Dry Food Switch - Blue Buffalo to? (weight, blood, throwing)

[daysable]

Hi all,
We have two indoor cats and have been feeding them blue buffalo indoor cat food pretty much their whole lives (they are 6 and 2 years old). We are trying to save up money to buy a new house and trying to cut costs where we can. Blue Buffalo is pretty expensive (at about $30-$35 a 15lb bag with taxes). We don't want to switch to an unhealthy filler food in any way....but are looking to go a little more inexpensive with the food.

So, does anyone recommend a good, healthy but not ridiculous expensive cat food?

[cheesenugget]

Petsmart Authority brand. Canned only.

[Rene S]

Many years ago, when I got my Tucker, I was trying to save money and fed him Purina One dry food. By the time he was 3, he was overweight and had a number of health problems. In comparison, I feed our calico canned and raw food only, and she's almost 8 now and has never had a health issue (except for one dental cleaning, which was routine).

Long story short, while canned food may cost a little more per month, you save a lot more on vet bills. Take it from someone who knows!

FWIW, try Fancy Feast Classics. Price around or order from Chewy--their price is very good and they offer free shipping with orders $49+.

[catsmom21]

.....to wet only. The vet bills are going to outdistance any perceived "savings" feeding that dry junk.

Better yet, feed raw. Feed home made raw, balanced of course (80/10/10) A lot cheaper than any bag of junk. And I assure you that Blue Buffalo is no better than any of the others on the shelf. It's all junk, and it all gets pooped out. Throwing money in your litter boxes, scooping out out into the trash.

Spend some time learning how to feed a raw diet the right way. It will cost you very little. But if you don't want to do that, at least put them on a canned diet. You can feed wet cheaply too. But the better the quality (meaning the higher the meat content) the cheaper in the long run, because they will poop less of it out, and so need less.

[Cabot]

I fed my cat a good limited ingredient dry food and all was well until about 6 months ago. Approx $2000 later, he is now on canned prescription (NOT cheap) diet for ever. He refuses to eat it occasionally so I give him a very low carb commercial canned for a couple of days, then back to the prescription. Getting him off the dry was a bit of a struggle as he really likes the crunch and I threw away a lot of food in the beginning. I would keep him on the low carb if I could but he goes off that quicker than the prescription so it is a bit of a juggling act!

[MaryleeII]

Rather than switching to a cheaper cat food, try to find a cheaper source for the same food. Changing foods can upset a cat's digestive system. Blue Buffalo is one of the better brands.


Try home delivery from Petco. I don't have the figures with me, but it was about 1/3 the in-store price, and free delivery if over $49. Also, check into jet.com, and Amazon prime for deals.


I think changing cat foods led to the demise of my beloved cat, Marshmallow. Although he was an old guy, about 14-15 years, he was in fine health. Then, we switched from Blue Buffalo Wilderness to.....something cheaper, I forget the name, but it was high in carbs. Marshmallow died a few weeks later, from high blood sugar. By the time we got him to the ER, it was too late. His sugar was ~ 3000 He was in a coma, all his organs had shut down. Don't risk it to save a few dollars

[catsmom21]

Blue Buffalo Wilderness dry food is extremely high in carbs 31% on a dry matter basis. It's not a very good food at all. The one thing it's got going for it is, no corn. But that's about all the difference between it and Purina.

The wet isn't too bad, 7% DBM, but still it's highly overrated. At least it's wet. The ingredients bolded below (both black and blue, the blue is from copying it from the Blue page) are ingredients that either cats just don't need and will poop back out or are actually harmful. What kind of food needs three gums? Carrageenan especially is known for causing inflammation in the bowel. Flaxseed does have omegas but as it is a plant, the cat doesn't get much benefit from it. Potatoes are not good for cats nor is salt.. Oh, and that "natural flavor"? It's MSG.

Duck, Turkey Broth, Chicken Liver, Potatoes, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Carrageenan, Cassia Gum, Salt, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Niacin Supplement (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9).

http://bluebuffalo.com/natural-cat-f...nned-cat-food/

[catsmom21]

Just for fun, here's the dry duck:

Tapioca 4th ingredient.

You don't want to know what that menhaden fish meal is. Ugh.

Peas twice, 5th and 8th. That's called ingredient splitting. They break it down so they weigh less and fall further down on the list, making it look like the good things are higher.

Remember that deboned duck is about 70% water, so once the food is processed that drops way way down on the list.

Potatoes twice regular and sweet.

Caramel? what the heck is that in there for?.

There's that Natural Flavor (MSG) again.

Spinach is very bad for cats, very bad, high in calcium oxalates. All those other fruits and veggies are pointless (just make more poop), but the spinach is harmful.

All this and only 10% moisture besides. 31% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis.



Deboned Duck, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Tapioca Starch, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Pea Protein, Flaxseed (source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Natural Flavor, Potatoes, Tomato Pomace (source of Lycopene), Alfalfa Meal, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Dried Chicory Root, Potato Starch, Calcium Carbonate, Caramel, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Taurine, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Sulfate, Salt, Ferrous Sulfate, Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Oil of Rosemary, L-Lysine, Parsley, Kelp, Blueberries, Cranberries, Apples, Spinach, Blackberries, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Barley Grass, Turmeric, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Copper Sulfate, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, L-Carnitine, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Calcium Iodate, Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract, Sodium Selenite.

BLUE Wilderness® Dry Cat Food Duck Recipe

[moved]

Canned only, dry isn't good for them. Order from Dog and Cat Food, Treats, and Supplies | Free Shipping at Chewy.com, they have great prices, free shipping if your order is $49 or more, and extremely fast delivery.

[MaryleeII]

Well, we always leave dry food out for them for interment feedings, then feed wet food 2x/day. Perhaps I should switch to an all wet food diet? I don't want to abruptly change their diets right now, but will look more closely at what I'm feeding them. Blue Wilderness advertises "NO GRAINS". Sure, but what about the other carbs, such as potatoes, carrots, etc?


Meanwhile, we continue to treat Buttons itchies by cleaning 2--3 day with warm water and mild Epsom salt, then rinse with clear water, then dry and apply a thin strip of cortisone cream. It seems to be working, no sign of infections, less scratching, etc. I will also change their dishes from plastic to stainless steel.