Meow Mix has a great jingle that everyone loves. Right now the song is playing in your head, isn't it? You're singing along. "Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow..." Alley Cat doesn't have a catchy jingle. In fact, I rarely see any commercials for it. Maybe one of the reasons why they are able to sell their food for such a low price is that they don't spend money on advertising. They should. Everyone should know about Alley Cat. It is a great, affordable alternative to Meow Mix and has helped my cats with their unique health problems.
Meow Mix has several types of dry cat food. I have tried all of them except the kitten version. My cats have always had issues with hairballs, which leaves unsightly vomit stains on my once-beautiful carpet. The first type I tried was the Indoor Formula, which they ate for many months. The hairballs became more of a problem, so I tried Hairball Control. My cats ate this formula for a few months, but it only seemed to worsen the problem. I therefore just began buying whichever formula was cheapest, deciding they may as well have some variety in their diet.
One day at the commissary, I noticed that while Meow Mix was about $3.50, the Alley Cat was only $1.69 or so. I decided to give it a try. I figured it couldn't hurt. I was right. Not only did I save money, but my cats stopped coughing up hairballs. Every now and then, one of them will have a small one, but that happens very rarely. Not only that, my fat male cat appears to have lost weight on this new Alley Cat diet. Who would have thought that the cheapest brand would be the best brand for my cats' health?
I can't compare the tastes of the two, because I don't eat them. My cats love both Meow Mix and Alley Cat. The flavors of Meow Mix vary from formula to formula. Their Original Choice, Indoor Formula, and Hairball Control types contain chicken, turkey, salmon, and oceanfish. The Seafood Medley is a blend of tuna, shrimp, crab, and trout--which sounds appealing to me, being that I love the fruits of the sea. Alley Cat flavors include chicken and tuna and oceanfish and tuna, so there's not as much a variety as with the Meow Mix brand. I think they may favor the Meow Mix over the Alley Cat just a tad.
Their Indoor Formula is supposed to better meet the nutritional needs and wants of house cats. I think my fat cat actually gained a little weight on this, though he may have just been eating more because it tasted better. The Hairball Control food is supposed to help move hair though a cat's digestive tract. It didn't make a difference for my cats. In fact, it seemed to aggravate the problem. Alley Cat is not specially formulated for indoor cats or those with hairball problems, and yet I saw an improvement in those areas once my cats had been eating it a few weeks.
Ironically enough, Alley Cat is marketed by the same company. It doesn't blend as many flavors or have as many types of formula as Meow Mix. They also do not spend as much on advertising. This is probably why it is so much cheaper than Meow Mix. It is weird that there is such a difference between these two products, which are made by the same company. My cats have thrived on Alley Cat, while they merely survived on Meow Mix. Their ingredients may be only slightly different, but it has made a huge difference for my cats. Weeks of Alley Cat did what months of Meow Mix had failed to do.
If your main concern is flavor, you may want to go with Meow Mix. It may taste better, being that there's more of a variety of ingredients. It will meet your cat's needs. If, however, you have a cat who needs to watch his weight or who throws up hairballs, I really recommend Alley Cat. My cats seem to enjoy it just as much, and I have noticed a difference in their health. Best of all, I'm saving a lot of money, because Alley Cat is half the cost of Meow Mix. I don't know why Alley Cat helps with my cat's health issues, but for some reason, it does. We're all benefiting from it.
Meow Mix also makes wet pouches and cups and feline treats. Alley Cat does not. I would recommend these products. I have only tried the wet brands a few times, and the feline members of my family aren't really into them. However, cats that I have owned in the past have loved the wet pouches. All cats I've ever owned enjoy the treats they make. These treats and wet foods have even more flavors, so if you want variety for your cat, check these out. I have not evaluated their effects on weight or hairball control, though. Meow Mix is definitely a flavorful choice for your feline friend.
A raw diet is probably best, but if your cat can't or won't eat meat, then I would recommend either of these products. While Alley Cat better meets the needs of my cats--and my pocketbook--Meow Mix is a wonderful choice as well. Meow Mix cat food has a wide variety of flavors and types, so there is something for every cat to meet her individual needs. I chose Alley Cat to control big fat Neelix's weight and keep his and dainty princess Odette's hairballs in check. But, I do think they enjoy the flavor of Meow Mix. And every now and then, I treat them to it. If you're looking for flavor, Meow Mix is the brand for you. But if your cats have the issues that mine have, give Alley Cat a chance.
Published by Heather B.
I'm young single mother of two boys, a liberal Democrat, and a born again Pagan witch for nearly 14 years. I write about natural family living, pregnancy, homebirth, attachment parenting, and religion or pol... View profile
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25 Comments
Post a CommentI will not feed my cats anymore alley cat food as one of my cats got the urinery trct infection from it.the cat is still alive and it costed me 261.00 for the veterinary's bill,of which I an still paying on,and have to figure out other cat food to feed my cats,so that the other one does get it.
When I first decided to adopt a kitten, I read several online forums and articles recommending expensive brands sold only at pet stores. After trying a few of them (and him having little interest), I tried a few supermarket brands. I finally tried Alley Cat, and now it is the only thing he will eat. My cat is very picky - he refused leftover turkey at Thanksgiving, but he loves Alley Cat.
Im happy that ALLEY CAT helped improve your cats health. My lil baby, Scarlett, has tried both ALLEY CAT and MEOW MIX. Both made her sick and was told my my vet to try giving her a different food. I started giving her FANCY FEAST and she improved right away. Was just trying to save a lil money but ended up buying the more expensive brand. Its all worth it seeing her slightly heavier, shinier, softer and a lot more playful. Not really wanting to try changing again since she is doing well now.
Hi. Great article!!! We have ten indoor/outdoor cats, seven of them Manx with fussy digestive systems. We feed them organic raw chicken, as well as other organic raw meats. We now have our own recipe, but what we started with is the wonderful raw cat food mix called Instincts TC. We have tried many different foods, but they always seem to do best on raw meat. Many pet stores also sell pre-made raw meat in their refrigerator or freezer. One of the best we've seen is Bravo. They also sell it for dogs. A few of our Manx used to have chronic Diarrhea, but now, when they're being fed raw meat, Wellness canned cat food (and other good brands sometimes), and Orijen dry, they haven't had diarrhea for years! And If you don't want to feed raw, you could also try high-end dry and canned cat foods, like Wellness, Spot's Stew and PetGuard. In our experience, feeding only dry food doesn't work that well in the long run. And, if your cats are really picky about trying something new, you c
I was feeding my cat science diet when I adopted him. I got a big bag of Alley Cat for a great price (under 1.85 including tax). He used to pace around and meow when he knew I was feeding him, but after the Alley Cat switch, he lifts himself up on his back legs before I even get the bowl down. So far he loves it and it's very inexpensive. Double plus!
Be careful buying your Alley Cat dry cat food at Big Lots - I purchased a bag from there instead of my local grocery store and ended up with maggots halfway through the bag; and I stored the food in a tuperware container after opening. No savings in the long run and now I have a horrible memory that haunts me every time I feed my cat. ps - he loves Alley Cat; I just won't get it from Big Lots!
IAMS TESTS ON ANIMALS AND LEAVES THEM TO DIE AFTER TESTING ON THEM.
I just wanted to say thanks for buying both Meow Mix brand and Alley Cat brand food! They are both made by the same company-Del Monte Pet Products! I work in a pet food plant that makes both products, so I definitely appreciate the job security! :) Thank you!
My cat had digestive problems from switching foods. We had just adopted him. They bought the really expensive stuff that we couldn't afford. We tried 2 different brands of food and he had digestive problems. Then we noticed Alley Cat at Big Lots for $2.00! Our cat has been eating that and he loves it!
Great article. My kitty (now back in Denver, CO with my mom)absolutely goes whacko over Meow Mix. I see where they got the name and the jingle. LOL She's a fussy one, so anythhing we can get her to eat is the best. She won't eat Alley Cat or tons of other brands. Sometimes she'll eat "Special Kitty" (the Wal-Mart version of Meow Mix), but she really likes Meow Mix.