Cost Analysis

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It goes without saying that a wet feline diet is more expensive than a dry one. However, if you are willing and able to make that change, you may be surprised to see that it is the more “expensive” better quality food that is cheaper comparably. Remember, what you may spend for cat food per year, could save you much more in future veterinary bills.

A quick glance at the guaranteed analysis of a food, where the numbers are not directly correlated, that is, the appearance that a dry food has more protein than a canned food until it is figured on a dry matter basis and we find that the canned food actually has the higher percentage of protein, the outward “cost” of the food may be similarly misrepresented.

Cost Analysis of Commercially Prepared Wet Foods

Let’s take a look at three low-carbohydrate wet foods in different price ranges and digestibilities:

Food	Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys White Meat Chicken Florentine (canned 3oz)	Wellness Chicken (canned 3oz)	Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Chicken (raw frozen medallion 1oz)
Kcal/oz	24	40	65
Price/oz (prices may vary between different markets)	$0.28	$0.40	$0.34
Cost of feeding 233 kcals per day	$2.72	$2.33	$1.22
Quality and Digestibility	acceptable	good	excellent

It appears that the Fancy Feast choice is the most economical choice per ounce. However, we don’t eat a quantity of food but a daily caloric intake of metabolizable energy. On a daily caloric intake of 233 kcals (about what a 12 pound adult cat may eat), surprisingly, the most economical food represented here is also the most digestible of the three (92% digestibility); Nature’s Variety Raw Chicken.

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Information on this site is for general information purposes only and is provided without warranty or guarantee of any kind. This site is not intended to replace professional advice from your own veterinarian and nothing on this site is intended as a medical diagnosis or treatment. Any questions about your animal’s health or diet should be directed to your veterinarian.