Convincing people who feed only or predominantly dry cat foods to their cats.

[Anne]

I agree that if a veterinarian recommends dry over wet, claiming it has known health benefits, that's not a sound recommendation. That said, a good veterinarian should not say that wet is superior either. At most, they may suggested switching to wet if a cat has urinary tract issues. Any other claim is simply unsubstantiated. It's ok as a personal opinion but it's not an acceptable veterinary guideline, IMO.

As for raw, I know we have many members who feed raw and post about it quite a lot but overall, we're talking about maybe 1-2% of cat owners that actually feed raw/homemade exclusively. Keep in mind that the AVMA specifically and officially goes against feeding raw - 

The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans.

There are documented studies of cats that died because of the pathogen overload in raw meat. If you choose to feed raw, please take a minute to read about how to do that safely - 

 [article="31673"]Feeding Raw To Cats Safety Concerns​[/article]  

Any specific questions about feeding raw, we have an entire sub-forum dedicated to that here: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-home-cooked-cat-food

I honestly don't think it's a solution that's a good fit for most cat owners and it's very important for me that TCS does not become a place that pushes people towards feeding raw. Yes, it can be done right. No, that's not "simple" (even if it becomes easy once you do it regularly) and no, there are no studies indicating that it's superior to feeding commercial cat food.

 

[Anne]

As for the teeth issue, there are specific cat treats and foods that are approved for dental care -

Several pet food companies offer specialty diets that claim to reduce plaque and tartar buildup. These claims are substantiated by studies that show some improvement can be achieved, or at least some deterioration prevented, when these diets are fed as the main source of food (not as treats). The Veterinary Oral Health Council  reviews the clinical studies of such foods to make sure they adhere to the required scientific standards. Once approved, they get the official VOHC Seal of Approval. You can find a list of approved dental-care diets here:
http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm

This is from our article about   [article="30205"]Does Dry Food Actually Clean Your Cats Teeth​[/article]  

 

[slufferk]

A good vet with knowledge of general feline nutrition can easily say wet is superior to dry. Modern vet schools do teach that wet is more ideal for most felines too! Just had this discussion with the residents at UC Davis school of veterinary medicine last week.

 

[Anne]

A good vet with knowledge of general feline nutrition can easily say wet is superior to dry. Modern vet schools do teach that wet is more ideal for most felines too! Just had this discussion with the residents at UC Davis school of veterinary medicine last week.

If you can put them in touch with me, I'd really appreciate that! I'd be happy to learn more and hear about the body of evidence they're basing their recommendations on. Send me a PM with names if you can?

 

[slufferk]

You're more than welcome to arrange a discussion via the staff members of the school, who can set up an interview on feline nutrition.

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/communications/team/index.cfm

 

[Anne]

You're more than welcome to arrange a discussion via the staff members of the school, who can set up an interview on feline nutrition.

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/communications/team/index.cfm

Will do. I have approached them in the past, I'm pretty sure. I work with quite a few veterinarians when writing articles for this site. I'll try and reach out again to ask if they would like to help us out with up-to-date information about feeding cats.