Is Wet Food Or Dry Food Better For Cats

For Picky Eaters: Tie

Cats are a finicky bunch! While certain cats just love the taste and aromas of wet cat food, others will balk at it. If you are switching from dry to canned cat food , your cat may show some resistance even a lot of resistance.

To make things easier for your cat, you should start by offering her a similar flavour to what shes used to the same brand if possible. Mix the new food together with some of the old food, try adding a sprinkle of freeze-dried meat, like Purebites Chicken Breast, or a dash of bone broth to boost the flavour and Be patient. Most felines even the pickiest ones will come around eventually.

Feline Diet And Types Of Cat Food

Since the domestication process began, a cat’s diet hasn’t changed significantly. When we compare dogs to their wild cousins, they have adapted to better tolerate grains and non-animal protein based foods. Cats have not envolved in the same way. As with their wildcat cousins, domestic cats are obligate carnivores. This means they need the proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients which come from animal sources.

The different types of cat food available to domestic cats include:

• Wet cat food: usually comes canned, but is also available in pouches.
• Dry cat food: sometimes referred to as kibble, this is a compound food which usually comes in large bags.
• Homemade cooked food: some people may want to provide the same animal-based nutrition by providing cooked food at home or by supplementing it with other foodstuffs.
• BARF: an acronym for biologically appropriate raw food or bones and raw food, BARF diets feed cats raw meat which mimics the food they would otherwise eat if hunting their own prey.
• Vegetarian: some people provide vegetarian and even vegan diets to their cats. However, cats need certain nutrients which cannot be found in noon-animal based food. Even when supplemented, the cat may develop dietary disorders which can develop over a long period of time before symptoms are observed.
• Medical diet: when a cat has a certain medical issue such as kidney failure or diabetes, a veterinarian may put them on a specialized diet to best ensure their health.

Canned Pet Food: The Pros

“Few dogs and cats will turn down the opportunity to eat wet food,” says Dr. Ken Tudor. “Whether it is a texture preference, an olfactory preference, or taste preference is unknown. Likely it is a combination of all three factors.” Whatever the reason, it’s a safe bet your pet will love canned pet food, even if he or she has seemed picky about eating dry food in the past. Canned pet foods also tend to have higher water and lower carbohydrate levels than dry food. Some of these characteristics can be beneficial under certain circumstances. For example, cats with lower urinary tract disorders might benefit from the added water in canned food, says Dr. Coates.

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How To Calculate How Much Wet Food To Feed A Cat

Sharing your life with a cat is certainly rewarding. Theres nothing quite like cozying up with your four-legged fluffball after a long days work.

But being a pet parent carries with it a lot of responsibility, too, especially when it comes to determining how much food to feed a cat. Feeding cats is more complicated than simply ladling out a few kibbles here and there you need to consider several factors, especially if you choose to give your cat wet food. Determining how much wet food to feed a cat can get complicated, but were here to help.

How Much Wet Food Should My Cat Eat

To ensure that your cat has a species-appropriate diet, you should make sure that its daily food intake is spread out over several meals. The question is, however: How much wet food should a cat eat every day? The packaging of cat food always carries a feeding recommendation and information for the cat owner regarding whether it is a complete food or a supplementary food.

The daily amount of food depends on the weight and temperament of the cat as well as the energy content of the food. The energy content of wet food can vary greatly. For Carny Adult Beef + Chicken, the amount of food recommended for a cat weighing 4 kilograms depending on its temperament is between 185 and 240 g per day if this is the only product given to the cat.

If you cannot find a feeding recommendation on the packaging, you should contact the pet food manufacturer directly. Our vet, Dr Radicke, will be happy to help you calculate the ideal amount of food for your cat. You can contact her using our vet enquiry form.

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Your Guide To Wet Vs Dry Cat Food

With so many cat food options, choosing between dry and wet cat food can be a strugglelet alone choosing a single recipe. Knowing the main health benefits and differences between wet and dry cat food will help you narrow down your choices and well help you pick the best Earthborn Holistic recipe for your cat or kitten.

Canned Cat Food Benefits

The largest benefit of feeding a canned diet is the higher water content. Cats with certain health conditions that require a higher-than-normal water intake, such as kidney disease, diabetes, or lower urinary tract disease, may benefit from the additional water in these diets.

Canned food is also highly palatable, and some cats will eat a canned diet over a dry diet, particularly if they are picky eaters.

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Canned Food: Increased Water Intake

That 70 percent water is also beneficial for cats who dont drink much. Felines in the wild get much of their water from the prey they consume. For our pet cats, kibble makes for some pretty dry prey. This is fine if your cat makes up for it by drinking enough water, but many cats are poor drinkers. Poor water intake can lead to or exacerbate constipation and/or kidney problems.

Other ways that you can increase your cats water intake are to add a little tuna juice to her water bowl or test drive a kitty drinking fountain. Some cats are attracted to a dripping faucet and will drink straight out of the sink.

It Promotes Oral Health

Dry food may seem boring to our cats and us, but kibble promotes oral health. Not only does the crunchiness of kibble give your cat a pleasing texture, but it also cleans your cats teeth as they chew on it. The crunchy texture scrapes away plaque and tartar as the cat eats. Dry food can also help pet parents as they try to keep tabs on their cats health. If your cat has dental problems, youll probably notice right away when they try to eat their kibble.

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Did You Know Cats Need To Eat Meat To Survive

Remember also that cats are confirmed meat eaters and cats will go blind, suffer other debilitating conditions, and ultimately die if fed on a vegetarian diet. Meat is the only major source of arachidonic acid, and cats lacking the ability to synthesize niacin from protein. Cats need meat to survive!

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Increase Cats Interest In Dry Food

Trying to get a cat to eat dry food when he or she does not want to can be a challenge. Instead, you can turn that dry food into wet food to make the transition easier. The food doesnt have to be completely wet either. You can set it into different stages of softness as a way of tapering the transition to wet foods.

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Canned Cat Food

Canned cat food has some advantages as well:

• It has a very high water content, which means the cat can enjoy a larger portion per meal to provide the same number of energy calories as an equivalent portion of kibble.
• Some cats prefer the palatability of canned food over kibble.
• When cats have to spend time away from home, it may help them to eat more normally if they have a little encouragement from some delicious canned food along with their kibble.
• Therapeutic canned diets can be very effective at managing diseases such as diabetes and kidney failure. Cats who are already used to the texture of canned food can easily be switched to therapeutic canned food.

Canned food is more expensive per energy calorie than kibble due to the high water content and the packaging. Another disadvantage to canned cat food is that for some cats, canned food may contribute to periodontal disease.

Once the can is opened, it is best to transfer the remainder into a small food container for refrigeration. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian to determine the appropriate daily portion.

“Be sure to consult with your veterinarian to determine the appropriate daily portion.”

Is Dry Food Bad For Cats

Our favorite felines can be notoriously picky eaters, which makes choosing the correct food for your cats a tricky balancing act between a foods nutritional value and your cats selective palate.

Many cat owners, for example, have cats that favor dry kibble over wet food from a can or pouch . You may have heard concerns that dry food is bad for cats and can affect the health of their kidneys, urinary tracts, and even teeth.

In short, the nutrition cat food contains is much more important than whether its wet or dry, but if youre concerned about what food is best for your cat, read on.

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How To Choose The Right Canned Food For Your Cat

Highest quality is not always related to price or how pretty the label looks. In that respect, it’s like wine. I mean HELLO, have you met my very good friends Charles Shaw and Jim Beam?

The goal is to find what your cat thrives on. What diet gives them energy, makes their coat shine, gives them healthy poops, and doesn’t make them vomit? All of this is very important, and just like humans, every cat is different and has their own preferences.

When your cat has their lab work done every year, or every other year, check out the results! How do their kidneys look? What are their liver values? All of these things come into play.

Unfortunately when it comes to comparing wet food and dry food nutritional makeup, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. What you have to do is convert the percentages in the canned food, , to dry matter.

And then you can compare the macronutrients to find out if you’re getting the correct 50-60% protein, 30-40% fat, under 10% carb ratios.

Did your brain just explode, because mine certainly did. Math is hard.

Need help figuring out how to transition your cat from dry food to wet food? Check out this cool video from Jackson Galaxy .

Thanks again for reading and listening. Got a topic you’d like us to cover? !

Super Premium Premium And Low

While theres semi-moist, canned wet, and dry cat food, to be sure, cat food also has three categories. To enumerate, theres a super-premium, premium, and low-cost cat food. To point out, your cats food regardless of it being wet or dry should be specifically based on providing a complete and balanced diet.

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How To Transition To A New Type Of Cat Food

If you want to change the food your cat is eating , its important to do so gradually abrupt changes can cause upset stomachs in any pet.

If your cat isnt used to eating at fixed times, the first step is to begin feeding on a routine. Start by setting dry food out 3-4 times a day, and be sure to take it away after 20-25 minutes. Then, you can begin to remove additional times until youve reached your goal feeding times.

Regardless of whether youre transitioning between wet and dry foods or between two brands, avoid abruptly substituting one food for the other. Instead, feed your pet a mix of the two foods, gradually shifting from mostly the old food to the new food.

If youre having trouble transitioning your cat from one food to another or have any other questions about pet nutrition, please contact your veterinarian.

For Weight Loss Wet Cat Food

Moisture is the winning factor here again for wet cat food. The high water content of canned cat food makes it perfect for your cats weight loss or maintenance since water helps your pet feel full. The high protein and low carb content help, too, since it promotes satiety, keeping your cat from returning to the bowl hungry after only a few hours.

It can be hard for cats to lose weight when fed only a kibble diet. Since kibble is dense and doesnt include a lot of moisture, it can be easy for your cat to overeat. Restricting your cats food is not easy to do while still maintaining balanced nutrition, so canned cat food may be the way to go, even if youre only replacing a meal a day.

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How Much Wet Food Should I Feed My Cat

For starters, have your cat evaluated by a veterinarian. He or she will weigh your cat, identify your cats ideal weight, and determine the number of calories your cat should take in every day to reach that goal.

A pet calorie calculator can also get you into the ballpark. If your cat is severely overweight, your veterinarian may recommend a prescription cat food for weight loss otherwise an over-the-counter weight control cat food should suffice.

Next, look at the label of your cats wet food. At best, the feeding instructions will be somewhat vague, and they certainly dont apply to every cat in every situation. It helps do some math. A wet cat foods caloric content should be listed somewhere on the label.

For example, American Journey minced chicken and tuna recipe provides 73 calories per 3-ounce can. If you cant find this information, look it up on the manufacturers website or give them a call.

Lets say your veterinarian has determined that your cat should take in 240 calories per day. In this example, you simply need to divide 240 by 73 to determine how many 3-ounce cans of the American Journey chicken and tuna recipe you should offer your cat daily.

240 / 73 = 3.3

A Quick Comparison Of Our Favorites

As the best overall wet cat food, the is an easy choice. This variety pack comes with three tasty flavors: duck, chicken, and salmon. Each of these has a high protein content due to the use of real meat as the first ingredient. This meat is supplemented with a blend of healthy fruits and vegetables designed to provide all the nutrition that your cat needs.

This grain-free formulation is perfectly formulated to meet your cats nutritional requirements as an obligate carnivore. This food is free from gluten, meat by-products, wheat, and soy, and it doesnt use any artificial flavors or preservatives either.

As the best wet cat food for the money, the 9Lives Poultry & Beef Favorites Variety Pack is a great choice. This canned cat food blends real meat and meat by-products to offer a high-quality food at a price point that cant be beaten. Some cat owners prefer to avoid meat by-products, but these are an excellent source of cheap protein.

This variety pack offers many flavor options for cats that love different tastes, and the nutrition profile is well balanced to provide 100% complete nutrition for all life stages. This makes it much easier if youre feeding cats of different ages, although our preference would always be to choose a kitten food for any cat under 12 months.

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Choosing Between Dry And Canned Cat Food

Do you feed your cat dry food, canned food, or a little bit of both? Both canned and dry cat foods can be excellent sources of balanced nutrition. Often the decision boils down to you and your pet’s preferences. Here are few cat food facts from veterinarians to better help you make a decision.

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Whats Better: Wet Food Or Dry Food

Many cats are not content to be fed only twice a day. Some get very worried if they dont see food available at all times! Many cat owners turn to dry food for free feeding since it doesnt spoil throughout the day like wet food.

Dry food generally has a slightly lower nutritional value than wet food, and quality dry products will still have the recommended healthy amount of nutrients for your cat. The big difference between benefits, however, is the moisture content.

You may be wondering if cats can live on dry food only. Cats can live on dry food only, but it is not the most nutritional food available.

Since cats are desert animals, their bodies are meant to hold water from their diets. This means they do not naturally drink a lot of water from a bowl-like dog do. A cat that is drinking a lot of water may be dehydrated. This is where wet foods come into play as being a better overall choice for your cat. The moisture content helps them stay hydrated in a way that is natural for their species. Dehydration can lead to urinary problems, which are common in cats, especially as they age.

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