Should I Feed My Dogs and Cats Wet or Dry Food?
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It is not easy to obtain a definitive answer on the wet food/dry food issue, primarily because many of the studies are sponsored in part by manufacturers of either wet food or dry food. Veterinarians and other animal experts have also weighed in on the subject for decades, with a general consensus that there is no consensus. A diet of dry food appears to have an edge over a diet of wet food, but a mixture of the two is also a popular recommendation. To muddy the pet food waters a bit more, there is now a category of "moist" foods which straddle the line between dry kibbles and wet food.
The main argument for a mainly dry food diet seems to center around the animal's dental health. The action of eating dry food helps to strengthen a pet's jaw muscles, along with satisfying a cat or dog's natural chewing instinct. The dry food is believed to remove some plaque and tartar from a pet's teeth through mechanical scraping, which is further aided by the animal drinking water after eating dry food. Wet food alone does not provide this abrasive action. But, there are of course, additional measures you can take to address dental hygiene, and dry food alone may not prevent all potential dental problems your pet may face.
Some argue that wet food healthier because it is closer to a diet found in an animal's natural environment than dry food. A cat's natural diet, for example, would be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Wet food for cats is usually high in proteins, fats and moisture, while dry cat food is often higher in corn-based carbohydrates, something a cat would not normally find in nature. Because dry food lacks much of the moisture of wet food, it is recommended that dry food diets be supplemented with sufficient amounts of water. With respect to protein content, dry food actually contains a fair amount of protein, but wet food proponents say it is not as natural as the proteins found in wet food. The additional fats found in wet food are also believed to encourage healthy coat growth.
You'll find veterinarians recommending a variety of diets. Some recommend a primarily dry food diet, with wet food used as an occasional treat or supplement. Dry food is considered more economical than wet food, since it does not spoil as quickly and is often sold in bulk. Many pets tend to prefer the aroma and texture of wet food to dry food, which is why it may be difficult for owners to switch to an all-dry feeding program. Mixing some dry kibbles with wet food may be enough to prevent dental problems and give the animal an opportunity to wean itself off the wet food gradually. Wet food can also spoil quickly after opening, so it should never be left in the animal's bowl for excessively long periods of time. Any remaining wet food should be refrigerated or thrown away.
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I had my male, indoor cat on a diet of both wet and dry mixed up. However, when I would run out of the canned food he had to deal with only dry. Next thing I knew my little boy was at the emergency vet and I was $800 in the hole. My vet explained that some cats, especially "couch potato" male cats can form crystals in their urine which can lead to blockage and severe health concerns.. this was an extreme case for mine.. he hadn't urinated in 3 days.. he is now on prescription wet/dry to prevent the formation of crystals again.. my vet explained the importance wet food can be in a cat's diet, assisting with hydration, as well as him having access to fresh water at all times. - anon37654
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i have had five cats as far as i can remember, and all of them have ate wet food. they never had any health problems that were related to food, (ie one of my cats used to belong to an old man who couldn't get up to take it to the vets and had major eye problems and things like that). the cats have had shiny coats and are right suckups and have no behavioral problems. however the two cats i have now eat dry foods as sweets which if you think is sort of like our diet, but imagine that instead of fruits you had to eat things like dried cranberries all your life, or instead of meat you could only eat jerky, but real fruits are juicy, like the wet food - anon35476
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Hi, I refer you to Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins on the subject of cats eating a wet diet only. I agree with the other post that said cats are obligate carnivores which means of course that they Must have meat!! If you love your cat(s) and want them to be healthy and not develop things like feline diabetes then read about how they make dry food and what the pet food companies don't tell you on the labels. Dogs on the other hand can live on a vegetarian diet. I unfortunately learned the hard way with one of my cats getting very sick from eating mostly a dry food diet. Good luck and read, learn and use common sense. - anon33161
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I heartily agree that wet food has better nutritional benefits to cats than does the dry food.1) Cats are carnivorous and are used to a wet meat diet. 2) Case study: my brother had a cat who had a litter of kittens. He kept the mother and one kitten; I took two other kittens. He fed his cats dry food exclusively; I fed mine exclusively wet food until they were 5 months old, then I switched to a top-shelf kitten dry food/top-shelf kitten wet food mixture. The results of this case study? His cats are undersized, have behavioral problems, and their coats are ragged and rough. My cats are happy, well-adjusted, have silky, luxurious coats, and are twice the size of his cats, mother included. I let the evidence speak for itself. And, as an addendum, no I did not play with my cats more than he did with his. In fact, my kittens were left unattended for 8+ hours every day, while his always had some company available if they wanted to socialize - most of the time, they did not wish to have any human interaction. I submit that a balanced, healthy diet of top-shelf (mind you, there are horrible excuses for food in both dry and wet food categories) wet food and dry food is the best, and when you have kittens...you should feed them primarily wet food. My cats' jaws have not been at all weakened by growing up on wet food exclusively, I assure you! The best lesson to take from this is not that wet food trumps dry food in all things (even though it's closer to a natural food supply than dry food), but rather that taking care to feed your pets with as much nutritional value and least detriment as you should be feeding yourself (ahem, no more fast food) will result in the best health possible for your pets. Oh yeah, one other thing...watch out for the increasing dependence we have on corn products. It's not healthy for us or cats or dogs. And yet it's in everything. Scary, no? - anon23159
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Growing up, we had two cats on wet food. Their dental hygiene was truly awful: as they got older, to even smell their breath was nauseating. By contrast, the cat I have now, who is on dry food, has no dental problems at all, her coat is much shinier, and she has a lot more energy than my parent's cats. Overall, dry food is superior to wet food, provided, of course, a cat always has a full bowl of fresh, clean water readily available. I agree that supplementing with wet food is a good idea, too. I feed my cat one meal of wet food every day - but only one. For the rest of the day, she has dry food to snack on. She's in impeccable health! - anon13610
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Ever open a cat of wet food?
t is packed full - and comes out like mud, stuck to the sides of the can etc. There is nothing "natural" about that, as all it is going to do is stick to the sides of a cat's intestines and stomach - just like the can. Plenty of clean, fresh water and dry food is all any indoor cat will ever need to have healthier teeth and better digestive system than any wet food fed animal. - anon12024
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As a person who works with diabetic cats and cats with kidney disease and other ailments, I think that there is absolutely no reason to ever feed a cat dry foods.
Do you brush your teeth with a pretzel? Why not if the abrasive action will clean teeth? A cat's jaw does not move sideways, only up and down. Pieces split and get caught in between the teeth. I cannot imagine how that is better for dental health. But assuming it is, how does that take precedence over the internal organs?
Wet food can be left down for free feeding all day. Also, there's a differences between animal based protein that you will find in quality canned wet food versus vegetable based protein that is found in dry food.
While dogs are omnivores, cats are obligate carnivores and need meat based protein. - anon8647
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