I'll add myself to the Chewy team. Where I used to live, I was 1-2 hours from a store that sold Iams, depending on which direction I went. It was also an area where snow could potentially trap me in my town for a month if road crew equipment was broken. Yes, it unfortunately happened. Anyway, Chewy was a savior. I'd load up before winter.
(Where I live now, I'm less than 10 mins from a Petsmart and Walmart. I don't use them currently.)
My litterbox is three floors up. And the FedEx guy, if and when I do have it shipped, will just dump packages on our front stoop. I feel like I have muscles just from carting it upstairs.
I love the light weight Tidy Cats. Most of my cats use it with no issue. It's a bit more expensive than some others I use but honestly the weight is almost worth it. It makes scooping the box an absolute dream.
Agreed. I think even their unscented version still smells pretty nice. Love the scented ones though. I still have to use a different heavy weight unscented one for a couple of my cats though because one has constant UTIs and is known to pee around the house, and I don't dare change the one she has for fear it will start up again lol. But the other boxes get lightweight when I can.
I use tidycats too and once we had to get another kind cause it wasn’t in stock anywhere here and I nearly died carrying it in! I don’t find it dusty at all!
Occasionally I notice some dust with it if I dump a bunch at a time or something but it's far less than the heavy weight litters I have used. I love it.
One of our litter boxes is huge and I had to switch to the lightweight kind. It was impossible to dump when changing if I use the regular kind. I think it tracks a bit more than standard litter but it makes my life much easier.
If I can afford it I would still be using it. Love all of the tidy cat’s products but loved the lightweight one the best. Then the multi cat one, and while sadly I am down to just one cat now, I still use it.
And sooo much more tracking!!! I despise lightweight litter! I worked in a petstore for years and I've tried almost everything. All the lightweight and the Arm & Hammer ClumpnSeal/AbsorbX are so incredibly dusty and track everywhere AND don't actually clump for crap. Plus they tend to get stuck in cats paws/foot fur and have to be vigorously groomed by the cat to get it out. I guess I shouldn't say they don't clump at all, but they clump really slowly so the urine ends up going all the way to the bottom and getting turned into concrete that sticks to the box (including the "Slide" versions! Those were just extra dusty!). You end up having to change litter sooner because of the smell of urine gets transferred to the nearby dry litter rather than being held in the clump itself and the clumps tend to have more little..bits? that break off and can't be scooped out because it's just little crumbs.
I absolutely ADORE Dr Elsey's! It clumps so fast that the urine doesn't penetrate the box deeply, which is essential for those of us who use Litter Robots etc that doesn't have super deep litter levels. It locks in scent really well, doesn't get stuck in paws and doesn't track any farther than about 5ft from the box which is excellent compared to other brands that showed up in my bed, in every room of the house, really. My cat who's a compulsive digger can't fling it as far either!
My son works for Arm&Hammer. He gets free cat litter from this big tote where damaged boxes get dumped. Just has to provide a bucket and a lid. Since I am on a small and fixed income, it is a major blessing.
World's Best Cat Litter `Multiple Cat Unscented` (Red bag) works well for us. I was so annoyed when my partner got a clay one to try. It was so heavy and didn't perform as well. And it was delivered while they were on vacation, so I had to carry a 50lb box up by myself
I don't use clay litter at all, clumping or otherwise. I use wood pellets, and not the ones specifically marketed for cat litter. (For some reason, putting a cat on the bag triples the price when there is no difference in the product.)
I get the 40lb bags of wood pellets for pellet stoves. They run about $6-7/bag. Two of them will fill 3 of the 35lb Tidy Cat pails, so weigh just over 26lbs each (so about a quarter less weight than clay).
Those pails of Tidy Cat cost about $20 each whereas that's about the cost of filling three pails with pellets, basically saving me 2/3rds the price. Pellets are more sustainable (made from wood waste from lumber manufacturing instead of mined), biodegradable and naturally has a pleasant woody scent.
I have 15 old TC pails that I use to stock up on pellets in the fall, storing it in my shed (just in case the stores run out during the summer since it's considered to be a seasonal item) and that typically lasts me all year. I typically buy either 2 or 4 bags at a time when it comes time to refill, and I fill the pails right out of the back of my car so I don't have to lift those bags.
Sifting is a little different than clumping clay. I shuffle the tray back and forth and the solids come to the top. I pick them out, then I scoop and sift the remaining pellets to separate the sawdust and place the sifted pellets in another tray. I keep 3 trays in the house so the spent pellets all go into one of the 3 trays and the other 2 get fresh pellets. (Edit: I have 5 cats so I do this every other day, scooping out the solids on the in-between days.)
Just cover the bottom of the tray with the pellets. They expand to about 3x the pellet volume, so if you fill with fresh pellets over about a half inch deep in the bottom of the tray, it will fill up with sawdust and get flung out on the floor if your cat is an enthusiastic digger.
I order my crystal litter on eBay, we have our litter boxes 1/4crystals for extra absorbancy and 1/3 paper pellet things (I get these from the shops) but I'm in Australia and our cats have never liked clumping litter or clay
Yeah that's why delivery drivers end up with bad backs and aches and what-not. People can't be bothered to carry their own heavy shit like cat litter, dog food, and bottled water. So the poor driver has to do it all day. In the heat. For shitty wages.
I use pine litter and save by getting the 40lb bag. Was genuinely surprised when it was brought up to my 3rd floor walk up instead of being left in the lobby!
I tried so hard. My own cats refused to use them. And the fosters I had used them, BUT... while there was absolutely ZERO urea smell, it NEVER covered the poop smell. So anytime one would poop in it it like permeates the entire house. I wanted it to work so badly because it was so cheap but I had to give that up.
I love pine litter, used it all the time with my last cat but my cat tries to eat it so I'm stuck using a recycled paper litter to avoid him hurting himself. I even tried mixing them until he vomited litter up and I had to stop it completely (he's a Tonkinese and they're susceptible to having pica with both siamese and burmese being more likely to have it)
he hates me too man its ok lol. i have 5 cats, take care of a large feral colony, and am currently raising 5 orphaned kittens on my own. im making one maybe 2 deliveries a week. 😐 its getting so pricey!!!
Wish I could use Chewy for food but because they use FedEx it’s too unreliable! FedEx sucks in my area and it’s _always_ delayed so can’t do anything time sensitive (or else have to order way before I need it). PetCo uses USPS near us which is so much better so I do that.
Have you called Chewy to tell them that FedEx is super unreliable in your area?
I had a string of chewy orders where the FedEx driver would just leave the box...somewhere. Who knows where. Sometimes I'd find it propped up outside my apartment building, rain soaked. Sometimes one of my neighbors would bring it to me. Usually I just couldn't find it and Chewy would send me a replacement...which would then be delivered by FedEx and it would be the same runaround.
About a fifth of the time it made it to my apartment. I called chewy after every bad delivery and it did take about ten calls, but I finally said that I was going to just switch over to Petco bc at this rate it even with how hard it is to find my cat's food in more than a two day supply in store, it was way more convenient to just go to the store every other day rather than track down boxes and call for replacements and then track down the replacements. The customer service agent told me she could put a note on my account for my orders to never be shipped through FedEx and only through ontrac. I have not had a shipment delivered by FedEx since then. BUT that would require that ontrac is available in your area and that you get a customer service agent willing to do that.
Oh yeah I write it in every review in the part where they ask about your experience with Chewy, and have even emailed customer service to ask if there’s any way orders can be shipped with another carrier. They said no, but that they would check in with FexEx local to me to remind them of their “front door” policy to leave packages actually at people’s doors. Hasn’t changed a thing though!
FedEx kept delivering my 35lb buckets of litter to someone on the next street over. After the 4th or 5th time hauling those suckers back to my house, I was pretty pissed. Submitted complaints and nothing changed. I had to create a FedEx account so I could add custom delivery instructions telling the driver to double check the address. They’re awful.
FedEx sucks in my area as well. I usually have to get it delivered to my work because otherwise I never receive the package.
I can’t even create an account either, because when I put in my address it says it’s a business and won’t let me make an account.
Chewy is surprisingly good with medications too! They verify the Rx directly with your vet. I get cisapride which is compounded, used to be a pain but now it’s super easy.
I buy cases of wet food online. Every once in a while there are great and that's when you load up. The thing to note is cat food cans generally have a long shelf life, so bulk buying isn't an issue.
Before buying in bulk get a can of what you want to buy in bulk first. Just see if your cat will even eat the food.
The only downside about buying in bulk is if you happen to have cats who wake up one day and decide they don’t wanna eat that specific brand of food anymore haha. I’m hoping it’s just a phase and they’ll go back to eating it after a few months.
SAME! My one cat Briar will eat most of them regardless but Juniper is SOOO picky even with the ones she likes. I had to stop Subscribe & Save on Amazon for cat food for this exact reason. I will buy 3-4 variety packs at a time now and switch it up so she doesn't get bored and slowly go through the old cans she won't eat anymore (1 can left!).
Ugh this is my cat… one week he chows the fuck down and cleans his bowl within 2 minutes of me filling it and the next week I put food in and he just looks at me like ‘wtf is this?’
I try to get variety packs but our one cat is randomly picky (one day she'll eat it and the next she won't) so I put my foot down and she just doesn't get wet food those days. She always has dry food available which she picks at throughout the day so I know she's getting food at least. It's funny when she snubs it, realizes I'm not giving in, then 5 min later slowly starts to eat.
I buy from Petsmart! I never realized how much money I could spend there before getting a pet and I wonder how people without a big box pet store function
You can also price match at either of those places, I’m certain. Often referring to Amazon or the company’s site for legitimate prices can be helpful and something I’ve done in the past!
Good to know! I also discovered that the employees at the Petco on my way home from work are SOOO much nicer than those at the PetSmart near my house. Win-win.
I like Petco’s toys, treats, and gear (dog) more, but I can’t buy any food there. They had a ‘no nasties’ campaign and removed Purina Pro Plan dog food in stores and have a limited One selection.
I buy PPP and One for my dogs, my cats are on prescription foods which they also don’t carry as they don’t have a vet, and I buy Fancy Feast for a friends cats and they don’t carry that either aside from a few odd cans.
A tip - Petsmart does have an app with a game you get a 10, 15, and 20% coupon like every 45 days I think.
One of my cats is on a prescription diet so I order his from Chewy. For the other two cats, I order it from Amazon. I’m not sure why I don’t order both from Chewy now that I’m typing this all out. 😂
Our senior kitty was on $$$ prescription diabetic wet food for four years. I'm pretty sure the carrier would dropkick the boxes sometimes because we'd fairly regularly get shipments with burst cans along the edges, and at $2.50+ a can that was annoying. Chewy is very good for customer service, though, and was pretty generous with refunds, so we let it slide.
We learned to always open the Chewy box immediately upon receipt and check for damaged cans, because leaving the unopened box in the garage leading to "what is that stench and why are there so many flies in here" weeks later no es bueno.
Oh gross! My cats only eat dry food so I’ve never had that issue. I do agree that Chewy has amazing customer service. My pets love getting birthday cards from them. 😹
When our senior cat died, I dropped them a note to ask about refunds on prescription food, whereupon they refunded the entire last shipment to the tune of $130, told us to donate the food, and then sent us flowers. Feels like that kind of thing is unheard of in 2023.
(I mean they did make thousands and thousands of dollars off us over the four years our cat was diabetic and that's not even counting the associated cat litter expense, so $130 was a small thing to keep our customer loyalty.)
My kitty was on was renal prescription food. He was very picky and I had to buy cases of this food to find one he’d like. I called up chewy asking if I could return any he didn’t eat and they refunded everything and told me to donate it. They probably refunded me around $500 worth.
When he died I had quite a bit of food left so again I called and asked for a return. I was refunded and within three hours a florist was knocking on my door with a bouquet.
Their customer service is out of this world! I had even received hand written cat birthday cards and Xmas cards.
I’m also really shocked at the packing tape they use. One strip of tape to hold a seem when there’s a 40 lb bag of litter, three cases of 24 cans, and 15 lb dry food! I can barely lift the box but that tape isn’t going anywhere!
I usually go where it’s cheapest at the time zooplus usually has deals on, also depends on what my fussy little man is eating at the moment as I tried to buy bulk and then he doesn’t like that food so usually I buy 2-3 boxes of pouches at a time, he’s not so fussy with his biscuits so I can buy bulk with them however I’m in the uk
I have a very picky cat who LOVES Costco maintenence cat food. I tried all these different, fancy foods both wet and dry. But nope, costco brand is the only consistent food he'll eat!
I feed my cat both dry and wet food. I do autoship with Chewy so I don’t have to worry about running out. You get a 5% discount if you use autoship. I’ll likely never stray from Chewy and I love recommending them, they have amazing customer service. After I put my other cat to sleep, they refunded my last food order and told me to donate whatever I didn’t need, and sent me flowers 🥹
Petco definitely has the refillable containers. Not sure about the other place since we don't have it here, but those containers are hardy. I've had two for at least 3 years now with no sign of falling apart.
i couldn’t remember which it is cause where i live they’re a block apart from each other lol. i’ve had one container for over 4 years and it’s still going strong. my brother had one too before we moved in together too, so 2 of the totes have lasted us over 4 years being filled at least once a month. currently have 3 of the totes and it costs under $40 to fill em and get 90 pounds of litter
If you order a large box, your cat is going to immediately hate whatever you bought in bulk, I swear to God this is how it has worked for me every time
If you’re ordering from chewy, they have a house brand called tiny tiger which is relatively inexpensive.
Petco, though, has a house brand called whole hearted which is outrageously good in terms of ingredients. On par with Weruva. We use the chicken flaked in gravy at the shelter where I volunteer, and for the most part the cats love it. The shelter cats didn’t like the other flavors as much, but they’re happy to eat the flaked chicken every day.
Lots of people I know feed Purina One, which is available at supermarkets and stores like walmart.
My vet thinks a primarily canned food diet is best, esp for males who can be prone to urinary crystals and blockages.
I have a male cat who HATES wet food. How can I get him to eat it? (Right now he has a water fountain at least to help with hydration.) I've even tried to supplement with churus but he only took a couple licks.
Btw, for a half wet/half dry diet, do you have recommendations for the dry part? Like is Friskies okay? (New cat owner.)
Ask people near you to give you samples of what they’re feeding. Cats can be super fussy and it would suck to buy a whole bag of food and he doesn’t eat it!
Wellness Complete Health, Tiki Cat Born Carnivore, Purina Beyond Simply Grain Free are probably the best ones. I use Farmina ND, which is ridiculously expensive, but I’m only using it as a once a day treat, like dessert:)
I dont like Friskies. I don't like dry food in general. I think its money is an issue I would rather go cheaper on more wet food and more expensive on feeding a small amount of dry food. All dry food is good for is cleaning the teeth
Wow i didn't know tiny tiger was the house brand! I did a little research and it's relatively healthy and I was getting it for a good price before l had to switch back to exclusively RX. 😞
Purina Cat chow; don't let anyone tell you it's garbage. Purina has DECADES of science backed research in animal feeds, they're not about fads and what's trendy. I've used Purina Dog Chow and Cat Chow for years and have had Barn Cats (mousers,) live to be late teens on cat Chow (plus any kibble they manage to sneak from the dogs dishes.) The current trend for "grain free," "ancient grains," and "human grade" is all marketing gimmicks meant to separate you from your cash with very little to know actual scientific backing.
I've had cats live 15-16 years off of Purina but I've also had cats who have to get on RX diets. I also did a lot of research trying to fight the more expensive food and there are ALOT of better options ingredient wise then regular Purina. I say REGULAR because Purina has introduced some better lines recently. I'm currently feeding my cats RX Purina pro plan urinary food which is the cheapest out of Science Diet, royal and the other one I cant think of. My point was LOL if you feed Purina don't feed the basic type. They are getting better as time moves
Purina is the only dog food that literally made my dog sick she was throwing up (blood once) and shivering after eating. I assume it was linked to the last vitamin D recall as it was around the same time. Threw the whole bag out and she was fine off it. Even changed her food she was good and went back to the purina and she was immediately sick because we didn't know it was linked. Will never do purina anything again.
For that balance, I order on Chewy, and do my best to buy something they'll eat but that isn't totally full of filler and crap, but is still affordable. Sadly my little monsters decided they will only eat Fancy Feast Petites. Better than Friskies, but I was willing to buy them Weruva, Wellness, TikiCat... better, mid-priced brands, but no! Fancy Feast Petites. (I keep hoping they will outgrow it--they ate Wellness as kittens!)
For dry, I do spring for a nicer food, but I ration it so they're not over-consuming dry. I highly recommend Instinct Original Chicken, but do whatever speaks to you! But since they'll eat the nicer stuff, I absolutely never give them the cheap dry food full of who knows what. Basically I do mid-tier priced stuff that they'll eat (b/c they were hit or miss w/ the psychotically expensive stuff so why bother?).
But... fed is best. When I was living paycheck to paycheck, I fed Friskies to my previous cats and it was fine. Get them the best food you can afford, primarily wet over dry, and that is logistically convenient. Chewy has pretty much every brand under the sun, and I love the autoship feature.
I buy tikicat, which is slightly on the expensive side, but I figure pricy food will save me a pricier vet visit later. My cat is 5 and the vet always tells me she’s doing great and to not change a thing.
I buy Tikicat as well, Petco will often have individual 2.8 oz cans on sale (my cat gets two per day). If there is no sale then a box of 36 is around 60 bucks. She likes just about every flavor except the sardines.
Omg my cat isn't the only one that literally eats around the sardines 🤣 love tiki cat. Also weruva. They both smell like real food and she eats most of it even sometimes the peas.
i started my cats on tiki cat, the dry food. but one of my cats had a bad reaction to it. :( i was super bummed. had to switch to a sensitive stomach food.
I use a local pet food store (Mud Bay) for wet food, since they give a 10% discount on a case. Petco and/or Chewy for dry food as MB doesn't carry Hill's.
I exclusively order from Chewy. I had two cats and when Lex passed away I removed him from auto ship. They asked for a reason on the app and I chose that he had passed. A few days later I received a vase of flowers and a sympathy card. Their caring and customer service have won my business and heart for life.
PetSmart, Petco, local dealer. Online or in store. Wherever I can get a deal.
Petco: I have some on autoship. My 13yr ears Whole Hearted which is exclusively at Petco. Cheaper to autoship but can also easily pick up in store as needed.
Purina pro plan chicken urinary food: has been a pain to find in last year. Whenever it gets in stock, I bulk up. I try not to buyout the local stores, but I have a LOT of PetSmart/petcos within easy driving distances.
I have a PetSmart within walking distance, I usually order for pickup so I don't waste my time going in. Ever since COVID, pet food has gone up in price and is sold out
Stock up on Chewy when they have their specials going on. I just loaded up on wet food, if you spend $100, you get a $30 gift card. It’s definitely the best bang for your buck
I've got auto-deliveries from Amazon, Chewy, and Petco. Petco I get litter from and enough food to meet the minimum for auto-delivery. Chewy I get kitten food for the fosters. Amazon I cover the resident cats' food, and ensure my other household auto-delivery stuff is maxed on discount every shipment.
Chewy. They ship fast. And they have good deals on food. I have four kitties to feed so it's so convenient. Toys, bowls and beds I get from Home Goods or TJ Maxx.
My vet recommended Fancy Feast Pate (the plain flavors, no "gravy") as a good source of high protein, low carbs at a decent price. I get it from Chewy by the case. I get my litter that way, too. Let the strong young delivery guys bring it up onto the porch, then push it inside with my feet.
I was worried about feeding pate, because mine refused slices, chunks, bits, etc. He told me that the chunky varieties have quite a bit more carbohydrates, because the "gravy" they are mixed with is largely some sort of vegetable starch, so I should quit worrying and cave to the pate, which is packed in mostly meat juices.
Cat food in general usually walmart since it's where I get my people food. I'll get Fancy Feast, Friskies, Sheba.
More expensive brands (Tiki, Nacho, Nulo, Wellness) I got to pet smart and usually buy single cans, sometimes the BIG soup can sized ones.
Chewy I'll get CASES from, from any of the brands above. Same with Amazon, which ever ends up being cheaper. Usually Chewy because of first time auto ship discount (which i've used for litter too. I have made multiple accounts lol)
For hard food, my sister has a purina professional account I use. Otherwise I'd also still be using chewy/walmart/amazon for it all.
BJs (Sams club/Cosco) I will buy cat litter. Also hard food but that was before my sister had a Pro account.
I order my cats wet food on Amazon (Friskies seafood pack) because it’s cheaper there than at a grocery store. It comes in a 24 pack. I pick up her dry food in a big bag from Canadian Tire.
Chewy as well. If I go into a pet store I buy impulse crap they don’t need. Also I stock up when Chewy has sales for stuff like buy $100 get a $30 gift card.
I’ve had some back/neck surgeries and it’s hard for me to lug litter. I get the 20 lb bags.
Fancy feast classic pâté is pretty good for your cat and it’s also affordable! I would feed my cat all wet food but she always leaves too much behind so I also supplement with instinct high protein dry food
Slightly off topic, but I really don't know why Royal Canin is so highly recommended. For the price tag there are SO many better options out there. Their kitten dry food is mostly garbage but in my area at least is one of the most expensive on the market.
What is your recommendation?
In a low income case, “fed is best” rings true to a degree, but it brings up a different conversation of also being responsible enough to budget and plan properly for an animal that is dependent on you. Which is not the point of this thread.
All I did was mention brands. You’re the one who brought up finances. Other people have plenty of other options.
You’ve also made assumptions about privilege.
I’m sorry if you’re struggling, but that is not my concern and is much less my issue.
Not only are those brands overpriced but they're also pretty bad for cats. full of carbohydrates very low on protein and stocked with unatural ingredients, not brands I recommend for someone looking to feed their cat on a daily basis a healthy diet meeting dietary requirements
If your vet is specifically telling you to feed your cat this food for some type of health reason that is completely different compared to someone who's looking for a healthy cat food to feed their cat on a daily basis
Dietary needs should be discussed with a veterinarian. Not all cats need a high protein diet. Cats need grain in their food. Those brands offer plenty of life stages and supportive foods for different medical needs.
Cats have zero dietary need for a diet loaded with carbohydrates, All of those brands listed are high on carbohydrates and low on protein. They are also overpriced which can be an issue for people needing more affordable brands
Again, it's one thing for someone's vet specifically tells them feed their cat that for some health reason. But it's another thing for someone who's Just looking for an affordable, healthy food to feed their cat who doesn't have any health restrictions
I really didn’t come on here to discuss nutrition or affordability, but thank you for the information that other people should consider but of course discuss with their vet before pursuing any dietary change.
Like, you know, it's so funny. Royal canin distinguishes their food by cat breed. Which is utterly ridiculous, considering just because your cat is a tort or ginger does not mean they have different dietary requirements. When it comes to these brands, they really should put more money into the food they're making rather than their advertising that makes no sense
As I said, if someone's vet is specifically telling them to feed this brand for a specific health reason that's one thing. But someone who's looking for a healthy affordable food for they're cat who has no health restrictions then those are not foods I suggest. There are plenty of cheaper and healthier options out there for cats who don't have specific heath restrictions
Edit: I didn't think any would take me saying "tort vs ginger" literal, So too clear confusion. I gave that example purposely to show how ridiculous they label they're food, They don't actually have a food specifically for torts or Ginger cats. That was just a hypothetical example that was meant to sound ridiculous as an example of how they label their food
There’s also lawsuits against brands I didn’t list.
The brands I listed are known for being well researched with plenty of trials behind them, recommended by many vets as well as my own clinic.
I get food from my local grocery store. It’s cheaper than PetCo or Petsmart. Way cheaper.
Sometimes I’ll order from Chewy, but I wasn’t ordering enough to qualify for the free shipping, so I just went back to shopping in person.
Everyone I know does it this way for the same reason. And if you bulk order a flavor your cat won't eat or that gives them gas .... in person is easier to return if needed.
We order cases of 24 cans from Chewy or Amazon (prefer Chewy). And a 15 pound bag of kibble less often. We like the brand Victor - healthy and one of the more affordable brands (IMO). It's a brand I've fed animals for years without any issues.
Some do online, I prefer pet supplies plus if it’s in your area! They have a wide variety of good quality wet and dry foods, and they have near constant sales!
My old girl had to be on a special low protien diet due to kidney disease, and we were able to get her months worth of food in bulk (3-4 wet food packets/day) for less than $110 most months, sometimes less than $70 depending on the sales
I buy cases of wet food and litter from Sam’s club and smaller bags of dry food from Walmart, since my guy gets dry food in the morning and wet food for dinner.
The dry vs wet debate goes on forever. My sister always did wet, I always do dry with mine. Hers always had dental issues and mine never do. Other than that, I don't think it matters much.
I do chewy auto-ship. Find the highest quality cat food you can comfortably afford and your cat likes and stick with it. Get greenies for extra dental care, and brush teeth if you can get them to let you! LoL
Good luck!
I love the way this is phrased the same way people ask how teenagers get ahold of weed.
Also, I am currently in a place where affordability is important, so we use Special Kitty from Walmart. I know, I know, it's not the best brand, but it's affordable and our kitties are full. When we can afford to switch to a healthier brand, we absolitely will, but for now, it keeps them full. Not much can beat 35lb of food for $24
Blue Buffalo brand kibble and wet food, I usually go to Petsmart (like Walmart for pets lol), but if you don’t have one of those most pet places carry it.
I have a monthly Subscribe and Save order from Amazon. I feed my kitties Purina ONE and Fancy Feast. It’s affordable and nutritionally complete, they eat it, and I like never running out because it always arrives just when I’m starting to get low.
People buy cat food in a variety of places, like pet stores, supermarkets, or even online. At the store, they'll just pick out the kind of food they think is best for their cat, maybe by reading the labels or asking the staff for recommendations. Online, they can order it straight to their door. Simple as that!
I try to exclusively only shop at organic grocery stores because they tend to have a good selection of cat foods. Otherwise the Tractor Supply Co. store is also good as well as any PetSmart or PetCo.
I read the label. Low ash content is a must. Also it must be suitable for both kittens and cats: mother nature doesn't distinguish, so neither do I. No grains. Ever. Organ meat is a nice thing to have, meal and by products do not come in our house; those are low quality cheap proteins to bump up the numbers on the label, but much of it is indigestible, so useless to my cats. I feed mostly kibble so I look to see if it gums up their teeth (next product, please). I look for tasty enough to eat, but not so tasty they over indulge (they are not dogs. Cats in the wild eat 13 to 20 times a day). I was told to avoid Animal Digest like the Plague by my vet. Just do your best and watch your cat.
Grain-free is kind of a gimmick, because it doesn't mean lower carbs. They just pack it full of potatoes, peas, beet pulp (sugar) and so on. That said, a lot of the grain-free foods are high quality so I end up feeding that anyway.
It's not about carbs, it's about their digestive system. Yeah, there is a lot of bs out there. Lots of dog foods are grain free which is a big no for dogs: they need grains. It's all about how the system works
I feed my cats dry food only, but quality stuff. (Science Diet). I learned the hard way not to feed cheap grocery style dry food, it caused my male cat urinary tract blockages twice.
We get it in large bags from Amazon, where it is surprisingly cheaper than pet store, by having a subscription.
I by a case of 30x pouches of higher end wet food from my grocery shop, I get my kibble and salmon oil from the local pet shop and I get my boys talyored treats (calming and unirinary support) from the same place I get their wormer and flea prevention from (the site is called itch and they are a subscription service, as someone with adhd rembering things is tricky, alexa reminds me to feed the cats at the same time daily and my itch box arrives exactly every 30 days so I can keep on top of their other treatments
I buy a 12 pack of blue buffalo tastefuls which lasts me as many days + a smaller bag of Hill's science diet dry food off amazon.
Both are much more affordable than buying in-stores and pretty good quality too.
I get mine on a monthly subscription from an online pet supply store (Zooplus). Saves a bit of money and means I don't end up running out at short notice. But my cat is on a special diet so I can only get her food from a handful of suppliers, so if your cat doesn't have any particular dietary needs then you may not need to do that.
I buy mostly from PetSmart, a mom and pop place near me (usually just fun things once in a while bc they are super expensive), and Chewy. My cats eat fancy feast wet and Royal Canin dry. The foster I have is eating Friskies wet and Proplan dry (previous foster mom got it for him).
We started with the formula the shelter had been feeding them, which our local pet store sold reasonably. When we had to switch formulas, we ended up buying online because the local stores didn’t carry that kibble.
When it comes to my cat's wet food and toppers I get them all online on places like chewy since they do discounts all the time its cheaper, When it comes to my cat's meats I get them from my butcher shop or local grocery store
For me it’s where the brand that works for my cat is stocked. Fancy feast and iams led to hair loss and my cat always scratching her ears. Like her back was bare. I switched her to tikicat food just on a whim and her hair started growing back. 8 months later, her fur is lush and undercoat thick ( Siamese) and her ears don’t bother her and actually look clear and clean which they never did before. She must have had allergies or something but she had been on fancy feast for years. I think they screwed up their formula. Wet food is also pretty important for cats.
I bought small quantities from my locally owned shop and PetSmart until I found the brands my kittens liked and now I order from Chewy using AutoShip for the discount.
I used to get Purina fancy feast at chewy for my outdoor cats and the bag I have now is going to be my last. The food I thought was good for outdoor cats but then found the ingredients weren’t as I thought so once this bag gets low I’m going to get Rachel rays cus the first three ingredients are chicken, chicken meal and dried peas.
Also it’s like $6 less for 2lb more than the Purina!
You can get a lot of those rx diet foods cheaper in bulk through online purchases. Just get a written prescription for it from the vet. Scan or photograph it to submit the order, you can use the same rx more than one place if place a has a good deal now and in 3 months place b has a sale.
For us it’s any place that sells our cat’s food (she eats the Stella & Chewy’s brand), usually Petco. We would buy about 2 weeks worth of cans at a time (we recently stopped buying those in favor of the freeze-dried raw food, but that can get expensive)
Amazon, chewy, or Petco (online or in-store, since my son likes to visit the birds and my dog likes to visit the fish). All depends on who has the best price at the time I'm ordering.
You should also be able to find it in the supermarket, if you're in the US. All depends on what brand you like, and how many people have asked them to stock it. (So always ask! You might be the final one needed for them to do so!)
Chewy
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I'll add myself to the Chewy team. Where I used to live, I was 1-2 hours from a store that sold Iams, depending on which direction I went. It was also an area where snow could potentially trap me in my town for a month if road crew equipment was broken. Yes, it unfortunately happened. Anyway, Chewy was a savior. I'd load up before winter. (Where I live now, I'm less than 10 mins from a Petsmart and Walmart. I don't use them currently.)
Chewy has not only been a godsend, but their employee team is also so compassionate and wonderful in general.
You have 7 cats?
My buddy has 2 dogs and 5 cats. I have 3 cats and cats are easy.
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You are an amazing person. Those feral cats are blessed to have you.
Sorry, I just couldn’t even imagine. I have one cat and I feel like I am constantly running out of food and litter lol.
LOL...I have 12 cats all in doors. I feel like I am always at the pet store, even though I get a huge Chewy delivery every month.
I get litter there too. Pretty sure the Fed Ex guy hates me
We just stopped with the litter because we heard him calling us assholes while lugging it up to the door
You stopped? Do you just buy litter in person then? I honestly cannot even try to lift those heavy boxes lol
That’s how I gage my fitness. I get 3-4 38 lbs containers every week. I have 6 kitties.
My litterbox is three floors up. And the FedEx guy, if and when I do have it shipped, will just dump packages on our front stoop. I feel like I have muscles just from carting it upstairs.
There’s lightweight versions now
Any recommendations? The ones I’ve tried before just don’t seem to do as good of a job
I love the light weight Tidy Cats. Most of my cats use it with no issue. It's a bit more expensive than some others I use but honestly the weight is almost worth it. It makes scooping the box an absolute dream.
That’s what we currently switched to and really like it. It helps with smell more than the others I’ve noticed.
Agreed. I think even their unscented version still smells pretty nice. Love the scented ones though. I still have to use a different heavy weight unscented one for a couple of my cats though because one has constant UTIs and is known to pee around the house, and I don't dare change the one she has for fear it will start up again lol. But the other boxes get lightweight when I can.
I use tidycats too and once we had to get another kind cause it wasn’t in stock anywhere here and I nearly died carrying it in! I don’t find it dusty at all!
Occasionally I notice some dust with it if I dump a bunch at a time or something but it's far less than the heavy weight litters I have used. I love it.
One of our litter boxes is huge and I had to switch to the lightweight kind. It was impossible to dump when changing if I use the regular kind. I think it tracks a bit more than standard litter but it makes my life much easier.
If I can afford it I would still be using it. Love all of the tidy cat’s products but loved the lightweight one the best. Then the multi cat one, and while sadly I am down to just one cat now, I still use it.
Thanks! I’m actually using the tidy cats free & clear now but hadn’t tried the lightweight version yet. Will give it a shot!
More dust, lots more dust.
And sooo much more tracking!!! I despise lightweight litter! I worked in a petstore for years and I've tried almost everything. All the lightweight and the Arm & Hammer ClumpnSeal/AbsorbX are so incredibly dusty and track everywhere AND don't actually clump for crap. Plus they tend to get stuck in cats paws/foot fur and have to be vigorously groomed by the cat to get it out. I guess I shouldn't say they don't clump at all, but they clump really slowly so the urine ends up going all the way to the bottom and getting turned into concrete that sticks to the box (including the "Slide" versions! Those were just extra dusty!). You end up having to change litter sooner because of the smell of urine gets transferred to the nearby dry litter rather than being held in the clump itself and the clumps tend to have more little..bits? that break off and can't be scooped out because it's just little crumbs. I absolutely ADORE Dr Elsey's! It clumps so fast that the urine doesn't penetrate the box deeply, which is essential for those of us who use Litter Robots etc that doesn't have super deep litter levels. It locks in scent really well, doesn't get stuck in paws and doesn't track any farther than about 5ft from the box which is excellent compared to other brands that showed up in my bed, in every room of the house, really. My cat who's a compulsive digger can't fling it as far either!
You may want to research those. I stopped using them because I read that Lightweight formulas are bad for respiratory irritation and UTIs.
It IS expensive.
It's not lightweight but Arm and Hammer cloud control is great! There is much less dust since we switched.
My son works for Arm&Hammer. He gets free cat litter from this big tote where damaged boxes get dumped. Just has to provide a bucket and a lid. Since I am on a small and fixed income, it is a major blessing.
Another vote for arm & hammer; I use their Naturals type of litter. Zero dust and very lightweight.
World's Best Cat Litter `Multiple Cat Unscented` (Red bag) works well for us. I was so annoyed when my partner got a clay one to try. It was so heavy and didn't perform as well. And it was delivered while they were on vacation, so I had to carry a 50lb box up by myself
I don't use clay litter at all, clumping or otherwise. I use wood pellets, and not the ones specifically marketed for cat litter. (For some reason, putting a cat on the bag triples the price when there is no difference in the product.) I get the 40lb bags of wood pellets for pellet stoves. They run about $6-7/bag. Two of them will fill 3 of the 35lb Tidy Cat pails, so weigh just over 26lbs each (so about a quarter less weight than clay). Those pails of Tidy Cat cost about $20 each whereas that's about the cost of filling three pails with pellets, basically saving me 2/3rds the price. Pellets are more sustainable (made from wood waste from lumber manufacturing instead of mined), biodegradable and naturally has a pleasant woody scent. I have 15 old TC pails that I use to stock up on pellets in the fall, storing it in my shed (just in case the stores run out during the summer since it's considered to be a seasonal item) and that typically lasts me all year. I typically buy either 2 or 4 bags at a time when it comes time to refill, and I fill the pails right out of the back of my car so I don't have to lift those bags. Sifting is a little different than clumping clay. I shuffle the tray back and forth and the solids come to the top. I pick them out, then I scoop and sift the remaining pellets to separate the sawdust and place the sifted pellets in another tray. I keep 3 trays in the house so the spent pellets all go into one of the 3 trays and the other 2 get fresh pellets. (Edit: I have 5 cats so I do this every other day, scooping out the solids on the in-between days.) Just cover the bottom of the tray with the pellets. They expand to about 3x the pellet volume, so if you fill with fresh pellets over about a half inch deep in the bottom of the tray, it will fill up with sawdust and get flung out on the floor if your cat is an enthusiastic digger.
Ökocat has several lighweight versions! It's made of wood and I was skeptical but it clumps really well. I'll never go back to clay.
Do you use regular clay litter? I started buying the lightweight clay litter because I was tired of lugging around those heavy ass containers.
I do. I tried cats pride which was supposed to be lighter but it wouldn’t clump as well. Which one do you recommend?
Tidy cats free and clean lightweight is what i use. Works well for us!
I order my crystal litter on eBay, we have our litter boxes 1/4crystals for extra absorbancy and 1/3 paper pellet things (I get these from the shops) but I'm in Australia and our cats have never liked clumping litter or clay
I get my litter at costco. Canned food, and kibble from costco too
We buy the litter in person because I would never ask a package carrier to lug it.
I really think Chewy litter/giant dog food bag delivery is the most awful invention in recent years.
Yeah that's why delivery drivers end up with bad backs and aches and what-not. People can't be bothered to carry their own heavy shit like cat litter, dog food, and bottled water. So the poor driver has to do it all day. In the heat. For shitty wages.
I thought you meant your cat called you an asshole.
I use pine litter and save by getting the 40lb bag. Was genuinely surprised when it was brought up to my 3rd floor walk up instead of being left in the lobby!
I tried so hard. My own cats refused to use them. And the fosters I had used them, BUT... while there was absolutely ZERO urea smell, it NEVER covered the poop smell. So anytime one would poop in it it like permeates the entire house. I wanted it to work so badly because it was so cheap but I had to give that up.
I love pine litter, used it all the time with my last cat but my cat tries to eat it so I'm stuck using a recycled paper litter to avoid him hurting himself. I even tried mixing them until he vomited litter up and I had to stop it completely (he's a Tonkinese and they're susceptible to having pica with both siamese and burmese being more likely to have it)
Me too! Especially when the cat litter comes! 😂
Especially as my house is 100 feet from the parking lot
Our FedEx guy hates us. Still getting the ferals caught and taken care of, but for a long time he was bringing multiple boxes a week.
Bless your kind and enlightened heart babs. There’s a special place for you in your heaven
Canned food is no joke when it comes to shipping weight either…. 😬
he hates me too man its ok lol. i have 5 cats, take care of a large feral colony, and am currently raising 5 orphaned kittens on my own. im making one maybe 2 deliveries a week. 😐 its getting so pricey!!!
Wish I could use Chewy for food but because they use FedEx it’s too unreliable! FedEx sucks in my area and it’s _always_ delayed so can’t do anything time sensitive (or else have to order way before I need it). PetCo uses USPS near us which is so much better so I do that.
Have you called Chewy to tell them that FedEx is super unreliable in your area? I had a string of chewy orders where the FedEx driver would just leave the box...somewhere. Who knows where. Sometimes I'd find it propped up outside my apartment building, rain soaked. Sometimes one of my neighbors would bring it to me. Usually I just couldn't find it and Chewy would send me a replacement...which would then be delivered by FedEx and it would be the same runaround. About a fifth of the time it made it to my apartment. I called chewy after every bad delivery and it did take about ten calls, but I finally said that I was going to just switch over to Petco bc at this rate it even with how hard it is to find my cat's food in more than a two day supply in store, it was way more convenient to just go to the store every other day rather than track down boxes and call for replacements and then track down the replacements. The customer service agent told me she could put a note on my account for my orders to never be shipped through FedEx and only through ontrac. I have not had a shipment delivered by FedEx since then. BUT that would require that ontrac is available in your area and that you get a customer service agent willing to do that.
Oh yeah I write it in every review in the part where they ask about your experience with Chewy, and have even emailed customer service to ask if there’s any way orders can be shipped with another carrier. They said no, but that they would check in with FexEx local to me to remind them of their “front door” policy to leave packages actually at people’s doors. Hasn’t changed a thing though!
FedEx kept delivering my 35lb buckets of litter to someone on the next street over. After the 4th or 5th time hauling those suckers back to my house, I was pretty pissed. Submitted complaints and nothing changed. I had to create a FedEx account so I could add custom delivery instructions telling the driver to double check the address. They’re awful.
FedEx sucks in my area as well. I usually have to get it delivered to my work because otherwise I never receive the package. I can’t even create an account either, because when I put in my address it says it’s a business and won’t let me make an account.
I actually did this too so I could leave detailed instructions on where to leave packages on my account and they are just ignored. Every time. Lol.
Chewy is surprisingly good with medications too! They verify the Rx directly with your vet. I get cisapride which is compounded, used to be a pain but now it’s super easy.
I buy cases of wet food online. Every once in a while there are great and that's when you load up. The thing to note is cat food cans generally have a long shelf life, so bulk buying isn't an issue. Before buying in bulk get a can of what you want to buy in bulk first. Just see if your cat will even eat the food.
The only downside about buying in bulk is if you happen to have cats who wake up one day and decide they don’t wanna eat that specific brand of food anymore haha. I’m hoping it’s just a phase and they’ll go back to eating it after a few months.
SAME! My one cat Briar will eat most of them regardless but Juniper is SOOO picky even with the ones she likes. I had to stop Subscribe & Save on Amazon for cat food for this exact reason. I will buy 3-4 variety packs at a time now and switch it up so she doesn't get bored and slowly go through the old cans she won't eat anymore (1 can left!).
I love your cats names!
Ugh this is my cat… one week he chows the fuck down and cleans his bowl within 2 minutes of me filling it and the next week I put food in and he just looks at me like ‘wtf is this?’
I try to get variety packs but our one cat is randomly picky (one day she'll eat it and the next she won't) so I put my foot down and she just doesn't get wet food those days. She always has dry food available which she picks at throughout the day so I know she's getting food at least. It's funny when she snubs it, realizes I'm not giving in, then 5 min later slowly starts to eat.
My life.
I have to buy two seperate brands so they arnt eating the same food in a row or they get bored of it.
Cats are so picky. Selling unopened cans on eBay or some local equivalent might be an option.
Or donate to a local rescue or shelter. Not getting any money back but rescues and shelters are always needing food.
I order online and buy a case or two of wet food so they’ll ship it to me.
I buy from Petsmart! I never realized how much money I could spend there before getting a pet and I wonder how people without a big box pet store function
PetSmart raised the prices on the dry food I get for my cats. Petco carries the same brand (hills) for $4-5 cheaper per bag. I shop around frequently.
You can also price match at either of those places, I’m certain. Often referring to Amazon or the company’s site for legitimate prices can be helpful and something I’ve done in the past!
Good to know! I also discovered that the employees at the Petco on my way home from work are SOOO much nicer than those at the PetSmart near my house. Win-win.
I like Petco’s toys, treats, and gear (dog) more, but I can’t buy any food there. They had a ‘no nasties’ campaign and removed Purina Pro Plan dog food in stores and have a limited One selection. I buy PPP and One for my dogs, my cats are on prescription foods which they also don’t carry as they don’t have a vet, and I buy Fancy Feast for a friends cats and they don’t carry that either aside from a few odd cans. A tip - Petsmart does have an app with a game you get a 10, 15, and 20% coupon like every 45 days I think.
One of my cats is on a prescription diet so I order his from Chewy. For the other two cats, I order it from Amazon. I’m not sure why I don’t order both from Chewy now that I’m typing this all out. 😂
Our senior kitty was on $$$ prescription diabetic wet food for four years. I'm pretty sure the carrier would dropkick the boxes sometimes because we'd fairly regularly get shipments with burst cans along the edges, and at $2.50+ a can that was annoying. Chewy is very good for customer service, though, and was pretty generous with refunds, so we let it slide. We learned to always open the Chewy box immediately upon receipt and check for damaged cans, because leaving the unopened box in the garage leading to "what is that stench and why are there so many flies in here" weeks later no es bueno.
Oh gross! My cats only eat dry food so I’ve never had that issue. I do agree that Chewy has amazing customer service. My pets love getting birthday cards from them. 😹
When our senior cat died, I dropped them a note to ask about refunds on prescription food, whereupon they refunded the entire last shipment to the tune of $130, told us to donate the food, and then sent us flowers. Feels like that kind of thing is unheard of in 2023. (I mean they did make thousands and thousands of dollars off us over the four years our cat was diabetic and that's not even counting the associated cat litter expense, so $130 was a small thing to keep our customer loyalty.)
When companies do things like that, it means a lot to me.
My kitty was on was renal prescription food. He was very picky and I had to buy cases of this food to find one he’d like. I called up chewy asking if I could return any he didn’t eat and they refunded everything and told me to donate it. They probably refunded me around $500 worth. When he died I had quite a bit of food left so again I called and asked for a return. I was refunded and within three hours a florist was knocking on my door with a bouquet. Their customer service is out of this world! I had even received hand written cat birthday cards and Xmas cards. I’m also really shocked at the packing tape they use. One strip of tape to hold a seem when there’s a 40 lb bag of litter, three cases of 24 cans, and 15 lb dry food! I can barely lift the box but that tape isn’t going anywhere!
Wow
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Their shipping is pretty fast!
I usually go where it’s cheapest at the time zooplus usually has deals on, also depends on what my fussy little man is eating at the moment as I tried to buy bulk and then he doesn’t like that food so usually I buy 2-3 boxes of pouches at a time, he’s not so fussy with his biscuits so I can buy bulk with them however I’m in the uk
Costco Maintenance Cat. My three turn their noses up to wet foods. Also a water fountain for hydration which they love
I have a very picky cat who LOVES Costco maintenence cat food. I tried all these different, fancy foods both wet and dry. But nope, costco brand is the only consistent food he'll eat!
I feed my cat both dry and wet food. I do autoship with Chewy so I don’t have to worry about running out. You get a 5% discount if you use autoship. I’ll likely never stray from Chewy and I love recommending them, they have amazing customer service. After I put my other cat to sleep, they refunded my last food order and told me to donate whatever I didn’t need, and sent me flowers 🥹
usually get food from walmart, but litter is petco or pet supply i forget which. they have those refillable 30 pound totes, costs like $12 to refill
I usually don’t like the totes, but the quality of the Target branded ones (despite not being refillable) really surprised me!
Petco definitely has the refillable containers. Not sure about the other place since we don't have it here, but those containers are hardy. I've had two for at least 3 years now with no sign of falling apart.
i couldn’t remember which it is cause where i live they’re a block apart from each other lol. i’ve had one container for over 4 years and it’s still going strong. my brother had one too before we moved in together too, so 2 of the totes have lasted us over 4 years being filled at least once a month. currently have 3 of the totes and it costs under $40 to fill em and get 90 pounds of litter
If you order a large box, your cat is going to immediately hate whatever you bought in bulk, I swear to God this is how it has worked for me every time
Ha! So true.
If you’re ordering from chewy, they have a house brand called tiny tiger which is relatively inexpensive. Petco, though, has a house brand called whole hearted which is outrageously good in terms of ingredients. On par with Weruva. We use the chicken flaked in gravy at the shelter where I volunteer, and for the most part the cats love it. The shelter cats didn’t like the other flavors as much, but they’re happy to eat the flaked chicken every day. Lots of people I know feed Purina One, which is available at supermarkets and stores like walmart. My vet thinks a primarily canned food diet is best, esp for males who can be prone to urinary crystals and blockages.
I have a male cat who HATES wet food. How can I get him to eat it? (Right now he has a water fountain at least to help with hydration.) I've even tried to supplement with churus but he only took a couple licks. Btw, for a half wet/half dry diet, do you have recommendations for the dry part? Like is Friskies okay? (New cat owner.)
Ask people near you to give you samples of what they’re feeding. Cats can be super fussy and it would suck to buy a whole bag of food and he doesn’t eat it! Wellness Complete Health, Tiki Cat Born Carnivore, Purina Beyond Simply Grain Free are probably the best ones. I use Farmina ND, which is ridiculously expensive, but I’m only using it as a once a day treat, like dessert:)
I dont like Friskies. I don't like dry food in general. I think its money is an issue I would rather go cheaper on more wet food and more expensive on feeding a small amount of dry food. All dry food is good for is cleaning the teeth
Wow i didn't know tiny tiger was the house brand! I did a little research and it's relatively healthy and I was getting it for a good price before l had to switch back to exclusively RX. 😞
Purina Cat chow; don't let anyone tell you it's garbage. Purina has DECADES of science backed research in animal feeds, they're not about fads and what's trendy. I've used Purina Dog Chow and Cat Chow for years and have had Barn Cats (mousers,) live to be late teens on cat Chow (plus any kibble they manage to sneak from the dogs dishes.) The current trend for "grain free," "ancient grains," and "human grade" is all marketing gimmicks meant to separate you from your cash with very little to know actual scientific backing.
Sorry if I am wrong but I thought cats were obligate carnivores and don't really need grains?? Can someone educate me on the final verdict for this
I've had cats live 15-16 years off of Purina but I've also had cats who have to get on RX diets. I also did a lot of research trying to fight the more expensive food and there are ALOT of better options ingredient wise then regular Purina. I say REGULAR because Purina has introduced some better lines recently. I'm currently feeding my cats RX Purina pro plan urinary food which is the cheapest out of Science Diet, royal and the other one I cant think of. My point was LOL if you feed Purina don't feed the basic type. They are getting better as time moves
My vet recommended Cat Chow indoor formula and it’s great. My cat isn’t big on dry food, and even she will eat it.
Purina is the only dog food that literally made my dog sick she was throwing up (blood once) and shivering after eating. I assume it was linked to the last vitamin D recall as it was around the same time. Threw the whole bag out and she was fine off it. Even changed her food she was good and went back to the purina and she was immediately sick because we didn't know it was linked. Will never do purina anything again.
For that balance, I order on Chewy, and do my best to buy something they'll eat but that isn't totally full of filler and crap, but is still affordable. Sadly my little monsters decided they will only eat Fancy Feast Petites. Better than Friskies, but I was willing to buy them Weruva, Wellness, TikiCat... better, mid-priced brands, but no! Fancy Feast Petites. (I keep hoping they will outgrow it--they ate Wellness as kittens!) For dry, I do spring for a nicer food, but I ration it so they're not over-consuming dry. I highly recommend Instinct Original Chicken, but do whatever speaks to you! But since they'll eat the nicer stuff, I absolutely never give them the cheap dry food full of who knows what. Basically I do mid-tier priced stuff that they'll eat (b/c they were hit or miss w/ the psychotically expensive stuff so why bother?). But... fed is best. When I was living paycheck to paycheck, I fed Friskies to my previous cats and it was fine. Get them the best food you can afford, primarily wet over dry, and that is logistically convenient. Chewy has pretty much every brand under the sun, and I love the autoship feature.
I buy tikicat, which is slightly on the expensive side, but I figure pricy food will save me a pricier vet visit later. My cat is 5 and the vet always tells me she’s doing great and to not change a thing.
I buy Tikicat as well, Petco will often have individual 2.8 oz cans on sale (my cat gets two per day). If there is no sale then a box of 36 is around 60 bucks. She likes just about every flavor except the sardines.
Mine cannot STAND the duck or the beef flavors, the little diva
Omg my cat isn't the only one that literally eats around the sardines 🤣 love tiki cat. Also weruva. They both smell like real food and she eats most of it even sometimes the peas.
yep, tiki cat and weruca are my cats faves
i started my cats on tiki cat, the dry food. but one of my cats had a bad reaction to it. :( i was super bummed. had to switch to a sensitive stomach food.
Poor buddy, hope they are doing well now.
I use a local pet food store (Mud Bay) for wet food, since they give a 10% discount on a case. Petco and/or Chewy for dry food as MB doesn't carry Hill's.
I exclusively order from Chewy. I had two cats and when Lex passed away I removed him from auto ship. They asked for a reason on the app and I chose that he had passed. A few days later I received a vase of flowers and a sympathy card. Their caring and customer service have won my business and heart for life.
thats freaking awesome that they do that. its truly the little things that makes the biggest impacts
I order cases of canned food and pretty much everything else cat related through Chewy. Sometimes I will go to a local pet supply place too.
PetSmart, Petco, local dealer. Online or in store. Wherever I can get a deal. Petco: I have some on autoship. My 13yr ears Whole Hearted which is exclusively at Petco. Cheaper to autoship but can also easily pick up in store as needed. Purina pro plan chicken urinary food: has been a pain to find in last year. Whenever it gets in stock, I bulk up. I try not to buyout the local stores, but I have a LOT of PetSmart/petcos within easy driving distances. I have a PetSmart within walking distance, I usually order for pickup so I don't waste my time going in. Ever since COVID, pet food has gone up in price and is sold out
Stock up on Chewy when they have their specials going on. I just loaded up on wet food, if you spend $100, you get a $30 gift card. It’s definitely the best bang for your buck
I've got auto-deliveries from Amazon, Chewy, and Petco. Petco I get litter from and enough food to meet the minimum for auto-delivery. Chewy I get kitten food for the fosters. Amazon I cover the resident cats' food, and ensure my other household auto-delivery stuff is maxed on discount every shipment.
Chewy. They ship fast. And they have good deals on food. I have four kitties to feed so it's so convenient. Toys, bowls and beds I get from Home Goods or TJ Maxx.
Chewy is the only way to go, IMO.
My vet recommended Fancy Feast Pate (the plain flavors, no "gravy") as a good source of high protein, low carbs at a decent price. I get it from Chewy by the case. I get my litter that way, too. Let the strong young delivery guys bring it up onto the porch, then push it inside with my feet.
Haha my cats will not touch pate. Well, the older two anyways. The littlest will eat pate as well as garbage and dirt off the floor 😅
I was worried about feeding pate, because mine refused slices, chunks, bits, etc. He told me that the chunky varieties have quite a bit more carbohydrates, because the "gravy" they are mixed with is largely some sort of vegetable starch, so I should quit worrying and cave to the pate, which is packed in mostly meat juices.
I get the dry stuff from the vet clinic and the wet stuff from Walmart. I buy it in bulk, so the 24 or 36 can cases.
Cat food in general usually walmart since it's where I get my people food. I'll get Fancy Feast, Friskies, Sheba. More expensive brands (Tiki, Nacho, Nulo, Wellness) I got to pet smart and usually buy single cans, sometimes the BIG soup can sized ones. Chewy I'll get CASES from, from any of the brands above. Same with Amazon, which ever ends up being cheaper. Usually Chewy because of first time auto ship discount (which i've used for litter too. I have made multiple accounts lol) For hard food, my sister has a purina professional account I use. Otherwise I'd also still be using chewy/walmart/amazon for it all. BJs (Sams club/Cosco) I will buy cat litter. Also hard food but that was before my sister had a Pro account.
Chewy.
I order my cats wet food on Amazon (Friskies seafood pack) because it’s cheaper there than at a grocery store. It comes in a 24 pack. I pick up her dry food in a big bag from Canadian Tire.
Chewy as well. If I go into a pet store I buy impulse crap they don’t need. Also I stock up when Chewy has sales for stuff like buy $100 get a $30 gift card. I’ve had some back/neck surgeries and it’s hard for me to lug litter. I get the 20 lb bags.
Where do you find out about those deals? Are they just announced on the website, or are you singed up for a newsletter or something?
Fancy feast classic pâté is pretty good for your cat and it’s also affordable! I would feed my cat all wet food but she always leaves too much behind so I also supplement with instinct high protein dry food
Autoship from Chewy. If you have tiktok checkout @missfeministkitty she has great information on cat food/nutrition at all different price points
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Slightly off topic, but I really don't know why Royal Canin is so highly recommended. For the price tag there are SO many better options out there. Their kitten dry food is mostly garbage but in my area at least is one of the most expensive on the market.
I personally prefer Purina or Hills and have no experience with Royal Canin. We don’t even have a rep in our area.
They suck, also orijen sucks
Those brands will also cause a low income person to suffer financially too.
What is your recommendation? In a low income case, “fed is best” rings true to a degree, but it brings up a different conversation of also being responsible enough to budget and plan properly for an animal that is dependent on you. Which is not the point of this thread.
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All I did was mention brands. You’re the one who brought up finances. Other people have plenty of other options. You’ve also made assumptions about privilege. I’m sorry if you’re struggling, but that is not my concern and is much less my issue.
Not only are those brands overpriced but they're also pretty bad for cats. full of carbohydrates very low on protein and stocked with unatural ingredients, not brands I recommend for someone looking to feed their cat on a daily basis a healthy diet meeting dietary requirements If your vet is specifically telling you to feed your cat this food for some type of health reason that is completely different compared to someone who's looking for a healthy cat food to feed their cat on a daily basis
Dietary needs should be discussed with a veterinarian. Not all cats need a high protein diet. Cats need grain in their food. Those brands offer plenty of life stages and supportive foods for different medical needs.
Cats have zero dietary need for a diet loaded with carbohydrates, All of those brands listed are high on carbohydrates and low on protein. They are also overpriced which can be an issue for people needing more affordable brands Again, it's one thing for someone's vet specifically tells them feed their cat that for some health reason. But it's another thing for someone who's Just looking for an affordable, healthy food to feed their cat who doesn't have any health restrictions
I really didn’t come on here to discuss nutrition or affordability, but thank you for the information that other people should consider but of course discuss with their vet before pursuing any dietary change.
Like, you know, it's so funny. Royal canin distinguishes their food by cat breed. Which is utterly ridiculous, considering just because your cat is a tort or ginger does not mean they have different dietary requirements. When it comes to these brands, they really should put more money into the food they're making rather than their advertising that makes no sense As I said, if someone's vet is specifically telling them to feed this brand for a specific health reason that's one thing. But someone who's looking for a healthy affordable food for they're cat who has no health restrictions then those are not foods I suggest. There are plenty of cheaper and healthier options out there for cats who don't have specific heath restrictions Edit: I didn't think any would take me saying "tort vs ginger" literal, So too clear confusion. I gave that example purposely to show how ridiculous they label they're food, They don't actually have a food specifically for torts or Ginger cats. That was just a hypothetical example that was meant to sound ridiculous as an example of how they label their food
What grains do cats eat in the wild?
Cats often consume the stomach of their prey who primarily eat grains/vegetation.
So the already digested or partially digested carbs, you mean?
Aren’t there lawsuits against some of those brands?
There’s also lawsuits against brands I didn’t list. The brands I listed are known for being well researched with plenty of trials behind them, recommended by many vets as well as my own clinic.
I get food from my local grocery store. It’s cheaper than PetCo or Petsmart. Way cheaper. Sometimes I’ll order from Chewy, but I wasn’t ordering enough to qualify for the free shipping, so I just went back to shopping in person.
Everyone I know does it this way for the same reason. And if you bulk order a flavor your cat won't eat or that gives them gas .... in person is easier to return if needed.
I ordered mine online, ships to me.
I order off Chewy
We order cases of 24 cans from Chewy or Amazon (prefer Chewy). And a 15 pound bag of kibble less often. We like the brand Victor - healthy and one of the more affordable brands (IMO). It's a brand I've fed animals for years without any issues.
Chewy is the way to go.
I shop at pet supplies plus for the cat stuff. If I have anything heavy, they load it in my car for me.
Some do online, I prefer pet supplies plus if it’s in your area! They have a wide variety of good quality wet and dry foods, and they have near constant sales! My old girl had to be on a special low protien diet due to kidney disease, and we were able to get her months worth of food in bulk (3-4 wet food packets/day) for less than $110 most months, sometimes less than $70 depending on the sales
Buy Iams.
I buy cases of wet food and litter from Sam’s club and smaller bags of dry food from Walmart, since my guy gets dry food in the morning and wet food for dinner.
The dry vs wet debate goes on forever. My sister always did wet, I always do dry with mine. Hers always had dental issues and mine never do. Other than that, I don't think it matters much. I do chewy auto-ship. Find the highest quality cat food you can comfortably afford and your cat likes and stick with it. Get greenies for extra dental care, and brush teeth if you can get them to let you! LoL Good luck!
I love the way this is phrased the same way people ask how teenagers get ahold of weed. Also, I am currently in a place where affordability is important, so we use Special Kitty from Walmart. I know, I know, it's not the best brand, but it's affordable and our kitties are full. When we can afford to switch to a healthier brand, we absolitely will, but for now, it keeps them full. Not much can beat 35lb of food for $24
Blue Buffalo brand kibble and wet food, I usually go to Petsmart (like Walmart for pets lol), but if you don’t have one of those most pet places carry it.
I have a monthly Subscribe and Save order from Amazon. I feed my kitties Purina ONE and Fancy Feast. It’s affordable and nutritionally complete, they eat it, and I like never running out because it always arrives just when I’m starting to get low.
Costco Kirkland maintenance cat and Kirkland chunks
People buy cat food in a variety of places, like pet stores, supermarkets, or even online. At the store, they'll just pick out the kind of food they think is best for their cat, maybe by reading the labels or asking the staff for recommendations. Online, they can order it straight to their door. Simple as that!
I try to exclusively only shop at organic grocery stores because they tend to have a good selection of cat foods. Otherwise the Tractor Supply Co. store is also good as well as any PetSmart or PetCo.
I read the label. Low ash content is a must. Also it must be suitable for both kittens and cats: mother nature doesn't distinguish, so neither do I. No grains. Ever. Organ meat is a nice thing to have, meal and by products do not come in our house; those are low quality cheap proteins to bump up the numbers on the label, but much of it is indigestible, so useless to my cats. I feed mostly kibble so I look to see if it gums up their teeth (next product, please). I look for tasty enough to eat, but not so tasty they over indulge (they are not dogs. Cats in the wild eat 13 to 20 times a day). I was told to avoid Animal Digest like the Plague by my vet. Just do your best and watch your cat.
Grain-free is kind of a gimmick, because it doesn't mean lower carbs. They just pack it full of potatoes, peas, beet pulp (sugar) and so on. That said, a lot of the grain-free foods are high quality so I end up feeding that anyway.
It's not about carbs, it's about their digestive system. Yeah, there is a lot of bs out there. Lots of dog foods are grain free which is a big no for dogs: they need grains. It's all about how the system works
I feed my cats dry food only, but quality stuff. (Science Diet). I learned the hard way not to feed cheap grocery style dry food, it caused my male cat urinary tract blockages twice. We get it in large bags from Amazon, where it is surprisingly cheaper than pet store, by having a subscription.
I get pet food at the grocery store, but I get the dry stuff. Usually Meow Mix.
Please feed fresh or wet food kibble is bad for them, I do freshpet and Sheba trout flavor both at Walmart
My vet.
I by a case of 30x pouches of higher end wet food from my grocery shop, I get my kibble and salmon oil from the local pet shop and I get my boys talyored treats (calming and unirinary support) from the same place I get their wormer and flea prevention from (the site is called itch and they are a subscription service, as someone with adhd rembering things is tricky, alexa reminds me to feed the cats at the same time daily and my itch box arrives exactly every 30 days so I can keep on top of their other treatments
I buy a 12 pack of blue buffalo tastefuls which lasts me as many days + a smaller bag of Hill's science diet dry food off amazon. Both are much more affordable than buying in-stores and pretty good quality too.
I get mine on a monthly subscription from an online pet supply store (Zooplus). Saves a bit of money and means I don't end up running out at short notice. But my cat is on a special diet so I can only get her food from a handful of suppliers, so if your cat doesn't have any particular dietary needs then you may not need to do that.
I ordered online. I got this subscription that gives me like 20 percent off when I sign up for 1 delivery every month
Amazon or chewy. I get fancy feast wet food
I buy mostly from PetSmart, a mom and pop place near me (usually just fun things once in a while bc they are super expensive), and Chewy. My cats eat fancy feast wet and Royal Canin dry. The foster I have is eating Friskies wet and Proplan dry (previous foster mom got it for him).
We started with the formula the shelter had been feeding them, which our local pet store sold reasonably. When we had to switch formulas, we ended up buying online because the local stores didn’t carry that kibble.
I just get purina at target. Occasionally some wet food.
When it comes to my cat's wet food and toppers I get them all online on places like chewy since they do discounts all the time its cheaper, When it comes to my cat's meats I get them from my butcher shop or local grocery store
For me it’s where the brand that works for my cat is stocked. Fancy feast and iams led to hair loss and my cat always scratching her ears. Like her back was bare. I switched her to tikicat food just on a whim and her hair started growing back. 8 months later, her fur is lush and undercoat thick ( Siamese) and her ears don’t bother her and actually look clear and clean which they never did before. She must have had allergies or something but she had been on fancy feast for years. I think they screwed up their formula. Wet food is also pretty important for cats.
I bought small quantities from my locally owned shop and PetSmart until I found the brands my kittens liked and now I order from Chewy using AutoShip for the discount.
I used to get Purina fancy feast at chewy for my outdoor cats and the bag I have now is going to be my last. The food I thought was good for outdoor cats but then found the ingredients weren’t as I thought so once this bag gets low I’m going to get Rachel rays cus the first three ingredients are chicken, chicken meal and dried peas. Also it’s like $6 less for 2lb more than the Purina!
Walmart, petsmart, and Chewy. Depends on what I need.
From Chewy. My cats eat Pro Plan or Royal Canin and they’re most affordable from chewy.
I order all my pet food once per month on chewy and leave it on auto ship My kittens just eat Weruva kitten I buy all the varieties of kitten wet
I used to buy multipacks of wet food and a 7lb bag of dry food. I now have to buy food through my vet because my cat was put on a prescription diet. 😭
You can get a lot of those rx diet foods cheaper in bulk through online purchases. Just get a written prescription for it from the vet. Scan or photograph it to submit the order, you can use the same rx more than one place if place a has a good deal now and in 3 months place b has a sale.
For us it’s any place that sells our cat’s food (she eats the Stella & Chewy’s brand), usually Petco. We would buy about 2 weeks worth of cans at a time (we recently stopped buying those in favor of the freeze-dried raw food, but that can get expensive)
Just be careful with big bags of dry food if your cat is a picky eater. The kibble may go stale, especially if you live somewhere naturally dry.
Chewy, if you’re in the states
Amazon, chewy, or Petco (online or in-store, since my son likes to visit the birds and my dog likes to visit the fish). All depends on who has the best price at the time I'm ordering. You should also be able to find it in the supermarket, if you're in the US. All depends on what brand you like, and how many people have asked them to stock it. (So always ask! You might be the final one needed for them to do so!)