“I give them homemade meals for lunch”… Their tips for feeding their animals at a lower cost

Pets are also affected by the price increase. According to Michel-Edouard Leclerc, president of the strategic committees of the E. Leclerc centers, the price of croquettes or boxes of pâté jumped by 13% in 2022. And the prospects for this year are not much better since animal feed could increase by 43%.

Pet food ends up weighing heavily on both the cart and the budget. Because yes, kibbles for dogs and cats have a cost. Count around 3 euros per kilo for “first price” croquettes, between 3 and 6 euros for “mid-range” or “intermediate”, between 6 and 9 euros for “premium” and at least 15 euros for ” therapies”.

“I do research to find the supplier at the best price”

To mitigate the effect of the increases, Catherine, 61, who responded to our call for witnesses, “anticipated by buying several bags of kibble in advance” and she is constantly looking for the best prices. “For my 10-year-old Labrador, I mainly shop on the Internet, and I also don’t hesitate to do research to find the supplier at the best price,” she explains. I am also looking for all possible discount codes. »

Inflation obliges, some of our readers have had to make some concessions and resolve to buy products that are a little less qualitative. This is the case of Christine, 63, who gave up the rations of fresh meat, chicken and turkey she gave to her eight cats. “Instead, I buy German-made cans of meat from a reliable website, as well as larger quantities of kibble,” she says. It does not delight me but I have no choice, ”she says. Similarly, the products that Pascal, 57, used to get, now remain on the shelves. “I no longer buy Sheba products, I’m moving towards private labels”, he testifies.

“I feed my dogs at the Barf”

Wouldn’t the solution to save money be to share our food with them? While they don’t go so far as to offer a bowl of green bean cordon bleu to their peers, some readers have chosen to prepare their own meals. “I feed my two dogs Barf”, a mixture of meat or fish and vegetables, says David, 55. With each order, he has around 100 kg of chicken, rabbit, lamb or even fish delivered. “Barf is more expensive to buy than dry food (kibbles), but buying in bulk allows you to be a winner in the end. And the health of the dogs is affected, because their health problems are less recurrent,” he explains.

Amandine, 23, offers her cats a different morning menu than the evening menu. “I give them a dose of croquettes from a sub-brand and homemade meals for lunch, and in the evening they have our leftovers from the day or the day before. “A conclusive formula since his cats” love it, and, on our side, there is less waste and the packet of croquettes lasts longer “. One of our readers pushes the originality even further, since “puffed rice” is partly on the menu for her cats.

“Their bowls are and will always be full”

But inflation or not, some pet owners don’t intend to change their pet’s diet, like Clara, 23: “I haven’t changed my cat’s diet – kibble at 8, 90 euros for 70 grams and sachets of pâté at 1.50 euros each – because your health comes first. A point of view shared by Lucie. “If it’s to end up causing diseases that will lead to higher veterinary costs, that’s not mathematically smart.” Agathe confirms: “I am saving on something else, but certainly not on the food of our darlings. No matter what happens, their bowls are and always will be full. »

And sometimes, change is simply impossible because our fellow human beings are picky eaters. If one of our readers had tried to feed her cats with mash and not kibble to save money, the idea was quickly abandoned. “I have a lot of trouble getting them to change their habits,” she confirms.

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