Wet vs dry cat food on a student budget

Wet food is genuinely better for cats — it keeps them hydrated, is more filling, and is closer to what they'd naturally eat. Dry food is cheaper and more convenient, but cats on dry-only diets often don't drink enough water, which can cause kidney and urinary problems down the line. That said, cost is real and a mixed approach often works well. To give you the most useful breakdown: how old is your cat, do they have any health issues you know of, and what are you feeding them right now?

That's a really common setup and honestly the fact you're thinking about this puts you ahead of most. A 3-year-old healthy rescue is a good position to be in — no special dietary needs, so you've got flexibility. The honest cost-per-meal picture: a good wet pouch like Felix As Good As It Looks works out to around 20-25p per pouch if you buy a 40-pack, and one pouch per meal twice a day is roughly 40-50p a day. Dry food seems cheaper per kilo, but cats eat more of it and still need water alongside. Can I ask — is she drinking much? And are you open to a mixed approach, wet in the mornings and a small amount of dry in the evenings?

The low water intake is actually the biggest reason to get wet food in the mix — cats have a low thirst drive and rely on food moisture to stay hydrated. Long-term dry-only diets really do increase urinary tract and kidney risk, so this isn't just preference, it's health. Here's my recommendation: Felix As Good As It Looks pouches, bought as a 40-pack on Amazon. It comes out to around 22p per pouch, it's palatable to most cats including fussy rescues, and it has decent ingredients for the price point. Feed her one Felix pouch in the morning, and a small measure of your dry in the evening as a top-up. You'll actually spend less than going all-wet, and significantly more than all-dry — but you'll be giving her proper hydration and a much better diet. The 40-pack multi-variety box means she gets variety, which rescue cats often appreciate as they settle in.

It's mid-tier, not premium — the first ingredient is meat and animal derivatives rather than a named protein, so it's not the same as something like Applaws or Natures Menu. But it meets complete food standards, cats do well on it, and at your budget it's the right call. If your finances change down the line, Sheba Fine Flakes is a small step up at a similar price. For now though, Felix As Good As It Looks 40-pack mixed in variety is the honest best-value answer for a healthy 3-year-old cat.