How To Soften A Dry Cat Food: 5 Easy Tips
There are several reasons that you may need to soften dry cat food. Perhaps your feline is having trouble eating hard food after an illness or surgery. Maybe youre trying to wean a litter of kittens. Either way, there are several potential ways that you can soften dry cat food. Most of these methods are straightforward and not that hard to accomplish.
Freeze Dried Or Raw Diets
Do not feel limited to only chewy kibble or pouch food. If you are serious about taking care of your cats oral health, consider thinking out of the box.
There are freeze-dried food options, like Stella & Chewys Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels. This food is made out of raw ingredients, and you can add water to soften them up.
You can also try your hand at homemade cat food. Some cat owners craft meals out of ground raw meat or pureed cooked meat. However, make sure you are considering all of your cats nutrition requirements.
Nutro Natural Choice Adult Dry Cat Food
Again, Nutro is on this list because its one of the best dry cat food brands out there to give your kitty a healthy diet. This food comes in many different flavors, including salmon and tuna flavors.
It also contains omega fatty acids that are great for keeping your cats coat shiny and smooth. No matter what you choose for your feline friend, they will enjoy this food because of its delicious taste.
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Purina Cat Chow Chicken And Brown Rice Recipe Dry Cat Food
This is another dry cat food made by Purina. Its known for being a very well-known brand in this industry for making meals for cats.
Its made with real chicken that is grain-free. This gives the cat food the perfect balance of proteins and fats, making it a great dry cat food for your feline friend.
Your feline friend will also love this dry cat food because it tastes great. Even if you have never had the chance to try it, your cat will tell you what he thinks about it.
The ingredients that make it so great are protein from chicken and brown rice and flaxseed and sunflower seeds. This helps to keep your cat healthy.
How To Choose The Right Kind Of Soft Dry Cat Food
Step 1: Understand the benefits of a good diet: Understanding the benefits of a good diet is essential to choosing the right food. Cats are carnivores. Their bodies need meat to stay healthy. If they eat too many vegetables, they can become constipated. If they eat too much carbohydrates, they can become overweight.
Step 2: Know the difference between canned and dry food: Canned and dry food are both great, but there are differences. Canned food has a long shelf life. Its convenient and can be used for a variety of reasons. Dry food is more nutritious.
Step 3: Understand the different types of dry food: There are many types of dry food on the market. Some are better than others. You should try to find a brand that you can trust.
Step 4:Make a choice: Choose a good brand of soft dry food for your cat. Be sure to read the ingredients and make sure they are safe for your cat.
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Why Soft Dry Cat Food
You already know that there are dry and wet foods, and there are also semi-moist cat foods. Why would you choose to feed your cat dry yet soft cat food?
Soft dry cat food is basically a dry food like any other that is softer cat food than your comparable kibble options. Its not wet, but there is more moisture in them than your usual crunchy kibble bits. If your cat likes to feel like theyre chewing something and wont like the soft texture of wet food, this is why youll want to get this soft dry food for your cat.
Granted, wet food can be beneficial for cats who need that increased amount of water in their diet, but its also true that it will generally be more expensive than your soft yet dry food options.
You can also find semi-moist soften cat food as a part of our options here, which food contains a lot more water than your usual kibble or even softer dry food. Of course, this food also has more sugar and salt.
In the end, this has moisture if your cat needs soft dry cat food, but its also a good option if your cat still wants to eat food that is softer but has some texture to it.
Why Not Just Give Your Cat Wet Food
There are a few reasons why you might want to feed your cat wet food instead of dry food.
Wet food is typically lower in calories and contains more moisture, which can be beneficial for cats who are overweight or have a dry mouth.
How much chicken is important as a dry food for cats?
A cats diet should include a mix of wet and dry food. Wet food is important for hydration and nutrition, while dry food is important for fiber and exercise. A cats diet should include about 25 percent moisture.
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Benefits Of Using A Soft Dry Cat Food
Many cats suffer from dental issues like sensitive gums or missing teeth which makes it challenging to eat. In these cases, its most important to give your cat food that they can manage to chew up and swallow.
Semi-moist food can provide excellent nutrition in these cases. These semi-moist foods can provide relief for cats with dental issues or a hard time digesting hard food.
These soft foods are often fortified with essential nutrients like folic acid, omega-6 fatty acids, amino acids, and the necessary fatty acids to maintain your cats overall health.
Folic acid is vital in maintaining healthy bones and teeth, which further benefits cats with symptoms of age. This can be a massive boost in immune health and provide natural ingredients and high-quality nutrition to cats that otherwise struggle with dry kibble.
Solid Gold Indigo Moon High Protein Grain
- This is grain-free food suitable for all life stages and made with US raised chicken as 1st ingredient and egg for the active metabolism of your cat.
- Moreover, this high protein diet contains no artificial preservatives, colors crafted with balanced minerals and vitamins for overall health.
- Most importantly, this food is one of the highest proteins up to 42% on the market, and ideal for diabetes issues.
- Additionally, this food contains fiber-rich peas for balancing all ash content plus omega fatty acids for the shiny and soft coats of your cat.
- Also, this food is famous for supporting the guts health and immune system of your feline with balanced, cleanse, and fatty acids.
- Lastly, this food is crafted with carefully selected superfoods that provide 100% satisfaction and make it ideal for all life stages cats.
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Why Did My Adult Cat Stop Eating
If your adult cat stops consuming food, there will be few explanations. First, it may be that the cat just doesnt love the flavor of the food you are giving. Secondly, it may also have developed some internal illness thats affecting its appetite and/or digestion. Third, it may be because of dental problems such as losing teeth or having toothaches. To solve this or before switching the cat food brand, consider trying soft dry cat food first thats as easy to chew and packed with a high concentration of necessary nutrients.
What To Feed A Cat With No Teeth
Cats teeth are very important for them to have because it helps them to eat properly. If your cat is missing all their teeth, you will have to give them soft food thats in a can or even liquid food.It will help make it easier for your kitty to eat, and they should be able to eat just fine. You can also give them treats from time to time if you want.
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Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Grain
Our Top Pick for the Best Sensitive Stomach Cat Food for Kittens: If your kitten already has a sensitive stomach, you need to be extra careful about what you feed him. This Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Indoor Kitten Recipe is a great option because it comes from a trustworthy brand and youll easily be able to transition your kitten into a similar adult recipe. This formula features a limited number of ingredients with a single source of novel protein and grain-free carbohydrate to maximize its digestibility and reduce the risk for triggering a food allergy or sensitivity. It is gentle on your kittens stomach but still packed with protein and essential nutrients to help him grow and thrive. It is also rich in omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat. This recipe also comes in an adult formula which is one of the best wet cat food for sensitive stomach in adult cats.
- Pros: Limited number of main ingredients, novel source of protein, grain-free carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables, supplemental fiber, rich in protein and healthy fat, chelated minerals
- Cons: Contains unnamed source of fat , somewhat expensive
How To Choose A Soft Dry Cat Food
Picking out a good soft dry cat food can be daunting. There are a variety of options, but the right one depends on a number of factors.
You need to consider your cat and their needs. My cat, Chelle, can be picky about what I feed her.
The commercial dry food market does not feature softer versions of your cats favorite brands. Thankfully, there is a type of transition between dry and wet food available.
You can find various selections that advertise themselves as moist or semi-moist. There are also chewy cat treats, and dry food with soft and chewy pieces.
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How To Store The Best Soft Dry Cat Food
We will show you what makes these foods differ from one another, and how to store them properly. If you are looking for a good quality dry kibble for your cat, then you might be wondering what the difference between soft dry cat food and hard dry cat food is. You may also want to know how to store dry cat food.
What is the Difference Between Soft Dry Cat Food and Hard Dry Cat Food? Soft dry cat food is a dry kibble that has been formulated to contain a lot of moisture in it. These foods are made with ingredients such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and grains. They are usually very high in protein and fat content. A portion of hard dry cat food is a dry kibble that has been formulated to contain a lot of moisture it.
Moisture Content For Cat Food
Most dry cat kibble has a moisture content of around 1012%, and even commercial soft dry cat foods have a similar moisture saturation. While its true that looking at the moisture content and making sure its above 10% can help, its not a good indicator of how moist the food actually is.
While kibble with a hard exterior may be the better option for some cats, others may prefer a softer texture and a softer center, which can be hard to get from kibble that has a hard exterior. Some cats have a hard time eating certain types of kibble, which can be more easily broken apart by their teeth.
Ingredients
No matter what food you choose to feed your cat, its good to know whats in it. Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, they need animal-based protein in their diet to stay healthy.
An animal protein should always be the first ingredient as this is the most nutrient-dense part of a protein source. This means that an animal protein has more of everything iron, zinc, protein, B vitamins, vitamin D, etc. than a plant protein.
Soft dry foods often contain many grains, which may be fine for some cats, but be cautious of soft dry food that has grains listed as the first ingredient.
Ideally, you want your diet to be composed of at least 50% protein. However, it is good to get your protein from a variety of sources including plant-based foods.
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Kibble With Soft Chewy Pieces
Compared to hard pieces of kibble, this type of cat food is actually not that different. The kibble is manufactured with similar ingredients, but often using a different process to bake or process the pieces.
The moisture content is slightly more than regular dry cat food, which makes it chewy. You might find this a great option for a cat with a few missing teeth.
The popular cat food brand Friskies makes a Tender & Crunchy Combo Dry Cat Food with a moisture content of 12%. This food mixes different textures to create kibbles that are easy to eat, but not completely mushy.
Why You Want To Feed Your Cat Soft Dry Cat Foods
Years ago, cat food manufacturers used to sell a semi-moist cat food, but the production has gone way down in recent years because a lot of semi-moist cat foods have a lot of artificial colors and flavoring that may not work well with your cat’s digestive tract. This can make it difficult for cat parents to find a food that is soft and flavorful enough for their cat without feeding them wet food.
Soft dry foods are an excellent balance of both wet and dry cat food because they’re not so hard that your cat has trouble eating it, but they’re not wet enough that you’re feeding your cat mush that doesn’t help their teeth. Instead, you get slightly harder kibble with soft centers or meaty bits and help to soften up the kibble content of the food.
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Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets
If you want to keep your cat`s lean, strong and healthy muscles, this is the best option available for your pal. The Natural Balance doesnât contain grains and is specially designed for the needs of indoor cats.
The main peculiarity or, in other words, the key advantage of this high-quality meal is that it has limited ingredients that make Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets perfect for kitties with sensitivities. It is a great meal that helps in promoting proper health and weight management of the cats.
Additionally, this diet includes the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids that can help keep your catâs coat shiny and support healthy skin. It also comes with prebiotic fiber that helps with digestion, hairball control and preventing your cat from overeating.
The Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets varies in formulas and has six tasty recipes that can satisfy any cat.
PROS
Iams Proactive Health Healthy Senior Dry Cat Food
If you have a kitten getting older and doesnt have many teeth, then this food can be a great choice.
Its very important to remember that older cats need more vitamins and minerals than they did when they were little. If youre going to retire one of your kittys teeth, make sure they are getting the right nutrition because this helps them live longer than those who dont get enough vitamins and minerals.
This dry cat food contains real chicken as an ingredient, which is good for your cat.
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Rachael Ray Nutrish Superfood Blends Dry Cat Food
Its one of the best things for elderly cats or cats with sensitive teeth is food thats a good size and texture. Thats what this Rachael Ray food is: its made to be small enough for your cat to chew while still including a high amount of protein like chicken, salmon, and chicken meal. There is also the inclusion of extras such as beet pulp, rice, and pumpkin. If your cat has a sensitive stomach, this might not be the cat food for your feline.
There arent any artificial flavors, though, and for the most part, any cat of any age can enjoy this food. The fact that the kibbles are made to be a little softer is a huge help for kittens and older cats.
Pros
- Theres nothing artificial in this food
- Its soft enough to give it to all ages of cats
- You can purchase it in a variety of flavors
Cons
- The price of this food is more expensive
What Are The 6 Best Soft Dry Cat Foods
Soft dry cat food is coined as such due to its higher water by weight quantity than other dry food for cats. These alternative meals often have soft centers or a chewier outer layer to take some pressure off of your cats teeth.
These soft alternatives are balanced food for adult cats that can mimic the texture of real chicken meat or raw ground meat. This increases the interest your cat will show in their food while ensuring that any health problem they may struggle with is accommodated with a softer meal.
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Best Soft Dry Cat Foods In 2021 Reviews & Guide
Dry food is a great option for your cats: Its relatively inexpensive, convenient, and easy to store. That said, some cats have trouble chewing hard dry foods. Kittens with developing teeth, seniors that have lost a few teeth or have gum issues, or even just cats with dental issues in general can benefit greatly from dry food that is softer and more palatable than usual. Cats are obligate carnivores and thus need a high percentage of animal-based protein in their diet. Soft dry foods need to have the usual balanced nutrient content, a slightly higher moisture content, and preferably, a soft, chewy center. Some dry foods are purposefully formulated to be softer and more tender, and other foods that are made to be easy to digest or formulated for seniors are also great options if youre looking for a softer food for your feline. We know how difficult it can be to sift through all the available dry food options for your cat, and were here to help! In this article, we put together our top 10 soft dry cat foods, complete with in-depth reviews, to help you choose the best option for your feline friend. Lets dive in!
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