Wet food or dry food?

I have a little cat named Vanilla and I'm not sure what's better for her wet food or dry food, what do you suggest? Btw she only gives dry food a few bibles while she loves wet food but I'm not sure which one is a healthier choice.

@Catscratch809

I would go with wet. My boy is on wet food.
Below is an article that shows the amount of moisture in dry, wet and raw food. And also how much water your cat needs to stay hydrated.

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Catscratch809 said:

I have a little cat named Vanilla and I'm not sure what's better for her wet food or dry food, what do you suggest? Btw she only gives dry food a few bibles while she loves wet food but I'm not sure which one is a healthier choice.

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Wet. No contest. Cats are obligate (true) carnivores and require a diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Most dry foods (including high end ones) do not meet this criteria. My cats are on a 95% canned food only diet and only get dry as an occasional snack or topper to the wet food. 

A big plus to the all wet food diet is variety. I keep a rotation of canned food on hand - different brands, proteins, textures and they really enjoy that. we don't eat the same food every meal for out entire lives so why should they? You don't have to go huge budget this way either. What I often do is give them a base of pate and then add a topper of a shredded, minced, sliced or flaked food. This gives the meal some dimension and extra flavor. I also crumble Pure Bites freeze dried chicken breast treats and use those as a topper to any canned food and it does this as well. 

I have 3 picky eaters so I need to keep them guessing to keep their interest. 

Wet food is superior over dry.  I once read that Dr. Lisa Pierson (Catinfo.org), a noted cat nutritionist, said that the worst quality wet food is better than the best quality dry food.  I explain it like this:   place a piece of kibble in a cup of water and see what happens. It swells to 2-3x its size.  That is what is happening to dry food in a cat's tummy - it is sucking moisture out of their systems.  Cat's don't have a high thirst drive as it is and the decreased moisture in their systems is a prime leading to kidney failure and/or liver disease.  Canned food is superior to dry.  

My 3 cats are all on dry. My 4 month old Misha also gets wet. I'd give them all wet food, but my older two won't even go near it, and I've tried them all.

I didn't truly understand how much water dry food sucks up until I started feeding my dog Spot Farms.
One cup of their food will suck up almost 2 cups of water!

Lifewith3cats said:

 
My 3 cats are all on dry. My 4 month old Misha also gets wet. I'd give them all wet food, but my older two won't even go near it, and I've tried them all.

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It's not easy having picky eaters, is it? My Henry was so good when he first came to live with us and then the diva sisters got a hold of him. Now he's almost as picky as they are. When Lilith decides she doesn't like something, she will turn her nose up at it, glare at me and then prance out of the room with her tail puffed up behind her to let me know how highly insulted she is. 

They will eat something until I buy a case of it. They decide they don't like it any more so I have to shelve it and reintroduce it again at a later date.   

Kat0121 said:

Lifewith3cats said:

 
My 3 cats are all on dry. My 4 month old Misha also gets wet. I'd give them all wet food, but my older two won't even go near it, and I've tried them all.

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It's not easy having picky eaters, is it? My Henry was so good when he first came to live with us and then the diva sisters got a hold of him. Now he's almost as picky as they are. When Lilith decides she doesn't like something, she will turn her nose up at it, glare at me and then prance out of the room with her tail puffed up behind her to let me know how highly insulted she is. :king:

They will eat something until I buy a case of it. They decide they don't like it any more so I have to shelve it and reintroduce it again at a later date.   

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Well, to be fair, you wouldn't want to eat the same food day and night for weeks, would you?
Cats are more like us than most people think.
If you rotate flavors every day or so, you won't have nearly as much trouble with them

Minka said:

Well, to be fair, you wouldn't want to eat the same food day and night for weeks, would you?
Cats are more like us than most people think.
If you rotate flavors every day or so, you won't have nearly as much trouble with them

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You don't have to worry about that! My kitten's food has different flavours in each can example: chiken, turkey, duck etc.

So what are they tired of? The brand?

Minka said:

So what are they tired of? The brand?

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My kitten doesn't seem to be tired of it, she actually really likes it and besides when the packet of wet food cans runs out I buy a completely different brand :3

Jasmine will only eat Luvsome wet food, and hates the fish varieties.  (That's the Kroger store brand.  It used to be called Aristocats.)  She gets half a can twice a day, plus all the grain free (Blue Buffalo) kibble she wants.  But Jasmine is quite happy to drink water when she needs it.  In fact, when she's just eaten some kibble her next stop is usually her water bowl.

The problem is, with her refusing to eat any other brand than Luvsome, and then only half of the available flavors, she does get tired of them.  I try to make sure that she doesn't get the same thing two days in a row, but sometimes she will go for a day or two without eating any wet food, and at that point I have to remove her access to the kibble, because all by itself it just makes her throw up.

My advice is:  Wet food as her primary food source, dry only to supplement the wet (and then it should be a premium variety, and make sure your cat isn't averse to drinking), and keep her on as many different varieties of wet as you can so she doesn't decide there's only one that is any good.  When they changed the name from Aristocats to Luvsome, they didn't publicize the change so there was a while there when I was getting Jasmine everything but the food she wanted.  She would cry pitifully from hunger, but refuse to eat what I gave her.  It was a very traumatic experience for both of us, and you do not want to go through that with your cat.

Margret

Minka said:

Well, to be fair, you wouldn't want to eat the same food day and night for weeks, would you?
Cats are more like us than most people think.
If you rotate flavors every day or so, you won't have nearly as much trouble with them

Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with giving them the same food every day. They don't get the same meal twice in a row. It's about one day deciding that they don't want something that they have eaten before without issue- regardless of what they ate at the previous meal. They will reject foods out of the blue- usually after I buy a case of it. We have a wide variety of brands, proteins and textures in the rotation. I also rotate the toppers that I use. They are simply picky eaters.Sometimes I think that they enjoy making me get them something else just because they can

Kat0121 said:

 

Minka said:

Well, to be fair, you wouldn't want to eat the same food day and night for weeks, would you?
Cats are more like us than most people think.
If you rotate flavors every day or so, you won't have nearly as much trouble with them

Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with giving them the same food every day. They don't get the same meal twice in a row. It's about one day deciding that they don't want something that they have eaten before without issue- regardless of what they ate at the previous meal. They will reject foods out of the blue- usually after I buy a case of it. We have a wide variety of brands, proteins and textures in the rotation. I also rotate the toppers that I use. They are simply picky eaters.Sometimes I think that they enjoy making me get them something else just because they can

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Yep!  That's cattitude, all right!

Margret

99% wet.

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient (Venison)

Every once in a while I'll put a little dry of the same kind on Thirteen's wet cat food to entice her.

Why not both? The best of both worlds. My cats get 50% canned food, 25% kibble and 10% raw and 10% freeze dried, and 5% of whatever I feed them. (Rabbit, chicken, etc whatever meat I was eating).

My cats all eat dry food, a grain-free locally-made brand made with high-end ingredients. They love it--they know when it's food time and without fail all line up at their bowls begging and none of them hesitate to dive in. The only problem I ever have with my cats in the way of food is Maya being what I call a "nomadic eater", eating a few bites and wandering off for a couple minutes to check out a piece of fuzz, then coming back for more only to find her sisters have stolen all her food. Now we have to have someone on guard duty. Not only is wet food much more expensive, and with 4 cats plus my dog to buy food for it adds up quick, but dry is actually much better for their teeth. I've seen a lot of cats who have lived on wet food their whole lives and had wrecked teeth because of it. I keep a small supply of wet food for certain circumstances (ran out of dry food and haven't gotten a chance to run to the store yet, in case one of them doesn't want to eat, etc.) but for the most part I keep them on dry. Really the only benefit to the wet I've found in my research is the moisture, and none of my girls have any problem drinking plenty. And as far as the content of their food goes, my vet swears by the brand and that my girls are about as healthy as they can get. But if your kitty isn't a big water fan or a hesitant eater, maybe give wet food a shot and see how it goes.

Dry does absolutely nothing for their teeth. It crumbles into little pieces and gets stuck in their gums and nothing more.
Dry honestly shouldn't be given to cats at all. It is dehydrating, hard on their bodies and does nothing good for them.
http://www.catinfo.org/

What I write is my own personal opinion, based on 60 years of cat ownership, a lot of research and many talks with vets, who often admit their own knowledge of nutrition is not extensive, but can be persuaded sometimes to do their own research.

This is still a highly contentious subject, with devotees on both sides. When I grew up there was no choice and most cats were fed a mix of canned food and household scraps. Dry food is still relatively new to the pet industry and at first was hailed as a saviour for busy working owners and good for the cat's teeth. Since then, that idea has been disproved, but the quality and wchoice of both wet and dry has improved enormously. though there are still 'experts' and cat nutritionists who stand firmly on one side or the other. The question of a healthy diet is bound up with the crucial need for moisture, so your choice of diet should consider how much water your cat needs and how much he is likely to get. The cat evolved to get most its moisture from its prey, so some cats (not all) do not automatically drink much and the owner must make sure that this is rectified.

I think no-one would dispute that any cat who is subject to urinary or kidney problems should have a diet that is very moisture rich, so probably should only eat wet food. Young kittens find it easier to transition from milk to a wet diet. For adult healthy cats, I think there is no reason not to feed dry, it makes our new lifestyle and relationship with our cats much more manageable. Today more cats are kept indoors, never hunt their own prey to supplement their diet, so are completely dependent on the one or two meals a day given to them by a working owner. Food that does not spoil, and is also good as snacks during the day, is a great addition to modern life. It goes without saying that plenty of fresh water must be available at all times, and if an owner suspects that a cat is not drinking enough, then it is time to adjust the diet to include more moisture. I do think that as a cat gets older, perhaps over 8/9 years old, then it is time to consider switching to wet, or at least adding as much as your lifestyle permits, to help avoid kidney problems. Diseases of the urinary and renal systems are one of the greatest killers of cats over 12 years old, and anything we can do to help keep these systems healthy must be good, and giving a cat as much water in its diet as possible is a large part of this.

Probably the best of all possible worlds is, as with our own diets, to take advantage of the choice we have and feed a mix of foods. A small meal of wet in the morning, a larger one at night, with a bowl of crunchies to snack on at other times will keep a cat hydrated and occupied, and fits with a busy working life. Or just give one wet meal a day - whatever suits you and your cat. For of course, some cats will only eat one type, one flavour, one brand - and that is fine as long as we ensure they remain healthy.

The quality and price of both wet and dry food varies enormously, and some foods contain huge proportions of grains and vegetables and other fillers and binders that no cat needs. I would say that whatever your decision on the wet versus dry, buy the very best food that you can afford. You would not willingly feed your children exclusively on bread-crumb filled sausages, some cat foods are the equivalent. Check the ingredients carefully.

The other thing that few owners consider these days (though not on TCS!) is the possible role of fresh food in your cat's diet. While most people do not have the time to research and feed a wholly fresh diet (and it is not easy to do), it is easy and beneficial to give some fresh food from time to time - chicken and rabbit pieces and other meat scraps (though pork and lamb are not recommended, and of course, no cooked bones as these splinter)), and even an occasional bit of fish (though this should not be often). My cats love a beaten egg yolk or some whole cooked egg, and some cats love cheese. Find what yours likes and use it as a treat.

So to sum up, I think it does not matter whether you feed wet or dry, though all-wet does have some advantages on the hydration issue. Buy the best you can afford, avoid the really cheap cereal filled foods, and monitor your cat's weight and hydration. Be ready to change the diet as the cat grows older, and above all. make sure your cat always looks forward to meal time by giving him food he enjoys.

Margret said:

"My advice is:  Wet food as her primary food source, dry only to supplement the wet (and then it should be a premium variety, and make sure your cat isn't averse to drinking), and keep her on as many different varieties of wet as you can so she doesn't decide there's only one that is any good."

In the main, I agree.  I believe that different (and healthy) wet varieties makes for the best outcome and pleases the cat.  As for dry, I try to avoid that debate.  In my first few months of cat ownership, I gave my gall mostly kibble, with a can of wet three times a week.  I've modified her menu since so now wet constitutes probably 40% or more of her intake.  She loves kibble.  I make other adjustments, too.  When a spell of hot weather is forecast I give her wet each day and for every meal.  And fortunately, she has always been a consistent drinker.