My feeding habit

I'm new to the forum and had my cat Elvis for 2 months now ever since I adopted him from a shelter. So far, I've enjoyed being a cat owner is grateful his companionship

I used to feed Elvis exclusively on dry food. I gave him Orijen (Chicken and fish), about half a cup a day and he seems to be ok with it.The reason I fed dry only is because it's more economical and my cat's a willing drinker so I don't have to worry about him being dehydrated (and he's not diabetic).

However, going through resources here and elsewhere online, I now know the importance of wet food and began to feed about half a can of 156g wet food from FirstMate, which is a Canadian product.

My question is if you guys use a bit of wet food to supplement a predominantly dry diet or wet food is actually a significant part (like 50%) of your cat's diet?

Thanks for your input in advance.

Hi and welcome to TCS! First of all, congratulations on adopting Elvis, especially from a shelter where there are so many animals who need loving homes. As to the percentage of wet vs dry, it really depends on individual circumstances. There are many here who feed 100% wet or raw. There are others who feed mostly dry and supplement with some wet although I think that's a minority on this site. And then anywhere in between.

I know you said you have researched the importance of wet food for cats. If you have not yet run across this site, I would highly recommend reading www.catinfo.org. Written by a DVM, there is a lot of good information there. There is also a list of commercial canned cat foods with their nutritional values that may help you to find some less expensive but still high animal protein/low carb choices. I hope some Canadian members will offer some suggestions as well.

Elvis being male and more prone to blockages, I would recommend trying to feed him as much wet as you can afford, but you can only do the best you can within your means. I'm sure Elvis is happy to be in a loving home with regular meals.

vball91 said it purfectly (I had written a reply but wanted to take a closer look at Oreo--reminds me of my cat Ritz, different color, but eyes look the same).

One note:  do rotate flavors and brands so Oreo doesn't get 'addicted' to one flavor, so he has the benefit of the different nutritional profiles of different proteins and if the company goes out of business (or, product gets recalled).

Although I now feed raw; when I fed canned, it comprised 90% of Ritz' diet.  Ritz would only eat Fancy Feast Seafood Classic, which is one reason I transitioned her to raw.

Thanks everyone for your input! I'll definitely look at the site that vball suggested. And I'll definitely follow ritz's advice to rotate flavors Thanks again!

I do think that 50% canned is probably "good enough" for most cats (certainly better than all dry), but of course more canned would be better if possible.

peugeot206 said:

I'm new to the forum and had my cat Elvis for 2 months now ever since I adopted him from a shelter. So far, I've enjoyed being a cat owner is grateful his companionship

I used to feed Elvis exclusively on dry food. I gave him Orijen (Chicken and fish), about half a cup a day and he seems to be ok with it.The reason I fed dry only is because it's more economical and my cat's a willing drinker so I don't have to worry about him being dehydrated (and he's not diabetic).

However, going through resources here and elsewhere online, I now know the importance of wet food and began to feed about half a can of 156g wet food from FirstMate, which is a Canadian product.

My question is if you guys use a bit of wet food to supplement a predominantly dry diet or wet food is actually a significant part (like 50%) of your cat's diet?

Thanks for your input in advance.

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Hi Peugeot206 I think most of us here would agree an ideal diet for your cat would be an all wet diet. That said, many cats live long health lives on all kibble diets, provided they drink plenty of water and don't over eat. Kibble tends to be carb and calorie dense so it packs on weight. You question was what our cat's diet is; My cats diet is 90% wet to 10% dry. I feed their wet 2x daily and their 10% dry (yes, I measure) is put into an automatic food dispenser and divided into 3 different portions. The kibble is then dispensed 3 separate times throughout the day spaced between their 2 wet meals. Mine eat Nutro Max and Nutro Natural Choice wet along with a few other premium wet foods for variety. Their kibble is Nutro Max Indoor Roasted Chicken. It is the only kibble they will touch and I've tried to transition them to several others. So... Max Cat it is for them. I still use kibble to give them something to graze on throughout the day.

Thanks Mike for your input. I'm still going through various options now
 

I've read that if you feed them a good quality dry (which you are doing with Orijen), then you can supplement with a lower quality wet if cost is an issue.  Maybe someone will come and say differently, I'm certainly no expert.  I like to feed the same dry food, but mix up the brands / flavors of the wet food.

Thanks for your reply, Misty. I think cost is always a concern for the average Joe but as with everyone here we try to put our cats' well-being ahead of cost. I used to be a gadget freak spending on the latest smartphone/computer/video games but ever since I've gotten a cat priority has changed and no, I will keep on feeding high quality pet food

Currently, I'm feeding Orijen for dry and a brand called "FirstMate" (http://www.firstmate.com/), which is also a Canadian company. They make great wet food and I recommend it to everyone here. They're fairly new so it might not be widely available but if you happen to see them give it a try. They're also about 50 cents cheaper than a can of Wellness Core of the same size, which is pretty significant.

I'm also thinking to switch from Orijen to Nature's Variety Instinct, I guess either to the duck/turkey formula or chicken. Anyone's got any experience with that food?

Peugeot - I'm like you.  My cats eat better than I do   As for Nature's Variety Instinct, neither of my cats cared for it.  If you like, you can email the company and they'll send you a sample and some coupons.  I got a sample of the chicken from them.  Some pet stores also have samples available, usually not the chains though.  I just got a bunch from a place nearby, but I've also gotten some in the past by emailing the companies.  It's a great way to try something new without spending money on it first.  Oh, and some stores will take the product back if your cat doesn't like it - usually for store credit.  I would ask before you buy if they have a return policy.  I believe I'm going to go back to Orijen.  When I fed it to them before, they liked it, but I had to buy it online.  Now I see they're selling it a few places locally, so I think I'll see if they still like it. 

The FirstMate looks interesting, but I haven't seen it locally.  And my Cindy is a fuss budget so she's been getting her Fancy Feast that I swore I would never feed them.  Never say never

There are so many differing opinions on this subject...everyone has their own.  I, personally, feed my cats raw, but for 30 years I fed only kibble.  I didn't know any better...thought Science Diet was the best of the best .  I trusted my Vet to tell me what to feed, and that's what they told me to feed.   Only after I had 2 cats die from kidney disease did I start doing some investigation and discovered that perhaps I wasn't really doing my furbabies a favor by feeding them what I was feeding them.

Some people are of the mind that even the least expensive canned food is better than the most expensive kibble. Others will argue that they  need kibble to help clean their teeth.  All I know is that cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need meat.  They do not need grains, or fruits and vegies, so the lower in carbs the food is, the better.  And, naturally, the cat food manufacturers won't tell you what the carb percentage IS on their labels!    But we have of finding out...usually with just a phone call to that toll free number listed on the back of the package

Anyway, congrats on adopting Elvis!  I'm sure you are both happier with each other in your lives