Is all canned food better than dry?

deborah julian

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
23
Purraise
1
Location
NewYork
I understand that kibble is not good for cats--even grain free kibble.  But one of my cats is extremely stubborn and prefers dry food.  I am trying to get him off the grain free dry but it has become a battle of wills. I have tried putting tuna water, his favorite treats, cooked chicken etc. on top of the canned food to get him to eat it at every meal but he just walks away. He went without eating for about 18 hours one day because he refused to eat the canned food. After several months, I am able to get him to eat Natural Balance canned food for 2 of his 4 meals each day but if push it to 3 he won't eat it.

One day out of frustration I gave him some canned Fancy Feast and he gobbled it up. Is eating Fancy Feast better than eating dry food? 
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
I think the Fancy Feast Classic formulas are. :nod: They have no grains, no wheat gluten, and are only about 7% carbs. :)

Once he's eating that, you can use it as a base to slowly mix in higher quality wet foods. :D
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

deborah julian

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
23
Purraise
1
Location
NewYork
Thanks for the info.  Thats what I gave him--the Classic. I'll try mixing some of the Natural Balance in with it---slowly as this boy is not easy to fool! 
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Well, if he likes the Fancy Feast, you may want to feed it for a little while first. :dk: Get him off the kibble, then work on upping the quality. :)
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
IMO any quality wet food is better than dry food - because they get more moisture. So even if for the time being all your kitty will eat is mostly Fancy Feast canned, he's at least eating canned food. Many of us have fought that battle of wills on quality of canned food. :lol3:
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,886
Purraise
28,287
Location
South Dakota
I won't say that ANY canned food is better. . .I've seen a few very bad canned foods. Added sugar/corn syrup, "wheat middlings" (? I don't even know what that is), no meat but soy protein instead, etc. But most of the really bad ones I found were dog food. Only a few canned cat foods were that bad. But, to answer the actual question, Fancy Feast Classic is fine. You can work on getting him on something better if you want but FF is better than kibble :).
 

catsallaround

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
3,104
Purraise
66
My one cat used to nip to get his dry if only offered canned.  I added water made it mushier each time then started adding in little bits of wet.

Classics are great.  I used it for my diabetic cat in very start when he was iffy about eating much.
 
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

deborah julian

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
23
Purraise
1
Location
NewYork
Thanks so much for all the replies. I appreciate the positive comments about Fancy Feast and will stop feeling guilty about giving it to him. Billy is 14 years old. I want to keep him as healthy as possible but I am also aware that he needs to be happy with his food. 
 

redvelvetone

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
597
Purraise
28
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
My last cat, Harley, before he died, was a kibble addict. He was having constipation problems etc, and had cancer (although I did not know that until later) and the only wet food I could get him to eat was fancy feast. I let him eat that and I don't feel too guilty about it because it was what he wanted to eat. I think with older cats, you let them eat what they want if it keeps them healthy. You can try adding in a little bit of the grain free and see if you can switch him over that way, but if the only thing he'll eat is FF don't feel guilty about it.

Now my young cat, on the other hand, only gets grain-free wet food and some raw. When I first got him, he had been a rescued feral and the rescue people had been feeding him FF. I let him eat FF for a little bit then switched him over to higher quality wet food, no problem. I figure it's easier to start them off on the right track when they are younger. Older cats get a bit set in their ways.
 

emilymaywilcha

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 15, 2012
Messages
1,338
Purraise
29
Location
Gainesville, Florida
I always read you need to make sure the top ingredients are not "meat byproducts" and in addition to being grain-free, it should have no corn, milk, or soy either. So my assumption has always been the recipe is more important than whether food is wet or dry unless the cat needs a lot of water for a medical reason or refuses to eat.

Of course, that does not mean you should never feed canned food with those ingredients. It just means you should limit those cans to snacks. Read the ingredient list and decide if Fancy Feast Classics are good for your cat, not just good-tasting, and talk to your vet about feeding FFC to a cat that hates wet Natural Balance.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Actually, there's not much wrong with meat by-products in my opinion. These typically refer to organ meats. Many places, such as this About.com article on AAFCO ingredient definitions, http://cats.about.com/od/catfoodglossary/g/meatbyprod.htm state that it is a substandard form of protein, but (again, IMO) those sources are quite appropriate for cats.

No, the problem is pet grade ingredients - the stuff that's not fit for human consumption (as the about.com article points out, dead, dying, diseased, or downed animals). And that's an issue with just about any cat food.

More of concern to me is "meal." Meaning "chicken meal," or "meat meal" or whatever. Those are most often found in kibble.

But the 4D animals are a problem with ANY meat, meal, or by-product in just about any cat food, it's not just a "by product" issue at all. Some brands, like Weruva, state they are "human grade," but there is no regulation or definition on the use of that term.

Soy is an ingredient I would avoid at all costs in any food or treat.

Fancy Feast classic formulas actually have a fairly simple ingredient list, and no soy and no wheat gluten, no grains, etc. which is part of why I think the OP shouldn't feel guilty feeding it!
 

cannegardner

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
May 3, 2012
Messages
46
Purraise
14
Location
Pennsylvania
We feed the feral cats kibble because it's easier to deal with outside in the winter and they hunt and eat prey animals along with the little bit of kibble we give them. My Moon was one of those ferals. He wanted to come inside and so we adopted him. Getting him to eat good quality canned cat food was tough at first and even now he can be a bit standoffish. When he complains, I take 3 pieces of the outside cat kibble (Evo no grain) crush it to dust and sprinkle it on top of his canned food. That usually does the trick and since it's only 3 little kibbles, I don't worry about. FF classic is not bad at all and I started my guy out with them. He seems to like the stronger meats like rabbit and duck and lamb, so we try to mix those in with the plain turkey and chicken we feed him. Now I mix foods, so he's always getting different meats and different makers so he can't get picky about one food.

Mixing is a great way to get them used to different foods. Just a tiny bit at a time after he's/she's been eating your main food for a while. Like a teaspoon each meal for the first month, then 2 for a month, then 3 until you've got them eating a variety. By products are not completely bad, but there should be some "real" meat in there as well, and meals are not bad either as long as the meat is identified like chicken meal, turkey meal. Stay away from generic meats like meat meal and poultry meal and limit the by-products. Also stay way from wheat, soy, and corn and powders.

I try to stay away from too much fish, so I don't use tuna water to entice him since fish is addictive and not really good for them. A little fish meal in food is ok for flavoring, but heavy on the fish food, like BFF, should only be served once a week, if that. The fancy feast "appetizers," which are almost all fish, are not complete diets, contain no taurine, and should only be fed as a once and while snack, so stay away from those as a regular food even though they scarff them down.

You gotta get them to eat canned, so don't beat yourself up. Switching takes a long time for some cats.
 

brandyrose

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
4
Purraise
0
I'm new on this site.  I always thought dry cat food was better than canned.  I don't know why I ever got that idea, except for a vet saying something negative about wet food for cats. (!?!)  It is a relief that I found this site, because I learned a TON of stuff from all of your comments.  I just got a cat from someone who only fed this cat a certain brand of dry food, with "people food" only now and then.  I struggled for the few days I have had him with the food problem.  He hates that dry food and refused to eat it.  I wondered how in the world he ever survived before!  I ran out and tried a different brand.  No change, although he did eat a tiny bit for half a day.  I ran right back out to the store and bought some packets of tuna, salmon, whitefish and cod in gravy.  He is lapping that up!  I guess he wins, ha-ha.  He sure was holding out, until I gave him the packets.  I plan to buy the other packets also, with chicken and turkey.  Any suggestions or thoughts?  Big question:   Is feeding the cat only canned food (or packets of meals with gravy) okay?  I do give him those "Whisker Lickens" cat treats for a snack here and there, which he loves, too.  Thanks!
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Hi Brandy, and welcome to TCS! :wavey:

If you want to read about dry vs. wet food with information written by a Vet, here is an excellent site: http://catinfo.org/

And congrats on wanting to learn more about feline nutrition. :nod: :D

In answer to your question, feeding your cat NO dry food is the best thing you can do! Now, not all canned foods are created equal. As you can see, some of us feel that almost any canned food (and that includes pouches - just meaning WET food) is better than feeding dry food. The main reason for this is how a cat's digestive system is designed. There are two main components:

1) Our pet cats are descended from the African Wild Cat. These are desert animals, and our cats, as a result, have a very low thirst drive. In the wild, they typically get all the water they need from eating their food. So cats that eat kibble as the main component of their diet are typically chronically dehydrated. This, over time, takes a heavy toll on their bodies and organs.

2) Cats are obligate carnivores. They are designed to get ALL of their required nutrition from animals. A mouse, a rabbit, etc. is made up of protein, fat, and bones (minerals). In their natural diet, they eat almost no carbohydrates or fiber at all, they have no nutritional requirement for them. Most kibble has a lot of carbohydrates in it. Any ingredient you see on a label that isn't a supplement, or isn't from meat in some way, shape, or form, really doesn't do much for a cat.

Many cats get fat on kibble diets, or even wet food diets that are high in carbohydrates, because cats utilize the protein for energy, and the carbohydrates get "stored" as fat. But cats digestive systems are not designed to "use" fat (like our human bodies are) during times of no food, and the fat released in that process can overwhelm their livers.

This is obviously a very simplistic overview, but I hope it helps you understand.

So the bottom lines is that the choice to feed wet food is a great one for your cat, it helps your kitty even more to find the best food you can afford to feed - and that means high protein, low-carbohydrate. Look for foods that are primarily meat based. Grain-free is a GREAT way to start, but many grain-free foods simply substitute the protein from, let's say rice or wheat, for protein from peas. Peas are not grains - but they are high in carbohydrates. :nod:

I don't know what your budget is for feeding your kitty, but this table has an overview of a number of foods. http://catcentric.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Canned-Raw-Table-1.pdf

Each food has a link to the manufacturer website, so you can review ingredients. The table ONLY indicates cost of the food and the carbohydrate content. But that's important, because most companies do not provide the carbohydrate content, we have to calculate it ourselves based on the guaranteed analysis they DO provide. :) Obviously, local prices for the foods will vary. But I suspect their relative prices remain fairly stable. Hopefully it will help you find foods for your kitty that you can afford that are available where you are (though many people order their food online. Wet food, if you buy something like $60 at a time, has free shipping. The raw food almost always incurs shipping charges if ordering online). And, of course, feel free to ask for opinions from TCS members about the foods in which you're interested. :)
 

brandyrose

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
4
Purraise
0
LDG (Laurie), thank you soooo much for your greeting and for the great comprehensive information! 

   I will click on the sites you gave, and will read them.  There are no words to express how relieved and thankful I am for your help and confirmation about wet foods versus dry.  You are a blessing to this site.  You have made me feel much better and more comfortable about my cat's diet.  I have read some of your posts, and posts of others here.  You guys know what you are talking about!  I am so glad I joined this site.  I have no idea how much I will be posting, but I sure will be reading a lot here.  Thank you very much.

  
 

emilymaywilcha

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 15, 2012
Messages
1,338
Purraise
29
Location
Gainesville, Florida
I'm new on this site.  I always thought dry cat food was better than canned.  I don't know why I ever got that idea, except for a vet saying something negative about wet food for cats. (!?!)  It is a relief that I found this site, because I learned a TON of stuff from all of your comments.  I just got a cat from someone who only fed this cat a certain brand of dry food, with "people food" only now and then.  I struggled for the few days I have had him with the food problem.  He hates that dry food and refused to eat it.  I wondered how in the world he ever survived before!  I ran out and tried a different brand.  No change, although he did eat a tiny bit for half a day.  I ran right back out to the store and bought some packets of tuna, salmon, whitefish and cod in gravy.  He is lapping that up!  I guess he wins, ha-ha.  He sure was holding out, until I gave him the packets.  I plan to buy the other packets also, with chicken and turkey.  Any suggestions or thoughts?  Big question:   Is feeding the cat only canned food (or packets of meals with gravy) okay?  I do give him those "Whisker Lickens" cat treats for a snack here and there, which he loves, too.  Thanks!
Welcome to the board, BrandyRose!


I also thought dry food was better for years because I read kibbles help their teeth and cats get fat on wet food. My vet explained contrary to a popular opinion, cats do not chew their food during the 2007 pet food recall, which taught me kibbles are junk food.

All-wet is better than all-dry, but you need to make sure the wet food has no corn, soy, milk, or wheat.

Patricia loves Whisker Lickens too, but I hate bags, so I always buy Pounce for her instead.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Thanks Brandy, and feel free to ask any questions!

One quick thing I should mention, because it is confusing. The "guaranteed analysis" you see on wet foods or dry foods is on as "as fed" basis. The aren't comparable, because kibble has very little moisture. To properly compare them, you have to adjust for the moisture content of the food. This is called "dry matter basis."

To illustrate, let's use Before Grain dry food (chicken) and Before Grain canned food (chicken).

The guaranteed analysis of the Before Grain dry food (chicken) is:

Crude Protein (min) 36.00%
Crude Fat (min) 18.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.00%
Moisture (max) 11.00%
Ash (max) 7.00%


The guaranteed analysis of the Before Grain wet food (chicken) is:

Crude Protein (min) 9.0%
Crude Fat (min) 6.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.4%
Moisture (min) 78.0%

They look completely different, and the kibble looks MUCH higher in protein - and everything, right? That's because it's all "concentrated" without the moisture. If we remove the 11% moisture from the dry food, and the 78% moisture from the wet food, what's left is only protein, fat, fiber, ash (minerals), and carbohydrates. So if we remove the moisture from both foods, this is what they look like on a dry matter basis:

BG dry food (chicken) on a dry matter basis:

Crude Protein (min) 40.45%
Crude Fat (min) 20.22%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.37%
Ash (max) 7.87%
(No moisture, we removed it for the comparison)
Carbohydrates 28%


BG canned food (chicken) on a dry matter basis:

Crude Protein (min) 40.91%
Crude Fat (min) 27.27%
Crude Fiber (max) 6.36%
Ash (assumed to be 2.5% max, which is typical in canned foods) 11.36%
(No moisture, we removed it for the comparison)
Carbohydrates 14%

As you can see, on a DMB basis, they look a lot different than with the moisture in them! And they look a lot more comparable. But you can see the carbohydrate content of the dry food is 28% - much higher than the wet food, with carbs at 14% - even though they both have about the same amount of protein. :)

When you compare ONLY wet food to wet food (or dry food to dry food), you don't really need to worry about the dry matter basis, because they all have roughly the same moisture content. It ranges from 68% - 78% (for wet food), but for all practical purposes, the amounts of protein listed will be comparable.
 
Last edited:

brandyrose

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
4
Purraise
0
LDG and EMILYMAYWILCHA:

Emily, thank you very much for the nice welcome and the sharing.  
 Good reminder about the "Pounce" brand of treats!  I will remember those, when I'm at the store.

LDG, thank you for the follow-up to you post.  The "guaranteed analysis" breakdown was an excellent comparison!  And I actually understood it, lol! 
  It is proof positive that wet food is superior, and the analysis proved this thread's legitimacy.  My cat is so happy, now that I have him on wet food, and he is actually gobbling it up, instead of refusing to eat.  I guess he "trained" me - - but I couldn't have done it without your terrific advice and help.

Thanks, you guys.  Talk to ya' later!    
 

night wing

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
175
Purraise
26
Location
Texas
Thanks Brandy, and feel free to ask any questions!
One quick thing I should mention, because it is confusing. The "guaranteed analysis" you see on wet foods or dry foods is on as "as fed" basis. The aren't comparable, because kibble has very little moisture. To properly compare them, you have to adjust for the moisture content of the food. This is called "dry matter basis."
To illustrate, let's use Before Grain dry food (chicken) and Before Grain canned food (chicken).
The guaranteed analysis of the Before Grain dry food (chicken) is:
Crude Protein (min) 36.00%
Crude Fat (min) 18.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.00%
Moisture (max) 11.00%
Ash (max) 7.00%
The guaranteed analysis of the Before Grain wet food (chicken) is:
Crude Protein (min) 9.0%
Crude Fat (min) 6.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.4%
Moisture (min) 78.0%
They look completely different, and the kibble looks MUCH higher in protein - and everything, right? That's because it's all "concentrated" without the moisture. If we remove the 11% moisture from the dry food, and the 78% moisture from the wet food, what's left is only protein, fat, fiber, ash (minerals), and carbohydrates. So if we remove the moisture from both foods, this is what they look like on a dry matter basis:
BG dry food (chicken) on a dry matter basis:
Crude Protein (min) 40.45%
Crude Fat (min) 20.22%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.37%
Ash (max) 7.87%
(No moisture, we removed it for the comparison)
Carbohydrates 28%
BG canned food (chicken) on a dry matter basis:
Crude Protein (min) 40.91%
Crude Fat (min) 27.27%
Crude Fiber (max) 6.36%
Ash (assumed to be 2.5% max, which is typical in canned foods) 11.36%
(No moisture, we removed it for the comparison)
Carbohydrates 14%
As you can see, on a DMB basis, they look a lot different than with the moisture in them! And they look a lot more comparable. But you can see the carbohydrate content of the dry food is 28% - much higher than the wet food, with carbs at 14% - even though they both have about the same amount of protein.

When you compare ONLY wet food to wet food (or dry food to dry food), you don't really need to worry about the dry matter basis, because they all have roughly the same moisture content. It ranges from 68% - 78% (for wet food), but for all practical purposes, the amounts of protein listed will be comparable.
I find these numbers interesting and I'm curious. I wonder if you could give me an analysis between the dry kibble I feed my cat (it's all he wants to eat) with BG wet food on a dry matter basis.

My almost 15 year old cat really loves Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken Meal grain free and I must say he's thriving on it very well. He looks and he must feel great from how he acts. He eats 1/2 cup a day. The partial analysis I have for NVI Chicken Meal is:

Crude Protein (min) 50%

Crude Fat (min) 22.0%

Crude Fiber (max) 2.8%

Moisture (max) 10%

BTW, he's always been a good water drinker even when he was a year old to this day. He's had tests done and everything is fine with him. My vets say he just likes water.
 
Top