mathematics dunce needs help calculating cost of cat litter

[Bertha Venation]

Petsmart sells 40 lbs. for $8.99

Petco sells 30 lbs. for $13.99

No, my question is not, "which is the better deal?"

My question, which to some may seem just as stupid, is, by what percentage is Petco's litter more expensive than Petsmart's?

Please don't make fun of me. I suck at math. Like, truly, truly suck. You would be amazed at how badly I suck at math.

Thank you.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Petsmart

More kitty litter for less money. You don't even have to do math for that one.

Petsmart: $.224 per pound
Petco: $.466 per pound.

Petco is more than twice as much.

Edit: I'm a dunce and had food in there.

[masshole]

5. food?

who eats kitty litter? :P

[Bertha Venation]

6. I loathe Petsmart. I truly loathe it.

I missed Petco so badly when I moved to Maryland. But I don't miss it badly enough to pay this much more.

And the Petco store was filthy. And the ferrets had no water, and their cage smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in days. :grr:

[Richardo]

8. Ah, but that was not the question, sirjw...

read closely... :)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. I read closely...

but "twice" is just as good as a percentage. :hi:

[Richardo]

16. Perhaps *I* should read more closely..

Oops! :hi:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. It's cool!

:toast: Not like we're discussing anything hugely important here!

[JVS]

10. Everything looks fine and dandy now

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Already changed it three replies ago

:hi:

[GOPisEvil]

2. Over 100% more expensive.

Petsmart is 22 cents per pound. Petco is 47. If you took another 22 cents per pound (100%) you still wouldn't get to Petco's price.

[Bertha Venation]

21. well, if I had given it just a little more thought

instead of trying formulas in Excel, I might've figured it out.

Thanks, G. :)

Thanks to everyone. You've demonstrated adequately just how badly I suck at math! :bounce:

[Lucky Luciano]

3. 106.15%

Petco's price per pound = 13.99/30 = 0.46333.
Petsmart's cost per pound = 8.99/40 = .22475.

So the percentage by which Petco's is more expensive is

(.46333 - .22475)/.22475 * 100 = 106.15%


A: 106.15%

[damnraddem]

22. No, if you're going for that precision, you shouldn't round 0.4633..

where you did. At greater precision, one gets 107.5% more expensive.

[Lucky Luciano]

25. I rounded it at the right place, but

on closer inspection I read the number wrong it is actually .46633 instead of .46333.

[Richardo]

4. Petco's litter is over 100% (twice as expensive) as Petsmart.

8.99/40 = 22.475 cents per pound
13.99/30 = 46.63 cents per pound

46.63 - 22.475 = 24.155 difference per pound

24.155/22.475 = 107%

[Commendatori]

7. Well, 120 pounds from each place would cost

$55.96 at Petco and $26.97 at Petsmart. You could buy 240 pounds at Petsmart and still come out ahead; it's 2.07 times as expensive.

[mopinko]

9. ok

petsmart- 22 cents/lb
petco- 47 cents/lb
=
2.1 times as much

[calico1]

13. The 40 lb bag is cheaper per lb.

You divide 8.99 by 40 lbs=.22475 or 22.475 cents per lb.

The 30 lb bag will cost you 46.633 cents per lb.

Edit--Oops, sorry--didn't read the second part, but its already been answered.

[Westegg]

14. Simple math suggests that Petco is approx. 2X (or 100%) more expensive.

[Speck Tater]

15. here's how:

Petsmart is 8.99/40 lbs = $0.22475 per pound
Petco is 13.99/30 lbs = $0.46633 per pound

The ratio of Petco to Petsmart is $0.46633 / 0.22475 = 2.075

Thus Petco is 207% the cost of Petsmart, or 107% more, or over twice a much, whichever way you wish to phrase it.

[eyesroll]

17. Put both brands into the same measure -- it'll make it easier

Petsmart's litter costs 22 cents per pound. ($8.99/40)
Petco's litter costs 47 cents per pound ($13.99/30)

So, Petco's litter is 2.14 times more expensive than Petsmart's (47/22 = 2.14) -- or 114 percent more.

(on edit -- my numbers aren't as exact as others' calculations. I rounded.)

[Richardo]

18. Bertha: If you're going to pay that much, have you tried Feline Pine?

Our cats (AND we humans who have to live with the cats) love it! :thumbsup:

[Bertha Venation]

24. Never heard of it.

Please tell me about it. Anything that would make life with six cats easier would be welcome. :)

[jukes]

27. BV

*love* feline pine. it's pelletized pine sawdust. Enviro friendly, since it uses mill waste. absorbs much better than any i've tried, & when they kick it, it releases a nice pine scent.

less dust, & less fine, so it vac's easier, & doesn't get "airborne" through the house as much. lot's cheaper & lasts longer than clay or clump


several years back, 1 of my dogs had horrible colon blockage: found out he'd been snacking a litter box w/ "clumpable" litter & it impacted in his colon.

off topic: i sugg NEVER taking a pet shopping @ petsmart, they'll get exposed to every airborne pathogen the other animals carry.

EDIT: berth, you can save TONS of money by doing your own vaccinations. i never admit the # in my household, lest i be accused of "hoarding", but all my animals get their vac's by me. saves money, y trauma taking them to the vet. good feeling, caring for them yourself also. PM me if you want more 411 or linx. got to leave to vote now.

[Richardo]

28. Here's the link - it's pressed pellets of pine sawdust...

...which disintegrate with liquids (you know) and deodorize the poop smell. PetsMart also has a private label generic which is just as good, and cheaper.

http://www.felinepine.com/felinepine.html

[Bertha Venation]

29. questions for you and Jukes

Okay, folks:

1. How much will it cost to fill seven litterboxes?

2. How frequently will I have to do full changes?

I would do just about anything to get out of litterbox hell. Is this my salvation?

[Richardo]

30. One 20# bag for two boxes...

...at $10.79/bag (PetCo Online) that's $43.16 for 4 bags. But it's supposed to last longer than clay (only 1" depth per box). See company blurb below.


Description
The most effective cat litter you can buy! It's so effective you only need one inch. This 20 lb. bag fills two boxes--lasts longer than 60 lbs. of clay. Feline Pine is made from selected, scrapped pine lumber. It is kiln-dried before processing and compressed into clean, sterile pellets that are 100% pure and natural. This pure pine litter naturally destroys odors. Chemical-free formula is environmentally compatible. The non-tracking formula is dust free, making it healthier for you and your cat. No trash--just scoop and flush, or use as mulch. No mess--leaves litter box clean and dry. So healthy it's recommended for kittens and post-surgical cats. Also great for small animals, birds, and reptiles.

Technical Information
Instructions:

1. You only need to pour one inch of Feline Pine into a clean, empty litter box (even for more than one cat).

2. Scoop and flush solid waste daily. It's okay to flush some pellets a little at a time.

3. Pellets swell when they absorb moisture. Since Feline Pine neutralizes the ammonia odor caused by urine, you can leave pellets in box until they break apart into sawdust. After scooping solid waste, shake litter box back and forth, to keep fresh pellets on top and minimize tracking.

4. Change litter box every two weeks or as needed. When entire box becomes sawdust, discard as mulch, compost, burn, or throw away in a paper bag to minimize the impact on our landfills.

5. New users please read! Some cats may need to adjust to Feline Pine. Pour one inch of Feline Pine into the litter box. Cover with three inches of old litter. Do not mix! Your cat will mix it as it is used. Reduce the old litter each time you change the litter box to slowly wean your cat off the old litter. After three or four changes, all cats will use Feline Pine. (Note to BV: We did NOT have to do this part)

Ingredients
100% pure recycled pine. No new trees were cut to make Feline Pine.


And, like I said above, there's a generic equivalent at PetSmart (I think) that's cheaper.

[jmowreader]

20. More than double

Petco's litter is 207.6218 percent more expensive than Petsmart's.

How I got there:

First, price per pound: $8.99 divided by 40 is 22.475 cents/pound
$13.99 divided by 30 is 46.663 cents/pound

46.663/22.475 = 2.076218; multiply that by 100 to get your percent.

Now...Food Lion's cat litter is $1.99 per 25 pounds, or 7.96 cents per pound, making Petsmart's litter 282 percent more expensive than Food Lion's litter and Petco's litter 586 percent more expensive than Food Lion's. The cats like it as well as the expensive stuff.

[havocmom]

23. Or as Tom Robbins put it:

If it takes a hen and a half a day and a half to lay an egg and a half, how long does it take a one legged monkey to kick the seeds out of a dill pickle?

I think that's what he said. Maybe it was a one legged chipmonk.

[XNASA]

26. 107% more

Petco costs $0.46633 per pound
Petsmart costs $0.22475 per pound

[fob]

31. Are the prices quoted for the EXACT same brand and style?

If that 40 lbs at Petsmart is a non-scoopable brand and the Petco is scoopable, that is not appropriate to compare via price/cost only. I know you said you weren't interested in the better "deal", and the raw cost difference was explained correctly already. But that equation also assumes comparing same stuff.