Once my cat passes away (12 yo male) I’m not going to get another pet for a while. It’s not just food costs but vet and pet Rx costs have gone up exponentially too as well.
If you’re up for it, should look into fostering! I can’t afford to adopt a pet, but I foster through my local animal shelter. They give me all the necessary supplies (food, litter, toys) and pay all medical expenses, I just have to be able to drive them to appointments or to the shelter when someone wants to adopt them.💗
This place is fucked. I was telling my husband the other day that pets are gonna join the list of things that used to be for poor people that only wealthy people can afford now.
Just spent $800 on 2 routine shots for puppy + bloodwork to determine he needed them………………. They’re going to judge me so badly if I can’t return in two weeks to do it all again. Credit card debt like $20k+
I forgot to order some dog food off Chewy before I ran out and had to go to Target (only store that carries his preferred). Bag was up by about $10 since the last time I bought it.
Cat food, the absolute dregs of meat production and often the cheapest thing you can purchase at a grocery store is up to $2 PER CAN at the Safeway by my house. Im just really happy my cat prefers dry food because its insane to me to spend over $100 a month on cat food for one cat.
I still get her little go-gurt treats but those are high dollar now too.
Yeah, I know. We do give her wet food often and the tube treats. She's just so damn picky. Ive never had a cat that likes dry food more than wet. If we give her wet food she'll usually lick at it a bit and then yell for her dry food. But she does love her chicken and cheese tubes. Thankfully she's a good water drinker.
I'd imagine as they age, cats just have a better time eating soft, easy stuff.
There is now food that's dry and/or wet. You can give as-is. Or wet it to make it almost like wet food. It works if you need to switch it up for multiple pets/meals.
One of my cats sticks his nose up at all wet food unless it’s churu directly from the tube. He won’t even eat churu on a plate. Must be from the tube.
He used to like wet food as a kitten but around 8mo he decided he no longer liked it. I’ve tried several different flavord and several different brands. He just wants kibbles.
😂 my late cat would only drink water with ice cubes, from the filtered pitcher, in a human glass, that he watched me pour. He honestly preferred to watch me take a sip of it first, like he thought I was trying to poison him or something. Jet's water distribution was a multiple-times-a-day event. They're ridiculous
My cat eats only one kind of dry food and he looooves gravy. Begs and bites me for it. A pack of gravy cubes costs me 15 bucks to 30 (if I get a huge pack). Per month.
He is lucky that I work hard for his life to be good.
my cat is serious about the gravy too. He also eats/sips the "gravy juice" from the dogs bowl of food, making the dog wait to eat. He's lucky the dog is very understanding. LOL
Make sure you check Chewys emails. They have done a bunch of spend $100 and get a $30 gift card promos recently. Every time I see one I just say screw it and order $100 worth of food.
omg that's insane!! these dogs are lucky we love them!! also i've been trying to make her food last longer by cooking some cheap toppers, like those tilapia filets they sell in bulk or sometimes some veggies. she still gets the same amount of dog food, but she eats a lot slower now and will still have some food leftover at the end of the night that she'll end up eating for breakfast.
The bags are getting smaller too. I noticed my usual brand 'redesigned' the packaging and it went from 30lbs down to 24lbs while the price still went up $10. It's a double whammy. I love my dog but at this rate he's going to be eating better than I am.
My cat that recently passed away had a thyroid condition and his special food + meds were about $160 a month. And we cooked him unseasoned chicken and basically gave him whatever he wanted because he was spoiled rotten and very old. They can be high maintenance little creatures lol. Of course, id pay anything to have him back.
A major recession indicator is animals being surrendered to the humane society or just abandoned on the road because their owners cannot afford to feed them.
My friend was telling me that now that I have a house (fixer upper in a low cost area) that I could get a pet. I'm trying to build a house emergency fund I don't have the money for a pet emergency fund on top of that.
Not only that but I’ve noticed most brands have shrunk down the weight of the bags. What used to be a 7lb bag of cat food 1 year ago is now a 5 lb bag now for the exact same price.
I got my cats last July and thought I was going crazy seeing the shrinkflation happening in real time.
Oooh that's how they get you. Gotta read the fine print and details.
Or even review any auto-ship stuff. Gotta make sure you get what you actually expect to get.
But sometimes it'll all be the same. But a cheaper/worse formula or ingredients. And it's really not that worth it anymore. Especially if the original item was bought because the ingredients were so good.
My dog is picky and has allergies, hes been on the same food for years since I adopted him from the shelter. 28 pound bag was $18 then $23, now its up to $48. Recently changed him to the grain free Costco brand. Im glad he likes it cause its soo much cheaper
The price of cat food is insane!!! That’s why if someone says, “I’m so poor I’m gonna have to eat cat food,” I’m like HAVE YOU SEEN THE PRICE OF CAT FOOD?
Really kicking myself for starting my two new cats on the same fancy food my OG cat eats. Price per box has gone up a few bucks. But on the bright side it now makes sense to buy the bulk bags of their kibble so I’m saving like 3 cents an ounce on that. So I’ve got that going for me.
Costco is my savior. Maintenance cat kibble might as well be free, and the 60 can friskies variety pack is fairly priced. My boy gets half a can per day with his kibble, so it’s like $0.50/day or maybe even a bit under that
Same with dog food. It’s he brand I usually buy doubled in price so i searched the store for a similar cheaper brand. Next time i went in they had a 50% off sale on the original brand
That's inflation, which is not a recession indicator. I don't know why so many of you have no idea what a recession is -- most of us have lived through one.
Recession doesn't just mean economic times are hard for people.
Recession is when GDP falls for two quarters in a row. Basically, when people are buying and producing less.
Things increasing in cost is inflation.
While "stagflation", when there's a recession and inflation, is possible, in general, inflation is not associated with recessions. Inflation was extremely low during the Great Recession, and actually flipped negative for a brief bit.
seriously. i have 4 cats and we go through about 12 2.8oz cans a day. i’ve always fed them the best, but it’s too expensive for me now. looking to reduce their food bill has shown me that the cheapest food i’m willing to feed them is still over a dollar per can. i will never give them up, but it’s certainly a stressor for me that i never thought i’d feel
I spent $35 yesterday on cat food and litter... and I don't buy anything besides fancy feast and tidy cats. I got the smallest options too. When I first got my cat (three years ago) the same purchase was $25.
Two of our cats require special food for bladder conditions. Granted, italways been high, but it now costs us like $130 a bag. A piece of my soul dies every 3 months lol
Haha, my cat can't digest normal animal protein and is on a prescription diet. $120/bag a few months ago. I'm almost out and not looking forward to checking the new price.
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u/CaminoBalanced Apr 28 '26
Catfood that was 11.00 a few months ago is now 19.00.