Got Cats? Purina Cat Chow Special Marked 16lb Bags $6.99 or less AC/AGC at PETSMART

[MTwallet]

good price, but I would say get what you pay for:

Ingredients
Poultry by-product meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, ground whole wheat, brewers rice, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed tocopherols (form of vitamin E), fish meal, meat and bone meal, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, animal digest, calcium carbonate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, calcium phosphate, taurine, zinc sulfate, vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, added color (red 40), copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

would suggest the better cat foods have chicken as the main 1st Ingredient. those 'meals' do not get digested as well and just end up in the litter box, so you pay for it in the end - pun intended

[jssj13]

You know I would have to agree with MT. When I first got my cat I fed them Purina Cat Chow as that's what the shelter fed them, until I took them to the vet for their checkup and while they were fine he did suggest a higher quality cat food. I switched them to Wellness Core and boy does it make a big change. My cats coat's are a lot softer and the cats are a lot more active. Don't skimp and you'll see a big change. The cats have also lost weight and are eating less. Basically the reason why they gained weight is because they are not getting enough nutrients from the crappier food and just kept eating the food till they got enough. So, while Wellness Core was virtually 3 times more expensive, my overall cost went up ~ maybe 2 times because they are eating less overall and you get to scoop the litter box less.

Quote from SUCHaDEAL : PETsMART has a great deal on the: Purina Cat Chow Complete or Indoor Formula 16lb bags. On sale for $11.99 or $12.99 with club card depending on flavor, look for the specially marked bags have a $5 Pets Mart Gift Card inside the bag! Plus if you have Manufacturer coupons, will be even less. Appears to be all store locations have this stocked now.

[PossumLodge]

Ingredient in regular Cat Chow: Animal Digest. Means manure. Someone has collected the manure from another animal and put it in the pet food you are feeding your pet. Some other nasty stuff is in Indoor and Complete including Poultry by-product meal.

Poultry by-product meal and fish meal are very disturbing sources of meat for your cat (you'll find this in Science Diet Adult and other so-called "premium" brands, too). By-products are what is left of the chicken after the real meat is removed, and they typically includes items like claws, beaks and even feathers.

Know it before you buy it: http://hubpages.com/hub/What_Is_In_My_Pets_Food

Although not anywhere near the best and contains some fillers, Nutro Natural Complete Care is much better and more affordable than the gold standards. It's main ingredient is chicken, not sweepings off a rendering plant floor.

[AverySLC]

Odd - I switched our cats from Iams to Cat Chow and they had the opposite effect (more lively, outgoing).

Maybe it's because they are now insane, who knows.

[pennypicker]

arguments about quality aside, this is a hot deal; in comparison i pay $4.49 at the grocery store for a 3.5lb bag.

when it comes to quality i don't know - i'm not a veterinarian or an animal nutritionist (and i doubt you are either...). but my cat seems very healthy and she's been gobbling the indoor formula down for years.

[Lisa123]

I am always looking for cheap pet food to donate to the local shelter. My cat is very picky and won't eat this but if I'm near a PetSmart today I'll definitely pick up a bag to donate. Thanks OP!

From the thread of unexpired newspaper coupons:
Purina Cat Chow or Kitten Chow, any 3 lb.+ $1 (12-31-09) V 10/4/09

[SUCHaDEAL]

Quote from PossumLodge : Ingredient: Animal Digest. Means manure. Someone has collected the manure from another animal and put it in the pet food you are feeding your pet. Know it before you buy it: http://hubpages.com/hub/Purina_Ca...y_Cat_Food

this is very misleading. your review/write up is for the base version of Purina Cat Chow, not the INDOOR OR COMPLETE FORMULA which the OP deal is for.

if you're not going to do a head to head comparison, leave this animal digest off the thread please.

[PetStoreManager]

this stuff is bottom of the barrel. good deal or not, blech

[Brandilla]

It's SO annoying when people come into the pet threads with the sole intent to thread crap... If you don't like the deal, move on.

I had a chow-chow mix for 13 years when I was a kid (average life expectancy for this breed is 8-12) who lived on nothing but Ol' Roy (Wal-Mart brand dog food).

All animals are different, just like people. Some will do well on cheaper foods, some won't. For those of you with cats who eat this brand, don't feel bad about it. If you're giving your pets a loving home, and putting food in their bellies, you're alright in my book.

[PossumLodge]

Since pet food is not regulated (it's a self-regulated industry, so that means zero regulation)... here are the others on the "Indoor" formula that may or may not be present.

corn meal (the main ingredient): completely undigestable with zero nutrition.

poultry by-product meal: may include but are not limited to: spines, feathers, feet, heads, dead animals and those declared unfit for human consumption due to disease and illness are also placed in the mix, pentobarbital, rancid restaurant grease, toxic chemicals and additives. By-products are often floor sweepings from a rendering plant. "Animal by-product" is rendered product from animal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." Pet food labels contain the words "meal" or "byproduct" on the ingredient label. Inedible byproducts such as bone, fat, heads, hair, feet and condemned offal are used in commercial pet food. These materials are sent to a rendering plant for processing into pet food products.

gluten: Allergies and inability to digest. Wheat gluten was named as the reason for the recent Pet Food Recall.

grains (lots of grains in this!): undigestable and often harmful filler. Use of corn, wheat, or soy which cause skin irritation, hair loss, fever, ear infections, kidney failure, liver failure. dental disease, obesity, chronic digestive problems, bloat, heart disease, IBD, Cushings Syndrome, and hyperthyroidism.

When you have a cat die of kidney failure due to bad food, as I did (as I didn't know any better) you'll know why I object so strongly.

[PetStoreManager]

/\/\/\

This is like saying, "I have lived my entire life eating nothing but hot pockets and I am totally fine, so don't tell me they are unhealthy!"

@Brandilla

[SUCHaDEAL]

Quote from PossumLodge : Since animal food is not regulated (it's a self-regulated industry, so that means zero regulation)... here are the others on the "Indoor" formula that may or may not be present. corn meal (the main ingredient): completely undigestable with zero nutrition. by-product meal: may include but are not limited to: spines, hair, hooves, feet, heads, euthanized dogs and cats from veterinarian offices and animal shelters, roadkill, zoo animals, dead animals and those declared unfit for human consumption due to disease and illness are also placed in the mix, pentobarbital, rancid restaurant grease, toxic chemicals and additives. gluten: Allergies and inability to digest. Wheat gluten was named as the reason for the recent Pet Food Recall. grains (lots of grains in this!): undigestable and often harmful filler. Use of corn, wheat, or soy which cause skin irritation, hair loss, fever, ear infections, kidney failure, liver failure. dental disease, obesity, chronic digestive problems, bloat, heart disease, IBD, Cushings Syndrome, and hyperthyroidism. When you have a cat die of kidney failure due to bad food, as I did (as I didn't know any better) you'll know why I object so strongly.

Possum,

I appreciate your point of view, but do feel kidney failure can be caused by many things. I'm not saying it wasn't the cat food per se, but it is interesting to note the "animal digest" is not in these formulas as you first made a fuss over in your original post.

People eat human foods that have potential health risks too and there are many sides to the coin in these debates. as with anything, I use common sense, moderation and logic and try not to over concern myself with this sort of thing.

Quote from PetStoreManager : /\/\/\ This is like saying, "I have lived my entire life eating nothing but hot pockets and I am totally fine, so don't tell me they are unhealthy!" @Brandilla

oh brother..........

[Mixels]

Quote from SUCHaDEAL : Possum, I appreciate your point of view, but do feel kidney failure can be caused by many things. I'm not saying it wasn't the cat food per se, but it is interesting to note the "animal digest" is not in these formulas as you first made a fuss over in your original post. People eat human foods that have potential health risks too and there are many sides to the coin in these debates. as with anything, I use common sense, moderation and logic and try not to over concern myself with this sort of thing. oh brother..........

You're probably right in that kidney failure in cats is often not caused exclusively by their food, but low quality food absolutely puts them at higher risk. Low quality food can also put them at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and other health issues, but of course, the best commercial cat foods cost around $20 per 5lb bag. While I personally think it's worthwhile to pay the difference for the better product, many people use the lower quality products and never associate health problems with their cats' food. Whether that means the food never caused health problems or the owner just doesn't know it is irrelevant; if a person is happy with the product, he or she will pay for it. That said, I can understand why people may feel compelled to post their objections to this particular deal (or rather, its product). It's not a slight on you personally, OP, but some may feel feeding your pet these inexpensive foods falls directly in line with animal cruelty, even if it is through ignorance or negligence.

I'm sure those who don't agree or don't care will appreciate your deal. You'll have to tolerate the statements of opinion, though; threads like these help people learn about the products they're buying.