Dry food good for teeth development?

sweetiebelle

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Hey guys! New here to the cat site but oh my gosh this site has been sooooo helpful for me over the last couple of months. Finally decided to jump in! I hope this is the right place to ask this question. 

So, basically, I have this kitten who was the only surviving kitty out of his litter including the mother cat who was hit by a car and his three litter mates who have since passed on. The neighbor girls brought him over to me when he was only 3 days old and I have been hand raising him since then. He is now almost 11 weeks old and thriving! It was my first time ever hand raising a kitten, so I've done a lot of research, and throughout all my researching I've learned that dry cat food is really not good for cats. So, I've been feeding this one an organic canned cat food with whole meats and vegetables and all that good stuff. I took him to the vet today for a check up, and she's really urging me to get him off the canned food and onto dry food. She says that he needs to eat dry food for the resistance or something to help him strengthen his teeth. (She mentioned nothing about tartar or keeping the teeth clean... just that he needed the dry food to help his teeth develop properly). 

In your experience, is this true? I mean, everything I've read says dry food is a big no no. (I do have some dry grain free food that my sister feeds her cats) but really I'd rather just keep him on the wet food. Will his teeth have issues later in life is he doesn't eat the kibble? Also, are there other alternatives to give him for strong tooth development and good dental health like maybe greenies for cats or something? 

Thank you! 
 

ritz

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You've come to the right place!
This is one of several threads that addresses (in my opinion) the myth that dry food cleans teeth. I do not know what your vet means about 'resistance'.
Brushing your cats teeth is a way of keeping your cat's teeth clean (and in Ritz case a way of my getting clawed!).
Here are some user reviews about dental cleaning products.
Chewing bones is another good way of helping cats keep their teeth clean--and if they like raw food, it's a win-win. The smallest part of a chicken wing is ideal. (I feed Ritz prey model raw.)
As your own research has indicated--and good for you for doing your own research--wet food is better for cats than dry food.
 

cheddi

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 You are correct.  That vet has had her head under a basket for quite a while!  Everyone else has taken a good, long look at the theory that dry food is beneficial for the teeth. (If you're in a place where you can shop around, I'd look for another vet.  She may be out of date on other issues, as well.)  Take a look at the web site put up by a vet named Lisa Pierson, <www.catinfo.org>.  She has seen the results of feeding only dry food, and sometimes those results are tragic for the cat.  Dry food is, bottom line, completely unnatural for a cat.  

That said, some cats have learned to like it a lot.  Cats can develop a taste for a particular food the way people can (think of fries and sugar drinks), even tho it's not good for them, not a natural diet for them.  And some cats have become used to eating it and have a hard time learning to like canned food.  But, in the case of your kitten, he already likes canned food, so stick with it.  

There's been a debate about the value/ lack of value of "treats" sold as dental, to help clean teeth.  The cat who's lived with me for nearly a decade started life feral and for years was not, absolutely not about to let me clean his teeth at all.  (He now allows me to clean 1/4 of this mouth at a time, with a single layer  of a small, dry gauze pad wrapped around my finger.  You don't have to use a toothbrush, the gauze pad is 'rough' enough.  Wait until your little guy is very relaxed, not in play mode.)  So I gave him Greenies dental treats every day.  He likes them, and now at around 12 years old, his teeth are in good shape.  When a vet looked at his mouth last fall, she found tartar which needed to be taken off only on the upper teeth farthest back in his mouth.  

The raw food with bones you can give, like the small part of the chicken wing mentioned, is a good idea.  You can also give raw chicken necks, excellent for chewing on and for a cat, a lot of good nutrition.  This is natural food for a cat, too!  

I want to mention, since we're talking about your hand raised kitten, it would be a good idea for him to be able to play with another kitten.  Seriously consider adopting another kitten the same age.  Cats learn what is acceptable social behavior from their litter mates and mother.  A cat who hasn't learned, can develop problems later, like becoming too aggressive.  And, your kitten would be happier with a friend; cats are not all the solitary animals people imagine them to be.  My local shelter strongly recommends people adopting kittens take two.  When you want to sleep and your nocturnal cat is racing around the house looking for something to do, you will wish he had someone other than you to play with.  For years to come.  Even my 12 yr-old likes to play with a friend.    I promise you will be delighted by their play -- you will laugh out loud every day.  (The best medicine for humans.)

Cheri
 
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