A few months ago I bought a retired Ragdoll cat and one of her kittens off a registered breeder. She insisted that I don't feed them dry food. Instead a mix of wet food and raw meat with small bone fragments. I was feeding them this for the first 2 to 3 months but I found particularly the mother cat her fur was a bit dull and coarse. I am now feeding the mother Cat Royal Canin Ragdoll dry food and Royal Canin wet food and the Kitten Royal Canin Kitten dry food and Royal Canin Kitten wet food. I find both of them look better on this diet. I wonder if there is longer term negative affects if I keep them on this diet.
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Is Dry Food Suitable For Cats
- Thread starter drakie58
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Congratulations on your new kitties! Please do post pictures of them! 
Wet food is generally considered healthier for cats, because the higher moisture content helps to keep them hydrated. Because of that extra water, wet food is also less calorically dense, and cats feel fuller for longer, which helps to prevent overeating. Some dry food isn't bad, though, lots of people do the combination diet. A common way to go about this is to give the wet food at scheduled feeding times and leave some dry food out throughout the day for the cats to munch on. However, this method only works if your cats aren't be scarf 'n barf type.
Wet food is generally considered healthier for cats, because the higher moisture content helps to keep them hydrated. Because of that extra water, wet food is also less calorically dense, and cats feel fuller for longer, which helps to prevent overeating. Some dry food isn't bad, though, lots of people do the combination diet. A common way to go about this is to give the wet food at scheduled feeding times and leave some dry food out throughout the day for the cats to munch on. However, this method only works if your cats aren't be scarf 'n barf type.
Well, just in my own humble experience, and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight...
We used to only feed our cats dry food because that's what the vets recommended. And almost every one of them eventually developed chronic illnesses for which dry food could have been a contributing factor. Then one day I accidentally stumbled across catinfo.org while doing some research re: our cat with FLUTD, and our kitties have been much healthier since we started them on low-carb, grain-free wet food.
We used to only feed our cats dry food because that's what the vets recommended. And almost every one of them eventually developed chronic illnesses for which dry food could have been a contributing factor. Then one day I accidentally stumbled across catinfo.org while doing some research re: our cat with FLUTD, and our kitties have been much healthier since we started them on low-carb, grain-free wet food.
I agree good quality grain free wet is the way to go!
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This will depend on who you ask, but it seems to be that the consensus among veterinarians who have nutrition expertise is that dry kibble is a very poor choice of food for cats.
As the other posters mentioned, dry food is low in moisture and high in carbs - 2 things that don’t match well with cats’ needs. In addition, many dry food brands (including Royal Canin) pack their foods with unnecessary ingredients like wheat, soy, potatoes, and other vegetables, fruits and carbs. Cats are obligate carnivores. They need to be eating meat. Dry foods such as Royal Canin use plant-based protein for most of their foods.
The main advantage of dry food is that it is convenient for owners. It really has no advantages for cats though. If you do choose to feed dry food, there are better and worse options. Look for foods with more meat products as the first 5 ingredients and lower carbs. Royal Canin would be at the bottom of the list as far as quality of brand goes. High quality dry foods are Ziwipeak, Dr. Elsey’s, Orijen, Rawz.
For more information, you can consult the website catinfo.org. This website is written by a veterinarian who specializes in feline nutrition.
The documentary on Netflix called “Pet Fooled” is also informative.
As the other posters mentioned, dry food is low in moisture and high in carbs - 2 things that don’t match well with cats’ needs. In addition, many dry food brands (including Royal Canin) pack their foods with unnecessary ingredients like wheat, soy, potatoes, and other vegetables, fruits and carbs. Cats are obligate carnivores. They need to be eating meat. Dry foods such as Royal Canin use plant-based protein for most of their foods.
The main advantage of dry food is that it is convenient for owners. It really has no advantages for cats though. If you do choose to feed dry food, there are better and worse options. Look for foods with more meat products as the first 5 ingredients and lower carbs. Royal Canin would be at the bottom of the list as far as quality of brand goes. High quality dry foods are Ziwipeak, Dr. Elsey’s, Orijen, Rawz.
For more information, you can consult the website catinfo.org. This website is written by a veterinarian who specializes in feline nutrition.
The documentary on Netflix called “Pet Fooled” is also informative.
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I've also seen Pet Fooled! Here's the trailer in case anyone hasn't gotten the chance to watch it yet:
I don't feed any kibble, with the exception of using 10-12 pieces a day of grain-free as a training aid with my backyard feral cat. I should probably find healthier treats for her at that. Reasons already well-stated by other members above.
Did your breeder specify how much raw food and bones to mix in to canned food? If not, she gave you "generally" good diet advice, but the devil is in the details. The raw food should be a balanced 80/10/10 diet mix, unless it's 10% or less of the overall diet. An unbalanced raw diet is probably worse than kibble.
If you take away the kibble and balance the raw portion of the diet, I think you'll see both your cats glow with good health.
Did your breeder specify how much raw food and bones to mix in to canned food? If not, she gave you "generally" good diet advice, but the devil is in the details. The raw food should be a balanced 80/10/10 diet mix, unless it's 10% or less of the overall diet. An unbalanced raw diet is probably worse than kibble.
If you take away the kibble and balance the raw portion of the diet, I think you'll see both your cats glow with good health.
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It’s really crazy how much the idea that dry kibble is what we should be feeding cats (and dogs) is engrained in our society. I think it’s only been in the past 10 years that we have realized that we got it all wrong.
One day I was looking through some of the earliest posts in this subsection of the forum (from early 2000s) and it was really interesting to see that people were saying things like “wet food causes diseases, dry food is way better!” I think we have been deeply misled by pet food companies and (some) veterinarians for a very long time.
One day I was looking through some of the earliest posts in this subsection of the forum (from early 2000s) and it was really interesting to see that people were saying things like “wet food causes diseases, dry food is way better!” I think we have been deeply misled by pet food companies and (some) veterinarians for a very long time.
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There are many health issues that are attributed to a dry food only diet: diabetes, obesity, urinary issues, etc. See Catinfo.org for all the details.
Some people do feed a mix of canned and dry food and their cats are healthy.
What raw food and canned food were you feeding before? Canned food is healthier for cats than any dry food and raw is even better. Homemade raw diets (and cooked diets) do have to be made properly with all the necessary vitamins and minerals or the right ratio of bone, meat, and organs.
Dry food really isn't best for cats and can cause kidney problems and other problems later in life. Cats really love kibble, so it is easy to confuse this for it being what is right for them to eat. Our cats eat a mix of foods and they do have one small meal of kibble, a compromise with our male cat who was a kibble addict when we got him.
Our cats start their day with a meal of wet cat food, then eat their small meal of dry. They get another wet food meal in the evening, and a commercial raw meal right before bed. This has them looking great with shiny coats.
Royal Canin is a terrible brand in my opinion. They charge you an arm and a leg for what is actually pretty low quality food filled with corn, wheat, and lots of other things that cats don't need.
Our cats start their day with a meal of wet cat food, then eat their small meal of dry. They get another wet food meal in the evening, and a commercial raw meal right before bed. This has them looking great with shiny coats.
Royal Canin is a terrible brand in my opinion. They charge you an arm and a leg for what is actually pretty low quality food filled with corn, wheat, and lots of other things that cats don't need.
I would say that dry food isn't suitable for cats since they are related to the big cats (lions, tigers, etc) who are obligate carnivores. My friend actually feeds the wet & dry food of Royal Canin, and her cat's litter box is undeniably vomit-inducing stinky. And I believe that's because of the ingredients in Royal Canin since I believe that brand isn't as good as others for similar price. If you are really concerned about the shine of their fur, it wouldn't help to add some omegas 3s & 6s to rub on their coat or have them ingest that. Tbh my cat's fur isn't shiny, and he's on a mostly raw diet. BUT his fur is incredibly softer than when I first adopted him last year which is how I can tell that the diet is working for him (well that and no diarrhea).
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Dry food really is horrid for cats. But from reading what you say, is the raw food you're feeding nutritionally complete? Or are you really just feeding chunks of raw meat with a little bit of bone? If the latter i think that's the problem. I would feed commercial raw food if i were you because it is nutritionally complete.
