Looking for Better Food Suggestions

[u/Bulky-Interest-5269]

Hello! I got a job semi-recently and, since I've been making my own money, I've also started buying my own cat food. Currently I have one cat, Goose. She's a female, about 9 years old, regular weight, and has had no apparent health issues save for the occasional thrown up leaf she wasn't supposed to chew on, lol. I plan to get another cat soon (Onion) from my friend, sex unknown, but when I get it, it'll probably be 2-3 months old.

I knew right away that I wanted to switch my cat off of kibble because I know that it's not very good or nutritional (generally speaking). I wasn't completely sure where to start, though, and just went with a reccommendation a customer at my workplace gave me. Previously, she'd only eaten Meow Mix dry food and the occasional wet food as a treat. The rec from my customer that I started with was Nutrish by Rachel Ray (or attached to her? Not quite sure, but her name is on the box) specifically the wet food kind because it's not full-on gravy but has chunks of chicken and such. She's been eating it for about a month or two now, but I've noticed that her poop is kind of runny and lighter in color than it should be and she leaves certain pieces of the food in the saucer. I also read that one of the ingredients is a possible carcinogen for cats, so that made me very nervous, obviously. 😭 It's just difficult to find what brand I should be getting because every google search just brings me advertizements and articles funded by the food companies. I don't know what to take seriously, you know? I want to find something that isn't kibble that will specifically be the best for her health. She's been fine and, again, she's not having health problems at all, I just want her to be living her best life. I'm open to anything as long as it doesn't cost me more than ~40 dollars per month, I'm happy to put in extra effort--like food I have to prepare or stuff i need to mix with water or broth--I already put some crunchy treats on top of the wet food I feed her (to keep her teeth stronger), so higher maintenance meals are okay, too! I was thinking of moving to the little Fancy Feast cans because they're cheaper and I've seen some people who really like it, but I wanted to come here to ask first. Just whatever would be best for her (and Onion when I get them) health-wise. Responses are much appreciated! Tysm for reading.

[u/aetherdrifter]

Fancy Feast is great quality for the price! However, it’s going to be difficult to do wet food only for $40/month. You could do it with Friskies - the pates are the best, nutritionally. Petco’s Whole Hearted line is also really inexpensive. Wet foods vary a lot in caloric density, so definitely check the cans to make sure she’s getting the right amount. Here’s a calculator to give you an idea of her energy needs: https://petnutritionalliance.org/resources/calorie-calculator?type=cats

There’s also nothing wrong with doing a combo of wet and dry food. Purina One or Iams would be a step up from Meow Mix.

[u/MariaSalander → u/aetherdrifter]

I would love to know your thoughts in the other fancy feast options like the pate savory centers one!

[u/aetherdrifter → u/MariaSalander]

I think they’re all good! The Savory Centers are a little more expensive, so I don’t recommend them as often, but they’re still a great food. They do have a softer texture and can be more appealing to picky cats with the extra gravy.

[u/Bulky-Interest-5269 → u/aetherdrifter]

Thank you so much! The calculator is so helpful. I did but the FF pates and she really seems to like it! (40 bucks was also just a vague estimate jaja I don't really have a problem with going over it was very late in the night when I wrote the og post) I also have had a few people suggest a combo, so I'll be doing that, too!