Persnickety Sam
How can a free bag of high-end cat food equate to a $400 bill and a dousing in fecal matter? Let me explain…
Ten days ago, I received a complimentary coupon for a free bag of one of a few brands of high end cat food. Being such a lover of coupons, and wanting to alter my cats’ diets to a fish based from a poultry based food, I visited a local feed store and received an $18 bag of food for FREE. I was so proud of myself for having used a coupon for such an expensive item. All three of my cats seemed to enjoy the new kibble; especially my highly sensitive cat who barfs at the drop of a hat. With the barfing seemingly minimized throughout the trial run, I thought that I had found a good alternative to a lower cost food.
Of course sometimes things that seem to good to be true, turn out to be just that. My highly sensitive cat apparently wasn’t able to digest the new kibble. A trip to the vet showed he wasn’t able to pass it through his system. A few enemas later and roughly a $400 visit to the vet, I ended up in the bathroom with him; both of us covered in his feces. “Just LOVELY!” I thought. All because of a free offer of cat food.
Now, of course, I’m not a vet. Maybe I should have slowly introduced the new food, especially since two of my cats are in their elderly years. Perhaps the problem was with the way I changed out the food and not the free bag of food itself. But then again, I would have been stuck trying to hunt down coupons to help pay for more expensive pet food from here on out. So at this point maybe it’s best that I’m going back to my less expensive food (unfortunately at the expensive of my poor Sam’s digestive system!) Now that I’ve resolved the food issue, hopefully I won’t be visiting the vet again any time soon.
Have you had experiences where FREE really wasn’t free?
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Yeah, I think changing over the diet is key. One of my cats was just diagnosed with kidney disease and the vet recommended changing her diet, but stressed that the change should take place gradually over a two week timeframe, so that her system can adjust.
I feel your pain, though. My other cat has had constipation issues throughout his life so I’ve worked through my fair share of kitty enemas and the unfortunate consequences associated with them.
Funny, my ‘recent post’ as discovered is about my cats and their food. How ironic!
.-= Money Beagle´s last blog ..Even The Cats Cant Escape Smaller Packaging =-.
@Money Beagle – Oh, your poor kitties! I’m sorry to hear about the kidney disease. I’m hoping my cat’s problem is a one-time deal. I’d hate to think I’ve now started him on the path towards health problems….argh!
As a cat owner, I feel for you! One of my cats has a sensitive tummy too. I currently have them on Nutro food which is more than supermarket brands but much less than $18.
.-= Jennifer Barry´s last blog ..Lasso Your Budget =-.
Wow. That is horrible! I feel bad for you and your kitty.
.-= Mrs. Money´s last blog ..Overdraft Fees- Opt In or Opt Out =-.
I think you introduced the food too quickly. Plus, higher quality brands are more nutrient dense, meaning you can feed them much less. If you have a cat that likes to eat, and you kept feeding the larger quantity, then tummy issues could follow.
Hope Sam is better (I have a Sam kitty too!) and that it wasn’t “too” gross!
.-= Mysti´s last blog ..A Yakezie Whine =-.
Me too! when I first got my puppy, my vet recommended that he go on “puppy food” instead of the Natural Balance food he was already on.
So I got these free sample bags of Purina etc. (and all that crap) and now my dog has allergies to everything under the sun.
So that didn’t only cost me $400, I think it cost my at least $1500 over the past few years dealing with my dogs allergies.
I hope your kitty cat feels better!
@Jennifer Barry – I want to say I looked into Nutro food, but the feed store I visited didn’t have that brand, so I tried another “high end” brand instead. My bad!
@Mysti – I think you’re right. The way I introduced it didn’t help. My other two cats don’t seem to mind when I switch out their foods (one of them has a cast-iron stomach and will eat anything!) He seems to be doing better now that I have him on mostly canned food.
@Young and Thrifty – Oh, that’s horrible! I’m hoping I didn’t ruin my cat’s digestive system for life.
Luckily, he seems to be doing better now that the initial trauma has passed. (sorry for the pun. Oh yuck!)
OMG! Poor baby! I hope he’s OK. I’ve got one who’s a REALLY finicky eater. I don’t think he has real digestive issues, just “good taste.” The only thing he’ll eat is Weruva, at about $2 a can!
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..The Circle Turns =-.
Food allergies bit! Although we didn’t get food free, we did feed my dog normal dog food for months. What a pleasure it was trying to dig the refuse out of the yard…
Pets with food allergies bit!
I’m sorry to hear about your sick cat
My own cat became quite picky in the later stages of his life, and would only eat his food if it was prepared in a very certain way! Otherwise, he could come and meow until you got it right
.-= Kevin@InvestItWisely´s last blog ..Weekend Reading- Friday the 13th Edition =-.
@Rebecca – He seems to be fine now. He’s also thrilled that he’s mainly on a diet of canned food. Luckily, he’s not being too finicky about that food!
@Money Reasons – Oh yes, food allergies. Up until now, I think I’ve been lucky with how I’ve fed them. I guess I just have to take their age into consideration: they’re becoming elderly cats!
@Kevin – Thanks for the comment. Cats can be demanding! My other cat is almost 20 lbs (he’s just a big cat, well, and a little over weight) and when he wants something, he let’s you know!