Mail Order Cat Food

     It was mentioned to me that leaving the New Year blog up for several weeks would look rather sad, so I had to come up with something new rather quickly.  This is not easy for me to do!  The answer was right in my hand.  In my search to find a quality cat food without "meat byproducts" as the main ingredient, I came across some cat food which is not sold in stores in the "Doctors Foster and Smith" mail order catalog.  They have countless items for cats from toys to flea treatments, but I shall concentrate on the canned cat food.  Nowhere in the catalog do they list the ingredients in the cat food, so I bought a 12 can sample package, which included chicken formula, turkey formula, and chicken and fish formula.  The cans are standard 5.5 ounce (156 gram) size. 

Their normal food these days is "Science Diet" which is in the rear of the photo along with some  "I Ams" which is a treat they like, but not regular meal fare.  The flavors I purchased do not contain any "meat byproducts" but contain real meat.
When I say "any", I mean "none."  I checked the Science Diet Cans where the main ingredients in the Savory Chicken Entree are:  Water,  Chicken, Turkey giblets, meat byproducts, liver, and cornstarch.  (I hate paying for water!)  Next I check the Foster and Smith Adult Cat Chicken Formula:  Chicken, chicken liver, chicken broth, carrots, brown rice, egg product, sweet potatoes.  The other two Foster and Smith foods are similar, with NO meat byproducts or water at all!  In my opinion, the Foster and Smiths canned cat foods are superior to Science Diet which does include some meat byproducts. 

     The next thing to consider is the price.  Doctors Foster and Smith sells the cat food at $29.99 for 24 cans, which works out to about $1.25 per can.  They have a sale on now at $20.09 for 24 cans which is a reasonable 83 cents per can.
Both of these prices are comparable with Science Diet off the pet store shelf. 

     What about shipping cost?  I did not add shipping cost into my calculations.  If you spend $49.oo or more at Doctors Foster and Smith, shipping is FREE!  I did rather enjoy the delivery van dropping off a box at my front door, without me even having to go out into the weather! 

    The most important consideration is whether the cats will even eat it!  I can report that they will eat it with average enthusiasm. What will they eat with above average enthusiasm?  "Blue Basics" limited ingredient formula "Duck and Potato."  Primary ingredients are: duck, duck broth, potato, oatmeal, peas, carrots."  The smaller 3 ounce (85 gram) can sells off the shelf for about $1.50. They would have this everyday and push me over the "Cat fiscal cliff!" It is just a treat for them. They are lucky to get it. 

   There are some other premium cat foods I have been trying, but I do not like scraping $1.50 or more of uneaten cat food into the bin!   My cat herd is rather picky about food sometimes.  They all did enjoy the real Christmas turkey and all the trimmings! 

I wonder what cats like to eat in other places?

(I do not work for, nor do I have any affiliation at all with Doctors Foster and Smith. I will not even give you a link!  This is just my experience and opinion.  If the price is different or your cats do not like it, do not blame me!)