Help With Cat Food: Dry Vs. Wet

[annah8]

Background: I have a female cat I saved over a year ago. She is completely socialized, happy, healthy and beautiful. When I was socializing her I saw she had an issue with dragging her bum. (It was not related to poop cling-ons, swollen anal glands, or anything to that nature, as she was tested and all results came back negative.) When I consulted my vet, he suggested switching her food to Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein Adult Dry food, as he thought it may be an allergy issue. Two weeks after being on the hydrolyzed food she stopped dragging her bum.

Presently: She's been on the food for a year now, and in the last 2-3 months I've been concerned about the long term affects I hear can develop from being on dry food long term. She hates the hydrolyzed wet food (which I found many cats do), so I was thinking of slowly transitioning her to a hypoallergenic wet food.

I was wondering what others thought about dry vs food. And most specifically, if anyone transitioned their pet from hydrolyzed food, what wet food did you use? Was it hypoallergenic? Was it simply a high quality wet food? I understand that whatever I transition her with, it should be done slowly and mindfully, making sure to look for any signs of irregular bowel movements, a return of dragging of the bum, etc.

Thank you!

 

[Kieka]

She most likely is allergic to a specific item in her prior food. You can try a novel protein (which would be protein not in her prior food) like rabbit, venison or another red meat. I'd think I'd try finding a novel protein wet that she likes and see what happens. Keep feeding the dry for the time being and if she doesn't react with the addition of the wet you can slowly increase the ratio of wet. That way it is gradual and you aren't overwhelming her system all at once. You can try a dry novel protein if you want once you've seen what the reaction is to the wet.

The issue with a dry only diet is two part. Moisture and carbs. Dry diets tend to be lower in moisture and higher in carbs then we'd like to feed our cats. If your cat drinks plenty of water on her own and hasn't been flagged or had kidney/urinary issues you may not need to go to an all wet diet. It does have a good number of benefits but I don't want you to feel like it is the only option or you must or your cat will suffer. It's is a multifaceted problem and there is no single right answer.

Carb content, less fillers in most wet means less carbs generally speaking. Carbs can cause weight retention and are a huge driver (IMO) for the overweight pet problem many people face. Your girl would likely benefit from eating a lower carb diet, but so would I and probably most people. Again, there isn't a single right aswer but if you can find a food she does well on with lower carbs and in your budget that would be beneficial.

 

[annah8]

She most likely is allergic to a specific item in her prior food. You can try a novel protein (which would be protein not in her prior food) like rabbit, venison or another red meat. I'd think I'd try finding a novel protein wet that she likes and see what happens. Keep feeding the dry for the time being and if she doesn't react with the addition of the wet you can slowly increase the ratio of wet. That way it is gradual and you aren't overwhelming her system all at once. You can try a dry novel protein if you want once you've seen what the reaction is to the wet.

The issue with a dry only diet is two part. Moisture and carbs. Dry diets tend to be lower in moisture and higher in carbs then we'd like to feed our cats. If your cat drinks plenty of water on her own and hasn't been flagged or had kidney/urinary issues you may not need to go to an all wet diet. It does have a good number of benefits but I don't want you to feel like it is the only option or you must or your cat will suffer. It's is a multifaceted problem and there is no single right answer.

Carb content, less fillers in most wet means less carbs generally speaking. Carbs can cause weight retention and are a huge driver (IMO) for the overweight pet problem many people face. Your girl would likely benefit from eating a lower carb diet, but so would I and probably most people. Again, there isn't a single right aswer but if you can find a food she does well on with lower carbs and in your budget that would be beneficial.

Thank you SO much. I've never heard of a "novel protein"; I will definitely do research on that. The urinary/weight issues are my biggest concerns for her. She drinks plenty of water, so that's a good sign, but I find her to be a bit chunky/round around mid-body/hips, more than makes sense given how careful I am with the amount of food I give her. She doesn't get to climb trees the way she used to in the woods - but she certainly does a lot of running around chasing her daughter UP/DOWN stairs Well thank you very much for the guidance.

 

[annah8]

UPDATE! I tried small portions of wet food and she not only took to it, but after a few weeks she has shown no signs of dragging her bum. She will now gradually lose the weight she needs, plus have a healthier balanced diet. SO happy. Thank you again!

 

[lisahe]

UPDATE! I tried small portions of wet food and she not only took to it, but after a few weeks she has shown no signs of dragging her bum. She will now gradually lose the weight she needs, plus have a healthier balanced diet. SO happy. Thank you again!

Yes, wet food, particularly foods with simple recipes that are heavy on meat and light on fillers, are great for both purposes. I'm glad your cat is doing so well!

 

[Azazel]

She drinks plenty of water, so that's a good sign

I always hear people say this when their cats are on dry food but honestly I think if your cat is drinking lots of water it’s a sign that they are dehydrated. The reason being that cats on all wet diets drink little to no water. Cats are meant to extract moisture from their food. I think a cat that goes to its water bowl a lot is not being properly hydrated.

I give you props for caring so much about your kitty to find the best diet. My opinion is to feed all wet food (whether canned or raw). Kieka gave you some great advice and information too.

 

[duckpond]

I also agree that Kieka gave some very good advice.

I also like wet food for cats. I feed both, wet and dry. I personally believe that cats do benefit from the additional moisture they get from wet food. However they also benefit from the water they drink from a bowl or a fountain. Many cats will not get enough moisture from wet food alone, Unless they eat a lot of food, more than most need in a day. I keep out several water bowls, and fountains, my cats all drink in varying amounts.

I think the main problem with many dry foods is the carb content. If you feed a low carb dry food, such as Dr. Elseys, or a few others i think dry is fine, especially supplemented with wet. Cats need moisture, whether they get it in wet food or from a bowl it does not matter, they just need to get it

I feed several low calorie wet foods 2x daily, such as Tiki Cat and Almo nature, then i supplement with Dr. Elseys dry. I also keep several water bowls and fountains around the house. If we feed dry we do need to take care and have attractive to the cat, sources of fresh clean water.

I would keep her on the dry she is doing well on. and slowly introduce some wet food. You can eventually feed both, or transition her over to all wet if you want. Just go slow

 

[MargoLane]

That's so great that your cat took to wet right away! Mine did too; when I adopted her, she was on an all-dry Purina prescription diet. I saw so many changes right away from just adding half a can of wet to her diet per day. Fur became so soft and shiny and dandruff disappeared. Less sleeping, more playing, and lots of enthusiasm around meal time.

Now that she's on a combo of wet and raw, she's even shinier and more playful. But I was really surprised how much change came with just changing half of her diet to wet. It shows how much of a difference even a small amount makes.

 

[Bella’s mom]

My diabetic cat eats a Stella and chewys freeze fried rabbit, he’s get the protein and the water