The Great Debate About Dry Cat Food versus Wet Cat Food

I agree completely….but I wouldn’t have mentioned cat owners’ beliefs under the cons of wet food.

Lots of good information! I would also like to add that Raw is another choice for a wet diet and not just canned. And I recommend 100% wet. I see no need for dry food in the diet other than pure convenience to the human.

Wet food is ultimately the better choice for your cat’s health, but quality is still important. Opt for wet foods that are not loaded with dyes and/or artificial preservatives.

If budgetary constraints make a 100% wet food diet difficult, look for dry foods that are high in protein and low in carbs. Ingredients that list corn, wheat, soy and animal by-products first should be avoided.

Also, if you do have to choose dry food, consider a flowing water source (there are several inexpensive ones on the market). This will encourage your cat to drink more water, which is important when they are on a dry food diet.

Dry food on one side soft on the outher this is what makes my cats happy .friskieys can food 34cents a can one can split between 5 cats some hard food on the side two times a day friskieys dry.look for whats best in the diet of your cat.lots of brands to chose from.

my cat has both

I would love to feed my cat wet food, but it’s way to expensive for my budget!

i want to feed my cat both we and dry food but my mom only wants dry food

whoa its really lot of inforamation about this.
I would feed my cats wet food

i totally agree that wet food is better when you feed it to your cat 5 times a week, dry food the other two days.

I know that wet food is expensive. I buy the highest quality that I can afford for my three cats. It’s not easy. However, I covered medical expenses for 3 cats with kidney failure at the same time. Their kidney issues were caused by the pet food recall and cost over $5000.

The money you spend right now on good quality food will make a healthier and happier cat with many less issues when your pet gets older. Quite simply, if she has a good diet now, your out-of-pocket expenses later will be considerably less.

Older cats can have an array of health problems. Treatment can be very expensive. Especially for kidney related issues. It makes much more sense, financially and for the health of your cat, to feed wet food now to try to prevent kidney failure or function loss in your cat’s elderly years.

I did not know that wet food was better for cats. I was told by the shelter we adopted our cat from, to feed her only Science Diet dry food for indoor cats. So that is what I have been feeding her. I wouldn’t mind trying the wet food for her. I find the Science Diet very expensive and I have to go to the pet store to get it, instead of the grocery store. I will pick up a few cans of wet food today. Which brands are better for them??

i use wet

i use dry but i would like to use wet

mnms0802 ,

please don’t feed your kitty Science Diet. They were involved in the recall last year and frankly, all three of my cats came down deathly ill from the food. I was told by the FDA that everything I fed them was melamine tainted. I have great issues with a company who has so little oversight for their product.

That being said, you get your best information with your own research. Find a quality pet food and see what you can afford. Kat has put some outstanding nutritional information on this site. Feeding your cat a heart healthy diet is possible and affordable. Track down some of her writings.

Good luck!!

i like cats hammy sammy sosa

There are quality dry foods out there. You won’t find them at the regular supermarket probably, and you just have to be smart about reading ingredients and nutrition labels and making sure they aren’t loaded down with grain fillers and meat by-products. I’m not here to shill for any particular brand but you can get dry foods that are high quality, I get tired of this whole dogma of “dry food is baaaaaaad!” that people always bleat about on cat forums, it is not universally true. For that matter, a lot of canned cat food is total junk. The golden rule is READ THE INGREDIENTS ON THE LABEL. The first ingredient should be an animal protien source such as chicken, beef, lamb or fish and not “by-product”. You can find gluten-free dry foods as well if you look hard enough, these are good for cats with digestive problems and a MUST for wild-hybrid breeds like savannahs and bengals.

In the for-what-it’s-worth department, this article: http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/136/7/2021S

has some raw data from a study done on correlation between diet type and oral health in both dogs and cats and concludes that a diet of canned foods does contribute to oral disease.

The study did not say whether or not the animals’ owners did anything to support dental health - brushing, dental cleanings, etc though. So there you have it.

My cat’s personally use dry food, but I know that wet food gives your cat more water. But my mom dosen’t like it because she dosen’t want it to stink up the house.

I think wet is better

I use dry and wet, but wet only on special occasions.

Hi everyone, this is my first comment on the board.

I was very interested in changing my cats diet from the grain based dry cat foods I was feeding them. I have two female Siamese and one of them would vomit quite a bit and was very lean. She had been vet checked and passed with flying colors but still it was hard to put weight on her.

I found a new dry cat food called EVO made by Innova. I’m sure people on this board are familiar with it but it’s one of the high protein, grain free, human grade cat foods. The premise behind these types of cat foods is that cats don’t need high carb grains, they need high protein meat with a a few fruits and vegetables thrown in. There are other foods like this, ie. Wellness Core. I started feeding this dry food to my cats and they are crazy over it. My skinnier cat has gained weight and both their coats are amazingly soft and shiny.. This food is very high in protein, 55% so it wouldn’t be appropriate for all cats, especially those with kidney disease. It’s also expensive but I think it’s worth it.

My cats love EVO!!!! I also feed them wet food as well but they actually prefer EVO.

I choosed dry because it\’s better than wet.If I coose wet,my cat will give too much potty in it\’s litterbox.The more the potty, the more the smell.

what i do is i have 3 bowls in my bedroom… one is wet food that i let my cat pick.( give her 2 choices of cans she smells both and nudges the one she wants.) and then one is fresh water that i refill everyday and the other is dry food (purina indoor cat chow: only dry cat food i will use)