dry food and cat health.

[myrnafaye]

Hi, Cat Moms and Dads. I adopted Binx a year ago. He had a bit of GI upset so the vet suggested ID. He has been on ID ever since. My issue: he eats the canned ID in the AM but will not eat canned in the PM. He wants the dry ID crunchies. I have read several places that the worst canned food is better than the best dried food, and so this worries me. He really loves his crunchies in the evening but I worry that he likes the dry ID too much. Also my vet feels he could lose a lb....advice appreciated. I have had cats for 50 years in have always given then mostly canned with a bit of dried mixed in. I have never had a cat go mad for a dry food.....

 

[Mamanyt1953]

There are issues with dry food, especially in males. They don't tend to drink enough water as it is, and wet food provides most of the water that they need. Dry only can cause concentrated urine in cats, which can lead to kidney stones. IF your boy is a good drinker, however, that alleviates a lot of the issues. Try mixing the dry with a little wet, then slowly cutting back on the dry. Perhaps give him a scant 1/8 cup of dry at bedtime, more as a treat.

My own girl utterly refuses to touch wet food, so you're ahead of the game there! She does, however, suck back water like a camel in August. Her urine, at last check, was slightly dilute, which certainly beats the opposite!

An exceptionally wise person once told me, "The very best food is the one that your cat will actually eat. The finest formula in the world does no good if it never gets into the cat."

 

[CindyH66]

my vet told me the combination of wet and dry food is what often leads to obesity in cats, and dry food is really all they need . I told him my kitties love the wet food, tho ! the main thing is to watch the overall calories for the day. dry food can be loaded with it. so if your kitty gets a reasonable amount of each, and isn't putting on weight, it sounds like a balanced diet. dry at night , wet in the morning. I dont see the problem. maybe he just likes variety

 

[LTS3]

my vet told me the combination of wet and dry food is what often leads to obesity in cats, and dry food is really all they need . I told him my kitties love the wet food, tho ! the main thing is to watch the overall calories for the day. dry food can be loaded with it. so if your kitty gets a reasonable amount of each, and isn't putting on weight, it sounds like a balanced diet. dry at night , wet in the morning. I dont see the problem. maybe he just likes variety

Your vet is sadly wrong IMO. Dry food is what causes obesity in cats because they are so calorie dense per cup. Lack of exercise is also a contributor to obesity in cats. Not much different from a super high calorie dense unhealthy diet and being sedentary for many people.

Feline Obesity: An Epidemic of Fat Cats

It's ok to disagree with the vet about food and to feed something other than what the vet recommends.

Hi, Cat Moms and Dads. I adopted Binx a year ago. He had a bit of GI upset so the vet suggested ID. He has been on ID ever since. My issue: he eats the canned ID in the AM but will not eat canned in the PM. He wants the dry ID crunchies.

Could you add a few of the ID kibbles to the PM canned to satisfy your cat's need for crunchies?

 

[myrnafaye]

There are issues with dry food, especially in males. They don't tend to drink enough water as it is, and wet food provides most of the water that they need. Dry only can cause concentrated urine in cats, which can lead to kidney stones. IF your boy is a good drinker, however, that alleviates a lot of the issues. Try mixing the dry with a little wet, then slowly cutting back on the dry. Perhaps give him a scant 1/8 cup of dry at bedtime, more as a treat.

My own girl utterly refuses to touch wet food, so you're ahead of the game there! She does, however, suck back water like a camel in August. Her urine, at last check, was slightly dilute, which certainly beats the opposite!

An exceptionally wise person once told me, "The very best food is the one that your cat will actually eat. The finest formula in the world does no good if it never gets into the cat."

 

[myrnafaye]

True that! You're right. If a cat won't eat, it doesn't matter how good the food is. He is a pretty good drinker, so I'm not worried about that, and he does eat his canned ID really well in the morning. Doesn't want it in the afternoon and evening. He gets about two tablespoons at night.

 

[myrnafaye]

Your vet is sadly wrong IMO. Dry food is what causes obesity in cats because they are so calorie dense per cup. Lack of exercise is also a contributor to obesity in cats. Not much different from a super high calorie dense unhealthy diet and being sedentary for many people.

Feline Obesity: An Epidemic of Fat Cats

It's ok to disagree with the vet about food and to feed something other than what the vet recommends.




Could you add a few of the ID kibbles to the PM canned to satisfy your cat's need for crunchies?

He won't eat it if it has canned food mixed in , but this is only at night. He eats canned food in the morning.

 

[LTS3]

Some dry food in the diet isn't bad at all. Ideally no dry food would be best but you know, cats and being finicky How much dry food does he eat? As long as he is getting enough calories daily and gets plenty of water, don't worry too much.

 

[myrnafaye]

Yep, he in fact is a bit round...but he is very active, and eats well when he eats. TX!

 

[myrnafaye]

Some dry food in the diet isn't bad at all. Ideally no dry food would be best but you know, cats and being finicky How much dry food does he eat? As long as he is getting enough calories daily and gets plenty of water, don't worry too much.

He gets about three tablespoons of the dry ID and the rest is canned.