Unless your cat’s somehow making you money because they’re Instagram famous, you’re probably looking for ways to get cheap cat food on the regular. I’m here to help.
I’ve outlined the best ways to save money with cheap cat food. You’ll learn about the best places to shop, get some brilliant pet food delivery tips and stock-up prices, and finally, answers to some FAQs.
By the way, if your cat is Instagram famous, um, hit me up in the comments and tell me how you did it.
And remember to download The Krazy Coupon Lady app for the latest tips and deals for anything related to cat food, treats, and even litter. Let’s get to it:
1. First, always calculate the cost per cup whenever you’re shopping for dry, cheap cat food.
It takes two easy steps to calculate the price per cup of your dry cat food:
- Multiply the number of pounds by four (four cups of dry kibble equals one pound).
- Divide the sticker price by whatever number you found in Step 1.
The final number from Step 2 is your price per cup. And by the way, you shouldn’t pay more than $0.26 per cup when it comes to dry cat food. Set your sights there, and your options will include:
See this week’s best pet deals here.
2. And for wet, cheap cat food, always calculate the cost per ounce.
When you’re buying wet cat food, there’s always a measurement of how many ounces are in each container of food (check the bottom corners of the package).
To calculate your price per ounce, simply divide the sticker price by the total amount of ounces in your cat food package. For wet food, always try to spend below $0.24 per ounce — a price at which I still found brands such as Friskies and Meow Mix:
3. Sam’s Club has the cheapest dry cat food: Meow Mix cat food for $0.19 per cup — and that’s a regular price.
Shocking — none of the retailers who specifically cater to pets (Chewy, Petco, and PetSmart) offer the best prices on dry cat food.
Instead, Sam’s Club tops our list of the best everyday value on cat food, with this 32-pound box of Meow Mix for $23.78.
The savings on cat food alone could justify the cost of a $45 per year Sam’s Club membership. (But you can also learn how to get a free Sam’s Club membership.)
If you don’t want to become a member, you can still shop SamsClub.com (you have to pay a 10% “handling fee”). Even then, Sam’s Club cat food would only cost $0.20 per cup.
See this week’s best Meow Mix deals here.
4. Friskies cat food is the cheapest wet brand at $0.14 per ounce from Chewy and Target.
When it comes to cheap canned cat food, it really isn’t close. The Friskies Meaty Bits cat food is a paltry $0.14 per ounce from Target and Chewy.
See this week’s best deals on Friskies cat food here.
5. Save 10% on Amazon cat food when you use Subscribe & Save.
The easiest way to maximize savings on cat food is to subscribe to your pet’s food from retailers such as Amazon, Chewy, Petco, and PetSmart.
Each of these stores offers you the ability to automate repeat orders on a schedule that works for you. But Amazon’s the best option because only Amazon’s Subscribe & Save service promises up to 10% savings.
6. The best cat food sale is Chewy’s Black Friday sale, which saw 70% off your first order of American Journey cat food.
Although it’s a store brand, Chewy’s American Journey cat food (regularly $0.59 per cup) is actually a high-end cat food brand similar to Purina One Plus (regularly $0.50 from Target).
But during Black Friday 2022, Chewy store brands like American Journey were 30% off their regular price. Additionally, Chewy took 50% off customers’ first repeat delivery order.
Better yet, Chewy lets customers stack their discounts. Here’s an example of what it could look like:
Buy 1 15-Pound Bag American Journey Sensitive Stomach Salmon and Rice Dry Cat Food (reg. $32.41), $22.68 sale price
Sign up for repeat delivery for 50% off your first order
Final Price: $11.34 (70% savings)
Check out these best Chewy savings tips so you can shop today.
7. The Top 5 cheapest cat food brands are …
Yes, you can use coupons, discounts, and even subscription services to save on cat food. Even so, there are a few brands that are consistently the cheapest. Which are they? In my cat food research comparing major retailers, Target, Walmart, Petco, PetSmart, and Chewy, the the top five cheapest brands are:
- Friskies
- Meow Mix
- Fancy Feast
- American Journey
- Whole Hearted
We’ve got more ways to save on pet food, supplies, vet visits, and more.
8. Shop for the cheapest cat food at these 5 retailers …
Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Chewy, and Amazon consistently show up with the cheapest cat food. This may be through great sales, certain coupons they offer, or their store loyalty programs. Focus on these stores!
9. How much dry food should I feed my cat?
Although the cat food packaging has their own specific instructions most of the time, I called some of the local vets in my area.
They told me, generally speaking, that if your cat is between five and 10 pounds, they probably only need 0.75 – 1.5 cups of dry food per day.
10. How much wet food should I feed my cat?
When it comes to wet food, the vets I spoke with told me an average cat needs about four to five ounces of wet food per day.
Again, the specific feeding instructions should be included on the backside of your package.
11. Can kittens eat adult cat food?
Adult cat food is lower in protein than kitten food. The vet told me it’s not wise to rely on adult food for your kitten — they need more protein to help them grow.
If you have any other questions (or seriously, if your cat is Instagram famous), hit me up in the comments below. Thanks for reading!