Why do most people hate wet food??

kara_leigh

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I don't know if this belongs here, feel free to move it.

I'm just curious, why do most people hate wet food? Is it b/c they are uninformed? Is it b/c everything has to be about THEM and not about the cat, and b/c the human thinks it is gross obviously it is bad for the cat?? I just don't get it, I guess.

On another forum I go to (not related to cats) someone asked a question about feeding their cat. I directed her here, but I don't think she ever came. Oh well. I tried. Someone replied and started her post "I hate wet food...gross!!" and then went on to say that when she first got her cat she refused to eat dry food so she "gave in" and gave her wet food. The cat currently gets around 1/2 can per day, but her owner hopes to "wean" her off that nasty stuff soon. She told the other people on the forum that the only reason for wet food is b/c of the higher protein, so she got her a higher protein dry food (Royal Canin).

I tried to explain why wet food is actually better for the cat, more to do with the water content than the protein content, and everything I could think of about it, but I don't know if I did a good enough job. I'm still learning myself. I also explained that if she is concerned about protein content then she should look into a grain free diet, and there are some of both dry and wet out there. I told her that most RC foods actually have a pretty high grain content in them, especially corn.

I guess I'm just frustrated. It has always been a pet peeve of mine when people give wrong advice that could harm another person or their pet. She's probably going to freak out on me, but oh well.
 

lovemykitty3

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I think it has to do with being uninformed. A long time ago, I thought wet food was bad for the cat's teeth and would make them fat. We fed our two boys wet and dry, but we thought the wet was the equivalent of 'junk food' for kitties. Our vet told us wet was actually good for them. The cat I have now eats some good quality dry and two servings of wet each day. He wouldn't touch the wet at first because I don't think he ever had it before, but now he'll eat it all, but will only eat two certain brands.
 

sharky

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Mis information and lack of real studies ...

Till recently most vet s were taught wet food causes decay ... resent studies have indicated that dry food is more likely to cause decay of teeth ... my lovely example is which sticks to your teeth more an apple or popcorn?? the pop corn since it is dry
 

luv furbabies

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I was told by our "cat specialist" here in town that wet food made OUR cat have bad teeth, and he should be on dry food. AND he was overweight because of wet food.

He then proceeded to tell me how to wean him OFF of wet and strictly onto dry.

That cat did pass away in Sept. from cancer.. Sad that his last few months of life had to be weaning off of his wonderful, wet food... Poor baby


I learned from a DIFFERENT vet that wet food is ok and this vet has been giving misinformation for years... I really don't like the vets in this town
 

sweetpea24

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Because most people choose to believe old cat tales and don't bother to do any research. My sister-in-law loves cats (she had 3) and is adamant that they need dry food because it cleans their teeth and that wet food should only be given as a treat. She fed her cats Hill's T/D which was for dental problems. They only ate dry. Luckily, they didn't have any urinary problems (yet as they have been rehomed due to my brother's worsening allergies). She has loved cats for all her life whereas I just became a cat lover in August 2008. I'm not saying she doesn't care but just doesn't care to learn anymore. I'm sure that if she gets another cat and it has problems, she will do some research and then suddenly come up with this brilliant idea that cats should be fed wet food. When I tell her I feed my cats some wet with their dry (I'd feed all wet if I could afford it), she tells me I shouldn't because they'll get spoiled and fat. I used to think that way too until I became neurotic about feeding my animals the best food possible. She thinks I'm crazy because I bake for my dog. I think it's crazy that she wouldn't!
 

motoko9

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I wonder if some people balk at feeding canned food because of the expense. (And if your cats are like mine and only like certain premium brands, the price can really climb!) It's also messier than dry food. Still, it seems to me (at least in my neck of the woods) that more vets are recommending that cats be given at least some wet food these days.
 

white cat lover

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Most votes reccomend dry food for dental health & say wet food will rot teeth. That effects people's decisions. It is also $$ and more difficult to feed wet food.
 

strange_wings

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Not mentioned, but why the person probably thought the wet food was gross is because a lot of them do stink - especially anything fishy or that has a gravy on it. The ingredients aren't any worse than what is in most processed meats that humans eat (potted meat, spam, hot dogs, etc) if you really think about it and apparently there's a market for that stuff.
 
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kara_leigh

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Not mentioned, but why the person probably thought the wet food was gross is because a lot of them do stink - especially anything fishy or that has a gravy on it. The ingredients aren't any worse than what is in most processed meats that humans eat (potted meat, spam, hot dogs, etc) if you really think about it and apparently there's a market for that stuff.
I know.
That's what I meant when I said that everything is about her, not the cat. SHE thinks it's gross, no matter as you said that it has most of the same ingredients as some human foods, but it is cat food not human food. Put it on a plate or in a bowl and just let the cat eat it, already!!
 

littleraven7726

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

Most votes reccomend dry food for dental health & say wet food will rot teeth. That effects people's decisions. It is also $$ and more difficult to feed wet food.
Most people in my family think I'm nuts to feed canned food 2x a day. I have one relative who still insists Nabu has bad teeth because I feed him wet food. Even though he had the same bad teeth when I fed all dry food (way back when I first got him and Raven
).
I think good/bad teeth is more related to genetics. I have 1 cat with amazing teeth, and a pair of litter mates (now I just have one of them) that have/had very bad teeth--almost annual dentals. I started out with all dry when I first got cats, went almost all canned when Raven
was sick, and now am back to closer to 50/50.
Nabu still gets yucky teeth (he's 11 1/2) and Stimpy still has clean teeth at 8 1/2. A vet I had back in 1999-2000 told me "Some cats just have bad teeth."
 

mai_kitties

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Originally Posted by motoko9

I wonder if some people balk at feeding canned food because of the expense. (And if your cats are like mine and only like certain premium brands, the price can really climb!)
I think cost does have a lot to do with it. I know for me it's tough to feed 6 cats wet cat food 1 time a day. I have a budget for everything and in order to make sure my cats get their wet food at least once a day I have to stay within a certain price per can.

Well the better quality wet food is way out of my budget and I'm already on the wet food that isn't the best but it's not the worst. However if that goes up in price it was my last resort wet food and I will be forced to go with something that may not be really good for them.

Most cat food companies charge a lot for their wet food and I've noticed a trend of them getting rid of the larger cans of their good food in favor of those dinky little 3 oz cans which cost only pennies less then the 6 oz cans. So what is the better option a 3 oz can that I would have to buy two of at $.56 or one 6 oz can of the same stuff at $.68?
 

cruisermaiden

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Everyone in my family (except me) has always been anti-wet food for our animals. My Stepmother gives her cats just a little taste/snack of wet food at night as a treat and that is how everyone in my group always looked at it – treats, not meals. I think a lot of people have a problem with it because it takes more time and attention to feed wet, and because it is more expensive.

Most people who feed dry food donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t wash their catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s bowl every day, and it only takes a couple of seconds to pour some more dry into the dish. With wet you have to wash the bowl, scoop out the food and then clean up after. I think a lot of people want to set and forget about feeding their pets so they just make sure the dry food stays full, you canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t just leave wet food out.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t buy my cats super expensive food – they eat Kirkland dry (free feed) and Friskies wet (1 can/day each) – but I spend twice as much on their wet as I do dry. I buy large quantities and only purchase every other month when the wet goes on sale but the kibble works out to about $12/month and the wet about $24/month for two cats.
 

sakura

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It took me a while to get used to wet food. It's smelly and kind of grossed me out at first.
Plus, it's expensive. It's so much easier to feed dry food in the morning when things are rushed and crazy.

It's so much healthier for cats than dry food though.
 

followedbydolls

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My cats even when i was child were given a mix of wet and dry diets, both lived into their late teens. I do the same now with my group.

I actually see many people buying wet cat food, more tend to shy away from it for dogs vs cats, at least from i have seen here.
 
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