Dry Cat Food Pick?

[daze]

Hello. I have two 1.5 year old cats and I've been feeding them dry cat food. They won't touch wet cat food or even tuna. I recently switched cat foods to "I And Love You" dry food, which they like, but the food stinks and I'm also fairly certain it isn't a healthy option. Prior to "I And Love You" I was feeding them "Simply Nourish" brand.

I really just want to know since I plan on switching, are there any healthier options out there that aren't really overpriced or expensive? Also, I've seen much debate over wet food vs dry food, and I'm not certain if I should be trying to give them both or one vs the other, and if so - what to do since they wont touch wet food? Help and input would be appreciated.

 

[tiddlesthekitty]

I found it very hard in the beginning to find a perfect dry food for my kitties, as each one likes something different I tried a lot of samples from pet stores to see which one they were attached too, in the end I went for Purina One and got a sample from here - Free Purina One Cat Food | WOW Free Stuff - Freebies, Free Samples And Free stuff In The UK before I bought it.

 

[maggiedemi]

What I started doing is, I put out a half a cup of dry food for each cat at 7am. Then at 7pm they share a 5.5oz can of wet food between the two of them. They actually look forward to their wet food now since they have to wait all day for it.

 

[duckpond]

I leave Dr. Elseys Chicken recipe dry food out for my indoor cats at all times, they all 4 love it and they don't over eat with it. then i feed wet food twice a day, they usually eat all the wet and nibble they dry at other times. other dry foods i like is Farmina, the new pumpkin recipe, but its hard to find. our local stores carry a brand called Crave, the dry food seems good, this is the one my outside cats like the best.

 

[stacydc83]

Mine love Crave too. And it's not a bad food at all.

 

[maggiedemi]

I think I need to switch dry food brands, my cats both have a UTI on just half a cup each per day of the Cat Chow. But for now, I'm just giving them canned food.

 

[10009891]

More and more am I reading that dry cat food, regardless of the quality, is not good for cats. The best is raw, then raw freeze dry/dehydrated, and the next, quality can wet food.

 

[pippapurring]

There are a ton of good brands out there, the only thing I would stress is to go completely grain free, especially if you're feeding exclusively dry food. I would also strongly encourage you to get a water fountain so your cats are more inclined to drink, because cats fed exclusively dry food are more likely to be chronically dehydrated which can lead to kidney problems down the line. Personally the dry food brand I prefer is applaws. I would also encourage you to continue experimenting with wet food because the more moisture in their diet, the better.

 

[Neo_23]

Don't get too caught up in the "grain free" marketing scheme. Most grain free foods are packed with potatoes and peas that are just as bad as grains. If you're really concerned with health, look for low carb foods (under 10%) instead.... which will lead you to realize that there are probably only a handful of decent dry foods on the market. The only low carb dry foods I know of are Ziwipeak and Dr. Elsey.

 

[maryah]

I switched my cat from dry whatever-was-available at the shelter to Nature's Variety 'Ultimate Protein', which is very low carb and she likes it. I got her a water fountain too. Then when I had her on regular scheduled meals I introduced her to canned high-protein low-carb food, which she stuck her nose up at for about a month. All of a sudden, about the time I was ready to give up, one day she rejected the dry food and begged until I gave her some canned. She now has a 5.5 oz can between 2 meals during the day, then a small amount of the NV-UP available overnight. I want her to stay in the habit of eating some dry in case I have to be away overnight, or get sick, or whatever.

So don't give up on the wet! You just never know what a cat is going to do from one day to the next. Mine is still very very fussy about what canned food she likes, but she will eat enough brands & flavors to be able to rotate a bit. I'm always glad to have the high-quality dry as a fallback.

 

[kmsmith]

I'd agree that it's worth sticking with wet until they get used to it. It also removes the temptation to free-feed which can lead to weight gain!

I try to use a mix of wet and dry, but dry is really handy for if you're out of the house for a while. Our kitty is super super fussy but the dry food we've managed to get her to eat is Fat Cats by Natural Balance:

6 Best Cat Foods For Weight Loss 2017 [Low Calorie & High Protein]

It's a bit crumbly so you lose a lot to powdering but it's quite high in protein (35% min) and not as pricey as the BLUE range. Definitely stick to trying to introduce wet canned foods though, much more likely to be better nutritionally if you're buying top of the range stuff. xx

 

[Neo_23]

I'd agree that it's worth sticking with wet until they get used to it. It also removes the temptation to free-feed which can lead to weight gain!

I try to use a mix of wet and dry, but dry is really handy for if you're out of the house for a while. Our kitty is super super fussy but the dry food we've managed to get her to eat is Fat Cats by Natural Balance:

6 Best Cat Foods For Weight Loss 2017 [Low Calorie & High Protein]

It's a bit crumbly so you lose a lot to powdering but it's quite high in protein (35% min) and not as pricey as the BLUE range. Definitely stick to trying to introduce wet canned foods though, much more likely to be better nutritionally if you're buying top of the range stuff. xx

This dry food is not good for weight loss. It is packed with carbs. It’s not high in protein either. It’s mostly carbs and fat.