This is a little cat food tip. It is about how to save money on cat food. I wasn’t sure whether to write about it because it may not apply to that many cats. However, I believe it does apply to most cats who eat wet food (all cats should eat wet food as a routine).
Cats almost always leave food in the bowl. If you feed him wet food and put down a full pouch (or sachet) of food, he’ll eat about 2/3rds to 3/4 if you’re lucky and if he wants more he’ll look up to you and ask. This is strange because there is more in the bowl.
If you are not around when he eats he’ll leave about a quarter left in the bowl for it to go off. It doesn’t matter if you put a smaller amount down; he’ll always leave some.
I think cats leave some wet cat food in the bowl because:
- They can’t see the small amount that is left because cats are long-sighted. They rely on smell at close range. And:
- They can’t smell what remains so well because all the smelly bits of the food (the jelly and gravy) has been licked off and eaten.
However, there will be some smelly bits underneath the cardboard, tasteless lumps that are left in the bowl and presented to your cat.
What I do to get over this is to take the bowl from him and take it to where I prepare the cat food. Using a spoon I turn over the remaining cat food in the bowl. Basically, I stir it up and make sure some of smelly/tasty jelly presents itself to him again.
I then pretend I am giving him a fresh bowl of cat food. He invariable eats the food. Bearing in mind that everything in Britain costs 20% more than any other industrialised nation for various spurious reasons such as transport cost etc., if you can save one quarter of your wet cat food supply, it will equate to about £1 per box of 12 sachets. It is like getting a £1 discount on a £4 box of cat food.
It also helps to relieve the waste disposal services of having to deal with maggot ridden cat food waste in trash bins (dust bins in the UK).
Finally, what little food that is left, I leave out at night for the urban foxes of London. All of it is eaten. The bowls are so clean I can put them straight into the dishwasher. If a fox leaves some, a magpie or a slug will finish it.
I believe that is a very efficient way to deal with cat food overall. I was taught to eat everything that is on the plate.
In modern society apparently half of all food purchased for human consumption is thrown away. That is billions of pounds of perfectly good food, while children are starving in less advantageous parts of the world. We’ve become very careless consumers.
Our boyz waste quite a lot of food, it wasn’t so bad when we had the 15 cats next door as they would eat anything up, we know now some days they would have only had dry food if we hadn’t been sending so much round.
Anyway, our boyz usually eat most of a sachet between them but they will never go back to the same food later, we’ve tried giving smaller portions and then the rest later, but they are two wise (spoiled soft) felines and say ‘Hey we had that earlier, how would you like the same meal twice in a day?’ lol
I had to laugh Michael, you not only feed the foxes but magpies and slugs lol some people might hate you as a neighbour but I’d love to live next door to such a kind man!
Great way to save food. I hate wasting food. I have the same problem with the jelly and so on. Actually Michael, food here is actually more expensive if you can believe it. i couldn’t til I went back to England a few times and was able to double check. It’s extortionate here. I think I waste one full pack per day feeding 3 cats 2 times a day. I put the dry food in little balls which they must roll around to get it out so they can’t just chow down on it. It’s funny hearing them rolling those 2 balls around at night with the food rattling around inside. I’ll try something based on your idea – I think I could flip it over basically. The only thing is if they need to see it actually come out the pack. Lilly might need that but the young ones will eat it if it’s apetizing regardless. Gigi is getting a bit into the knocking the balls around for dry food and not eating as much wet as she should.
I agree cats do watch food coming out of the pack. What I describe won’t work for some cats but the basic methodology is to pretend that you are getting out new food so the whole routine starts off again. And because it is flipped over the food smells better and looks fresher. That is the idea! It certainly works for Charlie. He might not finish it completely but he will eat quite a lot more of the same sachet.
I can see that you have developed similar ideas yourself. I think we have to because cat food is so damned expensive and I don’t like to see waste.
thats really helpful as mine leave quite a bit of food and I throw it away in the morning then clean the bowls and put fresh out. I was thinking how wasteful it is so thanks for that tip I’ll try it !!
The best of luck with it. Pretend it is a fresh batch and make sure the jelly is on the top. Should work.
Good tip. You described perfectly how Marvin eats. I’ll give it a try. It makes sense. I give him Weruva wet food which is human grade protein based very sloppy wet smelly food. At $1.25 for 3oz makes it about $6.67 a pound! I hate to see it go to waste.
However, I don’t leave it out for the urban or otherwise wildlife, because usually it would be a skunk! And Marvin is out there.
The back yard cats clean their plates like good cats. Well trained as you were Michael.
Great. I’d love to hear whether a Brit Tip works in the US of A. I agree my habit of leaving waste cat food for foxes would not necessarily work in the USA because you have an entirely different wildlife scene to urban. Interesting that backyard cats clean their plates. Are we a little too generous with cat food. By “we” I mean “me”.
Well, “we” and I mean “me” is worried because Marvin has put on weight since coming to live here. First I thought it was winter bulking, but it was a lie. He’s getting fat. I’m concerned…..I might do a story on it to maybe get some advice. He may be eating somewhere else. Surely he gets a mouse or three. He did leave entrails of a bird (oh horrors! Don’t let the Smithsonion know!) but mostly I think it is me. I have to admit it. I love to feed him, and his loud voice is very demanding.
But I can change! For the necessity of keeping Marvin healthy. He is officially on a diet. Maybe he will finish his tidbits, with a bit of a stir and a smaller amount. Wish me luck.
If it makes you feel any better I have the same problem with Charlie. He is demanding when it comes to food and I give in. It is as simple as that. He doesn’t catch anything. It is me. Occasionally I apply some tough love and refuse him. This just about keeps him within the bounds of a healthy weight.