Wet Or Dry Food, Which Is Really Better?

[Minxxy]

I believe that a wet food diet is best but my cats will protest if they don't have some kibble. They each get a 1\2 can of Friskies Classic Pate twice a day with an 1/8 cup of kibble on top. I keep three brand of kibble on hand for variety.
American Journey
Earthborn Holistic
Nulo
Happy cats

 

[KarenKat]

I’m definitely in the wet food is preferred camp, for previously stated reasons (hydration, less fillers, blah blah). Two of our boys are hard cases when we try to switch, so they are on kibble now. Olive has a much shinier coat, not sure if that is just her or if the fact we feed her all wet food.

Also, Olive gained a lot of weight being free-fed kibble so we had to ration her. The pitiful amount of food for her did not seem fun or satisfying at all, so I feel better giving her wet food. She rates me much higher on Yelp now.

I have heard from cat nutrition sites that although kibble doesn’t clean teeth, kibble formulated for dental and gum care does work like theflash82 is experiencing. I don’t have personal experience with it though.

I tried giving Olive chicken liver for dental dare and all she did was flick blood across the kitchen floor with her paw!

 

[Azazel]

This thread isn't about my cat so I don't see reason to give "evidence" like pictures. He no longer has problems so making a new thread would be unreasonable. He hasn't gone for a dental cleaning yet, though he may soon. He took medicine for three days (couldn't take it for longer) for the tartar, but it didn't see m to reduce his pain while eating and drinking until we introduced the kibble along with it. He didn't want to eat it at first but after a few days of eating more and more, he got back into his normal eating habits.

You were making an argument based on your experience and I was just responding to that. I’m glad you feel that your cat is doing better but I’m still skeptical that cat dry dental food actually cleans teeth.

On top of that, most dental kibbles contain unhealthy ingredients such as brown rice and wheat gluten. Personally I would not feed this to my cat and if I’m concerned about dental health I would either brush teeth or feed raw meaty bones or chunks.

 

[Rini]

I have always heard wet food, especially for boy cats who are more prone to stones and UTIs. So I feed wet. He's not a huge fan of kibble, either--I leave it out for him if I'm going to be away for more than 5-6 hours and he'll eat if he gets hungry enough but he prefers wet.

 

[theflash82]

You were making an argument based on your experience and I was just responding to that. I’m glad you feel that your cat is doing better but I’m still skeptical that cat dry dental food actually cleans teeth.

On top of that, most dental kibbles contain unhealthy ingredients such as brown rice and wheat gluten. Personally I would not feed this to my cat and if I’m concerned about dental health I would either brush teeth or feed raw meaty bones or chunks.

I wasn't trying to start an argument, I was just commenting advice on my personal experience with cat food. And he dislikes raw meat/bones for some reason.

 

[Azazel]

I wasn't trying to start an argument, I was just commenting advice on my personal experience with cat food. And he dislikes raw meat/bones for some reason.

I wasn’t under the impression that we were arguing.

Many cats are used to processed foods and aren’t used to recognizing fresh food. Kibble companies coat their food with additives that make cats addicted to them.

 

[10009891]

Science Diet is what my vet mostly promotes. I did not want to get into an argument with him. But you tell me:

Ingredients-

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Brown Rice, Garlic, Chicken Liver Flavor, Carrageenan, Calcium Sulfate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil, Soybean Oil, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin ...

 

[Azazel]

Science Diet is what my vet mostly promotes. I did not want to get into an argument with him. But you tell me:

Ingredients-

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Brown Rice, Garlic, Chicken Liver Flavor, Carrageenan, Calcium Sulfate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil, Soybean Oil, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin ...

Species-appropriate ingredients: chicken, maybe chicken meal and pork fat.

Inappropriate/questionable ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Brown Rice, Garlic, Chicken Liver Flavor, Carrageenan

Also it’s low in moisture. I would never feed this to my cats.

 

[duckpond]

I feed both wet and dry. My vet feeds both wet and dry, but he pushes toward more of the calories per day coming from wet food.

He has told me he prefers wet food, he thinks it is healthier over all. However he does say the cats he sees that eat only dry food do have healthier teeth than those that eat wet food? He does not know why either, just that it is what it is.

 

[KarenKat]

Wait, why is Garlic in any cat food? Isn't that a toxic ingredient to cats? Or is it processed enough it's ok?

 

[theflash82]

I wasn’t under the impression that we were arguing.

Many cats are used to processed foods and aren’t used to recognizing fresh food. Kibble companies coat their food with additives that make cats addicted to them.

We've tried it multiple times, even when he was much younger and not so used to dry food. He did used to like to chew on dog bones but he doesn't anymore.

 

[duckpond]

We've tried it multiple times, even when he was much younger and not so used to dry food. He did used to like to chew on dog bones but he doesn't anymore.

Who is your avatar? such a pretty cat

 

[theflash82]

Who is your avatar? such a pretty cat

A replica of my aunt's old cat. I couldn't get any good pictures from my aunt so I found one online that looked just like her.

 

[duckpond]

A replica of my aunt's old cat. I couldn't get any good pictures from my aunt so I found one online that looked just like her.

ok.. such a pretty kitty, i love the soft orange markings

 

[10009891]

Theflash82, is the cat on the avatar a flame point Ragdoll?

 

[Timmer]

My old vet used to say the worst canned food will always be better than the best dry food. In other words, he didn't feel dry food -- any dry food -- was good. I only have one cat left and she loves dry. I still give her a tablespoon of wet a day and sometimes she eats it and sometimes she doesn't. I don't believe my cats' lives were ever extended because they ate canned food. My Timmer, who I lost in January, passed from IBD. He ate canned the entire time I had him.

The cat I have now is on a special Royal Canin dry food for constipation and it's been a godsend to us it's helping her go so much. She's a happy cat and she likes it and she's no longer clogged up.
I'd rather have that than spending a lot of money on cans of food she won't eat.

 

[Alice catlady]

My old vet used to say the worst canned food will always be better than the best dry food. In other words, he didn't feel dry food -- any dry food -- was good. I only have one cat left and she loves dry. I still give her a tablespoon of wet a day and sometimes she eats it and sometimes she doesn't. I don't believe my cats' lives were ever extended because they ate canned food. My Timmer, who I lost in January, passed from IBD. He ate canned the entire time I had him.

The cat I have now is on a special Royal Canin dry food for constipation and it's been a godsend to us it's helping her go so much. She's a happy cat and she likes it and she's no longer clogged up.
I'd rather have that than spending a lot of money on cans of food she won't eat.

I’m still blown away by reading that wet food is better, seeing that the vets here (Norway) always say wet food is bad. Giving our cats wet food has always been a thing I feel a bit ashamed of whenever I go to see the vet. So I have no clue what is better! I’m confused.

However, I do agree with you that dry food can be good. We have been cutting back on the wet from time to time, after getting a talking to from the vet, and it does seem to be good for both their weight and fur. So I don’t know. But I do think that you are right, at the end of the day it’s about what works for your cat. Ours LOVE their wet food, so we’ll keep giving them both.

 

[saleri]

I’m still blown away by reading that wet food is better, seeing that the vets here (Norway) always say wet food is bad. Giving our cats wet food has always been a thing I feel a bit ashamed of whenever I go to see the vet. So I have no clue what is better! I’m confused.

However, I do agree with you that dry food can be good. We have been cutting back on the wet from time to time, after getting a talking to from the vet, and it does seem to be good for both their weight and fur. So I don’t know. But I do think that you are right, at the end of the day it’s about what works for your cat. Ours LOVE their wet food, so we’ll keep giving them both.

Why does the vet say wet food is bad?

I don't think dry food cleans the teeth, and is more neutral for teeth, whereas wet food or really any grinded food is a negative for teeth.

 

[Alice catlady]

Why does the vet say wet food is bad?

I don't think dry food cleans the teeth, and is more neutral for teeth, whereas wet food or really any grinded food is a negative for teeth.

Today my kitten was put on a wet found only diet after throwing up, by a new vet, but others than that, every vet we’ve talked to say that wet food is basically junkfood for cats. That it’s unhealthy and makes them fat. One said it was like feeding your kid hamburgers every day.

They’ve given us a few alternatives we could try, If we have to give them wet food. They always cost an arm and a leg, and the cats won’t touch it with a 10 ft. pole.

 

[saleri]

Today my kitten was put on a wet found only diet after throwing up, by a new vet, but others than that, every vet we’ve talked to say that wet food is basically junkfood for cats. That it’s unhealthy and makes them fat. One said it was like feeding your kid hamburgers every day.

They’ve given us a few alternatives we could try, If we have to give them wet food. They always cost an arm and a leg, and the cats won’t touch it with a 10 ft. pole.

Interesting. What dry food brands do they normally recommend and what wet foods do they think is fine?

I've honestly never heard much of cats getting fat on wet food instead of dry, it's almost always the opposite.

So they didn't say anything "scientific" on why wet food is worse and similar to junkfood?