Dry Food

dn-wake

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My kitten's diet so far has been two wet meals a day (morning and night) along with leaving out dry food all day. I've read that feeding dry food to cats is bad according to many many sources that I have researched so far. Should I take away the dry food so that I will feed it only 100% dry?
It seems that my cat eats about 50% wet and 50% dry. I think that if I take away all of the dry, it will eat heartier meals during the two meals of wet food that I give it daily. However I already have a 20 lb pound of Science Diet dry food that is unopened. What should I do?
 

laureen227

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if he's still growing, i think leaving the dry food down is a good thing. that said, i'd return the SD for something better...
 
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dn-wake

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I'm afraid I cannot do that because I bought it online since it was on sale for about 10 dollars off. What should I do? I've read that dry food is absolutely horrible for a cat/kitten's health and should not be fed at all.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

I'm afraid I cannot do that because I bought it online since it was on sale for about 10 dollars off. What should I do? I've read that dry food is absolutely horrible for a cat/kitten's health and should not be fed at all.
really depends on the food & the cat.
is there a Petco or Petsmart near you? i bet they'd take it since it's unopened & give you store credit. worth calling & asking, anyway.
 

gayef

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If you are at home during the day and can do this, try to gradually decrease the amount of dry food you are serving and just as gradually increase the amount of meals of wet food you are serving. Ideally, a cat should have 4 to 6 small meals throughout the day, but as most people work and cannot be at home to feed this way, the dry food serves as a filler.

I hate dry food for my cats, but with the 4 of them, the financial issues of being self-employed and having health issues, I cannot feed all wet food at present. I wish you better luck.

ETA: If the bag of dry food you have is unopened and you are absolutely not going to be using it for your own cats, then may I suggest that you donate it to your local shelter or rescue organization?
 
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dn-wake

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What if they won't let me do that? In that situation, should I still continue leaving out the SD dry food all day for my kitten to eat? I've noticed that it doesn't eat as much wet food as it used to when I didn't leave out any dry food at all. Should I just stop feeding it dry completely and feed it wet only?
 

gayef

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I don't know how old your kitten is at the moment, but kittens need all the nutrition they can get during their formative months ... personally, I would switch to a better brand of dry food and leave it down for now while your baby is growing and maturing. Once Baby gets to the desired adult weight/size, then you can discuss with your vet how best to meet his nutritional needs.
 
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dn-wake

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I really don't want to waste the 20 lb bag of SD dry food and my kitten is about approximately 12-14 weeks old. What should I if I cannot return or exchange the 20 lb bag of dry food?
 

gayef

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Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

I really don't want to waste the 20 lb bag of SD dry food and my kitten is about approximately 12-14 weeks old. What should I if I cannot return or exchange the 20 lb bag of dry food?
As I previously mentioned, you might like to donate it to your local shelter or rescue organization. They are worthy and it would help a great number of needy cats.
 
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dn-wake

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Is Science Diet dry cat food really that horrible that I should consider donating it and not feeding it to my kitten? If so, what brand should I purchase?
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by gayef

I don't know how old your kitten is at the moment, but kittens need all the nutrition they can get during their formative months ... personally, I would switch to a better brand of dry food and leave it down for now while your baby is growing and maturing. Once Baby gets to the desired adult weight/size, then you can discuss with your vet how best to meet his nutritional needs.
call them & ask... what do you have to lose?
if you want to switch to a higher quality dry, & they won't do it, then do the donation to the shelter.
ETA: there are some excellent threads you might look at to decide. or just read labels - 1st ingredient should be a named meat meal, no byproducts, etc.
here are some links:
what food do you use & why
kitten nutrition
 

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Science Diet is not a good food, especially for how expensive it is, but I wouldn't waste it. You could either finish the bag and then switch OR find a local shelter that feeds that specific dry food (I'm sure a lot to because the company donates it, I know the cat rescue group where I live does) and see if they need any. You do need a better dry food though. Dry food isn't evil, it just can't be the cat's primary diet. I try to feed mostly wet but sometimes I just need to feed dry (like if I'm going out of town, or if I'm super rushed in the morning). I wouldn't waste the $ you already spent on Science Diet, just feed a better food in the future.

So long as the kitten is a kitten, leaving dry food out all the time is best. I would switch to scheduled twice-a-day measured feedings once they hit 6 months or so, but you can keep them on the kitten food until the cat is a year old. I think feeding wet twice a day plus leaving dry out for the kitten is ideal actually, since they should always have access to food at that age.
 
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dn-wake

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The 27 lb bag is unopened though so I am sure it will last roughly 1 more year. Is it bad to feed my kitten a year of SD dry food?
 

sakura

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Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

The 27 lb bag is unopened though so I am sure it will last roughly 1 more year. Is it bad to feed my kitten a year of SD dry food?
Do whatever is best for you and your finances. It's not ideal, but it's fine for even a year (though I think you'll go through it faster than you think, even with feeding wet food too). I don't know how much you paid for it, but if it's not a huge deal, just give it away on Craigslist or toss it or find a shelter feeding feral colonies that could use it. It's not the worst dry food out there, by far. You are feeding mostly wet anyway.

A 20-lb bag of dry food for 1 cat in measured amounts lasted me from about February to June and that is feeding 50% wet and 50% dry. A kitten will eat much more, especially a free-fed kitten.
 
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dn-wake

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Would feeding my kitten the SD dry food have any significant impact on its overall health in the long term?
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by dN-WaKE

Would feeding my kitten the SD dry food have any significant impact on its overall health in the long term?
ok, it's not that SD is bad - it's that there is better to be had for less money. basically, i object to the high price they are asking for food that is only marginally better than a supermarket brand. but it's not going to harm your cat unless he's allergic to an ingredient or has another health issue, separate from the food. there are plenty of cats who lived to ripe old ages eating meow mix or even lower quality food.

like i said - call & ask. if they say no, then either feed it till it's almost gone, then do a gradual switch, or donate it [if you're in a financial position to do so].
 
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dn-wake

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However I've read that dry food is pretty bad for a cat's overall health because it can give the cat diabetes and other sorts of health problems.
 

cc12

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Dry food is not ideal because of the way it is processed. There are studies that link dry food to a whole host of preventable diseases. UTIs, kidney issues etc. Ultimately you have to decide what you want to do. You could feed mostly wet and use it as a snack or donate it.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by CC12

Dry food is not ideal because of the way it is processed. There are studies that link dry food to a whole host of preventable diseases. UTIs, kidney issues etc. Ultimately you have to decide what you want to do. You could feed mostly wet and use it as a snack or donate it.
the above is true but note .... Many on here with yrs of cat experience ( Ie I have 30) have done wet and dry food combinations( of varying quality) for decades without too much issue ... Dry food IMHO is not ideal but since in 30 yrs only 3 cats have passed and the two who ate the most dry food saw nearly 19 and nearly 20 yrs old I am daring to say dry food DOES NOT cause but may contribute along with other factors to health issues... Note the cats in question were born 20 yrs apart and did not eat the same brands


I would Likely use that bag of SD and when you have a quarter bag start mixing it with your food of choice ... as noted it IMHO is not a great food but if kitty is used to it go with it
 

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My friend has had a number of cats who lived long, healthy lives on mostly if not entirely dry food diets, which gives me hope since Murray won't eat wet food!
 
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