Moistening Dry Food?

duckdodgers

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How do you feel about adding water to a cat's dry food to increase the amount of moisture that they take in?  I've been feeding my cats 1/2 of a 5.5 oz can of food (or 1- 3 oz can, you get the picture) each day and feeding the rest dry.  I know the benefits of feeding all wet, but even cruddy canned is more expensive than high quality dry, and on rare occasions there will be days when they have to live with just dry. 

So, is there any benefit to adding water to the dry food that they do receive?  It's not a lot of extra work (just add water and the kibbles soak it up), and it seems like it could add a reasonable amount of water to their diet. 
 
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duckdodgers

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socksy

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In response to the original post, I don't see why you can't add water to dry kibble.  It would certainly increase the amount of water your cat gets from eating.  The downside would be the same as wet food, which is simply that it won't keep after it's wet.  The other factor would be whether or not your cat likes it. 

The quality of dry cat food isn't the subject of the post, so I I won't even get into the wet/dry debate.  I think that belongs in a different thread if it's to be discussed.  
 

just mike

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I would add water to the kibble but would not let it sit out all day.  If the cats eat the kibble within a reasonable amount of time I don't see any problem with doing it but I would not leave it down for them for long periods of time. 
 
 

otto

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No, it does not really benefit the cat. The cat is still eating dry kibble. Cats are designed by nature to get moisture from their food, not added to it.

And, as mentioned there is the bacteria forming on the kibble. Keep feeding the 3 ounces of canned every day. Watch for sales and stock up, maybe you can add more canned.

But don't add water to the kibble.
 

socksy

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Canned cat food is also food with water added to it, it just happens at the factory before being preserved.  In fact, I've seen a few canned cat foods with "water sufficient for processing" as the first ingredient!  Also, the dry kibble will be moistened eventually anyway, when the cat drinks water and it is moistened inside the cat's stomach.  Whatever bacteria exist, I don't see how it makes a difference if the food was moistened immediately before or after being ingested as long as the food hasn't been sitting out.  

If your cat's food is wet, and the cat eats it, it will be consuming that moisture along with the food.  Water is water, whatever the mechanism by which it enters the cat's body.  

Again, it seems more like you're simply against dry cat food in general, but that's not actually what original post is about.  
 

otto

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Canned cat food is also food with water added to it, it just happens at the factory before being preserved.  In fact, I've seen a few canned cat foods with "water sufficient for processing" as the first ingredient!  Also, the dry kibble will be moistened eventually anyway, when the cat drinks water and it is moistened inside the cat's stomach.  Whatever bacteria exist, I don't see how it makes a difference if the food was moistened immediately before or after being ingested as long as the food hasn't been sitting out.  

If your cat's food is wet, and the cat eats it, it will be consuming that moisture along with the food.  Water is water, whatever the mechanism by which it enters the cat's body.  

Again, it seems more like you're simply against dry cat food in general, but that's not actually what original post is about.  
No, this is not true. Adding water to dry food is not at all the same as a cat eating a canned diet. Dry food is dehydrating, it soaks up all the water in the cat, not just in the stomach, but as it goes through the cat's entire system.

The discussion is on topic, because the OP is trying to duplicate a wet diet by adding water to dry food. This is not an effective way of keeping a cat sufficiently hydrated.

Read this site, Dr Pierson can explain how an obligate carnivore needs a wet diet better than I can. :)

www.catinfo.org
 
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socksy

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Yes, I've read that, and I agree cats do better on a moist diet.  Moistened food IS moist, though (by definition) and most of the ingredients in wet cat food started out dry and were moistened as well.  Dry cat food which has been soaked is no longer dehydrated, so it won't soak up moisture from the cat's stomach.  

*shrug* Perhaps we'll just have to agree to disagree.  
 

otto

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Sure, we can disagree on our opinions. But it is fact, not opinion, that cats are obligate carnivores that are designed by nature to get their moisture FROM their food. Dry food, even with water added when served, does not provide that. Dry food, no matter how you look at it, is dehydrating to a cat. :)
 

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I'm sorry, I agree with Otto and not only that but dry food has been shown by studies to carry just as much if not more potential for salmonella than raw food. The amount of time it spends on trucks in the heat can be dangerous when a bag has a hole in it because of humidity and moisture. Adding water to it and letting it sit there for any amount of time to me is just making it worse. I've read this on many food safety sites and Little Big Cats, the link I first provided (which is the main reason I provided it). If you want to chance it, that's your decision. You asked us so we answered with what we have read and learned. 
 

socksy

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Sure, we can disagree on our opinions. But it is fact, not opinion, that cats are obligate carnivores that are designed by nature to get their moisture FROM their food. Dry food, even with water added when served, does not provide that. Dry food, no matter how you look at it, is dehydrating to a cat.
Fact: something that is saturated can't absorb any more moisture.  Kibbles that have been saturated are not capable of dehydrating a cat because they are not capable of absorbing any more moisture.  Either way, the same logic you present applies to canned food, as its components were once dry and are now saturated as well.  So, canned cat food isn't giving water FROM itself either (by your logic) because it has water added in the factory.  
 

otto

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Canned food is made with water and provides adequate moisture for an obligate carnivore, because of the way the food is made. The food, while also heated to high temperatures, is not then dried out, baked, then sprayed with flavor enhancers ( and of course is more likely to provide more of everything else the cat needs too).

Canned food is on average 78% moisture, which is adequate for a cat. Dry food is on average 10% moisture (or less). My point remains that you cannot add enough water to dry kibble to make up the lack of moisture. It's just not possible for a cat eating a kibble diet to take in enough water to be properly hydrated, including if you try to add water to the kibble. It just doesn't work that way.

And, as noted by other posters, the food, left to sit in water, will breed bacteria very quickly. What you will be feeding, actually, is spongy blobs of bacteria, of which, whatever nutrition is in the analysis, very little of it is likely to be absorbed by the cat.
 
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finnlacey

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Good luck with this Otto! I applaud you! We provided two links with very, very detailed information about this and apparently the reader doesn't want to look it over. I'm all done with this topic. 
 
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duckdodgers

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Good luck with this Otto! I applaud you! We provided two links with very, very detailed information about this and apparently the reader doesn't want to look it over. I'm all done with this topic. 
Yes I do, and I do appreciate the passive aggressive comments as well
  What I don't want is having folks drill down my throat that I am doing my cats a disservice by not feeding them 100% wet when I am doing the best that I can as a student with two cats.  I also can't seem to find this mythical grain-free food that is cheaper than high quality dry.  I then would really prefer to not have folks twist it around to make it seem as though I don't want to educate myself on the topic of dry vs. wet.  For the record, I had already looked over the majority of the link that Otto posted when someone (perhaps Otto, I don't recall) posted it in a previous thread of mine and I do intend to follow up on yours when I have more free time next week.  All of that said, it does not change my situation or the fact that my cats still get over 50% of their diet in canned form. 

Otto, In the future I would love to incorporate more, but it is not a viable option at this time.  I'm grabbing a few cans here and there to try and keep the cost spread out, but like I said I can't seem to locate any cheap grain free food!

I do appreciate the comments regarding bacteria in dry food though- it is something that I did not take into consideration.  My cats don't seem to care one way or another about moistened food, but I had only put down a small amount that was eaten within the hour.  That said, it is something that I will consider. 

I will ask the question though- neglecting any input from bacteria, I find it hard to believe that any extra moisture in a cat's body is not put to use.  After all, I have heard from multiple sources that cats should be encouraged to drink as much as possible, and regardless of the method of intake the water is still getting into the cat.  I can buy the argument that it is more effective to have the moisture incorporated in the food when you buy it, but I don't necessarily think that it means 0% of moisture added to dry food is put to use by the cat. 
 

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FWIW: Taste of the Wild is a decent, inexpensive grain free.

The passive-aggressive comments were definitely not directed at you, DD, but rather at another poster, from what I read.

No, adding water to kibble will not help, what will help, however, is getting a pet fountain, as cats find fresh, running water much more appealing.
 

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Duck, I'm a proponent of feeding wet food if possible, and I feed my cats homemade raw food. But I used to feed them kibble, and I believe that anyone posting in this forum is looking for help to do the best they can with what they have. I also believe that any cat, loved in a home, no matter what they're fed, is better off than fending for themselves outside or sitting in a shelter.

And the posters warning about the dangers of bacteria in kibble are correct, it's a consideration. That said, I don't understand why adding water to kibble IF it's not going to be left out, but eaten within 10 - 15 minutes doesn't help increase the needed water intake of a cat, which from an evolutionary standpoint doesn't have a thirst drive the way dogs or people do. It puts cats on a timed feeding schedule, which will help with a transition to canned food when the OP is able to do that.

And Duck, you're right, there aren't canned foods that are cheaper than even most decent, let alone inexpensive, dry foods. I did a price comparison of 48 brands of kibble, 40 canned foods, and 15 commercial raw foods http://catcentric.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Combined-Products-Cost-Comparison-1.pdf

The caveat, of course, is that in the comparison, the prices are based on normal online pricing, not sale prices. You can usually find the pate version of Friskies cans or even Fancy Feast on sale. Both of these are at the low-end of quality, but are high protein and low carb options in cans, and if these can be added to the diet when you can afford them on sale, they're a good addition - and you're already feeding some wet, so that's good. Maybe consider adding a little water to the canned food you do feed them to help bump up the water intake. :) That's what I did.

otto, do you know where the information that "dry food, even with water added when served, does not provide that. Dry food, no matter how you look at it, is dehydrating to a cat" comes from?

I used to add water to their wet food, and that increased urine output. Why would adding water to dry food still be dehydrating (depending on the amount added)? I understand the bacterial risk, that's not the question.
 

socksy

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I will ask the question though- neglecting any input from bacteria, I find it hard to believe that any extra moisture in a cat's body is not put to use.  After all, I have heard from multiple sources that cats should be encouraged to drink as much as possible, and regardless of the method of intake the water is still getting into the cat.  I can buy the argument that it is more effective to have the moisture incorporated in the food when you buy it, but I don't necessarily think that it means 0% of moisture added to dry food is put to use by the cat. 
Yeah, my point exactly.  It's not like the only water that "counts" was processed and canned at a factory and any other water will be rejected.   


The passive-aggressive comments were definitely not directed at you, DD, but rather at another poster, from what I read.
OMG, who?!  
 

socksy

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And Duck, you're right, there aren't canned foods that are cheaper than even most decent, let alone inexpensive, dry foods. I did a price comparison of 48 brands of kibble, 40 canned foods, and 15 commercial raw foods http://catcentric.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Combined-Products-Cost-Comparison-1.pdf
Wow, that's a great cost comparison!  A lot of work must have gone into that, thanks for posting this.  You're right about sales, though.  My local pet shop had a promotion for canned food and I bought $50 worth of Wellness and Taste of the Wild.  Love it when that happens!  

I should probably pay more attention to what food costs, though.  Actually, what I should do is figure out what homemade raw costs me when I do it.  I have a manual meat grinder and I will buy a whole turkey/chicken or get meat from hunters and farmers and use that as a basis for the food.  I pack it all up in one-portion baggies and freeze it.  It takes half a day, but that lasts a long time and I'm sure it's cheaper than canned.  
 

ldg

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