Can Wet Food Addition To Diet Improve Dry/hard Stools?

[golondrina]

Since her arrival 5 months ago I have fed my 4 years old cat Sombra with Purina's dry food "Excellence" as recommended by the shelter's vet, free at her disposition. She loves it and it seems to suit her well. She is a happy kitten full of energy and mischief. However, when scooping her little box I have had the impression that her stools are quite dry.

I am now adding to her diet some wet food once a day which she adores and which I'm hoping is a well recognized mark. Photos below:

 

[verna davies]

The general opinion seems to be that wet food is much better than dry. If fed dry only, they need to drink plenty of water but wet food contains water. From my experience with my 3 cats, 2 eat mostly wet and have formed and soft stools but my other eats twice as much dry than wet and his stools are definitely harder. If Sombra likes the wet try to feed her mostly that and see how her stools are.

 

[Azazel]

Cats that eat all dry food will be dehydrated. They are meant to extract moisture from their food and have naturally low thirst drives. All wet diets are best.

 

[golondrina]

Thank you verna davies and Azazel. Have you an opinion on the wet food shown in my post?

 

[Azazel]

I don’t particularly like Hills. They tend to pack their food full of carbs. I’m not sure about that specific food, but you want to find a wet food high in animal protein. Look for animal meat in the first 3-5 ingredients. Hills usually contains lots of soy and grains which are inappropriate for obligate carnivores.

 

[verna davies]

My cats wont eat Hills so I cant really comment but it does have some ingredients that I try to avoid ie guar gum. In saying that Hills are a well established company. Do you have a wide choice of products to choose from?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... Do you have a wide choice of products to choose from?

Yeah, golondrina , I was just going to say, maybe you can go visit a local pet food store near you in Uruguay, and get the clerk's help in jotting down some of their canned cat food brands and types? Then you could post the list here at TCS and see if we have any input!


I don't know if they do it where you live, but some of the local, independent stores in the USA will give 1-3 cans of trial food to try, for free. Maybe you could check into that at your pet store? (they may not do that, though)

 

[RajaNMizu]

This is the rating for that food on catfooddb. Hill's Science Diet Adult Liver & Chicken Entrée Cat Food Review. I do not know if the recipe differs from country to country though.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I don't love Hill's as a brand in general, but if your cat is picky and likes it and nothing else (when it comes to wet food) I say it's a good thing!
Another idea is to find a few brands she likes with flavors and proteins she does well on and just keep rotating between them.
It is absolute Hell if your cat is locked onto one brand, one flavor, of one variety, and they up and "improve" the formula with no warning. Your picky cat goes on a hunger strike as you scramble around like a looney tune trying to find something that comes close to what they like(d).
This way, your cat is easier to rotate and if a brand is changed (or recalled for something bad), you're not losing your head over it.
Another plus for rotation (IMO) is that most brands list a minimum/maximum amount of nutrients. We aren't sometimes sure of the exact amount, and if it's even a little bit deficient in something, rotating to other brands can help fill in the gaps.
(Also, looking at the pictures of the labels you posted, one of our cats goes crazy for Fancy Feast Classics liver and chicken pate. It's his favorite!)

 

[jen]

(Also, looking at the pictures of the labels you posted, one of our cats goes crazy for Fancy Feast Classics liver and chicken pate. It's his favorite!)

That is ok because that particular food is VERY low carb. 2% only. Protein is a little low and phosphorus is a little high but otherwise great.

 

[1 bruce 1]

That is ok because that particular food is VERY low carb. 2% only. Protein is a little low and phosphorus is a little high but otherwise great.

I sure hope it's OK because keeping this cat with so much inflammatory responses to life in general happy with his food is no easy task
It's his favorite but we do rotate other flavors, and the gravies (carb heavier) are reserved for his times when he doesn't seem to want much food. Carbs feed inflammation, I understand, but keeping him eating and as happy as possible is the most important thing!

 

[jen]

Also to the OP, I personally don't like that food you posted the picture of because the protein is only around 30% and carbs are 20-26%.

 

[golondrina]

I am very grateful to all of you who have replied with such complete useful information. I will do some research regarding what other brands, if any, of wet cat foods are available here and will be back with such information as kindly suggested by PushPurrCatPaws.
Sombra has a very good appetite and eats very well her Purina's Excellence dry food and likes very much Hill's food particularly the chicken and liver mixture but I would certainly change to a more suitable brand if available here.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I am very grateful to all of you who have replied with such complete useful information. I will do some research regarding what other brands, if any, of wet cat foods are available here and will be back with such information as kindly suggested by PushPurrCatPaws.
Sombra has a very good appetite and eats very well her Purina's Excellence dry food and likes very much Hill's food particularly the chicken and liver mixture but I would certainly change to a more suitable brand if available here.

Just do your best. The important thing is your cat is eating a diet that has a good overall nutrient profile and is eating readily and isn't going hungry.
I don't think FF is a terrible brand but our cat with some problems (that can't handle what the others eat) likes it, eats it happily, and seems A-OK.
In a year I might stumble upon another option and renounce this, but for now, I want my cats well fed, I want them happy with their food, and I don't want to stop learning about alternatives if that should fail.
Again...just do your best and don't stop learning.

 

[Royalty]

It is so hard as some cats can be so fussy over their food , I know one of mine is more than the other yes I feed dry food but only as treats not as meals, I feed quite a few wet meals in rotation some of the better higher meat content foods such as macs granatapet omnomnom mine have decided they are suddenly a no no,I don’t feed supermarket foods, I’m happy that they are eating ok and seem very happy and contented that’s the main thing

 

[lalagimp]

Even on an all wet raw based diet, my oldest boy still ends up with hard stool from time to time, so we end up sprinkling miralax over this portions so it pulls more fluids into the bowel.
If you adjust the diet to improve the poop, keep checking the poop to see if there is anything else you can assist them with.

 

[Azazel]

Even on an all wet raw based diet, my oldest boy still ends up with hard stool from time to time, so we end up sprinkling miralax over this portions so it pulls more fluids into the bowel.
If you adjust the diet to improve the poop, keep checking the poop to see if there is anything else you can assist them with.

.
Dry small poop is typical of raw diets.

 

[BlueJay]

At the moment, I few my 6 month old kitten lots of wet food, but leave her dry food out as well. If your kitty likes the wet food, I would give her more, since I've heard just feeding dry food can cause kidney issues from not getting enough water, and some other health problems down the road. I do agree that a happy kitty that eats their food is better than a sad hungry one, so just see what works

 

[lalagimp]

.
Dry small poop is typical of raw diets.

Except that we're using less than ten percent bone, and he needed an enema this year.
Not the same thing.

 

[Azazel]

Except that we're using less than ten percent bone, and he needed an enema this year.
Not the same thing.

Ooh yeah enema is not good.
Poor guy