Question about Canned vs Dry

lore

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Ok... I'm reading up on all the different threads on canned foods & that, I've read up on this since I've joined. I've settled on a Dry food for my kitties they all love it & its good for my UTI kitties, Nutro Max.

However then I'm reading further, that feeding dry food is for the convience OF the owner... WOULD they rather have Canned ALL the time? I'm not sure I want to do that for the sake of their teeth, but I SURE would be willing to do that 50% of the time.

Would that be WISE? IS that a good idea? Is that what MOST of you do? Like maybe feed Canned in the AM & Dry in the PM. I am home ALL day, I am a Stay at home Mom, so however I need to do it, I can.

I want to do what is BEST for my UTI kitties so that they NEVER get another UTI.

Please advise me as to what direction I should take


Thanks!

I currently am working on the best Canned options. Currently am buying Nutro Max canned, all flavors & my 2 UTI kittes will eat it... Yuki, sniffs it & will try to bury it... LOL
SO, Next time I'm at the store I'm going to buy a can or pouch of something else (I think I'll try Meow Mix Pouches) to see if she likes it to try to make HER happy, perhaps something with chunks, because she loves pieces of chicken & that... I KNOW the 2 boys will eat ANYTHING I put in front of them
 

sharky

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Canned options for UTI health look for mag under .22 /or .25 max

All canned is more likely to prevent but genetics plays a role
 

urbantigers

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I feed my older cat (10 years old) all wet. He's never had UTI issues but I want to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated, esp as his kidney function isn't great (values high end of normal). I see it as something that can only help in delaying or preventing the onset of urinary or kidney problems.

My younger cat (20 months) has mostly wet with just a small amount of dry.

If I was you, I would add some wet food if your cats will eat it.
 

icklemiss21

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However then I'm reading further, that feeding dry food is for the convience OF the owner... WOULD they rather have Canned ALL the time? I'm not sure I want to do that for the sake of their teeth, but I SURE would be willing to do that 50% of the time
Unless your cats chew their hard food on all teeth, kibble is not beneficial to teeth (most cats don't chew at all and like us, when they do, they use one side of their mouth
 

yosemite

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Yes, as Eithne said above, cats don't chew their food. Their jaws do not move from side to side but only up and down so they generally just break the kibble with the tip of the tooth and swallow.

I like to compare wet to dry in this manner. If you eat dry crackers, after you swallow you will find lots of cracker mixed with your saliva caught in between your teeth. If you eat a bowl of stew or wet food you are unlikely to have anything left in your teeth. Thus, dry food does nothing IMO to help keep their teeth clean.

I personally believe a wet food diet is healthier because the cat gets more moisture and that's a good thing to prevent UTI's and crystals.

Wet food also doesn't have all the grains and fillers usually which will help maintain a good weight.
 
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lore

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So an all wet diet WOULD be good? I am fine with that if that is the case I can certianly do that & don't mind that.

Just one worry about that... erm... would that make their poo... stinky?
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by Lore

So an all wet diet WOULD be good? I am fine with that if that is the case I can certianly do that & don't mind that.

Just one worry about that... erm... would that make their poo... stinky?
I don't mind letting them have a dry food as well (measured amounts) in case you ever want to leave them alone for a day or 2 then they won't starve as they will eat the dry.

I feed Merrick's (Granny's Pot Pie and Thanksgiving Day Dinner) morning and night with about 1/3 cup dry per day for "snacking" on.

Depending on your kitty's digestive system, you may experience stinky poo for a few days to a week or so while their system adjusts to the new food. I have to say that since I've changed Bijou and Mika from the lesser quality dry to Merrick's wet and Orijen dry, their litter boxes do not have an odour. When I go to scoop every night, I take the covers off the boxes and honestly there is no odour other than the smell of the World's Best litter. They also eat less of the quality food which in the long term costs about the same or less than the lower quality food. The amount of poo has also lessened since changing their food. I don't know if it is from their bodies using more of the nutrients or what, but there is much less waste.
 
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lore

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I see what you are saying about letting them have dry as well, it does make it convient for in the event you are out of town for an evening.
 

moggiegirl

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I don't remember the website address but do a search and try Max's House Feline Nutrition. It's a long article but I guarantee once you read it you will have mastered the basics of carnivore nutrition. Somewhere in that article it talks about how dry food has very little impact on dental health and that many cats who are fed dry food only still have heavy tarter build up on their teeth. Cats teeth work like a pair of scissors, there is no grinding motion when cats eat their food. It also says that a mostly wet food diet with tarter reducing treats(10-15%) of the diet or a wet food diet with a small portion of of dry food (no more than 25%) would likely have the same marginal dental benefit as an all dry diet. As a stay at home Mom, if your cats like to eat smaller, more frequent meals you can feed multiple wet food meals because wet food is better for UTI prone kitties. I am a working girl and cannot do that. Thank God my cats don't have UTI issues. Maybe limit their dry food to just 20% in case you have to leave them alone with dry food for a day or two just to keep them used to accepting dry food. So an 80% wet food diet and 20% dry food would keep them well hydrated while still giving them some crunchies. For dental benefits, although very marginal, Nutro Natural Choice is designed to provide more of a dental benefit than Max Cat. Max Cat is really just a flat disk that does absolutely nothing for the teeth. Although I can't guarantee that the Natural Choice is necessarily going to make a significance either. But it is a little higher on the premium scale. You might also ask your vet which dry foods are ok for UTI prone kitties to feed in small quantities.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by moggiegirl

You might also ask your vet which dry foods are ok for UTI prone kitties to feed in small quantities.
Most vets recommend Science Diet or Hills - neither of which are very good quality food. They have their use for special needs cats, but there are better foods for UTI prone kitties out there.

Our vet suggested I put Bijou on Science Diet to lose weight - I declined
 

jean44

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In addition to the articles already mentioned there is an article in Little Big Cat titled Why Cats Need Canned Food. It covers the basics of why canned food is good for cats. Here's the link.
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...needcannedfood

My cats have been on a totally wet food diet since last December. As much as possible I feed grain and fish free varieties of Wellness and Natural Balance. The three that were overweight have lost weight and the high protein, low carbohydrate diet helps my potentially diabetic boy control his blood glucose.
 
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lore

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

Most vets recommend Science Diet or Hills - neither of which are very good quality food. They have their use for special needs cats, but there are better foods for UTI prone kitties out there.

Our vet suggested I put Bijou on Science Diet to lose weight - I declined
I feed Nutro Max Dry (& wet currently which 2 out of 3 eat, Yuki will try to bury all flavors but chicken
), which I was recommended for UTI kitties & I feel is a Quality food (on a budget)
 

nimbus

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Yeah, I've been feeding mine nutro wet too and my kitten loves it. I just hope they get all the recall stuff sorted out and start restocking soon! Nutro is practically the only good quality food I can consistantly fit in my budget.

-Kristen
 

mstishtwo

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It is good to feed your cats both. Hard food is good for their teeth but it's also high in carbohydrates...which is bad for weight gain. Canned cat food is high in moisture which is easier digested and good for the urinary tract. I feed my cats dry in the morning and soft in the evening. I have a male cat the has had a history of urinary tract problems. Since I put him on canned food he has not had anymore problems.
 

meow meow

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Originally Posted by Lore

I see what you are saying about letting them have dry as well, it does make it convient for in the event you are out of town for an evening.
My cat has never had a UTI but I also free feed him Nutro Max dry (I think it is very good food). I also give him wet in the am and at night. I have used Meow Mix cups, Fancy Feast, Nutro (hard to find in my area now) and lately Wellness.

If you really want to feed "the good stuff" I think Wellness is it (get it at Petco but it is twice as expensive as the grocery store stuff). Then again, it can be best stuff in the world but if they won't eat it it doesn't matter.

For the experts, if kitties have UTI's shouldn't they avoid wet food with fish in it?
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by mstishtwo

It is good to feed your cats both. Hard food is good for their teeth but it's also high in carbohydrates...which is bad for weight gain.
You are half right - dry food is high in carbohydrates. It does absolutely nothing for thier teeth though - that's a bit of a fallacy.
 
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