Wet, Dry or Both??

[QueenScoopalot]

If someone could can mice..that's supposed to be the ultimate diet for a cat. YICK!

[aly]

Originally posted by Shelteez2


That's silly. That's like saying you can eat pretzles and not have to brush your teeth because you crunched on them. I really don't think eating dry food does that much for cleaning their teeth. I also know that when our cats have thrown up right after eating a lot of the kibbles were whole, so they are not even being crunched.

Actually being on a wet-only diet is pretty bad for the teeth. I've seen evidence time and time again at the shelter. When a cat's teeth are really bad, I check the background form and almost always it will say the cat is on a wet-only diet. I adopted Reece (dog) at 1 yr old, but the vet aged him to be 5 because his teeth were so bad from the canned food he ate at his previous home. I got them cleaned and haven't had any problems in the past 3 years that he's been on dry food.

Pam, I know you have no choice and I'm sure your kitties will be fine. If they do get problems, you can always brush their teeth

[carole]

I have tried to get both My cats to eat Dry food only, Lexie is fine and is satisfied with a good quality premium biscuit, but Ash just won't have it, he would rather go without, I am afraid he is a red meat bloke, so he gets a mixture of red meat 3 times weekly, the offcuts of our dinner, a cheaper can of food which he likes, usually salmon flavoured, and some of the good biscuits.

I am going to try to change Lexie to the new low-cal mix of her brand, because she is simply getting too chubby on her biscuits.

The good thing about the biscuits, is no smell, or mess and Ash's coat improved a lot when I did manage to get him to eat them, he has been sick, but its looking a lot duller now.

Lexie eats the brand EXCELLENCE, comes in two flavours and now a new flavour in the low fat one, turkey and chicken I think.

I just wanted to add my mother's cat Tessa, has only ever eaten biscuits, she is 11 yrs old and her teeth are in perfect condition, she has a clean now and then, not even needed to be done under a general, so in her case the biscuits have worked.

[krazyaboutkatz]

My boys get dry food only. I used to free feed them but Sky and Cirrus are little piggies and would eat all the food. They were also gaining too much weight. Now they're fed 2 times a day and receive 1/2 cup total each day. Cirrus is on Hills Prescription c/d diet because he had crystals and the other 3 eat a mixture of Max Cat Lite and Nutro Complete Care Weight Management Formula.

[NKBurlington]

Our boys get dry only - 3/4 cup a day. When it's gone, it's gone.

We used to give them wet in the AM and dry in the PM but they just loved the wet stuff too much and ate it so fast that they got sick. Also, they just begged and begged for the wet food to the point that it was driving us crazy! We now feed them dry food only - Felidae brand. All natural and they LOVE it.

[mruffruff]

Because a couple of them had urinary problems, I switched them all to Purina One Uninary Tract. I give it to them dry for breakfast and mix dry with Friskies canned for dinner. They get a handful of Whiskas dry for a bedtime treat. Only Mooch is getting chubby. He's a bit of a bully with the other cats, so he ends up with extra food. None of them have dull coats or are thin.

My vet recommended the Purina after I had to take a couple of the cats to the emergency clinic. I had been feeding Special Kitty from Walmart.

Mary

[Jods]

I feed Pixie dry throughout the day then when I am eating supper she gets one can of fancy feast thats how she likes it...
Fifa only gets dry cuz the wet makes him sick.... (he steals it anyways...)
Jods

[catmandu]

The Found Cats,are 90% Dry food eaters,except for Michael,Moose The Magnificent,and Roscoe,who eat The Fancy Feast!The Found Cats are Getting,the Best Nutro Max Complete Care Indoor Senior!

[rpcathouse]

I always have dry out and that is a mixture of Royal Canin, Sinsible Choice, Science Diet Nature's Best, Nutro, Max Cat, Eukanuba. I even get these brands when I have a litter of kittens starting to munch on dry food. In the morning I mix 2 5.5 ounce cans of wet food with 2 cups of dry food and everyone one gets that as breakfast. Now you have to remember that it feeds about 15 cats. So they don't get alot. But the dry is out all day. And about 3 - 4 times a year, fix a pot of rice and chicken livers. Whic is a treat for them I use unsalted chicken stock when cooking the rice. I use the water fountains and have have them in several places.
I have been mixing dry food for almost nine years and never had a cat or kitten turn their royal little nose up at it. There is something for all and as for the kittens they become use to the mixture and the new parents can use all or some or just one if they want and it will not upset their tummies. I do send kitten packs with all new parents of the foods I feed them. So far never had one say the kitten had tummy problems from switching the food or not using one or more of them.

Stella

[Felicia's Mom]

A measured amount of dry food in the mornings.

Canned in the evenings.

[CatMama78]

Pretty much dry only. Nutro Complete. They get half a bag of Sophisticat wet food once a week as a treat, which they LOVE. I've heard wet food is better cause it's more meat based, but can cause weight problems. I get so confused with all the conflicting info. They seem to like Nutro and it has really improved their coats, so I'm sticking with it.

[Mandy-Lee]

I feed my 2 babies dry -Purina One cat food. They do love getting wet food for treats every now and then. We don't give it to them too often...wouldn't want them to go to the bathroom more then they should..if you know what I mean!
I heard that wet food can rott cats teeth..not sure if this is a myth or a fact. I think dry food is better for them, personally.
I give them Pounce Treats as well. They go nuts over them as well.
I use to have the same trouble...Thor would run in whenever I would use the can opener and then his lil' sister would follow her big brother Now they know not to keep their hopes up until we actually call for them to come get treats. They come when they hear the word...he he.

[QueenScoopalot]

There's the "flip side" to this conversation....some of my vets say "don't feed dry exclusively, as it causes UTIs". What's up with that?

[Craftlady]

Originally posted by CatMama78
They seem to like Nutro and it has really improved their coats, so I'm sticking with it.

We do the Nutro Complete at our house. Skinny (being black/white) his fur got so shiny and slick after about less than 2 weeks on the food. You really notice it on his fur because of the color.

I measure out 1/2 cup each in two bowls, twice a day. I put little out a night before I got to bed. Well since Ms. Eleanor (who has a bottomless pit appetite) has come to live with us, she is getting little more than her share of Nutro. Before she came to live with us Skinny and Thumper could make breakfast last all day. Now it lasts1 hr tops both bowls are cleaned out. Now I know why Betsy who sister who was also up for adoption was lighter in weight.
In the a.m. sometimes I'm busy with other things to monitor who's eating, it's easier at dinner time to see who's the piggy. I can tell when Thumper gets short cheated she looks at empty bowl and me. Of course mom gives her a spoonful.

[christa]

Josie eats dry, free feeds throughout the day. She never finishes, but gets 1/2 to 3/4 cups per day. She's been eating Purina Pro Plan since we got her. It's been really good for her. I could really tell a difference in her health after she started eat it. PLUS, they now have a Pro Plan for INDOOR CATS! It's supposed to cut down on the odor of their feces and maintains a healthy body weight and reduces the formation of hair balls. I like it so far.

Click here to see Pro Plan for Indoor Cats

We tried to feed her Pro Plan wet food . . . but she's still under 1 year and it was making her poop runny. Maybe when she's a little older, she will be able to eat that fortune of canned food that I have sitting in the utility room!