Feeding my cat dry, canned, & raw...

There is always controversy on which is best, dry, wet, raw, combination... I'm not convinced that this will be officially solved at any point in our kitties lives. IMHO, quality foods and appropriate ingredients is what is most important when feeding. All of the brands you suggested are brands that I feed my own cats, and they get both wet and dry food. [Dry Nature's Variety, wet Natures's Variety and EVO 95%]

Originally Posted by Yuki

How old are your cats? and have they ever had any health problems so far?

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Young, 2 years and 7 months. The 2 year old has no health problems and no early signs of dental problems, and the 7 month old has no problems to date apart from food allergies.

I would feed canned/raw and cut out the dry. You have to wait a certain time after feeding faw to give dry food as they digest differently.

I do a combination of all three, too.

Canned for breakfast, dry for lunch, and then raw for dinner. Even though I just started this whole combo for Mango recently, my dog had been doing a combination for some time and she's fine.

I just make sure to space out the feedings between dry and raw. Some people say there's nothing to worry about, but I do it to be on the safe side.

Originally Posted by MesmerizeK

I do a combination of all three, too.

Canned for breakfast, dry for lunch, and then raw for dinner. Even though I just started this whole combo for Mango recently, my dog had been doing a combination for some time and she's fine.

I just make sure to space out the feedings between dry and raw. Some people say there's nothing to worry about, but I do it to be on the safe side.

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IMHO I would reverse breakfast and lunch..

dry food takes 18-24 hours to digest ( ie be sent out )

wet is 12-24

raw is 6-8

Just out of curiosity, why not choose either raw or canned, instead of all three?
I feed raw in the morning, and whenever kitty asks for it if Im home during the day (he doesnt eat very much at a time) and dry is always available.

In my experience, you can ask six different people what the ideal kitty diet is and get six different answers. My opinion is to make sure that whatever diet you choose is meeting their nutrional needs - i.e. if you're going for a dry diet, make sure they have enough water, a wet diet needs to be concerned with calories, and a raw diet just needs a little time investment. And that's really just me skimming the surface - you'll find the folks here all have very well-informed opinions of how to feed their babies. I'm exclusively dry for the time being, and they're on a premium food. Every now and then they get an extra pouch of wet in the evenings for a special treat, but when I tried integrating that into their regular diet they started packing on extra weight.

Originally Posted by Rebochan

. . . . a wet diet needs to be concerned with calories. . . . .

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Can you explain this more fully. I was under the impression that dry food had more useless calories than wet food, so I would appreciate clarification. Thanks.

Wet food per the OUNCES is fewer calories on ave than the same in dry

take a 1 cup of typical premium dry( which in most food s is 4-5 oz ) = to on ave 350-450 calories///

5.5 oz of typical wet is 200-250

After all I've read about the connections between dry kibble and the risk of future health problems in cats, such as diabetis, UTI and obesity, I don't feed dry food to my cats anymore and would urge anyone wanting to feed a better diet to cut out the dry and feed 100% wet. Dry foods are nutritionally upside down in general because of high quantity of carbohydrates and even the better quality ones lack moisture. And grazing is not natural for a cat.

I find it wrong that it is the norm for many people to feed a steady diet of meat flavored breakfast cereals for cats, obligate carnivores, when it is clearly species inappropriate. Pick up a book on caring for reptiles and it will tell you to feed a correct diet. But feeding a correct diet to cats is not very strongly encouraged and the dry food manufacturers are responsible for this lack of logic in our society when it comes to feeding cats. Yes pet food companies have improved their products to appeal to humans but it all started as a very cheap way to create a huge business and not necessarily for the benefit of cats and continues as such. It's convenient for people for dry food. That's understandable. I know this may seem like a very extreme opinion to those who want to feed dry food but after all I've read I feel this strongly about dry cat food. I don't like it. And once they're eating the canned and the raw, why is dry food necessary?

I would for the benefit of cats and to be understanding of their owners at least say that if you do feed dry food, do not feed it exclusively and try not to feed it as a staple. Of course you're doing a whole lot better by offering your cat other things to eat besides dry food but I do believe it's a step up to eliminate the dry and feed a combination of canned and raw so the cat really gets maximum moisture benefits and the lowest carbohydrate possible and even a higher step up to feed raw exclusively but I know many of us including myself can't do that. So to those who feel differently I am not judging you for feeding dry food, just letting everyone here know that I don't like dry food because of all the negative things I've read about it and I never will again (in the past I didn't know better.)

Dry food also does not clean a cat's teeth. Brushing, dental cleanings under anesthesia when needed, and if the cat will chew, some chunks of raw meat or chicken hearts are all good for the teeth.

UMM chicken hearts are very good for a cat but he hehe they dont help with dental care ... chunks of raw meat do very little also... You keep reminding many of us how not to spout off

I do agree dry is the least on the quality food scale but I wont say do this or that ... why cause I have learned over 3 decades of kitty careing that all wont do as I wish ... and many on here have several decades on me ..

Originally Posted by sharky

UMM chicken hearts are very good for a cat but he hehe they dont help with dental care ... chunks of raw meat do very little also... You keep reminding many of us how not to spout off

I do agree dry is the least on the quality food scale but I wont say do this or that ... why cause I have learned over 3 decades of kitty careing that all wont do as I wish

... and many on here have several decades on me ..

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Then why do so many raw experts reccommend chunking some of the meat instead of feeding it 100% ground? I believe giving the cats something to chew on has to have some benefit. Tearing through flesh, that's what a cat's teeth are designed for. If this is wrong please point to an article that proves that chunks of raw meat does nothing for a cat's teeth.

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

Then why do so many raw experts reccommend chunking some of the meat instead of feeding it 100% ground? I believe giving the cats something to chew on has to have some benefit. Tearing through flesh, that's what a cat's teeth are designed for. If this is wrong please point to an article that proves that chunks of raw meat does nothing for a cat's teeth.

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it would help over grd but most also include either whole bones or ground raw with bone pieces raw of course those actually DO clean... lol.. my dogs eat chunks and both of their teeth are worse than on dry ...

Originally Posted by moggiegirl

Then why do so many raw experts reccommend chunking some of the meat instead of feeding it 100% ground? I believe giving the cats something to chew on has to have some benefit. Tearing through flesh, that's what a cat's teeth are designed for. If this is wrong please point to an article that proves that chunks of raw meat does nothing for a cat's teeth.

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My vet says the same thing. The big chunks that they tear through help their teeth. My vets are fully behind raw food. I also do raw chicken necks which help even further. None of my cats have eaten dry much under my care. Now they rarely even eat canned.
I would do wet and canned.
I try to find crunchy things for snacks from time to time.

I think people have to do the healthiest best for their cats that can afford and that their lifestyle permits. Some raw is better than no raw.