Our pets can often make a house feel more like home.
But as the cost-of-living crisis worsens, more owners than ever are being forced to give up their furry friends.
The price of cat and dog food has risen by almost 60 per cent in the last 12 months and research by the RSPCA shows that almost a quarter of owners are worried about how they will continue to feed their pets. pet.
The Dogs Trust also revealed that the rising cost of food, veterinary care and insurance was behind the record numbers of calls it received from people asking the charity to take in their pets.
As the owner of two cats, I am well aware of pet inflation and how picky moggies can be when faced with cheaper food alternatives.
I put eight own-brand alternatives to the test on my fussiest cat, Wiggins.
Here’s how they go down. . .
Whiskas, Waitrose Pouches (12 x 85g) £4.25 and dry food (800g) £3.30
It may come as no surprise that these jelly pouches bought from Waitrose are the most expensive of all the supermarket options.
But to add insult to injury, they are also the smallest.
They have the classic overwhelming smell of cat food – a mix of processed meat and sick. It has irregular sized pieces of meat in each pouch, which have to be mushed up to fit the slow feeder.
It took several trips to the dish for Wiggins to eat it all.
The dry food was a hit, as usual, and smelled like a diluted version of the pouches.
They are also coated with some powder, which means my cat can smell it as soon as I take the package out.
Rating: 2/5
Coshida, Lidl Pate and Premium Mix (100g), 39p
IT has almost no smell, which is not something I’m used to, as most cat food has a rather pungent smell about it.
The pate is like unformed burger mince, but softer than you’d like.
It took a moment for Wiggins to realize there was food in his bowl, perhaps due to the lack of smell.
But within 45 minutes of eating the can, he threw it back. If that’s not a no vote, I’m not sure what is.
Dry food goes down better.
By that, I mean they haven’t re-emerged half-digested.
They are designed to look fancy sold by the vet, but I can barely smell any meat in them.
Rating: 1/5
Complete and Balanced Nutrition, Tesco Pouches (12 x 100g) £2.99 and dry food (2kg) £3.35
These pouches smell like meat in a good way – not the classic highly processed aroma you get from most wet cat food.
It was a strong enough smell for Wiggins to appear from nowhere and he began to claw my neck.
Each of the chunks of meat in the jelly is perfectly oval and separates easily from the jelly. It was a hit all around.
The dry food is the best value for money but has almost no smell, which worries me a little.
But that doesn’t seem to bother Wiggins, who happily beats them up.
It’s a hit – and a bargain price.
Rating: 5/5
Vitacat, Aldi Pouches (12 x 100g) £2.79 and dry food (800g) £3.19
The budget supermarket has gone to great lengths to make this offering feel like a premium brand.
The pouches are even branded, which most private labels are not.
Like Tesco, the chunks of meat are perfectly oval and easily separated from the jelly.
They have a decent meaty smell to them and I don’t want to touch my nose.
Dry food is more expensive than I like, given its Aldi.
They are also shaped to look like the type vets give you.
They smell great and immediately attract my cat for dinner time.
But after a few bites, Wiggins lost interest.
Rating: 4/5
Morrisons Tasty pouches (12 x 100g) £3.90 and Complete dry food (2kg) £3.55
As I opened these pouches, the smell was not strong.
Wiggins needed until I split them in the bowl to go out for his dinner.
He was eating happily, but not as fast as others he had tried this week.
He licked the bowl clean, a sign of satisfaction.
This wet food is one of the most expensive.
Because of the slightly sweet smell, the dry food reminds me of Go Cat, which I usually get.
Looking at them, they are small and round, a bit like rabbit droppings.
When I pour them into the bowl of dry food, Wiggins shows no interest. He remained sitting in his basket.
After an hour he investigates and seems happy with them.
They are eaten slowly over the next 24 hours.
Rating: 3/5
Complete Nutrition Sainsbury’s Pouches (12 x 100g) £3.50 and dry food (2kg) £3
THESE pouches have a pungent smell that pours out as soon as you tear them open.
In the middle of tears, I feel the cat’s claws digging into my skin.
Wiggins was almost drooling as I poured the contents into the bowl.
Another has oval-shaped chunks of meat coated in jelly.
He licked off all the jelly before starting the chunks.
He quickly got bored and left half the bowl.
He’s less keen on dry food from Sainsbury’s, though.
Wiggins appears as I pour the pieces into the bowl, takes a sniff and walks away.
The next morning, I could see he had a chomp in the evening, but it was minimal compared to other supermarket offerings.
Rating: 3/5
Essential Waitrose Pouches (12 x 100g) £3.90 and Complete and Balanced dry food (950g) £2.20
DESPITE being the supermarket’s budget option, these pouches were one of the most expensive in the taste test.
Again, pouches are, like many others, egg-shaped lumps of meat in jelly.
Wiggins doesn’t appear as I open the packet, which isn’t a good sign because he usually does.
When it’s on his feeding mat, he pops and has a taste.
He seemed unfazed as he paused before continuing. That said, he licked the cleaning bowl.
The dry food smells a bit chemically, which puts me off but I persevere for the sake of trying.
Wiggins sniffed them and quickly raised his nose as well.
He hasn’t eaten them in the morning. That settles it, it’s for the bin.
Tiger, Asda Pouches (12 x 100g) £3.90 and dry food (1.2kg) £2.50
These pouches are valued more the larger the quantity you buy them.
I love the packaging and you get four different flavors inside.
Wiggins appears out of nowhere as I get one in the box.
Within seconds he was on the counter trying to poke his head into the unopened package.
Again, these are egg-shaped chunks of meat in jelly, like many of the other own-brand options.
It was scoffed at for a few seconds, but he didn’t bother to lick his bowl clean.
Dry food takes less damage than bags.
He barely eats a handful before bed.
But overnight he finishes the rest of the dish.
It’s a bit too expensive for me to make it a cupboard staple.
