If you feed your cat only dried food is it ok to use the cheap stuff?

[electricbarbarella]

Like Morrisons own brand that says it is a complete food?
currently eat tins and morrisons biscuits, about half anf half although since it has turned hot they seem to have gone off the meat, it woyuld be a lot easier if they only ate dried food but I can't really afford IAMS or anything like that.

I use royal canin for my puss-cat and it works out cheaper than the morrisons tins and biscuits she used to have - plus she seems much better for it. I buy a biggish bag which lasts for just over 2 months (and keeps well for that long once opened) and that costs just under £16. That is the most expensive royal canin one as it is for outdoor cats. She loves it, we don't have any waste like we used to with the tins (she used to be rather fickle with flavours) and we don't get flies on her food anymore. I tried morrisons biscuits on their own and she would only eat one 'shape' plus she ate loads of it and seemed in far worse condition.

If you do switch to just dried food make sure your cat has access to water at all times. I have heard of liver problems with cats being on dried food all the time so might be worth looking into if you are concenrned.

btw - you can always check the nutrition info on the boxes of food to compare but bear in mind that higher amounts of certain nutrients aren't always what your particular cat needs.

our three live quite happily on aldi 85p cat food for a massive box.

Your cats should be fine on just dry food, it is better for them than the wet. Maybe you could give wet occasionally as a treat?

Be aware that a lot of the cheap dry foods contain quite a lot of saturated fat and other shit but as long as you know what to look out for you should be fine.

Would you eat cheap food full of chemicals etc? no? then don't expect your animals to. animals need a high quality diet to be healthy. royal canin is a good dry food for cats, there are others. ask your vet about good, natural brands of dried cat food.
alternatively, you could feed him on fresh meat etc which could also work out cheap and tasty for the cat. (cheap cuts from the butchers etc.)

I give my cat Asda 83p complete - it's fine.

My mum's working dog is on Wagg complete (8 99 for a 14k bag) and is one of the healthiest dogs the vet has ever seen - cheap doesn't always mean crappy.

A bit like feeding your kids really. you could feed them cheapo Mcdonalds all their life and it probably won't kill them, or you could pay a bit more and feed something better quality. Depends on how you view your pet. In general a healthier diet should results in a healthier pet. The best diet for a cat would be mice/birds etc, a good 2nd best are the better dry foods- hills, royal canin. forget brands with tv ads- are you paying for the high quality ingredients or the high quality tv ad???

Lewis fan- I'm afraid cheap does mean crappy- pet food companies are not charities- the cost of the food is reflected in the cost of the ingredients. However it doesn't mean that your dog won't be healthy on it

if you buy expensive foods (eg. james wellbeloved) you have to measure it out, but with cheaper foods i found i just tipped any old amount into the bowl, so the better brands could work out no different in price in the end as they would last longer.

you can also see the difference in better foods, asda own brand biccys look dry and horrible but james wellbeloved looks moist, it really improved my cats coat condition.

Dried food (unless from a vet) is not better for them than wet-it can cause kidney disease.
if you are going to use the cheapo stuff, make sure you do half and half with wet.

If you must give an all dry diet, make sure it is one that your vet recommends.

Message withdrawn

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE avoid Iams and Go Cat with male cats. These foods are responsible for SO many blocked bladders due to crystals its untrue.

oops i agree with you but it isn't a risk worth taking to feed a cat solely on dried.

we have switched from IAMS to tesco complete premium which is much cheaper, no adverse effects