How much truth to 'any wet is better than all dry'?

My Tony loves dry food. But at least he likes a good one.

he eats 2/3 to 1 cup per day of Petcurean's Now! Grain-Free Kitten Food (dry) and he loves it.

I kept reading that wet food is always better than dry and I wanted him to have a variety, so I tried all kinds of wet food with him, but he'd constantly snub it.

finally I tried Whiskas Meaty Temptations (which, ironically has no real meat ingredients) and he absolutely loves it. I mean, I think I could get him to 100% wet diet on it. But it looks like total crap.

so, my question is, is it really true that all wet (no matter the quality) is better than all dry (no matter the quality)?

PS he drinks tons of water, because I got him the trickling fountain thing.

thanks!

simply put cats are desert creature s that adapted to getting mositure from prey mainly ... THis is why many think a crappy ingrdiant wet diet is better than dry as it ensure s enough moisture..

I have to ask what is in temptations as here they are treats and filled with lots of things I prefer not to feed...

I will say some wet is better than any wet but if wanting all wet diet I would suggest as high of quality as you can afford ..

Dry food 10-12% moisture

Wet food 75-85% moisture


See how much water would be needed on all dry diet to = that of even a low end wet
Mouse 60 % moisture

many cats also get sonewhat of a dry food "addiction". Is Tony on a feeding schedule with his dry or free fed? We have our 4 month old on a completely wet diet and use mainly high quality canned foods. We put her on a feeding schedule with her dry food and then started offering her wet before dry. Usually if they are hungry they are more apt to try to wet.

Also have you tried different type of canned? Some prefer pate or sliced or chunks.

One of my boys eats almost all canned food (he has his own room; the other cats pick on him), and he doesn't drink ANY water. If I stay out all day and leave him some dry food to tide him over, he empties his water bowl before I get back. I suppose that illustrates the moisture content of canned food and the dehydrating qualities of dry food.

That being said, I don't necessarily think that feeding a low-quality wet food as the sole diet is better than feeding a high-quality dry food with at least some canned food included, even if the canned food is crummy. Half dry and half canned would probably be ideal, if you can't do an all-canned-diet of reasonably decent quality. I do think it's important to get some canned into the diet, just for the moisture. Even if it has no real meat . Although I would totally avoid the brands with added sugar (Meow Mix for one). Crummy is one thing, a sugar high is another!

I can't find an ingredient list for that kind of food. When I Google "Whiskas Meaty Temptations", the only thing that comes up is treats. And I guess the Whiskas pouch foods are called "meaty selections" in England.

I'm sorry... you're right. It's Meaty Selections!

I have tried many high-quality canned foods, as well as Fancy Feast, in all different textures.

He'll nibble at Merrick Canned foods, but only certain flavors and even those, he won't finish. He hates Wellness (even the dry), and he didn't really go for Newman's Own, although I may try again, because he nibbled at it a bit once.

I only give him about an ounce at a time, because I'm so used to him walking away after three bites.

With the Whiskas Meaty Selections, I just gave him a 1/4 of the pouch/container (they come in plastic containers) and he gobbled it up in a matter of minutes. I could give him more, or give him the 1/4 cup I normally give him of the Grain Free Dry food before I go to work. This is where I'm torn.

I'm wondering if I should try to get him to an all wet diet on the Whiskas and then gradually try to switch him over to a higher-quality canned?

Or, keep him at half wet, half dry.

His current feeding schedule is as follows:

7am: 1/4 (1 ounce) package of Whiskas Meaty Selections Wet food
7:30 am: 1/4 cup of Petcurean Now! Grain-Free Kitten Dry Food

4pm: 1/4 cup of Petcurean Now! Grain-Free Kitten Dry Food

8pm: 1/4 (1 ounce) package of Whiskas Meaty Selections Wet Food
8:30pm: 1/4 cup of Petcurean Now! Grain-Free Kitten Dry Food.

I always try to give him about a half hour to eat the wet before I put out the dry, but Meaty Selections he'll clean his plate in 5 min, whereas everything else, he'll leave. So, I'd say he's at about a 3/4 dry:1/4 wet diet right now, only the wet is awful quality.

PS - Vets aren't sure, but I'm guessing he's just about 6 months old and he's probably about 7lbs by now (i have to buy a scale, but he was weighed a couple weeks ago and was 6 1/2 lbs).

if he will eat it and has no adverse reactions go for a little more... 50 wet 50 dry works well for most cats

If kitty likes pouches ... look for By nature and Nutro ... did you try the Wellness pouches?

do they have wellness pouches for kittens? The feed store only has a few varieties and I think they were all for maintence.

For some cats that may work, but males tend to wind up with more UTIs on a all dry diet. I would do my best to find some kind of canned food he will eat every day and maybe even consider adding in raw chicken or beef a few times a week.

My cats love those stupid Whiskas "trays", too.

IMO, eating crappy wet food + a high quality dry is better than no wet food at all. Mine eat a whole variety, Meow Mix, Whiskas, Friskies, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast, NutriSource, Merrick, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack, Natural Balance, Nutro....the list goes on & on.

Cliffs notes version is that cats have to drink enough water to offset the moisture difference between dry and wet food (dry is usually 8%-10%, wet around 78-80%).

Only you can know how much or little your cat drinks on average in a day, and a quality dry is a better protein source than junk-food wet.

Most manufacturers recommend that their dry foods be fed in combination with wet though to err on the side of caution.

Hunger can be used to change habits, so withhold some dry and he'll get used to consuming more wet, and don't fret if your kitten doesn't eat his wet food all at once. Leave it out, he'll likely snack on it again in an hour. It doesn't go bad as quickly as people think.