Feeding only dry food??

Hello,

I am new here and a couple weeks ago my hubby and three year old we adopted two 3.5 month old kittens. We were told by the Animal aide where we got them from to only feed dry food. Even our vet said dry was fine but if we wanted we could add in 40% wet into their diet but it's not necessary. During our vet visit I asked also about leaving the dry food out all the time and we were told that was fine and would worry about overweight if they got that way. THey are far from overweight right now. They are lean and beautiful! 

I keep mentioning the adding of wet food and my husband said leave it for now and stop worrying. I just get concerned if they would be getting all they need as well as enough liquid. We provide a water bowel as well as the food dish. I have mentioned a water fountain to my hubby but he thinks it's a silly idea and just a waste of money. 

I know there are a lot of different views on this matter so I will get a lot of different responses but just wondering if I should press harder the wet food idea to my hubby or just leave it for now. 

Thanks!

You'll get a lot of better answers from other people here, but some cats do just fine on dry food.  My dad's cat was fed groccery dry food for his entire life, and lived to be 18.  I fed both my cats dry food for years, and the one never had any problem, whereas the other ended up having constipation issues, and now they're both on raw food and both of them, even the one who was fine with the dry, and healthier, more energetic, have nicer coats, etc. 

So, tl;dr, some cats are a-okay with a dry only diet.  Other cats aren't.  After the whole fiasco with my one cat (who needed $1200 surgery the first time it happened, and had a $420 vet bill the second time), I wouldn't risk it. 
 

At this point, none of my vets recommend a dry diet.

Here's why: http://www.catinfo.org (this site is written by a vet, Dr. Lisa Pierson).

As she explains, cats are obligate carnivores. They don't need the carbs and starches that HAVE to be in dry food (even grain free dry food), because they're required to hold the stuff together. Cats are designed to eat a diet that is high protein, low carb, and grain free (and grain free doesn't mean the food is low carb: many companies just substitute pea or potato for grains). We don't put up fences around our gardens to keep out the cats, and farmers don't worry about cats raiding the corn fields.

Think of feeding a dry food only diet as if you were eating only cereal with no milk all the time. Same thing, really.

And here's an article on the myth that dry food is good for their teeth - it isn't. http://www.thecatsite.com/a/does-dry-food-actually-clean-your-cats-teeth

Finally, even if feeding dry food, it's best to provide it in timed meals rather than free feeding. In nature, cats eat many small meals a day, and this is why so many people free feed, allowing their cats to graze. But in reality, they hunt when they need to, because they're hungry. And their digestive system "needs" that hunger stimulation to trigger gastric emptying. Without this, some cats develop GI motility problems that can result in hairball problems or constipation issues down the road.

At 14 weeks, your kitties should do fine on 4 meals a day; they don't need to be evenly spaced. Many feeding timed meals to adult cats feed three times a day: before work, after work, and before bed.

I wondering why my vet said dry was fine and can leave it out all the time? How do I convince my hubby to add some wet food to the kittens diet? I don't want to go behind his back and do it and if I tell him I have read wet is good too he will say but the vet said so stop worrying! He doesn't like it when I mention I read or get advice from the Internet!
Thanks

I think he also doesn't want to spend the money he keeps saying we already spent so much on them! My heArt breaks cause all I want is to do and feed our kittens as best as we can.

I don't know what to suggest as re: your hubby. The problem is that vets get very little training on cat nutrition, so unless they have an interest in it, many aren't in a position to provide good advice.

Dr. Pierson - who wrote http://www.catinfo.org - is not only a vet, but she's a nutrionist. She charges $175 an hour for consults on creating specific diets for medical conditions. Maybe print out some of the pages of the site for him to read, and point out that she is a vet - one trained in nutrition specifically for cats? :dk:

Of course, next time you're shopping, if on sale, you could pick up a few cans of the Friskie's pate foods (not fishy ones), or a few cans of the Fancy Feast non-fish classic cans, and tell hubby you bought them to give as treats. Both of these are relatively inexpensive canned foods that have no fruits or veggies, and are very low carbohydrate. The Fancy Feast classics have no grains, and the Friskies Pate foods have some rice, but it's low on the ingredient list.

Yes, caring for cats can be an expensive proposition. Even offering them one meal of canned food a day will help them though. :nod:

What dry food are you feeding them? We might be able to help identify a better dry food you can afford. And if their diet is going to be primarily dry food, we can help figure out ways to get them to drink more water. Actually, many cats love moving water, so a water fountain can help. I found that just putting out lots of small bowls of water everywhere helped - not having to "seek out" water helped up their intake.

Thanks for the sites. I will see what I can do. Yes but he should know the expense as its not the first cat he has had! He is willing to feed the dry food but sees it as unnecessary to feed the wet! We are feeding Hills science Diet healthy development kitten original. This is what the Animal aide where we got them from was feeding them.

Hi. I see a variety of views on feeding on this site, particularly benefits of raw.

I fed my previous 2 cats successfully on a mixture of various cat biscuits and sachet cat foods for 18 1/2 and 21 1/2 years and they stayed pretty healthy throughout their lives and had good teeth. One of them had a chronic bladder inflammation but as they insisted on eating the same food and the other one tended not to tolerate a lot of the wet foods without getting an inflamed gut I stuck to putting out choice that didn't cause diahorroea.  

My current boy had severe gingivitis and stomatitis from when he was about 9 months old to 1 1/2 and remains prone to gingivitis.  I stick to the special TD dental biscuits together with daily tooth brushing my vet has advised. I sporadically ask the vet about the long term nutritional needs and whether they are adequate and he continues to advise me this is the best thing for my cat. I give him a couple of freeze dried fish treats a day before his tooth brushing and that's the only different food he ever gets. As his mouth has been healthy on this regime, he seems to enjoy the food, and he looks in very good health, I am not inclined to change (his coat in particular is in very good condition).  I'm lucky as he loves drinking water and will take it from his bowl (as long as it is changed at least once a day) or dripping taps  - his favourite is drinking from a hand held syringe though and I keep this up as I sometimes have to give him oral liquid medication and this keeps him feeling positive about the syringe used.  

Even the prescription TD dry food is cheaper than the combination of normal biscuits and sachets I fed my previous cats!

I wonder about the drinking fountains: I've never used one but think may be they make it more tempting not to change the water quite so regularly, and don't know how easily they clean? 

Hi there! Happy to hear you have two new furry family members!

I totally agree with everything LDG said. The inclusion of wet food and moisture is important for the cat's overall health.

I can't tell you what to do in your personal life. You have to make that decision. Why is hubby so against wet food? Does he think it is a hassle?

Please don't take this the wrong way. I'll just say that when it comes to the the health and wellbeing of my cats, I make the decisions and I roll with it. I don't ask for permission or engage in a debate to buy a water fountain or to try a new grain free wet food my cats might like. I just do it and take ownership of it (cleaning, preparing, etc.).

In fact, breakfast and dinner time (when they get their wet food) is a great experience. The cats are excited and happy about it. It gives them something to look forward to. It's a bonding experience.

Could you pick up a few cans of the Fancy Feast Classics (non-fish) when they go on sale? Could you put it down for your cat without drawing too much attention to it? Perhaps if you don't make a big deal out of it, your husband won't either.    I'm a firm believer that others will perceive things as how you present them to be.

I hope it all works out.

It really depends on the fountain - some are very easy to clean. :nod: I don't know which products are available in the UK, but I would think user reviews from online sites that sell them might indicate whether or not specific models are easy to clean? :dk:

I used the Hagen CatIt original dome fountain. It was inexpensive, but made of plastic, so it does need to be cleaned quite frequently. Some kitties are allergic to plastic, so stainless steel is always best if you can afford it. We also used the Drinkwell which they loved, but it had more parts so took a little more time to clean everything.

Oh - other things you can do if you'll be feeding them primarily dry food, that won't need hubby's permission. Offer them a raw egg yolk once or twice a week as a treat. These are nutrition-packed packages, SO healthy for them! :nod: Most cats LOVE them (and down the road they'll help prevent hairballs). :nod:

And you can buy sardines packed in water (no salt added). Most supermarkets have these available. :nod: When on sale, buy them. You can give a sardine to the kitties as treats once a week - great for the omega 3s. And to save the rest of the tin, if you and hubby don't like or eat them, just portion the rest of the can into servings for two kitties (Each roughly 4 ounce tin - they're usually 3.75oz or 4.25oz would provide three treats for each cat, whatever size the sardines in them are) and freeze. To thaw, just put the baggie in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.

For their dental health, you can buy a package of chicken gizzards. You can feed them a gizzard several times a week as a treat. These are really chewy, and they're full of chrondroitin and glucosamine, which is great for the long term joint health. Again - for the package, just package them up in twos (using small baggies) and freeze those individual portions, and dethaw as needed.

These little additions here and there will up the quality of the nutrition they're getting and help their dental health.

FYI, it is ALWAYS best to feed the same food they were eating when you first bring them home. Any changes are best made slowly, once they've settled in. :rub:

Here is the food you're currently feeding them: http://www.hillspet.com/products/sd-feline-kitten-healthy-development-original-dry.html


Ingredients

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Liver Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Fish Oil, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine, Calcium Sulfate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Iodized Salt, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), DL-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, Oat Fiber, Magnesium Oxide, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Natural Flavors, Dried Apples, Dried Broccoli, Dried Carrots, Dried Cranberries, Dried Peas.

The food is 27% carbohydrates, which is pretty high (considering cats do best with very little carbs). It contains wheat and corn gluten meal for protein - and cats really do best with animal-based proteins. (It does list chicken at the top of the list, but the chicken is wet, so even a little chicken with moisture will weigh more than the dry wheat and corn meal).

I don't know if you can afford this dry food, but it's grain free AND low carb: Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Chicken http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/cat/kibble/chicken on chewy.com - http://www.chewy.com/cat/natures-variety-instinct-grain-free/dp/29612

Ingredients

Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat, Tapioca, Salmon Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor, Pumpkinseeds, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Sea Salt, Dried Kelp, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Direct-Fed Microorganisms (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Yeast Culture, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract), Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Mixed Tocopherols with Citric Acid (a natural preservative), Rosemary Extract, Apples, Chicken Eggs, Cottage Cheese, Cranberries, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Freeze Dried Turkey Heart, Ground Chicken Bone, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Rosemary, Sage, Clove.

It's only 9% carbohydrates, and has no grains. The carbohydrate is the tapioca, which is used to hold the kibble together.


The Hill's Pet Healthy Development kitten costs $12.49 for a 3.5 pound bag on chewy.com; the Nature's Variety Instinct All Life Stage Chicken dry food costs $8.99 for 2.2 pounds. But because it has so little carbs, and is high protein, they'll eat less of it to meet their nutritional needs AND feel satisfied.

OK - I just checked the feeding instructions. I know this doesn't apply to kittens, but it's just for comparison as an indication of the difference in how much they'd eat. The recommended amount for a 10 pound cat of the Hill's Pet is 3/4 cup of food (when they're at the oldest part of growth in the chart); the recommended amount for a 10 pound cat that has a normal level of activity of the Nature's Variety chicken food is 1/2 cup (and it is for all life stages). So longer term, they'd need less of the higher quality food.

(Assuming you live in the U.S., which may not be the case).

Thank you to everyone that has responded so far. It's a lot to take in and reading so many sites lately. I am really considering getting some wet food for my kittens even though I know my hubby will wondering what I am doing and stressing and may be irritated with me, he will use the line the vet already told us it's fine what we are doing, stop will ya!, LOL! Anyways enough about my hubby! So at the Animal Aide I was told that if I were to feed wet food to the kittens they would get diareha which I can understand as they have never had wet food only dry. I don't want to take them completely off dry food but want to add some wet food to their diet. How do I go about introducing the wet food and how much and how many times a day? Currently as I have said the dry food is out all the time for them. Can I keep the dry out still and then morning and night give a portion of wet? Also curious as how do I feed wet to two cats. Right now they just eat when they want of dry but the wet would be different as it's not going to be out all the time. What if one eats both etc? As for the dry food we are feeding them it's crap is more or less what I am being told? I have no idea it's just what they have always been on. I had a cat for 17 years growing up and we fed wet twice a day and dry too not too sure exactly how often though too long ago, I know it was Whiskers ( something like that) brand. So a brand like Fancy feast is okay but why not fishy type?  What am I looking for in canned food to not have in it and to have in it? I guess the more meat in the ingredience is best? If it cause diareha then can I expect messes around the house or will they just go more in the littler box for a while until their bodies get use to the wet food? We have only had them for two weeks so should we give them a good month and then switch to the wet. They are getting settled but still getting use to my son especially as he is learning to be gentle around them and not so loud. I don't want to add more stress to them. Oh on another note I remember the vet saying if the dry is not out all the time then when they do it they will over eat because they don't know when their next meal will come, hmmm no idea!

I am sure I have more questions but will leave it at that for now. Thanks again for being so kind and helping me out. 

Oh and so you guys know I am in Canada!

newkittyowner said:

So at the Animal Aide I was told that if I were to feed wet food to the kittens they would get diareha which I can understand as they have never had wet food only dry. I don't want to take them completely off dry food but want to add some wet food to their diet. How do I go about introducing the wet food and how much and how many times a day? Currently as I have said the dry food is out all the time for them. Can I keep the dry out still and then morning and night give a portion of wet? Also curious as how do I feed wet to two cats. Right now they just eat when they want of dry but the wet would be different as it's not going to be out all the time. What if one eats both etc? ......................................... I guess the more meat in the ingredience is best? If it cause diareha then can I expect messes around the house or will they just go more in the littler box for a while until their bodies get use to the wet food? We have only had them for two weeks so should we give them a good month and then switch to the wet. They are getting settled but still getting use to my son especially as he is learning to be gentle around them and not so loud. I don't want to add more stress to them. Oh on another note I remember the vet saying if the dry is not out all the time then when they do it they will over eat because they don't know when their next meal will come, hmmm no idea!

I am sure I have more questions but will leave it at that for now. Thanks again for being so kind and helping me out. 

Click to expand...

When I adopted my boy I was given a little bag of the kitten biscuits he was on, plus a little bag of venison and pea biscuits as he had a bit of a tummy upset which the owners thought was probably due to the dry food he was on. I also gave him little bits of the wet food they had given him so avoiding diet change initially.  The vet saw him as soon as I got him home and said he was fine but  over a couple of days it was clear the kitten biscuits definitely didn't agree with him. I immediately stopped the first type of biscuit and the wet food. After a week on the venison stuff I started to introduce a different kind of kitten biscuit half and half mixed with the venison ones, ten after a week added a small position of the same wet food. I increased the kitten biscuit percentage over a couple of weeks and he was fine.  I had to change to completely dry prescription biscuits later due to his getting very sick with stomatitis in his mouth. I changed over in the same way as I did with the kitten biscuits, mixing the old with new but over one week and he was fine with that. He had stopped eating when his mouth was at its worst and I didn't re-introduce the wet food therefore not part of the change over.  His tummy was fine for all the transitions. I was lucky he liked all the food I gave him and no nose-ups or bowl spills...  

When I fed both wet and dry food I used to buy small sachets, tins or trays of wet food as I didn't get through standard size cans fast enough for me to be confident it would stay fresh enough even though kept in the fridge.

I left a portion of biscuits down pretty much all the time - though if they ran out for an hour or two that would be fine as this made sure the bowl was all eaten up and no old ones lurking when it got topped up. The dry food meant that I wasn't worried if I got home late from work or occasionally had to leave them on their own over night - no uneaten portions of wet food to go off . I washed the biscuit bowl once a day. My cats never over ate, just munched on what they needed, and stayed within their healthy weight throughout their long lives.  They were also good at drinking water and had access to it at all times!

I'd put down one small sachet or tray of wet food between the two cats in the morning while I was in, then another  half in the evening. If they ate that quite quickly I'd put the remains of the second pack down too.  They often chose to eat mostly biscuits and showed little interest in a second portion of wet food but that was my cats.  Also, quantity will depend on the size and type of cat you have so follow instructions for the food variety and your own cat. 

My two were litter sisters and even in old age where they didn't really like each other much they still chose to share food and water bowls and one tray. Weird.....

If there was any sign of tummy upset I'd go with what I was told when I got my current boy, stop the food you think is causing the problem as quickly as you can and feed something which is as light and non-irritating as possible until the tummy settles and stools are back to normal - preferably something that hasn't been in the food they have been on.  (In my case it was stop all previous food and give venison for a short time). Then gradually add in a single new food at a time  checking that there is no recurrence of the upset. I would avoid starting more than one new food at a time. I'd also try to introduce changes when the cat is settled and relaxed, not when other stresses and changes are going on as then, if a problem occurs, you have a better chance of being able to identify what the cause of the upset has been.

As for diahoroea: my experience was always that this was in the litter tray though I guess a really frail, sick cat might not make it in time. Clean cats hate it, and want to be cleaned up as soon as it's happened, which is best as it can get on to their paws and trodden out on to the floor which both human and cat will hate. 

I'm sure the more experienced site users and advisors will have more detailed information for you.

The first thing is don't obsess over it right now. Let the kittens get used to your house and the people in it. Then you can start on the wet food. At first, just put down a spoonful for each of them. Start with once a day, then twice and increase as you go along. The thing to do is transition slowly to avoid stomach upset and diarrhea. Most cats will make it to the litter box in time, so there shouldn't be messes all over the house, even if they get diarrhea.

The reason to avoid fishy wet food is that fish concentrate mercury and other toxins in their bodies. Most of the cat foods are made from the fish higher up the food chain. This concentrates the toxins more.

Keep on looking at this site and we will help you transition to the type of food you want to feed your kittens. Keep the questions coming, we want your cats to be as happy and healthy as possible.

Let the babies settle in, there's no rush!

It seems overwhelming at first, but there's plenty of time. :nod:

Wow what dedicated owners and to spend time to write such extensive replies I am pleased! That is the main thing is not to stress about it right now. I am going to continue to ask questions when I think of them regarding feeding and other issues I may have. Brought up the wet food topic again at supper with my hubby and because of finances right now we are going to give it until the end of September at least before we introduce wet food. Although I won't give up the thought as I feel they would benefit at least us trying.My hubby wants to switch to a cheaper dry food even as a lady at the store said there is one cheaper. Would it be bad to switch dry food on them or wait on that too. Tomorrow may be stressful for them as I also run a daycare and have had a month off. Tomorrow two start back but probably only once or twice a week and then I have a full time child starting again in September with another one once or twice a week. This is along with my three year old son. I am nervous but hoping it goes okay and doesn't stress kitties too much. They can go upstairs and go on their cat tree if they need to. We don't go up there except to use a room for nap time. 

Thanks again and for the support. 

I wouldn't make any changes to their diet right now. Why does your hubby want to go cheaper? Remember, cheaper usually means more fillers, and more chance of stomach upset.