Agree to disagree re:wet/dry

Our rescue director and I are at odds about feeding my foster boys. I will do as she asks, b/c the cats are not mine.

I had been feeding a mix of wet and dry - they get wet breakfast with a little dry mixed in... and a much smaller portion of that at night.

The problem I was having was that Tex would gobble his wet so fast he was puking it back up. So we had to come up with strategies to slow him down. He gets very little wet right now and it seems to agree with him more.

Then I got a lecture about how there is no nutritional value in wet food, that is is mostly water and you should feed a cat a dry diet unless they don't drink water. I tried arguing with her, but she didn't want to listen.

Sooo...oooo... I will have to abide by her rules until I get cats of my own and then I will feed them the really good stuff dry and wet.

Perhaps print out some information about the value of wet food over dry and leave it on her desk? I personally like Lisa Pierson's explanations the best:

http://www.catinfo.org/

And there is a printer friendly version there.

That stinks. However, you could explain to her if there was no nutritional value in wet food, it wouldn't be on the market, and that since most cats don't have a strong drink mechanism they might develop kidney disease.

I would agree to provide your director articles backing up the benefits of wet food and why it should be fed. We all know its good for the cats, but some people may change their mind if they see it in writing.

I know with declawing issues, I've posted and printed copies of an excellant truth in declawing article/webpage and saved several kitties from being mutilated. We can talk all we want, but when you show stuff in print, it can be more helpful in the end.

Reminds me of when I was trying to help my friend convince her dad that a wet food diet would be better for her cats. Of course for whatever reason my friend asked one of the rescue operatiors at the rescue she got her cats from if it was right that wet food was better for cats because of their low water consumption. The lady, right in front of her father, said that was completely false and that cats NEED to be fed a dry diet and that wet had almost no nutritious value and should only be fed as a treat. I can tell you I saw it coming the moment my friend asked the question and if I had known she was going to ask it I would have tackled her right there lol.. For some reason I just knew what the lady was going to say. =/ And adults always know so much more then us teenagers *sigh* So from then on convincing her dad it was better for the cats was a lost cause.

Thankfully though, he cats get ATLEAST half canned and half dry.

Just an FYI - I emailed her the link located in this post ... and I got no response. She is not going to take advice from me... she has been doing this for 20+ years, etc, etc.

The director is correct in that there is more water in wet food - you do have to feed more wet than dry. HOWEVER, cats originated from the desert and derive moisture from their food. Dry food causes them to be constantly dehydrated. Plus it contains highly processed carbs which cats don't need. Get the director to read Your Cat by Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins.

Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but if it were me, I'd foster for another organization. I wouldn't want to be working with someone that didn't accept/consider/even listen to advice or information.

But, since it's not me, I recommend that you just keep trying to educate her on the importance of wet food, and eventually maybe she will cave and actually consider that you may know what you're talking about, and that all the articles can't be wrong. But then again, you say she's been doing this 20+ years, so that's highly unlikely.

Best of luck to you in this sticky situation, and great job for fostering kitties . The world needs more foster homes right now!