New kitten ... When and how much wet vs dry?

My breeder told me to leave dry food out all day and then to give her 1 tbs wet food once a day in the evening. Well ... After reading several posts on this forum I wasn't sure if that was correct info.
She said that will keep her poops firm and will give her enough water.
I am feeding her Royal Canin kitten dry and then the wet once a day but this morning (and really during the night too) she was crying and I felt like she was hungry so I fixed her some wet food and she ate it right up ...

Sooooo do I give her more wet food? Will it make her poops runny? And do I stick with only Royal Canin or mix it up?
Does everyone just follow their on rules? Lol? Just trying to do what's best for her

Cats don't really need any dry food at all, so if your kitten likes wet food and it works for you, she'll do better on all wet. Wet is generally better because it has fewer carbohydrates, which are just empty calories for cats, and it obviously has more water, which is important because cats rely on getting most of their water from food. Having fewer carbs and more protein in her diet will be more filling and make her less hungry as well.

Diarrhea is not caused by wet food. Sometimes cats have diarrhea when they are switched to a new food too quickly and their system hasn't adjusted, so to avoid this you can make the change very gradually. Other causes of diarrhea are parasites, which are common in kittens, or sensitivities to a certain ingredient, but the extra water in wet food does not make stool runny.

Royal Canin also isn't the best brand. It tends to be overly heavy on the carbs. The more meat and fewer plant products in the food, the better! Fancy feast pates are a good option on the less expensive end, but if you're able and willing to spend more, there are many premium brands that have very good ingredients. It usually depends on what the cat likes best what brands you end up feeding. Chewy.com has a great selection and prices.

You can pretty much feed a young kitten as much as she will eat, because she's growing and probably needs it!

This website goes in-depth about cat nutrition if you want to read more: http://www.catinfo.org/

ournewjazzy said:

My breeder told me to leave dry food out all day and then to give her 1 tbs wet food once a day in the evening. Well ... After reading several posts on this forum I wasn't sure if that was correct info.
She said that will keep her poops firm and will give her enough water.
 

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Dry food is, well, dry so there is no way feeding that will keep any cat well hydrated. A mere tablespoon of water is not going to provide enough water for a cat.

ournewjazzy said:

I am feeding her Royal Canin kitten dry and then the wet once a day but this morning (and really during the night too) she was crying and I felt like she was hungry so I fixed her some wet food and she ate it right up ...

Sooooo do I give her more wet food? Will it make her poops runny? And do I stick with only Royal Canin or mix it up?
Does everyone just follow their on rules? Lol? Just trying to do what's best for her

Click to expand...

How old is the cat? If she's still a kitten, you want to feed her as much as she will eat to help her get the nutrients she needs for growth. Several small meals daily works for most kittens. Kittens eat a lot of food to grow.

More canned food is definitely best Royal Canin isn't a great brand to feed so if possible, switch to a different brand but do it slowly to avoid an upset tummy.  There are a ton of good canned foods out there. Here are some helptul info on how to choose food:

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

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food

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

For suggestions on affordable canned foods to try, see these:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/308964/healthy-but-affordable-canned-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272192/affordable-canned-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248594/best-hopefully-affordable-canned-food-kitten

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/253771/very-inexpensive-grain-free-canned-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/292890/4health-now-has-affordable-grain-free-wet-food

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306956/new-affordable-petsmart-brand-d

If you have a kitten, you can feed kitten canned food and rotate in an "adult" canned food for some variety.