Tips for pets?

**ophelia** · 01-10-2003, 04:50 PM

Does anyone have any money saving tips when it comes to pets? I have two cats, whom I love dearly, but it costs so much to feed and keep them in litter. Any ideas?

**heaven** · 01-10-2003, 06:01 PM

I personally buy the cheapest litter i find it works just as well, and it is on sale every other week.
and same for the cat food, i buy the biggest bag of the cheapest stuff. they eat it.

**captclearance** · 01-10-2003, 06:58 PM

Use the cheap stuff and add a bit of baking soda to keep the oders down.......

**Leiloni77** · 01-10-2003, 09:16 PM

I think I would ask SewCrafty myself, all her kitties, I'm sure she's got an idea!
I have a Costco Card, It's Sams Club in other locations. I can get a 25lb bag of Friskies for $9!
I have an automatic litterbox- the Littermaid. Initially it was expensive, but it saves your litter. It just scoops the clumps. I reuse the trays and I buy arm and hammer litter and it's always on sale. Its the best for that machine. It's also safe for the cats and sanitary. Me and Jay are always gone, we work so much, so it really helps if we aren't around to supervise. It's just an idea

**doodlebug** · 01-10-2003, 09:39 PM

If you have a farm feed supply store nearby you might want to check and see if they sell pet food and litter. We have a local feed store that sells Purina brand food and they have really good prices on their food and even the litter is well priced. They will even take coupons. Or check at your local Dollar Tree or Family Dollar, sometimes they have good deals on pet stuff.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 01-11-2003, 03:18 AM

I do NOT buy the very cheapest pet foods! You may very well pay for this in the future with bigger vet bills. I buy a high quality, middle priced brand called Nutranuggets. Fred Meyer (owned by Kroger, so they might carry it too) carries it. They do NOT advertise (at least I have never seen an ad for them!) but even without coupons, their prices are very reasonable. The lamb and rice formula I buy for Gypsy costs about 16.00 for 40 lbs. Their cat maintainence formula costs roughly 10.00 for 20 lbs. My vet recommends this brand. My animals are very, very healthy and do NOT have health problems. I get comments on their lovely coats all the time. When my last cat was put down due to old age, the techs all commented on his beautiful, luxurious coat! Most cats coats get thinner with old age, but his was still, thck, plush and very soft, in part due to his great diet. JMHO!

I buy clumping cat litter. Winco carries a brand (can't remember the brand right now!) that costs about 8.50 for 40 lbs. It lasts forever! I believe we buy a bag about every three months!

**SewCrafty** · 01-11-2003, 07:27 AM

The "Cat Lady" here!

I agree with Lori Biever-Launder, the cheapest is not the best for your cats. If you buy a quality brand of food, you can save hundreds even thousands of dollars in vet bills. I have 9 kitties indoors and other than yearly shots, and spay or neutering that is the only time I need to go to the vets. I feel this is in part to thier,

1) Diet - I buy 2 kinds of dry food, Purina Special Care Hairball Formula $7.97 for an 8 pound bag at Wal-Mart they go through about 12 pounds a week, and Nutro NC Complete Cat Care at the pet store $13.75 for an 8 pound bag. Expensive I know, but I only have to buy 1 bag every 2 weeks for 9 cats and I usually have a $5.00 off coupon. Can food should only be a treat or a suppliment, mine don't get this anymore because it gives Toby the runs.
Another thing, don't buy food with RED DYE in it! It isn't good for them, and some cats have an allergic reaction to it. Besides that they vomit it up more, this is a very hard stain to get out of carpet! Many of the grocery store brands have this in it. Friskies Seafood and Meow Mix are a couple I can think of right now. Get ones that are only brown (light or dark) in color. The pet food companies only put the dye in to make it more appealing for humans not animals (cats and dogs).

2) A clean litter box. You wouldn't want to use a dirty bathroom would you?

, cats don't either, they are very clean. We buy a 40 pound bucket of clumping litter at Sam's for $7.97. We go through 1 bucket a week I think with 5 litter boxes.

3) Stimulating play. I play with my kitties every day. They especially like the free toys! Thier favorite is the hard plastic rings on the top of juice bottles. Not the soft ones, I have 2 kitties that are chewers and will eat the soft ones.

4) Lots of love! They say cats don't like to be held and petted all the time. Not in this house! Most of my kitties like to be held in my arms on thier backs, just like a baby! Well, they are my babies.

5) Regular brushing. This helps thier coats stay healthy, shiny and keeps fur balls down. Which is healthier for them and better for the person that has to clean up!

Sorry this is so long, but I believe that preventative care is the best way to go. You do this for yourself and your family, it should be the same way for your pets.

**ophelia** · 01-11-2003, 09:03 PM

Thanks everyone for all the advice! My cats will eat anything (especially people food!) but I do care about their health, so I'll look for some of the brands you guys recommended. I think we could save money by buying bigger containers of litter less often. We're getting a Sam's card soon, so I'll look there.

Sewcrafty-- my cats love their free toys too. (Especially whatever project I happen to be working on!) They like the juice bottle rings too, and will play fetch for tin foil or tissue paper balls.

I noticed that Petsmart has some sort of discount club. Has anyone used this? Is it worth it?

**SewCrafty** · 01-12-2003, 06:57 AM

I don't have a Petsmart close to me. The store I go to is called Creature Comforts, for every 12 bags of food I buy, I get one free.

I know what you mean, my little Toby thinks he is a dog! He wants to play fetch all the time, and follows me everywhere. Usually he runs like a bat out of h**l ahead of me to get to the next room first! He is so funny!

**dz_blonde_girl** · 01-12-2003, 09:48 AM

I feed my cats Chef's Blend (just checked the label for red dye, didn't see any) There are always coupons for $1/any bag, and they have a frequent buyer program.

I like the crystal cat litter. I only have 1 cat indoors so it lasts a long time for me. No urine odor whatsoever. They have a cheap brand at WM. I don't like the round crystals, they roll to far and get scattered all over the floor.