Wet vs. Dry Food

crazy4strays · Jun 3, 2015

My cats eat exclusively grain free food. However, one of the cats eats primarily dry food. The more I'm reading, the more it looks like dry food may not be ideal for kitties. Anybody have any resources to share with me, one way or another?

Is it okay to feed a wet/dry mix? Or is it much better to do only wet?

I adopted an elderly kitty (approx. 14 years old) with constipation problems and switching him to a wet food diet with added fiber (i.e. canned pumpkin) helped to clear up his constipation. I'm contemplating switching my healthier younger cat to a wet food diet as well, though.

bonepicker · Jun 3, 2015

I vote wet, based on everything I have read and my personal experiences.

Columbine · Jun 3, 2015

In my opinion, all wet is best, but I know that isn't always feasible (and my old boy does get a little kibble - he's set in his ways and I've learned an awful lot about feline nutrition since then). The next best option is a mix of wet and dry...but it's not a good idea to literally mix them together. Separate bowls is the way to go.

The reason wet is best is that cats have a very low thirst drive (having evolved as desert creatures, they naturally get around 80 % of their fluid intake from their food), and just don't drink enough to compensate for the dryness of kibble unless you employ special measures (such as making tuna or chicken flavoured water).

If you want to feed a mix of wet and dry, then it's a good idea to add extra water to the wet food - a tablespoon or so, or as much as your cat will accept.

The other primary criticism of kibble is that it's far more likely to be full of grains and other carby fillers. Cats are obligate carnivores, and higher carb foods can cause all kinds of issues - mostly digestive and weight problems. However, as you're feeding grain free kibble, that isn't a huge issue (do check the bag though - grain free doesn't always mean low carb...Some grain free foods use ingredients like potato in place of grains to reduce costs/increase profit margins).

It's great that you're looking to do the best you can by your cats. I hope I've been able to answer a few of your questions. I'm sure others will chime in to add their views on the subject.

bonepicker · Jun 3, 2015

If I had a girl cat that could tolerate dry, I would feed a quality grain free kibble also. 75 wet 25 dry. My girl vomits on all dry foods and the other cat is a male which are more prone to urinary issues, so I go all grain free wet, which works for me, but yes it is more expensive. Cats do tend to gain weight on dry and some do get diabetes in later years, so you have to be careful not too let them overeat.

crazy4strays · Jun 3, 2015

So a grain free dry food isn't harmful to a healthy cat?

The wet food is a lot more expensive. I estimate that feeding both cats grain free dry food would run about $21 per month. Feeding them exclusively grain free wet food would be more like $60 per month.

bonepicker · Jun 3, 2015

Yes it is expensive, so you could go with a high quality kibble and a less expensive wet like friskies pate. Do a 75 wet 25 dry. I truly believe any wet is better than dry, but stretching a budget and having food out when gone for a long time is sometimes is more important. Plus you can get friskies pate in large 12 oz cans and buy by case it is not too expensive

crazy4strays · Jun 3, 2015

Great idea! Thank you.

2cats4me · Jun 3, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
My cats eat exclusively grain free food. However, one of the cats eats primarily dry food. The more I'm reading, the more it looks like dry food may not be ideal for kitties. Anybody have any resources to share with me, one way or another?

Is it okay to feed a wet/dry mix? Or is it much better to do only wet?

I adopted an elderly kitty (approx. 14 years old) with constipation problems and switching him to a wet food diet with added fiber (i.e. canned pumpkin) helped to clear up his constipation. I'm contemplating switching my healthier younger cat to a wet food diet as well, though.

My cats get mostly wet with about 1/4 cup of kibble per day .. They like a little sprinkled on top each meal ..They are now eating Fancy Feast Classics , Sheba Pate , Friskies Pate .. I just picked up a few cans of Great Choice at Petsmart for them to try .. The 5.5 oz cans were on sale for .37 cents each .

LTS3 · Jun 3, 2015

Originally Posted by Crazy4Strays

Anybody have any resources to share with me, one way or another?

http://www.catinfo.org

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat-part-2

Crazy4Strays said:
Is it okay to feed a wet/dry mix? Or is it much better to do only wet?

In a perfect world everyone would feed their pet a species appropriate diet. Ideally this would be raw (any type) for dogs and cats. But I do understand that not everyone can or want to feed raw food which is understandable. Raw feeding is a bit more involved than just offering a bowl of random pieces of raw meat.

Canned food is the next best option. An all canned food diet is best, but again, not everyone can feed only canned food for whatever reason (budget, multiple cats with various health issues, etc). If you can feed 100% canned, then do it

A canned / dry mix usually works for most people who can't do 100% canned. I would not feed more than 50% dry if possible and I would add extra water to the canned. The common belief that canned food rots teeth is a myth. No food keeps teeth clean in any species, whether cat or dog or Human. Only regular dental care (ie tooth brushing and dental cleanings) will keep teeth healthy.

Crazy4Strays said:
So a grain free dry food isn't harmful to a healthy cat?

No. If some dry food has to be fed, then make it a grain-free brand.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/grain-free-cat-food-what-does-it-mean

A healthier alternative to dry food is freeze dried or air dried raw food. These are crunchy if left dry and many cats will readily eat it. Downside is that these are more expensive than dry food, about $25 for a 12 oz (I think) bag of Stella and Chewy's.

Crazy4Strays said:
The wet food is a lot more expensive. I estimate that feeding both cats grain free dry food would run about $21 per month. Feeding them exclusively grain free wet food would be more like $60 per month.

You don't need a high end brand of canned food that costs well over $1 per 3oz can. There are many acceptable lesser expensive brands to feed like Friskies. Buying larger sized cans instead of the 3 oz can is more cost effective as is buying cases of food instead of individual cans. Shop around for the best prices.

So while 100% canned food is ideal, don't fee bad if you have to feed some dry. Some people here on TCS feed only dry for reasons only known to them. You feed what works in your situation

crazy4strays · Jun 3, 2015

I prefer to do grain free food. What is the most cost effective type of grain free canned food?

Columbine · Jun 3, 2015

Read the labels

(sorry - I'm not terribly familiar with US brands). I believe that even some of the friskies and sheba pates are grain free. Patés in general are the most likely to be grain free - regardless of brand. Foods in gravy are the most likely to have grains - gravy generally needs starch. I'm sure others will be able to get more specific.

momto3cats · Jun 3, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
I prefer to do grain free food. What is the most cost effective type of grain free canned food?

Probably Fancy Feast pates or Sheba . They only come in the small 3 oz cans though. Friskies pate is cheaper but has a small amount of rice - not much though, it's very low carb. You can also check for store brands that imitate Fancy Feast, I think a number of stores have them under various names, a bit cheaper than actual Fancy Feast.

2cats4me · Jun 3, 2015

Crazy4Strays said:
I prefer to do grain free food. What is the most cost effective type of grain free canned food?

Fancy Feast Classics & Sheba Pates are grain free .. Petsmart has a brand called Great Choice , the 3 oz cans mimic FF , the 5.5 oz Friskies and are a bit cheaper .

ferocioussamo · Jun 3, 2015

I wanted to feed grain free quality wet food exclusively, but that plan went down the cat's throat quickly after I got a very hungry new kitten. I never knew something that small can have such an appetite! There was no way I could feed him as planed. So, after long hours of thinking and calculating I decided as follows: Instead of buying cheapest crappy wet food with fillers or mediocre mix of dry and wet, I will buy the cheapest wet that is meat only, maybe with some veggies, and still in a good food category (in Europe that would be Smilla, Carny and MAC's) and the best dry kibble a money can buy, which most people (and I) believe to be Orijen. Even if you buy expensive dry, because it's so tightly packed with calories, you don't have to supplement a lot of it to save money. Good brands even feature a lot of vitamins and minerals, as well as good omega3/omega6 ratio, amino acids and so on. Now the biggest problem with kibble in my opinion is a far too high carbohydrate content and even the good brands are no exception. Some have more, some have less, but all of them have too much for feeding kibble exclusively. So in my opinion it's OK to mix, but you do have to make careful calculations on how much of what will you feed to which cat. Sadly the labeling on pet food is horrible. There is no carbohydrates in analysis so you have to calculate everything. The www.catinfo.org LTS3 mentioned has good instructions on how to do that. It's really time consuming, but if you carefully write down everything (and if you don't own any supernova kittens) you will only have to do it once. Good luck!

crawlingdolphin · Jun 7, 2015

I was actually having problems with the same thing, people even told me to add water in the dry food so that it would be a lot softer for my 2 month old kitten. I find it funny myself but tried it anyway, at least with 5 pieces as trial. He actually ate it but then I'm worried it might not be good for him too so I stayed on the dry food the vet sold to me. It was whiskas and I was thinking of switching brands, Whiskas is the only thing available in the department store so I've got to buy it online. I was thinking whether to get Orijen cat and kitten or Acana Wild Prairie cat and kitten since I was told that those brands were grain-free. They're still dry food though and the only "better" canned food that is available is Fancy Feast, however I may not be able to feed Chopin with it everyday. It costs 55php (Philippine Peso) per 85grams and I would most likely consume 2 or 3 cans a day. I was planning on feeding it to him for like twice a week and then resort to dry food the rest of the week. Any suggestions?

Columbine · Jun 8, 2015

It's not a great idea to soak kibble - if you do, be sure to bin any uneaten food after 20 mins. Kibble can have bacteria, fungi etc growing in it, and wetting the food can accelerate their growth.

A much better option is to increase fluid intake by other methods. A favourite here is to poach some plain skinless chicken or turkey. Remove the meat, and feed the liquid to the cat. My guys love it. More ideas are in this article http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake.

With the wet food - can you afford to give one meal or snack of it a day? A little every day is better than more two or three times a week. You can add extra water to the wet food too...start with a spoonful, then experiment to see how wet your cat will tolerate it. It's another way to get more water into their diet.

Acana and Orijen are both good brands of kibble. If I had to feed kibble then I'd look at those two as options (though I'd also look at uk/European brands,as we have quite a good range over here...and without high prices from importation

)

ferocioussamo · Jun 8, 2015

CrawlingDolphin said:
I was actually having problems with the same thing, people even told me to add water in the dry food so that it would be a lot softer for my 2 month old kitten. I find it funny myself but tried it anyway, at least with 5 pieces as trial. He actually ate it but then I'm worried it might not be good for him too so I stayed on the dry food the vet sold to me. It was whiskas and I was thinking of switching brands, Whiskas is the only thing available in the department store so I've got to buy it online. I was thinking whether to get Orijen cat and kitten or Acana Wild Prairie cat and kitten since I was told that those brands were grain-free. They're still dry food though and the only "better" canned food that is available is Fancy Feast, however I may not be able to feed Chopin with it everyday. It costs 55php (Philippine Peso) per 85grams and I would most likely consume 2 or 3 cans a day. I was planning on feeding it to him for like twice a week and then resort to dry food the rest of the week. Any suggestions?

55php is around 1 euro or 1.2 dollars, which is very costly for a 85g of cat food and it's understandable that you are looking for other options. I wouldn't be feeding Fancy Feast anyway. I checked few of the stores you have in Philippines and there really isn't a lot to choose from, neither did I find any ingredients listed. Good thing is, you have Orijen and Acana available. If you choose to feed kibble I suggest to go with Orijen, since it's carbohydrate content is lower, but I would not feed kibble only. Oh and do not free feed kibble or your cat will surely overeat. You can leave a measured portion of it during the day, but don't let him eat as much as he want's.

Your best option is to look into making cat food at home. There are a lot of sources on the internet and even this forum has a raw and home-cooked section. Probably best place to start: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood.

If you have a problem making your cat drink, there are a few tips to try:

- Put water in a bowl, glass, flower pot, whatever you want on unconventional places around the house, where your cat likes to climb. Window sills, wardrobes and tables all work. I think some cats like to "find" water, drink a little and then move on.

- You can always add water to food that you know will be eaten immediately

- Bone broth or water you cooked meat in. Just be careful how long you leave it out.

- You can look into water fountains, because some cats prefer to drink from running water sources

Columbine · Jun 8, 2015

Home made cat food isn't a bad idea - especially if cat food is hard to find at a sensible price. It doesn't have to be raw either - and the advantage of a cooked homemade diet is that it's then perfectly safe to use store bought ground meats. This thread is a great start point for home cooked food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263751/cooked-recipes-thread

However, I would disagree with

ferocioussamo over Fancy Feast. The Classic patés are grain free and make a good budget option. Check the flavours though - a number of members have had issues with the fish ones.

crawlingdolphin · Jun 8, 2015

Thank you

ferocioussamo and

Columbine your suggestions are of great help. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

ferocioussamo · Jun 8, 2015

@Columbine, I looked into FancyFeast and I think it's overpriced. The first thing that strikes me and is quite obvious is it looks like they want to feed humans not cats. This is a common pet food strategy. Even the pictures are made that way it almost makes me hungry. But cats don't care about the age of cheddar or the tradition of Tuscany, they are far more simple: they need and want meat. I looked into ingredients of Classic Chicken and I admit, I have seen worse, but this is far from perfect. And when something costs more than 10$ per kg, it better be perfect. Ingredients include: artificial and natural flavors, guar gum, added color, salt, sodium nitrite (to promote color retention) ... Why buy colored salty cat food, when you can buy meat for half the price or less?

Wet vs. Dry Food

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