Am I feeding my kitties right?

I've gotten some iffy advice for years about how to feed cats (for example my mom is a firm believer that wet food is unhealthy/bad and tells me this always) so I'm just wondering if what I'm feeding my cats now is enough.

I have a 2 year old male and an 8 month old female. I feed them one 5.5oz can of Friskies each day; I give them half in the morning and half at night. After reading some stuff on here, I get the feeling that that isn't enough though. I also feed both of them Pruina Kitten Chow through the day. I use a 1/2 cup scoop, and probably give them 2-3 scoops throughout the day whenever I notice the bowl has been empty for a while.

I really want to start getting into healthier brands for my kitties, but my budget is really tight at the moment. So I'm just wondering if what I'm feeding them currently is adequate, or if I need to change some things. I’m mostly confused on the wet food to dry food ratio, like if I should go 50/50 or lean more towards the wet food. They both go nuts for the wet food, so if that’s something I should be feeding them more of, that’s no problem.

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So I've had my cat a month and this is what I've learned, mostly from this site:

Wet food is much better, particularly the cans that are mostly just proteins. The additives of gluten and wheat and vegetables and such aren't necessary and can be problematic. Fancy Feast Classics seem to be the best for those on a budget. Friskees has some good varieties too, from what I've read. Just check the ingredients list.

Dry food can cause urinary issues because it absorbs fluid as it passes through them, and cats tend not to drink a lot of water. The less dry, the better. It was only created for human convenience. Your cats wouldn't eat anything like that in the wild.

As for how much, there's a recommendation on the cans for so many ounces per pound of body weight. That's for adults and kittens need about twice as much.

IMO ditch the dry food completely, cats need moisture in their diet and it's healthier for them.  Fancy Feast Classics are good and contain no glutens.  Some Friskies are the same way.  I believe the 'normal' amount is 5.5oz per 10# per day.  I could be wrong on that calculation though.  Here is an excellent site with information on proper nutrition.  Lots of reading but definitely worth it.  http://catinfo.org/

My thinking is this, that it is always better to give a protein-filled diet such as wet cat food that may contain animal bi-products than to give dry cat food.  The thinking is that cats are obligate carnivores and need protein and moisture in their diet. Think of dry food as a man-made convenience although there are some brands that are much better than others.

I agree with the mention of Fancy Feast Classics which our cats were on at one point. This is one of the better grocery store wet cat food that is reasonably priced. We now feed Wellness Grain-Free Chicken wet food.

If you must feed dry food, try to buy food that is grain-free or contains grains and other carbohydrate sources such as barley, rice, sweet potatoes over food that contains wheat, corn or soy. If you are interested in a completely grain-free dry food, there is Origen and Acana which are both produced in Canada, but sold in the states. If you plug either brand into Google, you will find their websites. There are links 'where to buy' to find a location near you. Hope this hopes.

The others have given you excellent advice; 100% wet or a raw food diet is best. Out of curiosity, why does your mother think wet is bad? It's not the dry food cleans teeth myth, is it?

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll definitely look into the Fancy Feast Classics when I go to the store. I think I'll start giving them less dry food, because if they don't really need it then I'm fine with that. I don't think they'll miss the dry food.  It sounds like I need to go a little more on the wet food. The back of the Friskies can says 3/4 oz to 1oz per pound for adults, and twice as much for kittens like you guys said. I probably wont follow that exactly, but I'm thinking 1 1/2 to 2 cans a day altogether depending on what the Fancy Feast recommends.

I'm not entirely sure why my mom is so against it. She thinks it's like kitty fast food and that it's unhealthy for them, or that it's too costly. She keeps the food bowls at her house always full of dry food so the cats always have access to it (which would probably explain why one of her cats is 26 pounds). I've fed mine wet food since I got them, and she's always tells me it's a waste to give to them. She's pretty stubborn, but I might try and talk some sense into her.

If anything, the dry food is analogous to fast food. You go to McDonald's not because it's good for you but because it's cheap and easy. That's dry cat food. It's not good for them. It's cheaper and easier for humans.

Encourage your mom to read this website:  http://catinfo.org/ it is written by a Veterinarian and explains why cats should be on canned food vs dry.  The opposite is true, dry food is like kitty fast food and canned food is healthier.  A lot of people say that the cheapest canned food is better than the most expensive dry food.