How can we feed our cat on food stamps?

Heather

We had to accept food stamps. We cant let the kids go hungry. We all lost our jobs. I would rather starve myself then let my cat go hungry. I tried a raw meat diet last year, but he never liked it. Cat food cannot be purchased with food stamps. What are some human foods that will be inexpensive and healthy for a cat to eat? I know that, technically, its not right for me to do this, but I have a fervent love for cats. Hes just as much a part of our family as any member of our species.



Dinah

Unless you feel like fully committing to a raw diet and all the research and preparation that goes into it, I think you need to get him proper cat food. Cats have very specific nutritional requirements and a long-term diet of "human food" can lead to serious deficiencies. Tuna and cooked meat are fine as a temporary fixes or treats but neither are sustainable as long-term diets and will ultimately result in a very sick cat. For example, taurine (an essential amino acid that is found in meat) degrades when cooked, and the amount found in canned tuna is not even half of what a cat needs for basic function. A chronic taurine deficiency can lead to retinal degeneration, cardiac problems, and all kinds of other very serious health issues. Hopefully with the money youre saving on your own food expenses it should not be too big of a burden to get him decent cat food. Theres plenty of coupons available if you look for them, and you can always buy in bulk when its on sale.



Shiloh

Actually generic brands of cat food arent all that expensive. I have a 14 year old female that wont eat the well known brands. She does just fine with store named brands. They cost way less than the fancy top of the line brands. The store I go too has sales on food a lot of times. I pay fifty cents for one can of food. Her dry food is store brand too. Its just as good as the fancy name brands of food. Its not a very good idea to feed your cat table food all of the time. It doesnt have the right nutrients and ingredients that cats need. Go check out the prices of store brand cat foods.



Mona

Assess which members of your family are overweight. Buy a lot of chicken, and cook and eat at home. Have each overweight family member set aside one-tenth of his chicken ration for the cat. Cats need a lot of protein. This will be good for him. If nobody is overweight but if anybody is buying cigarettes or manicures, cut back on those. With the money you save you can buy cat food. If you are buying bottled water, STOP IT and drink tap water.



Agnes

Contact a local shelter or SPCA group in your area and tell them that you are going through a financially difficult time right now and ask them if they know of any charitable organizations that help out with pet food. Many people are having trouble feeding there animals right now while they are looking for work so this is not that uncommon right now. Some rescue organizations and shelters are starting to collect donations that they then pass on to charities that help out people in need. A shelter near you might be able to tell you if there is anything like that in your area. Good luck.



Criselda

When I run out of cat food I I feed mine tuna. Or if i get beef/ chicken for dinner I will make sure its cooked real well and then cooled off and Ill give that to him. Its prob not the best, but at least they arent going hungry.



Anna

When I ran out of cat food I fed him tuna. He loved it.



Jerri

I think you should try a raw diet again but introduce it very very gradually. I started feeding my cats raw again ( part of their diet ) and even with the fairly expensive supplement mix product I am using I am saving some money. I am using Instincts TC, Feline Future brand by the way. Why not try raw again, just a little at a time at first. It will cost just slightly more than feeding them that nasty corn gluten stuff they call "cat food". Here is an article on making cat food. I have more somewhere too and will update if I find it. http://www. catinfo. org/makingcatfood. htmUpdate: Realized Dr Piersons recipes include bones so need a grinder. When I was first feeding raw long ago I just used a mixture of chopped muscle meat and organ meat like liver, heart or kidney in about a 4:1 ratio. Then I added supplemental taurine 125mg per cat per day and calcium in the form of bone meal about 500-600 mg per day. I used Kal brand powdered bone meal sold as a human supplement in health food stores and online. After the original expense of the supplements the food should be inexpensive compared with premium canned. A pound of most foods lasts a cat 3-4 days so if you get meats on sale at $2.00/lb, thats just $4.00/week. Also, check out the raw pet food forums in Yahoo groups. update: Here is a sample recipe for you based on turkey:http://www. holisticat. com/boneless.



Dorris

There are some dirt-cheap brands of dry cat food out there. Buy whatever is the absolute cheapest - probably something at WalMart. Since youre saving on human food, I hope you can afford the cheapest dry cat food. Then, read how much your cat should eat on the back of the bag, split that amount into 2 or 3 meals a day, and keep him to that diet. Better for his weight, and so you dont run through food as quickly as you would if the cat always had food available. I think we fed a really cheap brand named Dads to a stray once, and then cheap brand Special Kitty to a random cat that showed up at my barn. Theyre out there. I whole-heartedly agree with the first poster that human food just wont meet his nutritional needs. Especially not tuna - in addition to not having the nutrients he needs, fish is high in phosphorus and if you feed that too often it will kill his kidneys. Tuna should be reserved for a special once-in-a-while treat only. Even though the dirt-cheap cat foods arent the greatest quality, the cat is way better off eating those than tuna and plain chicken.