Hubby Tony and I were out running errands this afternoon. One of our stops was the pet supply store to get food for Jackson the cat.
We've had felines in the house for years, and for most of those used dry food because it was cheaper than wet and easier to serve. A couple of years ago, on the advice of the vet we changed over to canned food. She gave
us some suggestions for brands, and we chose the cheapest one. (Jackson has never met a cat food he didn't like.)
Changing Jackson's diet was a learning experience for both Tony and me. We found that cat food came in two can sizes - 3 ounce (single meal) and 5.5 ounces. The big ones cost less per ounce than the small ones. A large can of food lasts for a day's worth of meals. (Jackson also doesn't mind eating portions that come chilled from the refrigerator.)
The canned food prices and selection were pretty stable until Covid and then supply chain issues started. The manager of the pet store told us that so many people had bought quarantine pets that they were having trouble getting merchandise. All of a sudden the five flavors that had always been there dropped down to three.
And the price went up a nickle.....then a dime.....then another two dimes. Tony had last purchased cat food about a month ago. Today we found out it would cost twenty percent more! I know food prices in general are going up, but Tony and I eat very little meat at home and I've not kept on top of how much it costs.
Jackson is going to be celebrating his 20th birthday later this year. We want him to be healthy for as long as possible. If we have to spend more money for that health we'll just grin and bear it.
Five years ago: Slurp, Slurp, Slurp
Wow 20! You have taken good care of him.
ReplyDeleteOur first cat lived to be 21. I don't know that we do anything special, other than keeping them indoors exclusively.
DeleteOh my! That's a huge increase. Its' bad here too with price increases. You've taken good care of that boy! Twenty years old!
ReplyDeleteNow that the kids are gone we dote on the cat.
DeleteAt 20 years old, whatever he wants.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree, and hope that when I'm the equivalent age someone feels the same about me :-)
DeleteI order from Chewy. Much cheaper and very rarely out of anything.
ReplyDeleteI like the personalized attention we receive at the small pet supply store we use. Besides, Chewy doesn't have the large cans we want.
DeleteWe inherited our son's two cats ... one eats only canned, the other only dry. The canned cat food price I think has gone way up and is harder to find in the flavors/style Jack likes. So Bob has been ordering it online from Target's website. It's not necessarily cheaper but he can get the type Jack will eat. Luckily the dry stuff it still easy!! I think our son would be amused ...LOL
ReplyDeleteWhat we do for our cats, right?
DeleteLet me also say, 20 years! Holy cow! Or Holy Cat!
ReplyDeleteYep, if he was a human soon we'd be submitting his name to the Today show for his 100th birthday.
DeleteJackson is one lucky cat. Twenty! That is amazing. I noticed cat food prices have taken a huge jump. Our seven-year-old buddy eats half a cup of dry and a third can of wet food per day. He would eat nonstop if he could, though.
ReplyDeleteJackson would eat nonstop, too. When we're home we spread his food out over three meals. Pet sitters do it two times a day.
DeleteStock pile.
ReplyDeleteWe buy a month at a time. At Jackson's age I'm almost afraid to go out any farther than that :-)
DeleteI haven't bought cat food since I gave the cat to my granddaughter. I should be grateful she has a good job.
ReplyDeleteTerry was recently told at PetSmart where we get our cats' provisions, that Friskies has closed two of their factories due to shortages of meats and lack of workers. The cat food bill, just like our grocery bill, has doubled. The cats are pretty much the only ones who eat much meat around here.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to hear about the Friskies plants. Covid (and its effects) is affecting things everywhere.
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