Trying to save money on cat supplies (ideas?)?
Hi, I have two great cats. I love them. Anyhow, my girlfriend and I have upgraded the home, she's back in school for her masters, and we just find money a little tighter these days. She's suggested that I try to find a young child who loves cats and give them to the child so we can save money. But I want to see if there are ways out there to save money on cat supplies or just be more efficient with the cats. I shop at Costco/Petco. My cats are happy with each other, have a good toys, and a few healthy treats. I think it's the food and litter that I could be more efficient with. Any ideas? I don't mind investing a little more now to save in the long run. Thanks, George
Public Comments
- There are a number of ways to save money on cat supplies. Consider changing your cats entirely to canned food. It seems more expensive up front, but they actually eat less because there is more nutrition to it. It will save you vet bills, as dry food causes problems in cats. And, there's less deposited in the litter box. Another thing to try is a wood pellet litter. Check your local feed store (like Tractor Supply) for horse bedding. It's a pelleted wood product like Feline Pine, but much less expensive in a 40 pound bag. Change your cats over slowly if they are used to clay or clumping. Sprinkle the pellets on top in greater and greater amounts, until you have converted them. Wood pellet litter only takes an inch or so in the bottom of the litter box, it expands.
- We use a product called Feline Pine, it lasts much longer than any other product out there. It can be purchased at Walmart for about 10.00 for a very large bag. As far as food goes, you could buy a bulk product at Costco and save alot of money. Do not buy treats, they are usually the equivalent to junk food. Also, portion out the food accordingly. Dont just leave bowls of food out all the time, feed at specified times. Best of luck!
- I always fed my cats science diet till I lost my job and switched to cheaper food. Within a week my Nikki had a bladder infection. The vet said it was the crappy food. I am not sure what you feed them, but stay away from Walmart Special Kitty food. The litter should be fine though. Also, places like Big Lots sell Iams pretty cheap and so does the Dollar Store. Don't know where you live, but if you have any places like that, that is where I would look first. Good luck!
- It's really hard to rehome cats. Cheapest is always dry food like Purina or any grocery store brand, same with the litter. To save on litter cost, make sure you scoop as often as you can. For example, if you have the litterbox in the bathroom, you would scoop everytime you would need to use the bathroom. You don't need to go out and buy toys or treats for your cat. My cat loves boxes, and scrunched up paper balls, rolled up socks, a thick hair elastic (make sure you watch him), and ping pong balls. Personally, I am a student on a fixed income and I'm always short on cash. But I make sure that instead of going out to buy that coffee from the coffee shop, I save that money to go towards cat food. I buy Merricks canned cat food at 1.69$ CDN. In a few days I'll be transitioning to a raw food diet. I use Swheat Scoop which is flushable and has not harsh chemicals and the dust is minimal. Last me almost a month for one cat with a 3kg box. So, you can feed your cats a healthy diet but that also depends on how you spend and save in your daily life (electricity bills, food, unneccesary items, movies, restaurants).
- It concerns me that anyone asking this question is probably buying extremely poor quality food. In any case, litter is the easy and obvious thing to save money on. I spend $0.50 per month on litter for one cat, and the litter isn't just cheap, it's *better* than other litters. Wood pellets, as people already mentioned, are absolutely great as litter. But purchasing Feline Pine is completely unnecessary, and it's a bad idea if you're trying to save money. The wood pellets in pet stores have a huge markup. You can buy pellet fuel for about 80% less (about $4 for 40 lbs). Horse bedding wood pellets, as someone else mentioned, are also an option. But pellet fuel should generally be cheaper and easier to find. You'll save even more (and make your life much easier) if you use the pellets with a sifting litter box. You can buy or make a sifting litter box. http://www.pelletheat.org/3/residential/fuelAvailability.cfm http://www.felinepinelitterbox.com/
- I hope you can keep your cat. I have heard you can use shredded paper for litter. (If you have a shredder) I have never done this, but you can try it if you are willing.
- STOP SHOPPING AT PETCO for starters - their prices are insane!!! Do your shopping online for general supplies. http://www.drsfostersmith.com (great for grooming supplies, beds, treats) http://www.petedge.com (awesome prices on toys, extensive selection of grooming supplies, cheap cat trees) Food you can sometimes find cheaper online but since you have to pay shipping its often not much of a savings. Do you have a farm co-op near where you live? Not only do they carry a lot of the better quality foods (you DEFINITELY should not switch to inferior foods to save money) but their prices are FAR better than Petco and other retail stores. Example - my cats love Tiki Cat canned food. At pet stores it's $.79-$.99. At my local co-op cans are only $.65. They also carry the larger bags of the Royal Canin for Persians my cats like. Instead of paying about $20-$22 for a 7 lb bag I can buy a 15 lb bag for about $32. You always save money buying bigger bags. I found some great inexpensive locking containers to keep the food fresh. They're at Target in the pet department. Don't cut expenses for your pets by feeding them unhealthy corn-based garbage food. Shop around for the QUALITY foods at better prices and in bulk. As for litter - nothing beats wood stove pellets. Not only does it totally remove the urine odor but it absorbs the moisture, dumps out dry you can buy a 40 pound bag for about FIVE DOLLARS! It's the same compressed pine sawdust pellets as Feline Pine without a cat's face on the bag to make the price eight times as much! You can find them at Home Depot, Lowes and another homestores and most grocery stores like the Safeway, Fred Meyer and Albertsons stores here in the Northwest US. Once the weather warms up the best place to find them is again the farm co-ops. They're often used by people with horses in the stalls to cut down on odor and make cleaning up the stalls easier. I found them there for even less - about $3.50 a 40 lb bag! Good luck with school and your home. I just bought a home last year so totally feel for you. I've been doing lots of things to make my buck stretch a bit farther so I can spend money on sprucing up the yard and what not! PS: who gave catiators two thumbs down? I just read everyone else's responses and she gave excellent advice! PPS: just read some of your other questions. You want to cut expenses for your cats yet you want to get recommendations for beer and which 46" TV you should get. I'm hoping you're not going to put your cat's health LAST over getting superfluous things like this.
