Winter Hawk
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Dry food good?
- Thread starter zoggy
- Start Date
Winter Hawk
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #22
From reading previous threads on this site, I learned wet food should not be left out for more than 20 minutes.
You can but then you must pull it back up and discard this mixture within the hour because wet food will spoil quickly. That is why many leave dry food out "free feed", and then give wet food in a seperate dish once or twice a day.
Honestly, there is a LOT of debate about feeding cats dry food. You would find it interesting to research I think. One site to read over is www.catinfo.orgOriginally Posted by lisalee
I feed Sash wet and dry food and I think they are both good for different reasons. He certainly enjoys both, heck Sash just loves food he's not too fussy!I think it's really hard to say one is better than the other, there are many cats that have thrived on dry food only and lived a very long life and for some perhaps wet is better.
this is what i did - since i live alone & work all day, i leave out a good quality dry food, then in the evenings give them a can to share. Pixel simply refused almost all wet food - even the meat baby food, guys, couldn't believe it - but Cable & Java both eat it, & know when it's time for wet food. if i left the wet food out, not only would it get yucky & i'd get ants. i looked at the comparison wizard, & my dry is pretty good.
IMHO, wet food is better. It might be extra work, but having cats is extra work, and responsibility. You shouldn't shrug off whats best for what is easiest. Cats are carnivores and dry food is full of fillers and very little meat, even the best dry food is not the same as meat. Many people do give home prepared food, now that is alot of work. But a good premium wet food is good and easy. It is not alot of work to open a can 2-3 times per day and dump into a bowl. In the wild cats do not go around looking for dry kibble they eat MEAT. Its really up to you what you feed your kitties, but wet food is better for cats, and they are less likly to become obese. Not all cats, but alot of cats become obese from free feeding on dry food, especially if they are fixed. Dry food is full of carbs, and just like humans can gain weight, which in turn can lead to diabetes. It does not hurt to feed dry food in combination of a mostly meat diet, like if you leave during the day, you can leave out dry, but IMO I think you should keep the dry to a minimum. My cat from the past became obese from free feeding, and it became more work when we had to put her on a diet, she was limping and could not groom herself. I have learned from my mistakes and My cat Buddy is on a wet only diet on Nutro Kitten, and he is happy and healthy. You should also feed kitten food until they are 1 year old.
If you do decide to do both, wet food 2x per day 1 in the morning and 1 at night, dry during the day. Kitten only food until 1 year old, they need the extra nutrients since they are growing!!
If you do decide to do both, wet food 2x per day 1 in the morning and 1 at night, dry during the day. Kitten only food until 1 year old, they need the extra nutrients since they are growing!!
I agree that wet-only is best. However, I don't believe anyone balks at feeding that because it's "too much work," it's much more of a cost issue. Here, it costs more than twice as much as the dry food. A 4 pound bag of dry food (which lasts at least a month, possibly more) goes for $12.99 or so (Canadian funds). A box of canned food, with 24 cans, is $27.99 or something like that. If I fed wet every day, dividing one can for two cats, 24 cans wouldn't last me a month. But as it is, I'm wanting to switch to wet-only in the future, but I can't afford it right now so I have to settle with dry-only with the occational wet can (I'm trying for once or twice a week).
I myself have almost never used wet food on a cat for a few reasons:
a) I'm fairly poor nearly all the time, so I can't afford the extra cost (which can be double or triple for the same amount of food down here).
b) My cat prefers to eat throughout the day instead of at two separate times, so I can't be putting it out and removing it and putting it out and removing it constantly.
c) The dog my mom owns thinks she has the right to steal any wet food I've ever tried putting out for Lucifer. She is also not easily very trained because she is, well, a bit of a dimwit.
Occasionally my cat munches on table scraps of my choosing, but that's not often, and I'm never stupid enough to give him dangerous stuff.
All my cats have grown up just fine and healthy, if in slightly more need of water than the average cat.
a) I'm fairly poor nearly all the time, so I can't afford the extra cost (which can be double or triple for the same amount of food down here).
b) My cat prefers to eat throughout the day instead of at two separate times, so I can't be putting it out and removing it and putting it out and removing it constantly.
c) The dog my mom owns thinks she has the right to steal any wet food I've ever tried putting out for Lucifer. She is also not easily very trained because she is, well, a bit of a dimwit.
Occasionally my cat munches on table scraps of my choosing, but that's not often, and I'm never stupid enough to give him dangerous stuff.
All my cats have grown up just fine and healthy, if in slightly more need of water than the average cat.
I think it's all relative. There are a lot of people on very low income that spend a lot of money on cigarrettes and I wonder how they can afford it. I think it all comes down to what you're willing to cut out of your expenses. I find it pretty affordable for both of my cats to share a 5.5 or 6 ounce can a day. That way each cat gets a quarter of a can twice a day and they're more likely to finish a quarter can in a shorter period of time than a larger quantity. And I use the dry food to fill in the gap between meals. A can a day, that's anywhere from 80 cents to 2 dollars a day. How many people buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks every day? That's expensive. But I know it really depends on the individual and his/her personal finances. So I don't judge.
I feed my girls wet food once per day then leave out dry food during the day for them to snack on. I used to feed them wet food twice per day but they didn't seem to want it this much. I guess I should try and wean them off the dry food but I'm at work all day and want them to have something if they should have hunger pangs. Maybe I'm just projecting my own nutritional needs on them but I just can't stand the thought of going 6 hours without food! I'm a grazer so I need my snacks!
That's exactly how I feel and what I usually do. Wet food once in the morning, and then dry for the rest of the day for them to free feed. Right now I just adopted a cat who is on a raw food diet, and I have to feed her twice daily. Through the day while I'm at work I feel sad about her not having anything to snack on if she's hungry!! LOL.Originally Posted by SnowLeop
I feed my girls wet food once per day then leave out dry food during the day for them to snack on. I used to feed them wet food twice per day but they didn't seem to want it this much. I guess I should try and wean them off the dry food but I'm at work all day and want them to have something if they should have hunger pangs. Maybe I'm just projecting my own nutritional needs on them but I just can't stand the thought of going 6 hours without food! I'm a grazer so I need my snacks!
Adding my 2 cents on food for what it's worth...
I just lost my precious Morris on 9/22/05. He was 20 years old and maintained excellent health! Got most of his life I fed the regular Purina Cat Chow. I tried other types here and there (the one Purina came out with for inside cats, for example) but he preferred Cat Chow. Once a week or so I fed him wet Fancy Feast - which he regarded as a real treat!
Interestingly, when he was younger (like 4-5 years old) he developed some type of allergy or condition (I also owned dogs at the time) where he was licking his fur off. The vet said he likely had a food allergy and prescribed some kind of very expensive food that could only be purchased at the vet. Morris got WORSE!!
I was trying various foods by trial-and-error then and that's how I finally chose Purina Cat Chow which worked well for him and he ate until his dying day.
There is a book called It's a Cat's Life by Anitra Frazier. In the book Ms. Frazier has 3 diets that she highly recommends - one completely homemade from meats, veggies and vitamins, one wet food with some vitamins added and a third from baby food with th vitmins added. I'm going to do a "trial run" with one of these for Kali and see how she does. I'll report back on this.
Czari
Mama to Kali II, Morris 1985-2005, Kali 1997-2005 and "TV" - the little stray who introduced me to cats - deceased 1985
I just lost my precious Morris on 9/22/05. He was 20 years old and maintained excellent health! Got most of his life I fed the regular Purina Cat Chow. I tried other types here and there (the one Purina came out with for inside cats, for example) but he preferred Cat Chow. Once a week or so I fed him wet Fancy Feast - which he regarded as a real treat!
Interestingly, when he was younger (like 4-5 years old) he developed some type of allergy or condition (I also owned dogs at the time) where he was licking his fur off. The vet said he likely had a food allergy and prescribed some kind of very expensive food that could only be purchased at the vet. Morris got WORSE!!
There is a book called It's a Cat's Life by Anitra Frazier. In the book Ms. Frazier has 3 diets that she highly recommends - one completely homemade from meats, veggies and vitamins, one wet food with some vitamins added and a third from baby food with th vitmins added. I'm going to do a "trial run" with one of these for Kali and see how she does. I'll report back on this.
Czari
Mama to Kali II, Morris 1985-2005, Kali 1997-2005 and "TV" - the little stray who introduced me to cats - deceased 1985
Right now I'm feeding Marlee mostly dry. (She is somewhere b/t probably 12-14 weeks). I just recently started her on Nutro Natural Choice Kitten and she loves it! Anytime I go NEAR the bag she gets all excited and starts meowing.
I'm trying wet food, but have yet to find some she really enjoys. I've tried MeowMix pouches, Nutro kitten pouches, and something else I can't remember. She will eat like a TINY amount (like less than a teaspoon and then lose interest). So I can't decided what to do! I know wet food is good for her, but with her only eating that much at a time, its almost a waste since it spoils quickly. Any advice on a brand she might like?
You might try InnovaOriginally Posted by AshleyNicole
Right now I'm feeding Marlee mostly dry. (She is somewhere b/t probably 12-14 weeks). I just recently started her on Nutro Natural Choice Kitten and she loves it! Anytime I go NEAR the bag she gets all excited and starts meowing.I'm trying wet food, but have yet to find some she really enjoys. I've tried MeowMix pouches, Nutro kitten pouches, and something else I can't remember. She will eat like a TINY amount (like less than a teaspoon and then lose interest). So I can't decided what to do! I know wet food is good for her, but with her only eating that much at a time, its almost a waste since it spoils quickly. Any advice on a brand she might like?
Thanks for the quick answer! I'll look for it, where is it available? I'm in a small town, about the only place to get good food is PetCo, its either that or WalMart.
Harley loves the pouches by Whiskas, thats the only kind of wet food I've tried, I just wanted to see if he would eat it, and he did!
I think Im going to try to feed him more wet food. But since me and John both work 8-5 everyday, I leave him out a bowl of dry food and a bowl of water, I fill the dry food bowl up every morning before I go to work, and its gone by 5:00.
He's never had a problem with dry food, and he's a very healthy 4 1/2 month old baby!
I'd really like to try the wet food diet tho!
I think Im going to try to feed him more wet food. But since me and John both work 8-5 everyday, I leave him out a bowl of dry food and a bowl of water, I fill the dry food bowl up every morning before I go to work, and its gone by 5:00.
He's never had a problem with dry food, and he's a very healthy 4 1/2 month old baby!
I'd really like to try the wet food diet tho!
A lot of cats don't like to eat the chunks of meat in pouches. Try a variety of pate style cans from your local Petco until you find something she likes.
Nutro cat foods is a good cat food, Petco carries those, they also carry Natural Balance, which I hear alot of good reviews about.
Thanks again! I'm definitely keeping her on the Nutro dry food. I think I will try some of the pate can styles, I was thinking of doing that next anyways. I'll let you know how it goes!
