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catboyz77
New member
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 12
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 Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:12 am Post subject: Wet versus dry food...which is best for the cat? |
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Hello, I've just adopted a black male, 1yrs old cat and am kinda new to owning a cat. I was wondering which food type, dry and wet, is best for cats in general and how I should balance them out? I've did a little bit of reserch and is still confuse since everyone has a different opinion and I don't know which to side on. Several people would tell me that wet food has more fat and is bad for their teeth, as oppose to dry food which is more heathly in the long run. It was totally the opposite story from what I read off the internet from a certain cat website and that wet food(lower carbohydrate) are better. So, which is truly better?
For my cat, I would feed him 1 can a day and I would leave out a bowl of dry food that would be refill if empty. Is this a good balance, as far keeping them healthy and not get obese? If it helps any, my cat is about medium size, weigh about 10lbs and he also doesn't like dry food much and eats them on occasion. |
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Mary_NH
Moderator
Joined: 22 Mar 2004
Posts: 3023
Location: new hampshire, usa
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 2:24 am Post subject: |
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this was recently discussed on the forum of the rescue group I foster for...I'll share the email/research one of the fosters did
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I have to brag on my cats - they are doing wonderful on their weight loss plans! About 6 months ago, everyone started the "Catkins" diet - high protein, low carb. I cannot believe how much healthier they are in all ways! They're so much more active, less shedding, gorgeous coats, firmer and less litter box output (less solid waste, but more pee due to all that moisture) - all great things!
Everyone gets 2oz of a high quality canned food twice a day and 1/4 cup dry Innova EVO (50% protein, grain free). Due to the high protein in the foods I'm feeding them, this is an adequate amount to maintain their current weight. I purchased battery operated feeders so they get the dry food as a mid-day snack for a total of 3 small meals each day (2 canned, 1 dry). Even my orange tabby who had never touched canned food a day in her life has been converted although it took her a couple of weeks.
My flame point, Lenny, actually had a sleek, Meezer body underneath his pear belly!
If anyone is struggling with overweight cats, I encourge you to check out this website:
http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm
From all that I've read, it seems a weight management dry food is the worst thing to feed an overweight cat - it has more carbs than regular dry food.
For Fancy Feast junkies, there are even some low carb FF options:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm
For a very comprehensive list of canned foods' carb counts, see this website:
http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/canfood.html
For cats who refuse to eat premium foods without by-products, this list includes even brands like 9 Lives and Friskies so you can at least pick the lowest carb options among them.
There are some medical conditions that can't handle a high protein diet (I think CRF is one of them), but for the average, otherwise healthy adult cat struggling with obesity, I highly recommend this option.
Does it cost more? No, not really:
Per cat, here's how the cost breaks down:
1/4 cup Innova EVO - 27 cents
4 oz premium canned cat food (average cost $1.15 per 6 oz can) - 76 cents
Total Cost Per Day: $1.04 per cat
From my research, I feel that an all canned food diet fights against two major feline killers - kidney disease and diabetes. My only regret was that I didn't do this sooner.
I know it's not for everyone, but it sure is working great for my residents!
And for those nay-sayers, canned food does not rot the teeth. And even if it did, what would you rather your cat need - a dental cleaning and a few extractions or twice daily insulin shots? Just something to think about...
Because most of our adopters are not going to do an all canned food diet, I continue to feed my fosters a decent quality dry food and the low carb Fancy Feast flavors. For those who have digestive issues with the by-products in FF, I go with a higher quality low carb canned food. I try to educate adopters on the health benefits of at least including some canned food in the diet. As with everything else, some listen and some don't.
Diet is the key to avoiding expensive vet bills in the future. The way I see it, you're going to spend the money either now as preventive care or later in life for treatment. I'd rather make the investment gradually over time, especially since all my cats will hit Geezerdom around the same time. |
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Chessmind
Moderator
Joined: 19 Mar 2004
Posts: 3083
Location: California
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 2:41 am Post subject: |
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| Hi and welcome to Auspet. I also spent a lot of time researching about what was best for my cat at the time. Wet food? Soft food? Both? After a whole lot of reading I found that feeding both quality soft and hard food were the best. By quality food I mean that the first ingredients on the list are some type of meat and not meat by products, or fillers like corn. Wellness makes good hard and soft foods, but there are also other quality foods out there. |
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vene
Super Senior Member Plus
Joined: 25 Mar 2004
Posts: 4254
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| I like to feed mine both wet and dry foods. I noticed that when I put out less dry food, they tend to eat more of it. If I overfill it, they justt graze on it. I think they just prefer the fresher stuff. |
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Cassie
Super Senior Member
Joined: 08 Jun 2004
Posts: 1079
Location: Knoxville, TN
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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My cat perfers dry/crunchy foods. The only soft food she will eat is tuna. I only give her tuna once a week as a treat due to mercury content, it's bad for them.
The rule of thumb I go by on her dry food is to check the ingrediants. Meat has to be the first listed ingrediant. Not filler. |
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