STICK TO WET FOOD

I know as a majority of pet owners we tend to initially feed our cats dry kibblet food, but understanding a cats natural and designed diet will better help understand how to feed your cat! Cats are naturally born to hunt and shred and tear meat and where they get a lot of their water as well and dry food causes a lot of GI and urinary health issues! It can cause renal and UTI problems by nothing giving enough water in their diet and also kibblets they tend to swallow more whole since they're not small dogs, which than tend to swell in their stomachs and can cause vomiting and GI issues such as developing food sensitivities and allergies! I had a cat who would vomit almost 1-2 a week and it was scary and I switched him to an all wet good diet and also a all natural hypo allergenic diet from hill science which you can get from your vet or RoyalCanine from a pet store. The thing is, yes store brand cat foods are less expensive but think about it a bag of 7.99 car food that last for 2 weeks etc or more, doesn't that sound interesting at all!! Do we live on food like that? Yes spending extra money on more natural healthier diets can be pricey but it can prevent more higher cost for vet visits! Not only did my cat become better but he thrived! The first thing I suggest to all Cat owners is WET cat food all the way and second try and find a food that is as natural as possible! A lot of store brand car foods like meow mix or the cheaper store brands are full of fillers and meat left overs that aren't even safe for human consumption, do you want you cat eating that? Yes you may not have issues especially at a young age feeding foods like that but like my cat by 4 started having many stomach issues and allergies to foods! Many owners think feeding flavor like chicken and especially seafood are the best, which if I could state anything seafood flavors even though they tend to be appealing to your cats they create a majority of issues lacking amino acids and containing harmful chemicals, even though these brand foods add additional nutrients and missing supplements that's like McDonalds doing the same to a double whopper doesn't really make it any better for the body! So spending a little extra I believe is more important than settling on poorer diet for the cats we love so dearly! I'm not saying to go all wet because I say so even though I believe it's the best and my vet has informed me the extreme benefits to it but i definitely say if you do have dry food in the diet make sure it's a smaller percentage than wet!! And most important of all please please please if possible invest in the most natural of cat foods! Science Diet has worked miracles and I have heard good things about RoyalCanine! Now on to Grain free, a lot of people thing because as human grain free and gluten free diets are so beneficial it's the same for pets but really more food allergies are to the fillers, higher carb than protein diets and allergies more specific to the actual protein itself! Especially feeding the same form all the time! The best proteins and easiest on a kitty's tummy are duck,venison, and beef. I tend to suggest avoiding chicken and especially seafood! As for dry food and the theory of helping keep teeth clean there's specific healthy weight control or hypo allergenic treats that's can help with that! It's the basic facts that cats are like humans what goes into our bodies really plays a role into how well it performs and if it's something you wouldn't dare eat id say it's not fair for your cat either! There's always coupons available online and I went from spending 18-25$ a month on dry cat food the cheap store brand to 45$ all natural hypo allergenic and it's a bit pricer but it was worth seeing the amazinf health changes in my cat and better than the original $500 vet bill to understand his vomiting, plus it helped greatly with his Coat meaning less grooming and prevention to hairball obstructions cause wether it's throwing it up or passing through bowels it's still something that can be harmful or painful to the cat! If you see your cat with signs of hairloss, vomiting, constipation(especially with dry food) and diarrhea I'd first look at it's diet than on to what might be more serious issues which again can always be prevented early on with a healthy diet! I wish I would of known earlier on about this! I use to focus more on cheap prices and wet food covered in thick flavorful gravies and even though your catty seem to love the flavor what's going on inside the body is more important!!!

I understand your point but we have had several cats live to be very old with no health problems on a dry food (purina) diet.

I think a majority of people here feed a wet low carb diet.  Yes we have all heard or have had kitties with very good genes that lived long healthy lives on dry kibble but the odds are better with a wet low carb diet.  http://www.catinfo.org/  is a website that we refer people to a lot.  It was written by a vet and explains the nutritional needs of a cat.  It also includes a table that shows the protein, carb, and fat percentages of most of the foods sold in the U.S.

Friendly advice for improving readability: Please add breaks in large amounts of text. It's easier to read paragraphs. 

But yes, I agree. Wet should be fed whenever possible. 

Mostly agreed - but not on the point that animal proteins causemore  intolerance/reactions than grains.  Stick with the 'natural, species-specific' premise all the way - and that means cats eat meat.  Not grains (or fruits or veges).  If you want to go even further with the premise, check out a raw diet!  The link provided by Denise is a good place to start, and heaps of useful info in the raw section (it will also cost less than canned food if you make it yourself).

I'm more of a fan of dry food - dry food helps break up tartar and plaque build up on teeth, which means healthy (and not smelly!) kitty mouth. 

That said, I mix Blue Buffalo wet and dry food.

 dry food helps break up tartar and plaque build up on teeth,

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Sorry to say that this is a marketing lie.  Think about it - kibble is a biscuit.  

Problem one: It is made with carbs -we know carbs turn to simple sugars in the mouth leading to tooth decay.  Ask any dentist (especially mine !!)

Problem two: Biscuits shatter.  There is no cleaning power in shattering foods.  You need foods that the teeth have to rend and shear through.  The same principle as flossing - a fibre that rubs away the plaque and bacteria.  (Only a dentist can chip and scrape off tartar).  So the best foods for clean feline teeth are chunks of raw meat and bone. (But of course you need to start with clean teeth; raw will 'only' keep them that way...a good site better than Kibble though, which will promote tooth decay...gee, can you tell I was a dental nurse for a short time?!).

Problem three:  Many cats scarf down kibble without even shattering it with their teeth - it is just hovered up whole.  

Re smelly kitty breath - this could be tooth decay.  But as said, only a dentist can fix that.  So kibble is not doing anything there either.  Smelly breath can also be a sign of digestive issues...unfortunately, kibble will be a culprit there too, due to it's ingredients.

Most kitties don't chew kibble they swallow it whole.  The ones that do chew their food the kibble shatters at the top of the tooth so it doesn't do anything for the tarter buildup at the gum line.   http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/

Tooth problems in cats really is more about genetics than anything else.  Brushing kitties teeth is the best way to help with dental health.  It needs to be started as a kitten, adult cats usually won't tolerate it if they weren't acclimated to it as a kitten.   Some people give things like raw chicken wing tips once or twice a week, chewing on those will help clean plaque off teeth.  Just like with people nothing but a dental instrument will remove tarter.

Thanks for the feedback, I'm new to this website so I'll take in to account the large paragraphs! I'm glad most agree to the wet food diet. This has been a new premise to me when my cat started having vomiting issues and I realized he developed food sensitivities and allergies! My vet informed me of it. And yes I agree to those that agree that dry food doesn't help cats teeth, it's merely a myth! Since cats shred or tear meat they tend to swallow kibblet whole which doesn't clean teeth but rather likely expands in their stomachs causing bloating and potential vomiting after eating! I'd love to check out the raw diet, any suggestions when switching? My cats tend to have issues when switching foods because they are not use to it! Going all wet wasn't hard it was when going natural, because they were use to the soft meow mix cups covered in saucy gravy! Was it an easy transition? Someone mentioned no fruits or vegs, meats only? But don't cats need some form of carb intake? I know meats don't offer a lot of carbs!

As for the my cats lived long healthy lives on a dry food diet, yes of course it is possible, but technically speaking we could live on food that wouldn't be considered nutritionally efficient but that doesn't mean our bodies are truly thieving from it! I remember in college is get check ups and my blood work would be perfect but I was eating take out, ramen noodles all the bad foods you could name but I always felt crappy at least I realized it when I switched to a healthy diet and seen the huge difference. A lot of cats have the potential to act normal and hide a lot of hidden minor discomforts. What's trying to be discussed here is feeding a diet to cat that is the most beneficial and natural and similar to a cats true eating habits! In the wild a cat eats meat not kibblet, they're designed this way and many cats are fed like small dogs as my vet says! My comment about sensitivity to proteins was in regards to a comment that my vet made, and that some cat allergies are triggered by feeding the same form of protein over and over and that switching up the type of protein or meat could help prevent an allergy from developing because allergies are developed, cats aren't born allergic to a specific protein! It's just more people seem to be jumping on the grain free dry food train instead of focusing more on the quality of food and especially protein being taken in, I'm sorry I phrased that point across wrong perhaps. Just because it says grain free doesn't necessarily mean it's still good quality food! Low carb diets for cats are important but a lot people assume since grain free diets gluten free diets are better for humans they automatically start buying labeled cat foods that say grain free, but my vet stated cats rarely get gluten allergies, maybe I'm wrong? But a lot of cats can also eat the same form of protein their whole life no issue but it's merely a preventative method and healthy idea to switch it up!!

My cat Bengi hasn't vomitted once since switched to an all wet food diet and a all natural hypo allergenic food! I'm sure switching to wet helped but still not sure if a prescribed hypo allergenic food is the main cure, but definitely because it's considered more natural! What was more amazing to see, especially to the comment my cats seemed normal and healthy on dry food store bought food is this, when Bengi got back to his "normal" happy self he became even more better than ever, there was just a glow about him more in his eyes and personality! He just seemed more energetic and curious and play hunting! He always had energy but it seemed more restless I guess could be the word? I don't know I can't explain all I know is he just seemed brighter and happier like saying I feel amazing!!

As for the teeth again the dry food myth is false and the best way besides brushing your cats teeth or getting a teeth cleaning from the vet is bacterial control in the mouth so like said earlier from someone, breaking down carbs from dry food will allow bacteria to feed on the sugar in the mouth! There's also a liquid supplement made for cats that is almost as helpful as brushing that I got and I put a teaspoon in the cats water that one helps controls bacteria in the water bowl but also the safe ingredients help control and reduce the specific bad bacteria in their mouths that are responsible for building plaque and tarter on the teeth when it breaks down the sugars!

I see so many forums about health issues and I'm happy to see many know and support the all wet and natural diet! And diet can be the first place to start in protecting and preventing health issues!

I was wondering any other grateful tips that really help out in the health and happiness in your cats? Even if it's simple or small. I never would of know of wet food diet, so I didn't know any other great tips or regiments that are beneficial for a cat!

I agree with you that marketing people are quite 'clever', and tap into what a human thinks is healthy for a human...then put that in cat food/ on cat food pictures!  But cats and humans have completely different systems, and in fact, research is finding more and more that cats have a really unique system.  For example, dogs and other animals can make up certain nutrients from others that they eat - cats cant.  They have to eat them.  And again, cats are one of the few animals that can't break down some substances (like essential oils) - and thus these are toxic to cats.  So it is really irrelevant to think 'healthy' for a human - and apply that to a cat.

Cats need meat - protein from meat, fat from meat (at quantities that would frighten a human!), bone from animals, organs from animals.  There are no carbs in prey - cats don't need carbs.  (The negligible amount of food in prey animals' stomachs doesn't really count - many cats also avoid eating the stomach contents.)  That site mentioned - http://catinfo.org/ will tell you everything you need to know about feline nutrition.  I also have a few posts and articles in my blog under the 'food and health' tab (link in my signature).  And there is a STACK of info on raw diets and how to transition, with really helpful people in the raw forum - here's the link to the resources: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources

Yes, I'm for wet too, though I still do abit of kibble for convenience sake.

Its no surprise many cat owners are still doing 100% dry. I've known a couple of friends who still believe that kibbles are necessary for good oral health, but their kitties, one die at age 8 of kidney disease, another just had a surgery to remove stones and yet another waiting for her last moments with CKD. All were on kibbles throughout their life and yet its still not enough to convince them to switch. Genetics play an important role in whether they will get into trouble with dry only diet, but how many cats these days have such good genes?

No need to link to other sites in this case   We have plenty of resources on these very topics - 

Does Dry Food Actually Clean Your Cat's Teeth?

Choosing The Right Food for Your Cat and you

What Makes the Best Canned Cat Food?

Choosing the Right Dry Cat Food

Happy reading!