Wet vs Dry

tamarae · Mar 1, 2010

I've been doing a little reading here today - so I maybe shouldn't feed my kitties both wet and dry food? They both love the wet food, should I stop the kibbles? I leave a bowl of kibbles down all the time. Should I rethink leaving the kitty kibbles down? I always thought the crunchies were good for their teeth.

They're both senior cats, about 12 and 14, and a bit on the "fluffy" side. Ok so its not fluff, they're round.

They eat Nutro Indoor Senior if that matters any at all.

otto · Mar 1, 2010

Kibble doesn't clean teeth. And might even be worse, as pieces can stick between teeth.

Nutro is not a good food, in my opinion it's inconsistent,and I had problems with the Nutro senior kibble..

As seniors, an all canned diet would be very good for them, the more moisture they get the better.

Taking up the kibble, they'll eat more of the canned.

Scheduled feeding is better anyway, think of all the bonding you can do with them at meal times!

otto · Mar 1, 2010

PS, if you think they'll miss munching on kibble use a good quality kibble for treats.

tamarae · Mar 1, 2010

Abbey in particular doesn't take well to changing cat foods - her tummy just doesn't like change at all. She's definitely a furbaby set in her ways!

Is there a good senior indoor formula you'd recommend or have had good experience with? I know reading through the forum here there's several brands managed - I shop at Petsmart. I swapped them to Nutro when the china corn recalls happened several years back, and that's when I first learned that you gotta get away from the by product and grain based food. I just want the best for them, of course. They deserve it for all the purrs I get every day.

sharky · Mar 1, 2010

I say if it works use it...l personally think senior indoor is likely marketing( compare it to the regular senior... you will see soy and l- carnitine in the indoor ( soy IMHO is a NO for a cat and L carnitine is a fat metabolizer aid)...

Otto and I agree on the WET for seniors is best if they will eat it.... regular adult will work fine in a wet ...

I used Max cat senior with good results but with formula changes I cant say what is a good senior...

tamarae · Mar 2, 2010

Thanks for the info! I'm going to do some researching and see what I can learn for my furgirls.

sweetpea24 · Mar 2, 2010

I used to feed my older cat Now! Senior (or maybe it was the Go! I can't remember but same company Petcurean). I have to feed him Rx stuff but I feed my other cat the Now! adult grain free kibble. He devours it. I don't think you can get it at Petsmart but maybe there's a place where you can get it???? I can't think of any good foods at Petsmart....ugh

sharky · Mar 2, 2010

Originally Posted by SweetPea24

I used to feed my older cat Now! Senior (or maybe it was the Go! I can't remember but same company Petcurean). I have to feed him Rx stuff but I feed my other cat the Now! adult grain free kibble. He devours it. I don't think you can get it at Petsmart but maybe there's a place where you can get it???? I can't think of any good foods at Petsmart....ugh

Now and Go are often available at better mom and pop pet stores

There are good solid foods at Petsmart ... Senior and grain free is actually NOT a good combo for 90% of cats who eat primarily dry food..

Would you like the %ages recommended for seniors>? PM me

animalhouse · Mar 2, 2010

I feed my kitty a 1/2 can 1 time a day with a small amt of Taste of the wild Dry. And then just a small amt of Dry at night.
I never fed wet to my kittys before topaz. I didn't realize they needed it. Lol Am I doing the wrong thing?! lol

goldenkitty45 · Mar 3, 2010

Given their age you don't want to let food sit around all day. We feed ours a meal of dry in the morning and a meal of canned at night. They also get raw beef 2-3 times a week.

merrytreecats · Mar 3, 2010

After messing around with a lot of different foods, I settled on dry Purina for urinary health, and canned food as a treat sometimes.

The purina urinary was the ONLY thing that got my cat Tory's bladder infections under control. Even the science diet didn't do as good a job.

melissaw · Mar 6, 2010

I don't claim to be an expert in this, but my boyfriend managed a pet store for 10 years and is well versed in pet nutrition and his opinion is that wet food is good for getting liquid into a cat but not great nutritionally...dry food is much better for nutrition
My mum free feeds her cats dry kibble and twice a day gives them some wet food on her vets advice as they are older cats and very picky eaters but this seems to work for them

sharky · Mar 6, 2010

Originally Posted by melissaw

I don't claim to be an expert in this, but my boyfriend managed a pet store for 10 years and is well versed in pet nutrition and his opinion is that wet food is good for getting liquid into a cat but not great nutritionally...dry food is much better for nutrition
My mum free feeds her cats dry kibble and twice a day gives them some wet food on her vets advice as they are older cats and very picky eaters but this seems to work for them

I would suggest to you and your boyfriend reading the vet manuals and other "unbiased" material... what he is thinking is coming 99% from the pet food Reps.. I know I used to be one...

Truly no one method is right for all cats

mybabies · Mar 6, 2010

Originally Posted by merrytreecats

After messing around with a lot of different foods, I settled on dry Purina for urinary health, and canned food as a treat sometimes.

The purina urinary was the ONLY thing that got my cat Tory's bladder infections under control. Even the science diet didn't do as good a job.

THAT is what my boys eat as Panther has blocked 3x and Ben has had crystals. The Purina UR seems to work, and I usually give them some canned in the AM with extra water added.

I would LOVE to feed just canned but just cannot aford to

nutrolori · Mar 31, 2010

In my experience wet & dry are good at any age. Dry is good for the teeth, the crunch of the kibble helps to clean the teeth, reducing tartar build up. As long as your cat is drinking plenty of water throughout the day then I would continue to offer dry kibble along with the wet food as you have been. If you feel your cat is not getting sufficient liquids then increase the wet but I really recommend keeping dry kibble available. I used to do dental cleanings on dogs & cats and I could always tell which one ate entirely wet food. Missing teeth, periodontal disease, 1/4" thick tartar build up. ICK! My cat is 11 and he still eats his dry (Nutro Natural Choice Indoor Weight Management) twice a day, drinks plenty of water and gets wet food in moderation. Aside from being a little plump he is a very healthy boy.

I have been feeding Nutro to all of my pets for over 14 years and have had always had great results with it.

carolina · Mar 31, 2010

Originally Posted by NutroLori

In my experience wet & dry are good at any age. Dry is good for the teeth, the crunch of the kibble helps to clean the teeth, reducing tartar build up. As long as your cat is drinking plenty of water throughout the day then I would continue to offer dry kibble along with the wet food as you have been. If you feel your cat is not getting sufficient liquids then increase the wet but I really recommend keeping dry kibble available. I used to do dental cleanings on dogs & cats and I could always tell which one ate entirely wet food. Missing teeth, periodontal disease, 1/4" thick tartar build up. ICK! My cat is 11 and he still eats his dry (Nutro Natural Choice Indoor Weight Management) twice a day, drinks plenty of water and gets wet food in moderation. Aside from being a little plump he is a very healthy boy.

I have been feeding Nutro to all of my pets for over 14 years and have had always had great results with it.

Judging by this post, your name, and another post, out of curiosity? Are you associated in any way to Nutro?

addiebee · Mar 31, 2010

Originally Posted by NutroLori

In my experience wet & dry are good at any age. Dry is good for the teeth, the crunch of the kibble helps to clean the teeth, reducing tartar build up. As long as your cat is drinking plenty of water throughout the day then I would continue to offer dry kibble along with the wet food as you have been. If you feel your cat is not getting sufficient liquids then increase the wet but I really recommend keeping dry kibble available. I used to do dental cleanings on dogs & cats and I could always tell which one ate entirely wet food. Missing teeth, periodontal disease, 1/4" thick tartar build up. ICK! My cat is 11 and he still eats his dry (Nutro Natural Choice Indoor Weight Management) twice a day, drinks plenty of water and gets wet food in moderation. Aside from being a little plump he is a very healthy boy.

I have been feeding Nutro to all of my pets for over 14 years and have had always had great results with it.

Dry food cleaning the teeth is a myth. Even some vets don't know any better. Doesn't clean their teeth anymore than hard tack would clean ours. Brushing their teeth cleans their teeth.

strange_wings · Mar 31, 2010

Originally Posted by NutroLori

I used to do dental cleanings on dogs & cats and I could always tell which one ate entirely wet food. Missing teeth, periodontal disease, 1/4" thick tartar build up. ICK!

That sounds more like people neglecting their pets dental care than just a food issue. A cat or dog's teeth don't get that bad within a year (between checkups).

If one is concerned about their animals teeth, read up on dental care and discuss it with your vet. They'll tell you about how important it is to get teeth checked by them and about home care.

As for "wet vs dry" I prefer mostly wet and dry. Whatever works best for each cat, as long as they remain healthy and actually eat what you give them.

sharky · Mar 31, 2010

Originally Posted by strange_wings

That sounds more like people neglecting their pets dental care than just a food issue. A cat or dog's teeth don't get that bad within a year (between checkups).

If one is concerned about their animals teeth, read up on dental care and discuss it with your vet. They'll tell you about how important it is to get teeth checked by them and about home care.

As for "wet vs dry" I prefer mostly wet and dry. Whatever works best for each cat, as long as they remain healthy and actually eat what you give them.

Genetics plays the biggest factor in how bad or good teeth are and the most uncontrollable one in kitty kingdom

Over the years no animal of mine has needed a teeth cleaning prior to age 10.... all have eaten wet/ dry with raw and homemade( lol I called it treats then)

strange_wings · Mar 31, 2010

Originally Posted by sharky

Genetics plays the biggest factor in how bad or good teeth are and the most uncontrollable one in kitty kingdom

That too sadly. Sho's had to have cleanings and regular brushing, but will probably have to loose a couple of his teeth before 10. His mother (grandmother's cat) had terrible looking teeth by 1 year old.

Also, he is the only cat I have ever seen that never seems to chew (from kittenhood) - so much for dry food doing anything even if it could.

Wet vs Dry

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