Cost of pet supplies these days

[CountAllVotes]

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed that the bag of dry food that used to cost less that $8.00 is now closer to $18.00 (on sale). The Fancy Feast I feed my kitties has gone from $.59 for a 3 oz. tin to $.89 a tin.

The 2 for $7.50 bags of Tidy Cats litter is now priced at $7.39 on Chewy (20 lbs.) and is close to $9.00 for 30 lbs. from Walmart.

The Walmart price is the cheapest but those heavy bags are simply to heavy for me to lift without hurting my arms, so I give up on buying any more of that.

Any ideas out there as to how/where we can save a bit on the supplies we need for our Best Friends in life?

Thank you for your replies.

[PlutosHeart]

1. I have 5 pets

and things can get pricey now for us.
I tend to buy online at a combination of Petflow, PetCo, Target, and sometimes Chewy. I buy in cases basically. Not singular cans. A little savings. When you spend a certain amount at PetCo you get like a $5 gift cert to use.
If you can properly store the dry food say in the freezer or cool and dry buying slightly bigger bags help.
It is rough. I just bought organic butter today that was $10! Nuts. But I should have gone to Aldi instead.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Those Fancy Feast cans are $1.19 where I regularly shop

And I have one very large kitty who eats quite a bit. I found a box of 12 at the other market in town for less, but now they've gone up and they're more. I also bought some online, but they went up since I last bought them, too. I do agree about both PetSmart and PetCo, though. If you spend a certain amount, you can get "rewards," though with only the one kitty now it takes awhile to add up.

[tblue37]

12. $1.29 here!

[Rhiannon12866]

13. Yikes! I wonder if they've already gone up since the last time I went to the store?

[Walleye]

3. My sister-in-law has Amazon prime and she's a smart shopper

They had a sale last month and I got five cases of fancy feast, 24 cans each, for around $75. It’s like buying futures you gotta keep an eye out for the things I guess. I only have the one indoor cat he’s pretty big, and one outdoor cat comes to my door every night, and I still go to a lot of food

[UpInArms]

4. Sometimes I think I spend more feeding my animals than I do in human groceries

2 horses (sweet feed, oats, hay)
3 peacocks (high protein crumbles)
2 chickens (corn and layer mix)
3 dogs (omg … they eat a lot)
2 house cats and 3 feral cats (dry mostly … and cans for the 17 year old)

I guess they are all why I continue to work, so I can continue to feed

[CousinIT]

5. It's insane. Esp if your pet needs 'special' food. That costs even more.

Those puny little 3 oz or less cans are $1.50+ per can and they don't even sell the 'special' stuff in larger cans. Even by the case (you need two cases to last a month), you're talking $60-80 for two cases - and that's the cheaper variety.

Even regular or dry is insanely priced. Cat scratchers - hunks of cardboard - $15 and up!

And vet bills! OMG. Older pets are EXPENSIVE. But they know they've got you by the .... because you have to take care of them!

[Polly Hennessey]

6. CousinIT everything you say is true. Special

foods are outrageously high. Cat litter has gone through the roof. We have three cats, two dogs, and one bird.

[CountAllVotes]

8. I just got a new scratching post for Missy the cat

It was 20% off as a birthday gift for Missy from Chewy for $39.95.

Its not much different than one I bought a couple of years ago for $25.00. Some birthday present!

It took me awhile to figure out how to put it together; no great instructions came with it.

As for cat food, I do try to shop around via Target, Walmart, Chewy, etc.

Will check the other places mentioned as well.

Thanks to everyone that replied!

[tblue37]

14. Plus the vet bills for three cats & insulin & costly special food for my diabetic cat.

Last edited Tue Jul 18, 2023, 12:17 AM - Edit history (1)

[GreenWave]

7. We supplement with online recipes

Parrot has it best.
Home grown pecans!
Home grown blueberries, strawberries.
We always give him stuff we eat too as long as it is safe for him.
Plus parrot food from Subscribe and Save.
Cats have stopped using Feline Pine for litter,yikes! Was the bag expired?
They get Tiki Cat and scarf that down plus table scraps. Home made recipes too. Cats also eat fresh kill (flies, roaches, moths...)

[CountAllVotes]

9. Feline pine litter

I've heard of it but never used it.

I tried the clumping litter and it was so heavy that I decided that the cats must find it a real chore to use a litter box with too much of it used in it.

So, I went back to Tidy Cats unscented, the 20 lb. bags. It is the best one to use but at $7.39 for 20 lbs. I find myself buying some other brands like "Special Kitty" litter priced at $6.79 for 25 lbs. with free delivery from Walmart (if you buy $35.00 worth of items that is!).

I use a lot of cat litter having three indoor cats. Nothing sickens me more that the smell of cat piss so I am diligent about keeping things clean and I don't try to spare cat litter when it is needed.

I wash the boxes out with a disinfectant every couple of weeks and have a spare set ready-to-use in the garage.

So, yes, this is a lot of cat supplies and the litter is ridiculous!

I don't know why your cat(s) don't go for the pine litter any longer; maybe the scent?

One thing is for certain, these pet food/supply places are making a bundle off of us!

[GreenWave]

10. We made the switch after our doggies died.

They had gotten into the scented cat litter and I suspect this greatly contributed to the demise of them. All the vet could do was jack them up on steroids, but I do not want zombie dogs which is sort of what they were turned into after the steroids. Very heart breaking months.

[milestogo]

11. That's why I am cooking for my dog.

The canned food I chose (Wellness) is now between $4-$5 a can. He eats 2 cans a day.

So I cook for him now: ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, salmon, and liver - I mix in vegetables. I make a batch that lasts 3 days and he loves it.

I keep the canned stuff and kibble on hand for backup. But I can tell he loves the cooked food.

Some people are shocked when I tell them that he's eating human grade food. But its NOT more expensive, its less. And I figure his cancer risk is going down.

There's a website called https://balance.it/
It can generate healthy recipes for dogs or cats. Its free.

If your pet has a medical condition like diabetes, you can get a special diet for them there. Requires a prescription.