cats.. how many and how much do you spend

[gracey]

I am just wondering how much people spend on feeding their cat(s)? we took in my f.i.l s cat in after he went into a home, we never had the heart to send him back to the rspca, but I am going through the house finances and my cat food/litter bill is horrendous! (about 30 pound or more a week!!!) please tell me this isn't normal? it doesn't help they are both fussy, and seem to only like one flavour! I am trying to change them to cheaper food, but my bengal refuses point blank, and goes and dines in all my neighbours houses .. my f.i.l cat just refuses to eat full stop!!! so i am throwing away far more than they eat ..and getting glares off both felines ... I can't afford to keep spending 30+ a week on cat food ..

sooo after my moan .. my question is, what does everyone feed their cat (s) and how much are you spending?

thanks x

 

[Elsiecat]

Between 2 cats we probably spend about 15 a week MAX.
They're on GOcat dry stuff but probably about once a week (usually on a Friday night as they're treat ) have some posh tinned stuff.
We use the wood litter as we find it lasts longer.

 

[niagaraduval]

Also have a bengal have had her for 11 years now (got her as s kitten) and she too only eats the most expensive food in the shop. We pay around 20 euros a week for her - food/litter etc.

 

[3Beasties]

We've got four cats and I'd be surprised if we spent more then £30 a MONTH on them.

 

[EmmaC78]

I have two cats, one of which is a fussy eater, and I spend about £10 a week for both of them including cat litter.

 

[Springy]

I have 6 and spend about £50 a month on feed and litter then obvs there are flea and wormers etc on top of that

 

[gracey]

what are you all feeding them? i don't want to feed them just dry (although thats all that they have been eating while i am trying cheaper food .. but my f.i.ls cat is not looking good on a dry diet!!!) I'm also worried cos i know bengals have a bit of a sensitive stomach .. but i feel awful giving one the food he loves and not the other!!! ) arrgh! lol x thanks for all the replies x

 

[cloverleaf1985]

I buy a big 5kg bag of science plan which is £35 and lasts approx 6 weeks for 2 cats so £5.50pw, and a box of nature's menu pouches per week which is about £6 (they have half a pouch each in the evening) and I buy sainsburys own basic cat litter at £1.28 which does 3 litter tray changes per week.
So about £13 in all but mine are on a diet so have weighed portions of dry food.

 

[Supertrooper]

Got one, he's on prescription food for his skin but he only has 50g per day so a 2kg bag lasts well over a month.

Use Catsan litter, he's a house cat and we change his litter as soon as he's been as we're in a flat. He also won't use it unless it's clean.

Luckily I'm a vet nurse so do get food and litter at cost price.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

got 11 cats!!! they have 3 tins a day between them max 50p per tin, and a kilo of tesco cat biscuits/.;day at 99p. no cat litter involved as all house trained and go outside. tesco value cat litter is very good and very good if you have to give them a tray. anything the cats dont clear up the dogs scoff so absolutely nothing wasted here

 

[Dizzydancer]

What on earth are you feeding them?
I made mistake of giving mine whiskers not cheap tesco meat- they then decided to only eat that but after a day of not putting any fresh down they soon ate what they had. I always have biscuits down for them- don't use litter just use some of horses shavings!
Prob spend about 6quid on two per week.
So if you don't pander to there needs they will start eating cheaper or different favours.

My friends parents cat only eats prawns now that's expensive diet!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Used to have two cats (now passed away due to a very ripe old age) but they cost about £4 a week. No cat litter, they went outside.

However, my mother used to spoil hers quite a bit and they became fussier and fussier, but mum enjoyed making a fuss of them.

 

[gracey]

I use the sainsburys basic cat litter (i used to use catsan .. but i changed that when someone told me to try the basics one) (its fab btw ..) i use 2 bags of that a week .. they are both indoor/outdoor cats, but both of them like to come in and use the litter tray last time i tried to get rid of the litter tray ..it cost me a new mattress!!!! .. both cats showed me how disgusted they where ...they got their litter tray back pdq!!)

i think they will both leave home if they keep getting served dry biscuits .. i've seen my bengal in near enough all the houses in my road recently (he sits in the windows and glares at me!!! )

 

[Springy]

Ours have either jolleys cat food or asda or whiskers or felix meat and biscuits just whatevers on offer

They arent fussy they will eat when they are hungry

 

[gracey]

What on earth are you feeding them?
I made mistake of giving mine whiskers not cheap tesco meat- they then decided to only eat that but after a day of not putting any fresh down they soon ate what they had. I always have biscuits down for them- don't use litter just use some of horses shavings!
Prob spend about 6quid on two per week.
So if you don't pander to there needs they will start eating cheaper or different favours.

My friends parents cat only eats prawns now that's expensive diet!

felix as good as it looks pouches .. i get through 48 pouches a week !!! plus the cat litter, plus biscuits, and then wormers .. flea stuff etc!!! my bengal has always eaten that .. he won't entertain anything else! which wasn't a problem when it was only him ..

 

[*hic*]

POUCHES! *chokes*

We are down to four now, from fourteen at the worst. We feed supermarket own brand or a more expensive brand if it's on special offer, half a tin per day per cat plus cat biscuits, again supermarket own brand.

They get expensive cat litter - the crystals - but I find that works out cheaper in the long run and is so much cleaner than anything else I've tried

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Thats a lot! :O
Obviously you spend a bit when you get a cat what with pet carriers, bowls, litter trays etc but I never spend that much on my cat. She never uses the litter tray so we have a huge bag of litter sitting in the garage. She has dry whiskers biscuits in her bowl all day but spends most of her days outside and has a tin of what ever brand of meaty food we happen to grab off the shops shelf. Shes not fussy and will get a bowl full when she wants it, otherwise she eats the dry stuff. I doubt I could spend £30 on her in 2 months!

 

[CLM]

Pouches are a very expensive way to feed cats. Would tins be cheaper? I feed either hills or applaws dry, mine won't touch wet. I think im lucky really as very convenient and no smell. A bag is about £15 and lasts at least 2 weeks for 2 cats. Neither are particularly bothered about food though. If I give my little one meat, cooked or raw, he plays with it, rather than eat it. My girl is partial to cheese as a treat, but that's about it. I use 1 bag of litter a week, £2.75 Morrisons for little one. Older cat goes outside. They are pretty cheap to keep really.

 

[tinap]

We've got 2. They have 2 pouches each of sainsburys own brand a day. It's 24 pouches for about £5-6 depending if there's an offer on so works out about £3.50 a week

 

[tinap]

& I can't add up either!! Make that £7 ish a week (I think! Am ready for bed lol)

 

[gracey]

flipping heck!!! i am a mug aren't i? lol .. for the past 3 weeks i have been giving them canned food .. all different kinds, trying to find something that at least one of them will eat! both of them look at the food and then look at me .. and i throw the food away about 2 hours later .. then try again the next time they ask! neither cat is (or was) fat, they where both sleek happy and healthy .. now my f.i.l cat is starting to look poor, i don't want him to get any worse .. he doesn't seem to be thriving on a dry diet! my bengal is still looking great, but he is a thief!!

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Leave the food down. They will eat when they get hungry. Perhaps try feeding in a different place. Out cat wont eat food unless its in the conservatory and she is on her own!

 

[gracey]

Leave the food down. They will eat when they get hungry. Perhaps try feeding in a different place. Out cat wont eat food unless its in the conservatory and she is on her own!

cats get fed in the kitchen up on a worktop .. (otherwise the dog will be more than happy to eat what they don't want) haven't really got anywhere else to feed them? and i throw the food away cos it goes manky looking .. gona have to get tough aren't i? lol x

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Haha. Not tough, just be firm and encouraging with regard to where you feed them, maybe try and feed them and then close then in the room and leave them too it for 10 mins or so so they get a little privacy? Just an idea, they sound a bit fussier than mine because she knows is she doesnt eat her food it wont be there when she comes back because one of the many neighbourhood cats could sneak in and enjoy it! Lol we have even had hedgehogs come in and eat her dry buscuits if we leave the door open in summer for cat to wonder in and out as she pleases, no wonder she eats up!

 

[Grinchmass]

I'd be surprised if pusscat costs £30 a month...

She's not too fussy though and eats pretty much anything you put under her nose. She's fussy with some bisquits but if it's wet food she'll eat it... At record speed in fact she's on a porkey cat diet currently...

 

[mandyl]

one very fussy cat who only eats dry and cos of sensative tum,i try and feed best i can
he has royal canin dry and catsan litter. cost roughly £25 a month max.

 

[touchstone]

I never leave food down, it goes stale very quickly and cats have to have fresh food as unlike dogs their digestive systems don't cope with toxins, so it is likely that the cat just won't eat instead.

I have five cats that eat different food; one prefers dry food and so gets Purina One, another likes whiskas tins and the other three eat Felix pouches. The old gummy one that has rhinitis all the time often gets cooked chicken or fish.

I always shop online when offers are on and bulk buy, the last lot of felix pouches were £2.50 a box.

If you want to change I'd try possibly sticking with a tinned version of felix, but offer it fresh and regularly, cats will not eat if they really don't like something and it can take a while to get used to different food. Cats in labs were only offered cooked potato and they all refused to eat at all as they didn't recognise it and developed liver damage, so changing to something too different might be a bit of a challenge!

Litter I use Mayfield wood pellets of Breeder Celect paper pellets. They may cost more initially but work well and last for longer.

 

[spookypony]

I have two very big cats; well, one big one and one enormous one. They get only dry food, the Whiskas kind, and are fine on that (one cat is 10, the other is 8). They're so big, they would need an awful lot of wet food!! Both are indoor cats at the moment. Total cost per month would be under 30 quid, I think.

 

[Catcus]

Blimey, I thought mine was expensive! He's on a prescription diet for his bad kidneys, a box of 12 pouches is about £6.50 and he goes through 1 a week. He also has a smidgen of whiskas mixed in to encourage him to eat it.

 

[E13]

Hmm reading through this thread...some views that any old cat food will do, cheap brands, whatever's on the shelf etc...yet the amount I see about perfecting horse diets! What are your opinions on feeding your cats then? (Slightly off topic - sorry! - and I have no idea how much we spend on ours but the amount on horse feed which can be expensive, cats aren't that much in comparison surely?)