Price of Wet vs Raw
Disclaimer: These charts may not represent the most recent pricing of product
Here is another HPS Price Round-Up!
Today we will be looking at the price of feeding canned food versus the price of feeding raw food to cats! As many cat owners know, feeding a moisture-rich diet is optimal for feline health. Moisture-rich diets often avoid extremely common health issues in felines such as UTIs, bladder stones, kidney or liver failure, obesity, and many many others. Now choosing which is best is certainly a little more personal. Some cats don't take to raw food after years of feeding kibble or wet food. Raw food can be a little daunting as far as prep and cleanliness for some folks as well. If pet parents can overcome these hurdles, raw food is and always will be the best of the best that you can feed your pets. Not only is it providing optimal moisture, but also avoids fillers or binders that often lend to the many health issues we stated previously. On top of all of that raw diets also provides full nutrient absorption, a truly minimal and unprocessed diet, and superior nutrition in the way of meat and not a vegetable product.
Our comparisons are looking at the most popular canned lines, most of which are priced universally for most brands. This will be a comparison with a ten-pound cat. Feedings will either be ounces per pound or ounces per 5 pounds, either way, the portions are accounted for and evened out. For the raw foods, we will be estimating patties per bag and calculating based on patties per pound feeding. Our table we have at the shop has all our brands listed as well as some grocery store favorites. If you would like to see where your brand stacks up, let us know.
Canned Food Pricing
| Brand | Ounces per LB | Price of Can | Ounces per Can | Cost Daily | Cost Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasiks | 0.76 | 3.39 | 12.2 | 2.12 | 63.56 |
| Taste of the Wild | 0.96 | 1.49 | 5.5 | 2.61 | 78.23 |
| Koha | 0.92 | 1.69 | 5.5 | 2.82 | 84.54 |
| Fancy Feast | 1.20 | 0.89 | 3 | 3.56 | 106.8 |
| Cats in the Kitchen | 1.00 | 2.19 | 6 | 3.65 | 109.5 |
| Wellness Classics | 1.03 | 4.89 | 12.5 | 4.03 | 121.03 |
| Weruva Classics | 1.00 | 2.29 | 5.5 | 4.16 | 124.91 |
| Ziwi Peak | 0.74 | 4.49 | 5.5 | 6.03 | 180.9 |
| Earthborn | 1.83 | 2.19 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 219 |
Let's take a look at pricing on some of our most popular canned foods. The pricing here tends to be a little more straightforward than it was on kibble since there is just less variability in ingredients and nutrient densities. Price is more or less correlated with the cost of feeding any particular can. As with the kibble calculator, we shouldn't be viewing the cost of feeding any individual food as an indication of the quality of that food. Here we see one of our cheapest 12.2 oz cans, Kasiks, priced the lowest of the lot. Towards the end we see one of our highest quality wet foods, Ziwi Peak, actually being less costly than some of the more popular brands Wellness Core and Earthborn. The difference between the two is considerable, with almost a $40 difference when compared to Earthborn.
Raw Food Pricing
| Brand | Patties per day | Price of Bag | Patties per bag | Cost per day | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VE Chicken | 2 | 15.99 | 14 | 1.90 | 57.11 |
| Primal Chicken & Salmon | 4 | 22.99 | 48 | 1.92 | 57.48 |
| Smallbatch Chicken | 6 | 22.99 | 48 | 1.92 | 57.48 |
| Answers Chicken | 4 | 11.19 | 16 | 2.80 | 83.93 |
| VE Rabbit | 2 | 24.99 | 14 | 2.98 | 89.25 |
| Primal Rabbit | 4 | 36.99 | 48 | 3.08 | 92.48 |
| Smallbatch Rabbit | 6 | 38.99 | 48 | 3.25 | 97.48 |
| Answers Duck | 4 | 18.49 | 16 | 4.6225 | 138.675 |
Comparing raw foods is very similar to canned, in that the prices per feeding more or less follow the price per bag. Here we are using daily feedings of a 10 lb cat with the approximate patties per bag. We also simplified the chart by including only Chicken and Rabbit/Duck formulas from our brands, looking at the cheapest protein and the most expensive represeneted by brands. Some brands will have 1 oz patties, while others have 1/2 oz patties. This is important since the feeding portions aren't a good comparison point. The cost per feeding across the board is fairly similar, being within 50 cents of each other. Vital Essentials tends to be the cheapest brand to feed, regardless of protein. While Answers tends to be the more expensive regardless of protein.
The interesting thing is when we compare raw food to canned food. The average cost of daily feedings for canned food was $5.17 with a fairly wide variation in price and cost per feeding, averaging per month at $154.97. Whereas raw food averaged $2.49 a day and $74.61 a month. Even our most expensive compared raw food, Answers Duck, is priced at $138.68 a month. Comparing that to the wet foods, it still falls within the top half of our table of brands as a whole
The takeaway here once again is that feeding quality food to our pets is not as expensive as it seems. Canned food seems affordable because a single can cost anywhere from $1 - $4, whereas raw food seems pricey because of the small bags and how long those bags last you. In reality, raw food is far cheaper to feed than wet food.
Canned dog food averages $278.47 a month for a 40lb dog, while raw food averages $212.71 for a 40lb dog. The difference here isn’t as great, but still large enough to make a difference monthly. We also offer bulk boxes of some of our favorites, averaging in at 162.21 a month. Huge difference when you buy in bulk!!
Have you ever considered trying raw food for your cat or dog? If not, maybe this can help you dip your paws in. Not only are you getting greater palatability, but greater nutrition as well! As always, thank you for reading. If you have any questions, feel free to stop by or call in. We love talking about pet foods and helping pet parents get the best for their pets.
