Wet vs Dry?

So I am able to choose between two cat foods in my price range: A premium dry food and a not-so-premium wet food. Here are the ingredients for both, please tell me which to choose:

First is the dry, the brand is Taste of the Wild:

Chicken meal, peas, sweet potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea protein, potato protein, roasted venison, smoked salmon, natural flavor, ocean fish meal, DL-methionine, potassium chloride, taurine, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

Contains a source of live, naturally occurring microorganisms.

Now the canned, the brand is I LUV MY CAT:

Aku Luv with Tuna & Salmon in Gravy
Ingredients:
Water Sufficient For Processing, Tuna, Salmon, Potato Starch, Sunflower Seed Oil, Calcium Lactate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid, Copper Sulfate, Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K), Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 10.0%, Crude Fat (min) 1.5%, Crude Fiber (max) 0.5%, Moisture (max) 84.0%, Ash 1.5%.

I Luv My Cat Aku Luv with Tuna & Salmon in Gravy Cat Food Formula is formulated to meet nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles for Adult Maintenance.

Feeding Instructions:
For adult cats, feed according to the age, size and activity of your cat. Feed 1 can per 5-7 lbs. of body weight per day. Feed at room temperature and refrigerate unused portion. Your cat should always have access to clean fresh water.

Thank you!

I am not a fan of the Taste of the Wild dry food. Why? Of the first ten ingredients you have peas and potato twice and what is a (unspecified) natural flavor in cat food?  Add on that they are a higher price point and I just have problem calling it Venison and Salmon when chicken and chicken fat are before either of those two meats. I use Natures Variety Instinct although I would love to switch to Go! Fit + Free. It is just a smidgen out of my price range, maybe after I pay off vet bills. 

But that is just me and you can completely ignore it if your research runs counter. 

As to the wet versus dry. I feed dry mostly with some wet because all wet is expensive for three cats (two of which are a healthy 10+ pounds) and dry is easier to free feed which is what works for my family. We do Fancy Fest (right now) for the wet but I typically rotate around a couple brands and flavors based on what is on sale when I am restocking. 

You can find a lot of great options on chewy.com or petfooddirect.com to expand you options beyond what the pet store carries. 

Thank you! So would you say go with the I Luv my cat food?

Also, thanks for the website recommendation!

Ashekitty said:

Thank you! So would you say go with the I Luv my cat food?

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I wouldn't do the I Luv either because well the first ingredient is water and not a meat which means it has more water than meat in it. Fancy Fest Classics are a good alternative wet food without a high price. 

Almost all canned foods have water as the first ingredient. That's kind of the point of feeding wet food!

I Luv My Cat is a good food, BUT a lot of people prefer to avoid feeding too much fish. Mercury, high in minerals, etc. So if you can find a meat-or poultry-based wet food to rotate along with the fish-based food, that would probably be healthier.

Willowy said:

Almost all canned foods have water as the first ingredient. That's kind of the point of feeding wet food!
 

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I have honestly never seen water as the first (or even first ten) in a wet cat food before. I read labels because one of mine is allergic to shrimp too so it isn't just a lack of looking. A lot include broth as the liquid in addition "water (sufficient for processing)" but the broth is earlier and water later in the list. Broth gives a moisture content and helps to hydrate. It usually has some nutritional value to it; it can contain collagen and other nutrients cooked out of the bones and meat. I read up a lot on the nutritional benefits of broths for myself not too long ago because of collagen which is why I mention that aspect (not getting younger and it can help skin and joint health).

I did a quick check going through wet food on the Chewy website. None of the Fancy Feast, Taste of the Wild, Natures Variety, Tiki Cat, Friskies, Wellness, Sheba, Blue Buffalo products I looked at had water as the first and most of the Weruva didn't either. The only wet foods with water first that I found are urinary/kindney health formulas which makes sense, Purina Pro Plan, and one of the Weruva pouch products with a lot of gravy. But I disagree with the statement that almost all canned foods have water and would put it at maybe 25% of them and most of those were prescription or gravy heavy products. Personally, I still wouldn't buy a canned food with water as the first and would rather just add some water and mix it at home if I there was a need. But all my cats drink like crazy and I am constantly refilling their water fountain, outdoor fountains and giving them their own little cups of water when I am near a sink. 

I hate to say it but I agree with @Kieka about the Taste of the Wild food -- the first ingredient is chicken meal, not chicken meat, then there are lots of carbs -- and with @Willowy's point about not wanting to feed a lot of fish. In any case, I'm much more in favor of wet food anyway because it's lower in carbs. Something like fish-free Fancy Feast Classics (the pates), Friskies pates, Sheba, or even certain store brands (I know there are threads about the Tractor Supply's store brand, which some people swear by as being a very good budget food) might be decent choices for rotating with the fish-based food you listed, @Ashekitty.

Good luck!