Dry food does not clean the teeth as cats don't 'chew' their food like humans do. That would be like pretzels cleaning human teeth! That is what my vet told me lol.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Adding water to canned food
- Thread starter xcourtney3
- Start Date
Dry food does not clean the teeth as cats don't 'chew' their food like humans do. That would be like pretzels cleaning human teeth! That is what my vet told me lol.
My cats get just canned food or water with 3 ml 3X of water into their canned food. I give 1/4 of a cup of kibble once a day to 3 times a week.
You guys have gotten dangerously off topic!
I have only recently started adding water to canned food. This is because I work at a shelter and we add water to the food there. I have found that different cats like different amounts of water. One of the cats we had recently would only eat wet food when it was presented as soup and she wanted more water added as she slowly ate it.
I have had trouble with Carrot eating wet food, but I have discovered that if I add water he will eat much more of it (and adding moisture to his diet is really the point).
I have only recently started adding water to canned food. This is because I work at a shelter and we add water to the food there. I have found that different cats like different amounts of water. One of the cats we had recently would only eat wet food when it was presented as soup and she wanted more water added as she slowly ate it.
I have had trouble with Carrot eating wet food, but I have discovered that if I add water he will eat much more of it (and adding moisture to his diet is really the point).
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2013
- Messages
- 106
- Purraise
- 14
Bless you
Yeah, I still add water to the canned food. About a third of the amount of canned food I give him. He doesn't like it too watery because he likes his food a bit chunky.
Thank you for your purraise @pushylady! 
You're welcome!As for adding water, I've done it for years for my cat Pushy. He had chronic crystal issues when he was younger, so that's why we feed him mostly wet food. The vet told us to always add water so he gets enough liquid to keep him well hydrated. It's worked to keep the crystals away. We started out making his food really soupy, which he would eat but not seem too impressed about. Nowadays we just add a tablespoon or so to make it a bit mushy.
My boy January has been on wet food since coming home when he was just 3 weeks old. He dosen't drink water even when we showed him his water bowl. But now, he drinks from his water bowl and also from the tap and of cause additional water in his wet food. And he pee big clumps
As for adding water, I've done it for years for my cat Pushy. He had chronic crystal issues when he was younger, so that's why we feed him mostly wet food. The vet told us to always add water so he gets enough liquid to keep him well hydrated. It's worked to keep the crystals away. We started out making his food really soupy, which he would eat but not seem too impressed about. Nowadays we just add a tablespoon or so to make it a bit mushy.
I think I was told any tuna is bad for cats. Not really good for humans either (mercury). I give mine tuna maybe once a month and only a piece or two if I'm making it.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2013
- Messages
- 106
- Purraise
- 14
Lola and Honey seem disinterested in Fancy Feast after a few bites
MOD ACTION!!
Please keep to the topic of canned food and adding water. Off topic posts will be deleted!
Please keep to the topic of canned food and adding water. Off topic posts will be deleted!
I add a 5.5 ounce can of water to Mookie's food. It's just enough water to get the gravy and bits from the can to her bowl. Also, the wet food lump sticks out of the water so that she can get some right off the bat without having to drink any water. However, the water is enough so that it slows down her eating throughout the day. After about 10-12 hours, she finishes all of the water and food.
Any issues with this?
Any issues with this?
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2017
- Messages
- 105
- Purraise
- 120
Personally I wouldn't keep wet food out in room temperature that long. One of the guidelines in restaurants is to never leave food out in room temperature for more than 4 hours. Granted, the food's for humans and not cats, and cats have a stronger immune system for certain pathogens. But still, mold and bacteria love wet nutrition-dense food and multiply quickly! I don't feel comfortable knowing that and having my cats eat it. In my case, I usually put 3 tbsp of water per 2oz of food and put just enough so that they would finish it in one sitting, if not within an hour or two.
I feed my cat Runty, who has megacolon, Friskies wet food in gravy. Since he takes Miralax 2x a day, I add enough water to make his food soupy. He does not appreciate this, but it is necessary. Unless he is really hungry that day (he also gets Purina Grain Free Naturals dry), I always have to sprinkle some of the soft Meow Mix Irresistables treats on top of the soup to get him to eat it. Sometimes I have to add dry food to it, or add treats multiple times. He isn't even required to eat all of the meat, just drink the liquid out and take a couple bites (the other cats finish his leftovers), but he still gives me a hard time even with that. He has a serious addiction to dry food. 
I have learned to love the sound of him lapping up the liquid, LOL.
I have learned to love the sound of him lapping up the liquid, LOL.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2018
- Messages
- 12,715
- Purraise
- 25,266
The only risk I see with adding extra water to canned food is that unless they finish the whole portion including all the water, you've diluted the nutritional quality of the food and potentially left water soluble vitamins and minerals on the plate.
Mine eat it all. I wouldn't add the water if they didn't like it that way.
