Cat food-Wet vs. Dry

I have three cats, 2 fifteen month-olds and a 17 year-old. I fed the 17 year old dry food, most of her life. Just a year ago, I got two kittens from two different people. Trying to do the best for them, I read that wet food is the way to go, and that dry food does not help their teeth. Well, I fed them three meals a day wet, until the kittens were a year old...then I started giving them two, in the morning and a night. In addition, they have all the dry cat food that they want to eat out all the time.

One of my 15 month olds has periodontal disease.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207363http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=207363

In addition my 17 year old now seems to have some kind of infections in her mouth, which I posted about earlier:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=207649


Does anyone know for sure if wet cat food is best? My old cat had good teeth, until I started feeding them wet most of the time. Now, I know, she is old. But my 15 month old, Indy has periodontal disease! That is like a 20 year old kid getting periodontal disease. He has eaten canned food all his life, I got him at about 7 weeks old.

What do you think? I'll continue to feed them canned, especially since they have bad teeth, but could dry be better for them?

The wet food should have nothing to do with the periodontal disease - that can come from genetic tendencies, probably the case with your cat... My bugsy's teeth are nasty and have been for a while - he has immune mediated gingivitis.

Evidently your cat has done very well on dry only - she is 17, and that is a very old age for a cat.
Wet food is better when it comes to insuring the cat has proper hydration, which is important for their kidney health...

It's unfortunate, but neither kibble nor canned food is good for the dental health of cats. Here's a Colyer Institute article detailing why: Influence of diet consistency on periodontal disease in captive carnivores.

The points we're most interested in are:

Wet foods: "Soft diets tend to produce more bacterial plaque than do firm diets."

Kibble: "Excessively course, granular diets can produce periodontal disease through the action of abrasive overuse of, and by direct traumatic injury to the supporting tissues of the oral cavity."

For dental health, the only diet that truly supports a healthy carnivorous mouth is one that includes ripping, tearing and slicing through meat, skin, tendons and bones... in other words, a non-ground raw diet.

"Foods of firm consistency will increase the number, distribution, and tone of the capillaries in the gingival tissue; which improves the metabolism and vitality of all of the supporting and surrounding structures of the oral cavity."

"The degree of keratinization of the stratified squamous epithelium in the mouth, which affords protection against trauma and other injurious agents, is affected by the frictional qualities of the diet."

"Chewing, by its mechanical action produces a compression and expansion of the periodontal ligament space around the teeth which, in turn, promotes formation of a dense fibrous suspensory structure by increasing both circulation and fibroblastic activity."

"The width of the periodontal ligament, a measure of its health, is directly related to the intensity of the mastication function."

And so on.

My older cats are only three years old. Because I started them off on dry, then switched to wet and only went raw nine months ago, all three of them are in need of a dental cleaning. Thankfully, my younger cats went from a feral's menu of mice and other wild prey almost directly to a frankenprey raw diet, and I do not anticipate the same issues for them.

Yes, but...how do you do raw? The few times I put meat down for my cats (cooked, leftovers) they ignored it and wanted their regular canned.

Is it frozen, and how expensive is it? I really love my cats, and want to do what is best for them.

Raw is a whole 'nother topic, hun. Come over to the raw-fed forum and we'll talk.

Here are a couple of threads over there you might find helpful:

Taking the plunge.

Natural Diet Information Resources

Feeding raw is not that difficult, but it is more time-consuming than feeding commercial products, and you need to understand what you're feeding and why. There are several raw-feeders here willing to help!

As I said earlier, I am off work, on umployment, so I have a lot of time, but not a lot of funds. I'll check out the raw food, if it is better. What about for my old girl, the 17 year old? Would this be good for her? Or at her age would it be too much of a change?

Originally Posted by Gailmarie

As I said earlier, I am off work, on umployment, so I have a lot of time, but not a lot of funds. I'll check out the raw food, if it is better. What about for my old girl, the 17 year old? Would this be good for her? Or at her age would it be too much of a change?

Click to expand...

Do NOT change the diet of the 17 year old to raw without a vet behind it. It IS a huge change, and one to NOT be taken lightly on an old cat like that.

Feeding raw is something that should only be done under a vet's guidance, IMO.

I had a 7 month old kitty who had always eaten dry food who had rotten teeth. They were all removed when she was 2 years of age - we lost the battle. It was all due to genetics.

Thanks for telling me that. I know I did my best for him, but as a cat parent, I couldn't help feeling like I did something wrong. I know I should have been brushing their teeth, I plan to start doing that.

I agree DO RAW only with a vets help and guidence ...

Dental issues in YOUNG cats ie under 5 are 90% genetic 10% what they eat ...

toothpaste for cats ( not human) can be given as a treat and DOES NOT need to be brushed as the enzymes do the work to aid in cleaning teeth...

Most folks with decades of experience usually will tell you a little wet and little dry works for them... YMMV ... In your 17 yr olds case dry must have been good

Your kittys' dental conditions are not something you should blame yourself for, Gailmarie. This is a huge issue, a resolution of which is way outside the scope of a single forum and certainly a single consumer/cat owner. You are not to blame.

It's never too late to improve nutrition levels (either yours or your cats' *smile*). However, there are three methodologies to raw feeding: ground, frankenprey and whole prey. Only whole prey and frankenprey have dental as well as nutritional benefits. Whole prey can be a difficult transition for a cat to make and frankenprey requires that you understand the meat, organ, and bone percentage guidelines.

I'm not dissuading you from a raw diet (FAR from it!), just emphasizing that it requires a commitment and some research. If you can find a vet familiar with the practice, so much the better, but you must still understand the basic requirements yourself.

I don't think I could feed whole prey, as I don't really eat meat myself. I know my cats need it, but I avoid eating a o lot of meat myself, because of humanitarian reasons. I don't like eating animals, when I have several as my best friends.

Gailmarie, I'm a vegetarian but feed my cats meat. It's part of the natural diet in my opinion and I won't put my personal decisions onto them. I only buy free range meat, eggs from local hens etc.

Even just giving them meat chunks a few times a week, chicken necks/wings will greatly improve their teeth without you going totally raw and needing to worry about balance - you can still feed them wet or dry with raw added.

If the cat has no weight issues, free feeding dry and adding canned twice a day is usually a good option. Generally speaking, the more expensive brands are usually better. You need to read the labels and make sure they are made from good ingredients (meat should come first, rather than grain).

Raw feeding is a good option, IMO, but as mentioned here requires a lot of research, work and should be a long-term commitment.

As for the older cat, I think the vet should be involved any major dietary change. Hopefully, when you see him/her tomorrow with the cat, you may be able to discuss feeding issues as well.

Originally Posted by Gailmarie

I have three cats, 2 fifteen month-olds and a 17 year-old. I fed the 17 year old dry food, most of her life. Just a year ago, I got two kittens from two different people. Trying to do the best for them, I read that wet food is the way to go, and that dry food does not help their teeth. Well, I fed them three meals a day wet, until the kittens were a year old...then I started giving them two, in the morning and a night. In addition, they have all the dry cat food that they want to eat out all the time.

One of my 15 month olds has periodontal disease.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207363http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=207363

In addition my 17 year old now seems to have some kind of infections in her mouth, which I posted about earlier:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=207649


Does anyone know for sure if wet cat food is best? My old cat had good teeth, until I started feeding them wet most of the time. Now, I know, she is old. But my 15 month old, Indy has periodontal disease! That is like a 20 year old kid getting periodontal disease. He has eaten canned food all his life, I got him at about 7 weeks old.

What do you think? I'll continue to feed them canned, especially since they have bad teeth, but could dry be better for them?

Click to expand...

for some reason, our cat, Delilha only eats dry cat food, she has never really liked wet food, i don't know why but she will not eat the wet food.

Because dry food is like candy to some cats. But it's just as good as candy for cats as it doesn't provide as much moisture and contains unnecessary ingredients like starches. Having said that, it is cheaper. I feed both due to money issues but if I had a choice, I'd feed all canned (or raw if they'd eat it.)

If you want your cats to try wet, put some kibbles on the wet food. As they keep eating it, gradually decrease the kibble.

Originally Posted by SweetPea24

Because dry food is like candy to some cats. But it's just as good as candy for cats as it doesn't provide as much moisture and contains unnecessary ingredients like starches. Having said that, it is cheaper. I feed both due to money issues but if I had a choice, I'd feed all canned (or raw if they'd eat it.)

If you want your cats to try wet, put some kibbles on the wet food. As they keep eating it, gradually decrease the kibble.

Click to expand...

Please be careful mixing wet and dry... if you do that make sure to only leave the food out for 1/2hr or so because of bacterial growth (there is a lot of bacteria on the dry food, and the moisture on the wet is a great media for growth... it can make your cat sick)...

Also, I want to add something to this discussion, not necessarily to the quote, just to the "candy" part as being "junk per se"
Dry food does not equal low quality food anymore - it hasn't for a long time, IMHO. This is IMO a misconception that is used way too much already. The pet food industry has come such a long way from where it started, and is seems to me that the concept and the phrase continues the same. There are plenty of high quality dry food in the market, and no owner should ever feel guilty for feeding dry.
The times where Dry food = grains, by-products, chemicals, and more grains............... then meat are gone! Today you can easily find a dry food that not only meets what your cat needs but fits your monetary and lifestyle reality.
There is the argument that the cat doesn't drink enough water - Vets were smart enough to develop Water Fountains yey!
There are soooo many arguments of what is the best diet and why... but in the end, the truth is that no diet is perfect... Wet can be too expensive, Dry too dry, Raw too inconvenient or risky...
IMHO the perfect diet is the one that fits your cats needs, your budget, and your lifestyle. nobody else's.