the food, and his coat looks great, and the cost isn’t that bad.

    I have tried more expensive brands, and he wouldn’t eat it right away or would dump the dish on the floor. Taste of the wild, both my pets seem to love and gobble up, so I stick with it.

    My cat also loved chicken soup for the pet lovers soul, but the taste of the wild was available in more stores, more often, so it was a better choice. My dog was also eating EVO for a while, because the food came in larger pieces, and he was gobbling food too fast so he had to learn to actually chew his food, but the pet store that carried it closed, and I had to switch brands…yet again.

    Both are healthy, and happy, and I’m happy. I have to drive a little further to get the food rather than go to my local grocery store, but its worth it.

  28. B says:

    We feed our cat raw and he loves it! 🙂

  29. Kailyn says:

    My brother use to work at Bosley’s Pet Food and he always emphasized that owners read the ingredients on the label and if they’re comfortable with by-products then it’s okay. However, most owners do not know that chicken-by-products or beef-by-products only contain parts of the chicken carcass, there is no actual muscle or meat in the food. Just tonnes of fillers.

    My dogs currently eat Orijen, it’s more expensive than other pet food, but since they only one full meal a day -it’s worth every penny. There are more nutrients in it and I hope it gives them a better quality of life if they are healthier.

  30. kerry says:

    After buying hundreds of products and brands over the years,I know what my cats like,and what to buy.They won’t eat anything unless its pate’,like friskies canned cat food.I have bought numerous pouches and they just lick up the juice and leave the food behind.Iams is dark and smells awful,my cats don’t care for it.They do like Science Diet which I buy on occasion,but seem to like the lower priced purina and friskies dry food.

  31. sunfire231 says:

    The Kirkland brand from Costco is the best if you can’t afford the expensive brands from the pet store. That’s what I feed my dogs and cats and they are healthly and fine with the taste!

  32. FallenPixels says:

    Another vote for Orijen – I spend money on vegetables etc that is more expensive than crap for myself, I do the same for my pets (and if you are used to paying vet food prices, there is very little difference for a bag of quality food since you often feed much less of it as they get nutrients from less) – then they get wet and usually a snack of whatever meat we are having for dinner.

  33. Lori says:

    I think with all of the troubles that happened a couple of years ago with pet foods having toxins in them and some dogs dying because of it, we have to be careful when choosing foods. I found that Global Pet foods sells a good variety of holistic foods in a range of prices. I have also been told by the vet that their foods are excellent. They do have all the specs on their foods online, so you can research it before you visit the store.

  34. Danielle says:

    We feed our cat a mix of the natural balance and the now cat food (made in Canada) and both are fairly expensive. I love the mix in the now food but it’s very pricey so thus the mix of the two foods. I want him to have the best food I can, he is a member of my family and we try and do the same for ourselves.
    Ugh, and the trying to find the food that works for your kitties…so much fun. Go into a Global Pet or other smaller high quality pet food store and ask them if they have sample bags. When we first got our kitten he reacted badly to a lot of food and they gave us a bunch of sample packs and we bought some small packages to try them and when we hit on one that worked we bought the big bag.
    Oh, and I know at Global Pet they have the promotion where you buy 8 or 10 bags and then get one free…it helps

  35. Sara says:

    My cat will have nothing to do with any kind of canned food. We used to give him Nutro Max Cat and then switched to Iams for a few bags as I thought we could save a bit of money with the coupons. He ended up getting crystals in his bladder and we almost lost him. A 5 day stay at the vets office cost us $1200. Lesson learned. Now he’s on a vet prescribed food for urinary health.

  36. Pat says:

    I feed both my 13 and 11 years old cats vet foods (MediCal/Royal Canin) dry and canned. That’s all they eat since they are little and are super healthy! Even the treats are coming from the vet.

  37. Pat says:

    *were little… typo

  38. Joe says:

    Similar to Sarah, we actually cook food weekly for our American Spaneil. It’s a combination of whole wheat pasta, ground beef and mixed veggies. We even give him some fruit each day. He loves it and nothing but praise from our vet. It does work out to about $1/day.

  39. errie says:

    We feed our cat wiskas.. since day one. She is healthy,shiny and happy, costs $20 a big bag which lasts 4-5 months.

  40. T.M. says:

    I highly recommend the “Quality House” and “Dog Bites” brands available at Sobeys and Bulk Barn for treats: pigs’ ears, tartar busters (cheaper than a tooth cleaning), bones, freeze-dried lung and liver, etc. They’re a little pricey but they are 100% natural and made in Canada…priceless.

  41. Jillian says:

    To the person who does their own vaccinations at home, if you are in Canada, it is against the law. You are “practicing veterinary medicine without a license”. Plus the Rabies vaccination, by law, MUST be given by a veterinarian. If I were you, I wouldn’t be posting on the internet that you do this, as you may get both yourself and your veterinarian in trouble.

    “Animal Byproducts” in pet food are NOT beaks, heads, etc as stated above… They are organs, meats, etc that humans wouldn’t eat. They have significant nutritious value to animals, and are a great source of protein, and a fantastic way to use the whole animal.

    The “high end” food brands (Blue Buffalo, Orijen, Acana, Wellness, etc) do a fantastic job of brain washing the public into thinking their food is superior, and that other manufactured foods are practically poison. Granted, I wouldn’t feed my dog Ol’ Roy food from Walmart, but not all brands are as evil as these high-end brands would have you think… As well, some of the foods that “don’t contain corn” have “maize” in their ingredient list – how’s that for an “honest” food company???

  42. Name says:

    1. Veterinarian pet food is overpriced and poor quility. They are selling it to you for additional profit.
    2. Pet Nutrition is an elective course in becoming a Veterinarian. And to make things worse, it’s taught by the greedy pet food industry, who doesn’t really care about your pet, only profit.
    3. Cheaper “grocery store” pet food is poor quality, but the Iams brand is the best of them. Although more expensive brands can be high quality, that’s definetly not a rule of thumb. Best thing is to know your ingredients well.
    4. Most pet foods contain fillers such as corn that have no nutritional value and can lead to poor health. These are in pet foods to save money and to boost the guaranteed analysis, at the cost of quality and your pet’s health, for the sole interest of profit.
    5. Pets can initially be picky about eating higher quality pet food if you’ve been feeding them low quality pet food. It’s like children choosing between candy and a healthy meal.
    6. You can generally feed your pets less high quality, but initially more expensive pet food, compaired to low quality, but less expensive pet food. Meaning you generally spend no more in the long run to feed your pet high quility pet food. You’ll also save on the vet bills that come with low quality pet foods.

    There are very likely more things to know, so do your research if your really love your pets.

    I also highly recommend Origin pet food for it’s high standards from quality to environmental sustainability.

  43. Carol says:

    My 2yr old puppy is picky, picky. She loves Performatrin, they have it for cats and dogs. Start going to Pet Valu instead of Petsmart. They have sample bags from a lot of different companies. You can get a smaller bag of sample food to see if your cat likes it. The bags we tried were 99 cents. Also the sample bags had a $1 coupon off on the sample bag, and can use three coupons for the larger bag. Good luck.

  44. Dots says:

    Two golden cat food rules:
    1) Cats are obligate carnivores – stay far away from grains — anything with corn, gluten, soy, rice, barley.
    2) Canned > Dry – cats have an innately low thirst drive – canned food is a preventative to many health issues as they obtain most of their required moisture through their food (opposed to dry kibble)

    Wet/canned – the two cheapest options are Fancy Feast PATE <– this line is gluten free. Also, large cans of Wellness Grain-Free are also a healthy, budget-buy. Large cans of EVO are also a decent price, but my cat doesn’t seem to like it. In a pinch, Loblaws/No Frills carries PC brand that have some large cans that are not advertised grain-free and cost a little over a dollar for over 300ml – ingredients are mainly by-products, but still better than feeding grains or dry.

    Dry kibble – only grain-free and highest protein you can afford. Orijen, Acana, Go!, Now! These you can only get from decent pet stores like Global Pet Foods and PetValu. PetSmart has started to carry Wellness Core, but prices will vary by product/store/weekly sales.

  45. Andie says:

    Our cans are on Iams mostly. Once we ran out (thought we had a back up bag in the closet – nope!) and we were forced to buy some dirt cheap noname crap at a convenience store till we could get some better food the next day. Even though they were hungry, they wouldn’t touch it. we ended up giving them some chicken and little yogurt (they go mad, but we give them just a teeny bit) and a few extra treats instead and the cat food just went in the garbage.

  46. Jillian says:

    “highest protein you can afford” is not always better. High protein levels put extra strain on the kidneys.
    Vets are seeing higher instances of renal disease and renal failure, often associated with these extreme protein foods.
    Protein is definitely important, but too much protein can be deadly.

  47. Andie says:

    Oh, and my last cat died of cancer at 20 years old and she ate dry food her entire life and was never sick. A lot of it is animal-specifc. Humans aren’t all the same, neither are pets.

  48. Krystle orv says:

    I have two very finicky pets. My dog(Diva…thats not her name, shes just really a diva..lol) oddly prefers the yellow no name dog food from the grocery store(shes tried just about everything, this brand has soft little white pieces throughout the kibble that she goes crazy for, and the fact that it’s cheap is great) Shes also recently been substituted with ol roy wet dogfood. (shes on meds from an amputation, that’s how we have to mix it.) Which shes also loving(and is also the cheapest kind I found) My cat, not quite as picky, she like friskies and special kitty. Any kind of wet food, tuna, canned ham and bologna.. lol I noticed reading the rest of the comments a lot of you seem to choose the higher priced vet/pet specialty store brands. Kind of makes me feel bad not having the extra $$ to fork out on these, but I know my animals are well fed and taken care of. =)

  49. C_mcarthur says:

    I feed both my cats Wellness cat food, wet and dry. They love it, its expensive, but it is one of the BEST foods you can feed your pets.
    Quality ingredients, healthy food.
    The only downfall is the price.

  50. Aileen says:

    Dry Cat food is made with the main ingredient being Yellow Corn – Something Cats cant even digest. What you need to do to get a good cat food is to find one where one of the first three ingredients in Meat By Product, Meat or Meat Meal. Anything else is crap. It doesn’t matter about the price.

    For budget cat foods the best ones you can get are
    Metro’s Blue Bag Cat food – This is great catfood, my cats love it and the first 3 ingredients are meat.
    Compliements 3 flavour cat food
    Noname cat food

    All these of these are actually better that whiskers, friskies, etc etc.

    I also make my own cat food as it is cheap and nutritious. I freeze it once I am done to make it less yucky to serve.

    I make it using
    Chicken Hears
    White rice
    Peas
    Water
    2 Eggs + Shells
    Tuna + oil

    The cats LOVE the cat food I make, and everyone always comments on how nice and healthy my cats coats look. I would recommend making your own if you cannot afford / find something that isnt yellow corn crap!

  51. Tiggy says:

    I feed my Dog Frodo Presidents choice dry dog food the biggest bag is $24.99 and it’ full of healthy ingrediants…mind u he also get our home cooking table scraps

  52. Andie says:

    Aileen – would you post the recipe (or approximations, i’m sure you just wing it), or PM me (I’m AndieH in the forums). What do you do with the egg shells? do you freeze individual portions?

  53. shawnmikey716 says:

    Whatever you decide to feed your cats remember to give them water in seperate places, or at least in one place away from their food. Cats will ignore water for food and it can cause urinary cysts and blockages, I learned that the $1500 way. Heads up to anyone with orange cats, they are pron to cysts so make sure they have water, water, water.

  54. vibrantflame says:

    Both my dog and cat eat Kirkland brand from Costco. My in-laws compared the dog food to the $80 a bag stuff they were buying from their vet, and it’s exactly the same ingredients in the same order and all.

  55. Lesley says:

    What gets me is spending $70 on a bag of food (that I’m guilted into buying because I’m a horrible pet mommy if I don’t) while the dog would rather eat 3 week-old ham sandwiches some schmuck left out in the woods in the middle of July. Or road kill.

  56. Laura says:

    If you are close to the border this is a good place to go, Royal Canin and other choice foods are a little less expensive.

    Blackwinds Pet Supls
    (716) 297-1751
    2494 Military Rd
    Niagara Falls, NY 14304

  57. Stephania says:

    Thanks @Laura, I’ll check it out the next time I’m there. Now I find myself just buying stuff that I need, at cheaper prices, as opposed to leisure shopping ’cause everything seems so much more expensive here!

  58. FallenPixels says:

    As far as water, mine will not go near it if its too far from the food – the fountain they use the most is the one right beside the food bowl. They will drink from the toilet before using the water downstairs! So its good to have them lots of places.

    For those who are so ‘down’ on commercial pet foods, without them, many people would not have pets or could not afford to have pets – I am quite fine with people feeding it if it means that pet does not end up in a local high kill shelter. Also, not every cat will/can eat wet food or raw – despite my best attempts, one threw it all up and the other went on a hunger strike that left her at the vets for 3 days on IV until we found out she would eat Science Diet or Cat Chow. She is back on Orijen now along with wet but there is no way I would risk losing her to try and force a better/different food on her

  59. Aileen says:

    Sure Andie.

    I buy 1 pack of chicken hearts and gizzards. Arround $2 you can find them in most grocery stores. I then boil a very small amount of rice, say like 1-2 shot glasses full in a lot of water.

    Get a blender. Put the raw chicken hearts in. along with a handful of frozen peas (for some reason my cats love peas!). Throw in two whole eggs. I then put in about half the can of tuna. Once the rice is cooked throw it and the hot water in. And blend.

    It should be a thick meaty texture. I then let my cats lick the spoon – they love it.

    I then get little zip log foodie bags, and spoon it in. When I want to serve it to them I just take it right out the freezer rip off the foodie bag and put it in their bowl. I usually let it defrost before serving to them, or you can microwave it.

    I am not a cat expert. But I tried to think of all the minerals, vitamins, etc a cat would need. IE Calcium from the egg shells, Fish oils, meat, etc. My cats have been eating it for a year with dry food, and they often choose to leave the dry food over this. It is very cheap to make, and it seems to do them good, but I am by no means a cat expert. I go light on the rice, as it is just filler and they cant really digest it, but it helps get a good consistency for them eating.

  60. FallenPixels says:

    Jilian, actually you do not have to be a vet for certain vaccines, only for Rabies which has to be administered by a vet. Many breeders and shelters do their own vaccines.

    You are of course not trained, it probably increases the likelihood of vaccine related infections and sarcomas. However, many companies will not sell pet meds/vaccines to the public in Canada due to licensing restrictions and depending on where you buy them, they may not have been kept at the correct temps etc

  61. Stephanie says:

    Cats are obligate carnivores. This means that they NEED meat, and nothing else. Wet foods are the best choice, but can be expensive. However, I once consulted with an expert in animal nutrition and she felt that a poor quality canned cat food was still far superior to ANY dry formula. But as far as healthy and cost-effective, look for the dry brand with the least grain and the most meat (preferably not meat by-products). Many cat food brands advertise the fact that they offer holistic nutrition – whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc. They prey on the fact that we are largely ignorant about the dietary needs of our pets and hope that we’ll assume what’s good for us to eat will be the same for our pets. But cats do not need these things! In fact, not only do they not need them, but they are actually harmful. High levels of grain and other carbohydrates lead to diabetes in cats. Personally, I feed my cats a combination of canned food (we buy Fancy Feast grilled varieties, because that is what we can afford) and grain-free dry food (Wellness CORE). I won’t say it’s cheap ($20 a week for 2 cats), but it is worth it in what you will save in vet bills and in the extra years you will have with your pet!

  62. Danifish says:

    Our two furballs will only eat Blue Buffalo. I went to Wellness for a little while, they would eat it, but when it came to price, Blue Buffalo was a bit better. They get a cup between the two of them and they also get half a can each of Fancy Feast Pate (only pate!! the others make them sick!) per day.
    They are both long hair indoor kitties and their fur is smooth and silky and they both have a healthy weight.

    As for deals and coupons, Blue Buffalo often goes on sale for a couple dollars off at Petsmart AND there is $3.00 off coupons you can get from the Blue Buffalo website and put it on your wishlist!! I just asked everyone I know to order a coupon for me!

    http://www.bluebuffalo.com/cat-food-comparison/true-blue-test

  63. Louise says:

    We feed our cat “Now!: it’s grain free and contains meat as the first ingrediant. At $54 a bag it’s not cheap but it seems like a good quality. She also gets fresh chicken whenever we cook it up and drinks plenty of water.

  64. Caitie says:

    We’re very particular about what we feed our cat. We have learned the hard way that there IS a difference in animal foods. Our cat was always having uncontrollable diareah and was diagnosed with feline irritable bowel syndrome, and the vet said he would never have regular bm’s. After lots of food experimenting we started feeding food without corn, and he is like a brand new cat. He has gained almost ten pounds since then (we free feed him, maybe wasn’t such a good plan), and is a very healthy guy now!

    One of our dogs eat multimenu and the other eats medi-cal. The medi-cal is because she has kidney disease, she was on multi-menu before that.

    We do feed our animals regular treats though, just because they love them so much!

  65. Tracy says:

    We feed our dog Orijen as well (we wanted a quality grain free food). The largest size bag costs us about $70 & lasts for 2 months. We think it’s worth it! We have a bulldog (the breed is prone to gas) & once we switched to the grain free food, the gassiness decreased & his stools were more solid. He’s 4 yrs old & hasn’t had any health problems & has a nice shiny coat. The store we buy from has a promotion where you buy 10 bags & get the 11th free (with no time restrictions) so that’s a bonus too!

  66. stephanie says:

    The best thing to keep in mind is if the food has actually been tested on real animals and if it meets the standards set by AAFCO. Most pet foods have not actually has any controlled tests executed on them using real live pets. The other thing to keep in mind is if it is an all ages food….many out there are. This is not good for older/senior pets as they have different dietary requirements that young dogs.
    Also your “natural brands” which are a marketers dream – are also you may want to look into who really owns as produces some of these brands such as Buffalo Blue….procter and gamble anyone?

  67. stephanie says:

    Sorry that should have read owns and produces them……

  68. Beth Baker says:

    We only feed our cats and dog raw food; it really is the best for them. Before we got into the raw feeding we only used food without corn as that is just a filler. In the long run, you need to feed more of the cheap food because of the fillers, so it cost less in the long run to feed raw or a good dog food.

  69. Moe says:

    I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this one out. I really should have known better, We bread Labs, but I know better know.
    Dogs are carnivorous and don’t graze out in the corn fields, Dogs are Meat eaters.

    Anyways, I changed from the least expensive food which was almost all corn to an almost all meat food with NO Grtain, and my monthly Dog food costs are about the same or slightly lower.

    Our Labs used to get between 6-8 Cups a day each & now get 2 cups a day or Less.

    Remember when you change over to a Good Food REDUCE the amount feed daily by up to 2/3 LESS

    It of course goes without saying our dogs love this new food but health problems have gone down, Skin problems, hotspots Etc. are now non-existent, our Vet bills are lower.

  70. Bargainmoose says:

    I’m at a HUGE crossroad right now with petsmart/cat food. We have been feeding our cat authority from petsmart, since we got him. They soon cut down there store stock and now only sell pate. Of course, they won’t carry the other brands and I am forced to go out of my way to find another store who has overstock. So this leaves to me to question, do I switch brands? As of right now, I have tried a few of the more pricey brands and of course the cat won’t eat it…He loves friskies and whikas but I’m trying to avoid that at all costs. So, I’m also at this crossroad trying to figure out what to do! Why must good, and well priced cat food be SO hard to find! -Kate

  71. Dawn says:

    I buy Wellness for my dogs, which is a premium brand, and then mix it with Purina Dog Chow….I have found that both my puppy and my adult dogs like it better when mixed. Wellness is expensive, but if you buy it at PetSmart in Canada – they will match the PetSmart US website price which is about $15.00 cheaper!!! Plus, I have signed up to the Wellness newsletter and I get discount coupons emailed to me as well.

  72. Dawn says:

    As an addition to my previous comment – you must print off the page from the PetSmart website and take it in to your local store as evidence. Also, it has to be the price to order online (as opposed to the price and then it saying available “in store”). Here are some examples of Canadian and US price differences:
    1)Science Diet (13.6 kg or 30 lb bag)
    Canada – $54.99
    US – $42.99-$46.99 depending on flavour
    2)Blue Buffalo (10.88 kg or 24 lb bag)
    Canada – $64.99
    US – $51.99

  73. Holly says:

    We only feed our dog raw as well. He is a medium sized dog and it’s about $80.00 a month.

  74. Amy says:

    I own a 10 year old 100lb Golden who absolutely loves to eat and will eat anything…or so we thought. We purchased a bag of kirkland dog food from Costco about a year ago and he would not eat it, not even a kibble. We fed him Royal Canin, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover, and Orijen for years but now have switched to Nutro Ultra Senior because it is low in calories and he needs to loose weight. We normally do not buy dog food from the grocery store because we stay away from food that has corn listed as the first ingrediant.

  75. Liz says:

    I only feed my furbabies, Royal Canin from the vet office and they drink bottled water.

    I would rather pay for good food rather than paying vet bills and the stress that comes along when they get sick.

  76. Jillian says:

    FallenPixels, yes I realize that breeders and shelters sometimes do their own vaccines (except for rabies), however the Average Joe on here is most likely not a breeder or a shelter, and I expect that the original person boasting about doing their own vaccinations is not a breeder or a shelter.

    The breeder/shelter “exception” is not the same as someone trying to save a buck by doing DIY vaccinations.

  77. Stephanie says:

    For my dog (now passed) I was always told to get the most expensive food you can afford. I didn’t agree with that. He got Blue Buffalo (which is STILL expensive) until I had to switch him to special vet food due to his kidney problems (he needed a low protein diet). I bought the vet food in the biggest pack they could order because it was cheaper per pound. I would call ahead of time and ask them to order for me.

  78. FallenPixels says:

    I have done my own at home, our cat was very skittish if taken outside and a trip to the vet meant he would rip his fur out etc – it isnt always just about saving a buck. We probably would have just left him without shots completely if I was not taking cats home from the shelter who had only recently been vaccinated

  79. Shana says:

    True, cats originated in the desert and do not have a high thirst drive, also they were carnivores. Now while they(cats and dogs) were carnivores, most carnivores eat the stomach contents of their prey(which are mainly herbivores)and thus eating grains/grasses, etc. But over the 100’s of years we have domesticated them their diets have changed due to us, the humans, their caregivers. I believe everyone has a view on whats best to feed their animals and i have no right to tell them whether i believe they are right or wrong. I choose whats best for my cats based on my research and what they like. When looking into homemade diets make sure you are including all the major vitamins and minerals they need. If using a raw pet food diet make sure you are aware of salmonella contamination and make it safe for your pet and family. Do your research, don’t be afraid to ask questions to the pet brands/companies you are looking into, they would be the best to ask about specific questions. And as for vet brands, you get what you are paying for, most vet brands/diets are scientifically/Veterinarian tested. You pay more but have to feed less. I also think there are good petstore brands out there too, to each their own.

  80. joline says:

    Jillian – I never said I gave their rabies vaccination at home…I get that done at the vet clinic. Secondly, it is not illegal for me to administer vaccinations to my own animals. If I was charging others for me to vaccinate their animals, yes, that would be considered illegal. If it was illegal for me to administer vaccinations, I wouldn’t be getting them from a recognized Canadian animal pharmacy to do the administrations myself, and since my vet has no problems with me doing it and has never mentioned that I was doing anything illegal, and since she has never reported me, I think that its perfectly fine for others do the same.

  81. shari says:

    I think someone else mentioned it previously, but we feed our pooch Taste of the Wild. It was actually recommended by our trainer because it’s grain free and high quality. Our pup was so high energy we had a hard time keeping her busy, but not destructive. The way it was explained to us, and it makes sense, is that feeding your pets a lot of grain is like giving your kids candy. It gets converted to sugar and they need to burn off all that extra “energy” that your are feeding them. If they can’t, or won’t, they will just put on weight and develop various health problems just like a human would. We saw a noticeable difference in our dog’s energy level within about a week of being on this good quality food.

    I think Taste of the Wild is about on par price wise with other grain-free formulas and well worth the cost. They do make two different feline recipes, but the fish based one is usually recommended for sensitive stomachs. We get it from PetValu though you can check for other local retailers through the company website.

  82. joline says:

    Also Jillian, you don’t know anything about me. You’re right, I’m not a breeder (although I have met many and it frightens me that some people are paying to purchase animals from some of them), and you’re right, I don’t run a shelter. However, I have 25 years of farm experience with large animals, countless dogs and cats and multiple others. I have helped deliver more animals than you can imagine. I am now a health care provider. I also volunteer at the local animal shelter. So, I may not be a licensed vet, but I think I can administer a vaccination safely – and honestly, it isn’t hard. I think if someone didn’t want to spend $85 on a $15 vaccination that is easily administered, they could do it.

  83. Thanks,

    Will come back soon ….

  84. AnnV says:

    I feed my cats a 50/50 mixture of Orijen (+70% meat!) and Kirkland from Costco.

    I love the Orijen, but it is a bit pricey ($65/14 lb bag). You can also drop down to their Arcana brand, which is only 65% protein and is about $15 cheaper, but that’s still 65% higher than many brands. Orijen has won many awards in North America as “the best food” for the last couple years, though it’s not widely available. Try a specialty pet food store like Global Pet Foods in Ontario.

    The very first ingredient of Costco’s Kirkland brand is chicken and it’s only about $18/15 lb bag (in Ontario), which is really reasonable for something that has a meat as it’s primary ingredient. That’s just over $1/lb of food.

    As a few people have pointed out, cats are obligate carnivores (ie. must eat meat!) so flip over the food and make sure the very first ingredient is some sort of meat — chicken, fish, duck, etc.

    If the first ingredient, or more commonly, the first 5 ingredients… (ahem… IAMS or Science Diet… ahem…) back slowly away and do NOT ever feed this to your cat. As people have pointed out, if you save money now by feeding your cats rice/potato filled food, you will pay in the long run with more health problems. What’s even more ridiculous is the price that some companies charge for their food, and then you look at the ingredients, and it’s nearly ALL filler! (IAMS, I am again looking at you!)

  85. Vinnie says:

    So since I’ve read this thread i have changed my cats food. My cat, Mandy is a pure breed Calico Persian. She was scheduled for euthanization and i rescued her about 5 years ago. She was 4 at the time. she had had many painful urination’s due to crystals so the vet said to put her on a diet of Hills prescription C/D. She has been on this diet since I’ve owned her. She always has the dry food and usually twice a day has the soft food. Never had a problem with crystals since I’ve owned her. The problem is after reading all your guys’ posts i went out and bought her Acana Wild Prairie. She loves it but I’m worried her crystals will return. I was told by the lady at Global Pet foods that it shouldn’t effect her at all due to the high quality of product in the Acana as opposed to the Hills which has crap in in for a “Healthy” food. Should i be worried? I will continue her Hills til its gone and continue the Hills wet food.

  86. ilovegratis says:

    I switched to Iams when I no longer could afford Science Diet. What also made me switch was the fact that I was able to get coupons for Iams on a regular basis. However, I did noticed that their coat was not as shinny and they began to have problems with dry skin.
    So I began to mix the Iams food with Purelean NOW Fresh(a Canadian owned high quality cat food) and noticed a changed right away. Its a bit expensive to only feed them Now fresh, therefore I mix it.

  87. cinderelladressmaker says:

    I spent so much money and time at a Vets using their ‘prescription food’ ie, Hills. Thankfully I changed to a holistic vet and got h_ll for using Hills. I now use Fromms salmon a la veg. It is so important to use good food. Good but expensive food will over the long run, cut down on your vet bills. Animals are far more organic than we are.
    Royal Canin is not the best. Don’t give your animal any food that has ‘corn’ as an ingredient. Cats and dogs don’t digest corn well.
    And to ‘JEnn’ I saved a lot of money and years to my cats life by taking the advice of a female vet in Winnipeg. She told me to put 1/4 teaspoon of a good cider vinegar in your cats food everyday. It breaks down the crystals. I did it religiously and he lived on for many more years, never to have gone to a vet for a urinary tract problem again! And believe me, he had been on deaths door a few times. Try it, is an inexpensive treatment.
    Global Pet foods has the best variety and knowledge of healthy and holistic pet foods! And samples! Thanks for being loving pet parents!

  88. Mau says:

    Considering that the cat I adopted required nearly $1000 worth of dental surgery after I got her, I consider a $46 bag of cat food (which lasts about 2 months) a small price to pay as opposed to paying to have more of her teeth extracted… 🙂

  89. Mau says:

    I should have mentioned that I buy vet-grade dry dental food for her.

  90. sharicat says:

    I used to buy the medi-cal for years from the vet for my persian/himilan cat and it was great but it started getting really expensive when I started making crap money. A friend of my referred me to performatrin which you can buy at pet valu and for the same price i was paying for medi-cal I got double the size bag. I’ts really a good quality food and it comes in different varieties like adult nutrition or senior nutrition depending on the age of the cat. I have 2 cats that eat this and I leave it out all day for them. At night I give them a “treat” which is a can of friskies or tuna fish with the tuna juice. You need the hard type food to help with keeping the teeth clean. Especially the persian cats they are notorious for having bad decaying teeth and red gums. They need their teeth cleaned by a vet every so often.

  91. Danielle says:

    Someone along the way made a very good point, if you are on a low income and still want to give a pet a loving home that they might otherwise not get…please do so!!! I live in a city, and I think most are like this, that has a shelter overflowing with beautiful kitties and pups that need someone to love them and I would be ecstatic if they had homes…whether they get raw food, expensive dry food, or the cheapest food someone can find…if you’ll love them, it will go a long way to a great quality of life, better than in the cage at a shelter or worse!
    It’s obvious that there is a lot of pet love going on with those on this site…love seeing it.

  92. Louise says:

    If cats are carnivores someone should tell my cat :p she loves to steal toast crusts. no jame or butter on them. We have to be on guard or she’ll run off with them. So glad I spend so much money making sure her diet is great lol

  93. Brittany says:

    We purchase Royal Canin food for our dog. We purchase the large bags in the States since it is cheaper (about $35 for a giant bag as opposed to $50.) Our CAT will not stay out of the stuff – she is constantly in his bowl eating his kibbles. I e-mailed Royal Canin awhile ago to compliment them on their food and made a joke that our cat enjoys it too. Concerned, they called us thinking we were feeding it to our cat (as opposed to her just eating out of his bowl) and sent us a coupon for a free bag of Royal Canin cat food. $50 savings!

  94. Jen says:

    I don’t use Royal Canin. I don’t like the brand because it made my cat projectile vomit!

    I would like to say I only feed my animals the best food, but I don’t.

    I had a vet tell me to feed my cat Iams today instead of Wellness, saying it was “So much healthier”. I couldn’t believe it! I won’t be seeing her again!

    I think the only reason she recommended Iams was because she had a bag of it on her desk and is getting paid by P&G to promote crap.

  95. ck says:

    Buy TASTE OF THE WILD!

    CHEAPEST

    BEST INGREDIENTS

    NO BS

  96. Great points altogether, you just won a new reader. What may you recommend in regards to your put up that you simply made a few days in the past? Any certain?

  97. Red says:

    I see this is an old thread, but I thought I would add my two cents. After doing a lot of reading and research, I finally asked myself why the hell I was feeding my carnivore cooked “kibble”. Dry food has absolutely no place in a cat’s diet. Even though she was doing quite well on Orijen and a variety of canned, I decided to switch her to a freeze dried raw food with canned as well. She’s been on it for about two weeks, and I think she’s taken on two cats’ worth of energy. If interested, the books “Not Fit for a Dog” and “Your Cat” are excellent reads about companion animal nutrition. Both are written by veterinarians in a way that anyone can understand.


















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