Hello, so my cat has been on wet food for about half a year now, we put him on wet food because we had a scare earlier this year when he was super dehydrated, constipated and wouldn't eat, so we decided after a few vet visits to put him on wet food (Merrick purrfect bistro) and he has been great since then, but recently we put our other cat on a new dry food (Rawz) and the other cat on wet food is always dying to eat the new dry food too. Would it be bad for him to eat some of the dry food too or should we keep him away from it? Thanks in advance, just looking for some suggestions.
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Can cats eat dry and wet food
- Thread starter Rshep
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Stay on the wet if you can afford to do it. Dry food tends to increase the weight of the cat easier.
Hi. I don't know why he can't have some of the dry food if he wants it. Just monitor how much so you can check for constipation and pray he will still eat his wet food too.
Getting him to drink more water might help as well. Extra water dishes in various places throughout the home can help with that. Some folks get their cats to drink more with water fountains.
Any reason why the other cat can't eat some Merrick as well? Both cats could have some moisture (water or broth) added to the dry to help with making sure they stay hydrated.
Getting him to drink more water might help as well. Extra water dishes in various places throughout the home can help with that. Some folks get their cats to drink more with water fountains.
Any reason why the other cat can't eat some Merrick as well? Both cats could have some moisture (water or broth) added to the dry to help with making sure they stay hydrated.
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The other cat does eat some wet food as well, thanks for your response
See my thread about my cat's diet, which has to include both wet and dry.
Wet/dry food ratio and pooping issues
In his case, he actually needs to have some dry in his diet, along with mostly wet. As described in the thread, I settled on a ratio of 3:1 wet:dry, but that is just for my particular cat's digestive health, and it took some experimenting to find the right ratio for him.
Long story short, it's perfectly fine to mix the kinds of food, and each cat is a unique case that may need more of one vs. the other.
Wet/dry food ratio and pooping issues
In his case, he actually needs to have some dry in his diet, along with mostly wet. As described in the thread, I settled on a ratio of 3:1 wet:dry, but that is just for my particular cat's digestive health, and it took some experimenting to find the right ratio for him.
Long story short, it's perfectly fine to mix the kinds of food, and each cat is a unique case that may need more of one vs. the other.
I would keep him on wet. He may have health issues in the future then wet will be more important. Dry food is like eating chips so if given he may become addicted. At least,that's my opinion
My cat gets 3 wet meals and 1 dry. I feed her the dry because that meal is in the middle of the night, so I use an automatic feeder. She is fine and eats all of it happily. She does think dry food is a treat, so it works pretty well.
My boys eat both wet and dry cat food. My vet told me it was okay to give both dry & wet food that kitty’s sometimes need the crunch to help clean their teeth. Since Scooter dealt with a UTI 3 weeks ago when I give him dry food now I will put water on top of it so he is still getting more water. Of course Casper seen that and ate it so now I put water on his food when I give him dry. Plus I make sure to give them a tiny amount. But it should be fine giving them dry and wet food. If you have concerns about it talk to your vet.
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My boy has dry available all the time, gets 1/2 can FF am and pm. He’s 2, and he’s been 11 pounds since adult. He does beg for kitty crack in the evening, so gets about 4 pieces.
Not to go too far off topic, but regarding dry food, I recently asked our vet about risk of kitty becoming diabetic from occasionally eating dry food. He said risk is most closely tied to their weight. I did see a recent study that looked at environmental factors for risk in both overweight and normal weight cats. It found that for normal weight cats, being a greedy eater and having limited access to outdoors increased risk. Here it is: Environmental Risk Factors for Diabetes Mellitus in Cats
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I have a 7 pd greedy eater indoor only. Very playful,even as seniors!. Still possible that can happen some day
Yes it's okay for him to try a bit of dry and see if it bothers him. (Unless his vet has said he shouldn't)
You can add extra water to the wet food if they will tolerate that.
If he crunches the dry food it can assist with teeth cleaning. Though if he just swallows it, it won't have much benefit other than his happiness to be included and have some coveted dry food.
Ever since my cat had tooth resorption done I am very careful about her eating. Whatever the cause it obviously wasn't from dry food but I am still very careful. I was feeding her canned minced with gravy and dry. Now it's just canned. Though I read it can start at a very young age and she is a rescue
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A good way to help keep your kitty’s teeth clean and healthy and exercise their jaw muscles is to feed them raw chicken gizzards. We give Belle gizzards and at age three and a half, the vet says her teeth are in great shape.
I would think that would be better than dry food since cats have molars so they can get food stuck in them. Where can I get gizzard? My cat peaches I would not give any since she had tooth resorption but my other 2 would like it
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Grocery store. In my area, we get chicken gizzards, liver & hearts at the local Winco
If I eat dry food like chips, I get cavities,not stronger teeth,causes more problems. Why would chewing dry food help? Crunching chips does not make them stronger. Just curious because I hear about that so often
There are studies that show that dental kibbles are beneficial to cat's dental health (when chewed).
Cats, Nutrition, and Periodontal Disease | VCA Animal Hospitals
Veterinary Oral Health Counsel is an independent organization (made because many vets receive things from food companies which would be a conflict of interest for study purposes), that certifies products that are shown to aid in the prevention of plaque and tartar. Here's more on their process here: Veterinary Dental Product Submission Protocols from Veterinary Oral Health Council
in this video he shares some more info and studies:
so basically, the dental food acts as abrasion just like a VOHC dental powder would on wet food. Dental Disease in Cats | International Cat Care
Thanks. Very informative video. I did not know there was actually dental food but from what I understand, kibble is not god unless it's dental kibble because they're bigger pieces. If I didn't forget about brushing their teeth every day I would consider giving them kibble. Plus long time ago,I fed Peaches dry and she had a stool stuck in her and was on meds for 2 weeks
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Some cats just can't have it I suppose. They all have their individual needs. Sounds like Peaches can't tolerate whatever was in the dry food she had. There's no need to feed dry food if you can afford a full wet diet and dry doesn't agree with your cat.
I think anything they crunch is okay and some cats won't crunch anything. But only the approved foods are certified of course.
