Wet vs. Dry Food

So, I've been reading through a LOT of posts here, gaining more and more knowledge. I've had cats for all of my adult life, but now that I am in charge of 3, one of them possibly being special needs, I thought I'd just learn a little more.

This whole time, I've thought that dry food was best...that wet food should only be a treat. I thought the reason behind that was that the dry food was better for the teeth, and cats who eat a lot of wet food often have more dental problems.

No? Should I start feeding them wet food once a day or so?

Especially given current issues, wet is definitely helpful

Most cats fed fry food do not get the moisture they should (think of the water content in their natural diet of mice etc) and many do not drink enough water. Canned food more closely matches the water content they need.

Not getting the water content they need is why cats can get kidney issues and crystals

As far as teeth, most cats do not chew their food like we do and so dru food does not clean their teeth (exceptions of course for dental formulas with huge kibbles they have no choice but bite into). One of mine was fed dry and has had regular teeth brushing for several years and has horrible teeth, so much of it is to do with genetics too

So yes, I recommend wet food, at least for some meals

Great topic! I used to believe the same thing about dry food until I started doing some research after one of my boys had a UTI on a dry kibble diet...Here's a link to a website that sites several articles and studies that show dry food has little effect on dental health and that the health benefits of adding wet food to the diet far outweigh the very slight benefit in dental health you get from feeding just kibble:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...dcleantheteeth

I'm happy to see you on this forum doing so much research! Good to have you here. You've got some very lucky kitties.

Originally Posted by BrookeSphynx

Great topic! I used to believe the same thing about dry food until I started doing some research after one of my boys had a UTI on a dry kibble diet...Here's a link to a website that sites several articles and studies that show dry food has little effect on dental health and that the health benefits of adding wet food to the diet far outweigh the very slight benefit in dental health you get from feeding just kibble:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...dcleantheteeth

I'm happy to see you on this forum doing so much research! Good to have you here.

You've got some very lucky kitties.

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Thank you Brooke! I will read over that site now. Now that we've decided wet food should be given -- once a day? I've been splitting one can between my two when I DO give them wet food...when I eventually have all three downstairs, should I just split the one can between them all once a day? Does that sound good?

I can tell you how I do it ...

My new fosters ( who do to having no shots and not being fixed are outside in a secure area with lots of shelters ) will get wet food in the am ... they are young and there are four of them so likely 1 13oz can per day on two plates

my boys 3 in the "cat" room get wet on a plate twice a day ( 8-13 oz a day)

only one girl like s wet and she gets one serving a day about 3 oz

Ok great! And just keep the bowl of dry food available to them at all times as well?

Any recommendations for a good quality wet food? I've got to find a good middle-ground...I can't afford the BEST of the best, but I don't feel right doing the cheapest version, either. Something in the high middle would be perfect.

I do Purina Indoor for dry (cringes -- hopes this is an acceptable brand), and...Whiskas maybe for wet? I forget, and I'm not near the case. I get them in a large case, which is really affordable. I'm big on buying in bulk when I can, especially now that I have three little babies instead of just the one big guy!

i am off to bed .. i will try to PM you in the morning..

Originally Posted by Staceyloobug

Ok great! And just keep the bowl of dry food available to them at all times as well?

Any recommendations for a good quality wet food? I've got to find a good middle-ground...I can't afford the BEST of the best, but I don't feel right doing the cheapest version, either. Something in the high middle would be perfect.

I do Purina Indoor for dry (cringes -- hopes this is an acceptable brand), and...Whiskas maybe for wet? I forget, and I'm not near the case. I get them in a large case, which is really affordable. I'm big on buying in bulk when I can, especially now that I have three little babies instead of just the one big guy!

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For dry food.... Purina is really not a good choice... But I do understand the concern with cost...
Do you, by any chance, have a Costco somewhere close to you? Their Kirkland food is good, and the price is unbeatable for the quality... I think it is like $15 for 25lbs... of good food!
What stores do you have available to you?

Even cheaper wet is better than no wet, personally I spend my money on a higher quality dry and whatever they will eat wet (fussy kitties), Bumper has to have fancy feast, it is all he will eat, so the others usually get that too because they check out each others bowls to make sure no one got something better than them.

They can be pretty fussy on texture and taste of wet as much as dry, what wet were you feeding them as a treat?

The closest Costco around here is about an hour away. That's my problem -- the only stores we have available here are WalMart, groceries, or PetCo, and everything seems more expensive at PetCo. I'm pretty limited when it comes to that...

Originally Posted by Carolina

For dry food.... Purina is really not a good choice... But I do understand the concern with cost...
Do you, by any chance, have a Costco somewhere close to you? Their Kirkland food is good, and the price is unbeatable for the quality... I think it is like $15 for 25lbs... of good food!
What stores do you have available to you?

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They sell Newmans Own in Walmart, I am not sure what the Purina is like but here is the Newmans Own

Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Soybean Meal, Fish Meal, Organic Sorghum, Organic Peas, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Millet, Organic Rice, Organic Canola Oil, Chicken Fat (Stabilized with Mixed Tocopherols [a Source of Vitamin E]), Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Chicken Liver, Organic Flax Seed, Organic Carrots, Cranberries, DL-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Sea Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Taurine, Parsley, Choline Chloride, Zinc Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Zinc), Iron Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Iron), Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Manganese), Copper Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Copper), Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Lecithin, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Cobalt Proteinate (Source of Chelated Cobalt), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Rosemary Extract, Folic Acid, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Rosemary Extract, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite, Dehydrated Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:

Crude Protein................34.0% (min)
Crude Fat.......................14.0% (min)
Crude Fiber....................3.0% (max)
Moisture.......................10.0% (max)
Ash...............................6.5% (max)
Taurine.........................0.20% (min)

CALORIC VALUE:

As fed (Kcal/cup)...........455

Walmart also sells Natural Life wet and dry, which always struck me as kinda grainy when I read the label, but certainly is a step up from Purina in the blue bag I would think!

ETA: UGH! Just found it online on walmart.com

Newmans is better, imo.

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

They sell Newmans Own in Walmart, I am not sure what the Purina is like but here is the Newmans Own

Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Soybean Meal, Fish Meal, Organic Sorghum, Organic Peas, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Millet, Organic Rice, Organic Canola Oil, Chicken Fat (Stabilized with Mixed Tocopherols [a Source of Vitamin E]), Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Chicken Liver, Organic Flax Seed, Organic Carrots, Cranberries, DL-Methionine, Potassium Chloride, Sea Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Taurine, Parsley, Choline Chloride, Zinc Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Zinc), Iron Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Iron), Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Manganese), Copper Amino Acid Complex (Source of Chelated Copper), Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Lecithin, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Cobalt Proteinate (Source of Chelated Cobalt), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Rosemary Extract, Folic Acid, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Rosemary Extract, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite, Dehydrated Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bifidobacterium Thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Bifidobacterium Longum Fermentation Product, Dehydrated Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:

Crude Protein................34.0% (min)
Crude Fat.......................14.0% (min)
Crude Fiber....................3.0% (max)
Moisture.......................10.0% (max)
Ash...............................6.5% (max)
Taurine.........................0.20% (min)

CALORIC VALUE:

As fed (Kcal/cup)...........455

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I try to like Newmans but I have to think by products and corn may be better than 2 meats , 5 grains and soy

Originally Posted by Staceyloobug

Ok great! And just keep the bowl of dry food available to them at all times as well?

y!

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I don't recommend free feeding. If you are feeding both canned and dry, feed the canned at one meal and the dry at the other, don't leave dry sitting out all day.

It gets nasty, for one thing.

I measure out what they get for dry and leave it for the day( ie they only get a set amount and can eat when they want)

Originally Posted by sharky

I measure out what they get for dry and leave it for the day( ie they only get a set amount and can eat when they want)

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That's a good way to go about it. I just want them to have SOMETHING available to them. Instead of the large bowl, I could just do a smaller, and if it runs out at night, they will only have to wait a few hours.

Our schedules make it backwards for us -- my partner works 8-5, and he wakes me up when he comes home for lunch at noon. I work 4-12:30am, Spouse-Type Person has a nap in that time, and we have "dinner" at 1am and watch some tv and go to bed around 2-3am. Which really works for us as people, but also works for our pets, as they are only alone for around an hour and a half a day.

We would be the perfect "dog" family for that reason, but we like the kitties better.

With dry I do halfsies --- if they get 1/3 c. per cat per day.. they get 1/6 in the am and 1/6 in the pm and a total of approx 3 oz wet.

This topic is always interesting to me, because so many of my friends still have that belief that wet food is bad for cats. I feed dry in the morning and wet at night, and all I can do is watch them to make sure they stay healthy.

I believe just like I believe for humans - everything in moderation, and a lot, if not most, depends on genetics.

We all know at least one person who had a cat who lived to be 18 and ate nothing but Cat Chow its whole life. I've also known other people who have had cats with kidney failure die at age 10 and ate nothing but wet food.

There are so many other factors going on in a cat's life that could affect its health, so the best we can do is just pay attention and give them the best food we can afford and that they do well on. That, and love them like crazy!!