I was wondering if anyone has any bright ideas on economising - with the cost of food going up and up I have noticed the cat (and dog) food has increased too and I would like to know if anyone has any handy hints on making the food go further without loss of quality - like cheap cuts of fish. I know when I was young coley was fed to cats and was quite cheap but now even that is expensive.

So far, my cat food hadn´t seem to gone up. I´ll see this weekend. I usually buy Friskey´s though. Its like the only thing Somber can eat without getting really sick. Once in a while I´ll buy canned food and feed that to them, since she gets sick if I give her too much.

Yep - feeding my cats is nearly more than feeding me. I mix the higher end cat food with what I have for supper. So if I have chicken/fish I always boil some for them up. I too give them a coley block (half each) about once or two times a week (it cost £3.20 now up from £2.99!). You may be able to get fish that needs to be sold that day - because of the sell-by-day.
Please do remember that CHEAP chicken and other meat products are full of a) antibiotics, water, and other chemicals that make the meat "look" good. Apart from cruelty to the life-stock it is unhealthy, both for human and pet consumption. Sorry to be of no better help.

My Bysya is very legible in food. She eat only Hills, pluck sausages, thickened milk and yoghurts. Sometimes she eat sope cream. It is not very expensive

Tesco sell cheap frozen white fish. It is pollock and quite OK. I micowave 4 pieces in water for 7 mins, so that it is just about cooked and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days but no more. Before I feed it I warm it up slightly in the microwave and mash it up.

I also buy cheap frozen chicken breast from Tesco, which I defrost and simmer in water for 1 hour. This I also store and serve in the same way as the fish.

I add to that a little dry cat food and occassionally the odd pouch of whiskas.

One of my cats prefers the chicken just defrosted and cut up into strips with scissors. No need to even warm it up.

It all works out reasonably economically as there is no waste and the cats find it far more satisfying than tin cat food. Perhaps there are antibiotics and whatnot in the chicken, but most of it probably leaches out during defrosting and cooking. At any rate, I doubt if meat used in cat food is any better.

my cat doesn´t coast me alot
it´s about 5 Le For fish= about 1$
cheap huh?
meat and any thing he likes from our meals

he also likes candy

so he doesnt coast me much

that´s about food (only)

thanks oldwoman and marketa perhaps its just food in the UK that has gone up so much! Anyhow good tips about the chicken and fish - thanks you guys!

thanks oldwoman and marketa perhaps its just food in the UK that has gone up so much! Anyhow good tips about the chicken and fish - thanks you guys!
I think the price of everything in he UK is skyrocketing.

It´s just incredible isn´t it. So far I am managing to keep to my same brands by buying when there are shopping specials. We have three supermarkets and they tend to rotate the same products on sale each week. When my brand is on sale I stock up, so that when they aren´t I am ok. So far it is working out.

Just a couple of months ago the 1kg box I buy went up from $3.69, to $4.19 , UNBELIEVABLE. So I am a specials watcher. And up until this week, when I was day short of food, I have managed to stay in stock and under budget.

I´m one of those people who goes out and buys that really BIG bag of cat food lol... It´s cheaper that way then if you buy the smaller bag. Also for their canned cat food I buy that when it´s onsale. I just found 4 cans of 9-lives for 47 cents a pack... Bought almost all of them lol

I buy a big bag and keep it in the bottom of my refrigerator so the bag stays fresher longer. I also watch for sales on both litter and cat food, and stock up when I can.

Mahy007 Please do NOT feed your cats candy. Candy is not good for them, and can be harmful to them. So please stop.

Candy haha... My cats wouldn´t even eat it if I wanted them too.. heehee... Booboo always has to know what I´m eating yet he never eats anything for humans other then tuna. He´s funny... Sniffs it and walks away. I tried giving him chicken already and nope... ONLY way he´ll eat anything that isn´t cat food is if you shred it like tunafish.... Mr Nosey and Mr Picky all in one kitty

I try to buy everything in large quantities and on sale. I stock up whenever there´s a sale.

Some prices have gone up almost 50% which makes no sense at all. My kitties love Sheba but it was .89 cents a can and is now $1.39 a can. That´s crazy.

Check for coupons online as they can give you a bit of a savings.

According to the news some months ago, food prices are rising worldwide because of a shortage of wheat and corn in the food manufacturing sector, since these grains are now being used to develop environmentally-friendly fuels. It´s amazing how much wheat and corn is used in human and pet foods without our realizing it.

Sunny and Angie aren´t really crazy about meat, fish or chicken so I don´t buy separately for them but get a slightly larger amount for myself so that we can share. When I see their favourite brands of wet and dry food or canned tuna (for treats) on sale, I always stock up.

Im liking the online tokens KatPerson and yep I think I need to make more cupboard space and up a size!

Prices going up...you should come to Italy! i´ts not just in the UK that food costs more...it´s a general thing!! My maya eats the Hill´s dry food, but she´s not a great eater, so I prefer to buy small bags in order to keep it fresh.. And I give her cans too, but not the cheap ones anymore, as the vet told me that she has to eat law fat and good quality cans in order not to damage her kidney (she´s in a particular condition)...I spend A LOT on maya´s food but, honestly, don´t mind...I prefer her to eat the best available and, hopefully, be healthy...She´s my baby, after all.....

I would love to be able to buy in bulk. It works out to just over $3 a kilo. But in order to have that I need to have a spare $40 in the budget rather than the $12/15 I spend now. Might have to start putting aside a couple of bucks so that by the time the next price increase I will have enough to buy bulk. Canned food has really sky rocketted too. $1.19 a can now!! I again wait for the specials, when it´s 99c a can. Then I stock up.
Unlike the dog who will eat anything I give her, they ONLY eat the one flavour and the one brand! Otherwise the dog gets some special treats!

I´m not surprised pet foods are more expensive in the UK and Europe - human foods certainly are. All I can think of is to buy in bulk when possible as well, and look for the less expensive fish and cuts of meat - chicken thigh is cheaper than breast, and wings cheaper that thighs - just be sure if you´re cooking it to get all the bones out. Do you have bulk discount warehouse stores there that we have here (eg: Costco?) They usually sell pet food at a bulk discount as well.

I understand about stretching your income - mine can be somewhat irregular because of the work I do, so I keep good quality food on the grocery list generally, but when I´m flush and the bills are paid I also put some aside for special pet related supplies and more expensive food. There are also online sites that you can buy from - I googled "cat food"+online and came up with several sites. I´d check them out carefully for quality and security, but it might be possible to find some discounts that way. Good luck!

You are right marcatmm....it is the cost of corn and wheat that is driving up the cost in addition to the cost of gas/petrol.
We are complaining here because our gas/petrol prices have risen to $4.00 a gal. But, I know that Canada and especially the UK and Europe are so much higher.
Keep clipping coupons and buying on sale. That´s all you can do.

I´m trying to just not burn as much fuel. I go from home to work and back. And to the store and back. I have blockbuster movies sent to my home, so no going to the movies or the video store. My pay checks are direct deposited, so no extra trips to the bank. And if I get bored I just get on UC

But as for saving money on cat food, I don´t buy my cats any cat treats. I use people food that they enjoy for treats (crab meat, tuna, salmon, beef, chicken). And sometimes I mix a little chicken broth or canned food in with their dry food. But not too much broth, because I´m not sure if that amount of salt is good for them.

clerihewed....salt is not good for them and you must make sure that your cat is getting enough taurine. You can always add vitamins to the "human type" foods you serve.
There are tons of great recipes online on preparing your own cat food. So, I would suggest looking them up. I have a cousin who has been growing her own catnip for years as well as preparing her own menus for catfood. I´m just not as inclined to do so but it can save a lot of money. She would never dream of paying $2.00 for a little package of catnip when she grows it like a weed.