Why Is Dry Food So Bad?

gabicards

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 1, 2021
Messages
327
Purraise
432
I also feed a wide variety of wet food brands and flavors for these same reasons so that if worse comes to worse, they can happily eat something.
I reaaaally want to be able to do this, too, and not have mine eat the same food every day for the rest of his life. But he's quite young and we're still wondering if his IBD-like symptoms are related to a food allergy, so I suppose we have a long journey ahead of us in order to identify what he can actually eat.
 

Box of Rain

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Messages
388
Purraise
688
Location
Los Angeles
Would there be an acceptable amount of dry food to give her? If so, how much?

She's been eating up to 1/2 cup a day.
I believe she'd be much better off eating none.

Dehydration isn't a joke. Look at the number and prevalence of common cat illnesses that are linked to chronic dehydration.

The rate what appears to be dietary related illness is very worrisome.

Cats simply did not evolve to eat the cereals in dry food. They get most of their liquid from eating prey or eating moist animal products.

Bill
 

sanfran_kitty_lady_21

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 16, 2021
Messages
45
Purraise
66
Location
San Francisco
My baby was a dry food addict when I got her, so much so that I now use it as a treat! The only wet food she reliably eats is Fancy Feast so I'm in the same situation.

I think everyone above has covered the reasons. I will say, even thought it's Fancy Feasts, she's leaner and more energetic so it's still an improvement.
 

sidneykitty

Foster mama
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 25, 2015
Messages
694
Purraise
711
I agree not feeding fish exclusively or as primary diet is the way to go. However, I used it as a "gateway" food to get my cat, Amber, to transition her to a wet diet. It was the only wet food she would touch back then. It took a long time (literally years) to get her from 100% dry, to eating some wet fish food, to finally eating mostly non-fish wet food. The cat I had before her was on all dry until I adopted her and she started eating wet within 6 months and didn't need the dry to fish to non-fish wet transition period. Every cat is different and you know what is best for you and your cat!
 

Babypaws

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 31, 2018
Messages
701
Purraise
771
Location
Massachusetts
I have a cat who won’t eat wet food at all, she strictly wants dry…and she’s gaining weight on it. I’m trying to find a dry food that helps with weight issues but when I find something that doesn’t look too bad and I look up the nutrition they always have a lot of carbs…….anyone have any good dry for weight control?
I know dry isn’t good but I’ve tried everything and I can’t get this one cat to eat wet….

thanks in advance
 

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,693
Purraise
4,703
Location
Pennsylvania
Dry food isn't "bad," per se. It's like feeding your cat pizza every day.

Pizza isn't bad food. It's just not something you should eat every day.
Sure, pizza has tomatoes and meat and veggies but the crust is full of starch and empty calories.
("Empty calories" = calories from starch, fat and sugar that don't have any nutrition.)

A person can eat pizza as much as they want if they are healthy and eat an otherwise nutritious diet but, if a person eats ONLY pizza, they will get fat and start to have health problems.

If you only feed your cat dry food, the same thing might happen...the cat can get fat and have problems.

But, if your cat is healthy, there's no reason that dry food can't be PART of a good diet.

Our vet recommends that our cat, Casper, should eat or 50% or less dry food.

Like others say, if you are feeding dry food, at all, you need to make sure that your cat has plenty of water to drink.

As our vet told us, "Water! Water! Water!" ;)
 

danteshuman

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 27, 2017
Messages
5,030
Purraise
6,077
Location
California
I opted to feed my cat mostly wet because cats are carnivores. The sweet potato or corn or wheat or pea they put in dry cat food is NOT meat. Add in the fact that the only reason cats/dogs eat dry food is because they spray the outside of the pellets with animal fat. I equate it to Frosted Flakes. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It is why so many cats/dogs eat the dry food pellets whole.
 

daftcat75

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2018
Messages
12,642
Purraise
25,128
It is why so many cats/dogs eat the dry food pellets whole.
Perhaps. Or perhaps it's because cat's jaws and teeth simply aren't constructed for crunchies. Crunchies requires some grinding motions that their jaws just can't perform. Rather, their jaws and teeth are purpose-built for tearing meat from bones, not grinding cereal grains and other plant materials. Go back to my first reply for a link discussing this.
 

Box of Rain

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Messages
388
Purraise
688
Location
Los Angeles
Perhaps. Or perhaps it's because cat's jaws and teeth simply aren't constructed for crunchies. Crunchies requires some grinding motions that their jaws just can't perform. Rather, their jaws and teeth are purpose-built for tearing meat from bones, not grinding cereal grains and other plant materials. Go back to my first reply for a link discussing this.
It is quite impressive to observe a cat that is used to going it, tear meat off bone. Their teeth--as you rightly suggest--are purpose built for the task.

Whenever I put a meal together that I know will be especially fun to watch (with raw flesh to be torn off bone), I will call out to my wife, "honey, are you up for a little cat eating entertainment?" She always comes to take in the scene. LOL

The behavior is rather like watching a little lion. Most amusing.

And along with any entertainment value, the teeth stay nice and white, the gums look healthy, and the neck and jaw muscles get really (really) strong.

Watched our cat Desmond eat like this is relaxing to watch and I can't help but think that there is something triggered in his minds as he tapps into such a primal activity. You can feel the gears of his mind moving through the look in his eyes.

Bill
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,668
Purraise
32,854
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
Hi, I just wanted to mention that Purina, which was one of the best American pet and animal food manufacturers, was bought by Nestle' which is based in Switzerland. Many people stateside don't like Purina any longer.
:sigh:

Ugh, really? Thanks for letting us know. I switched from Purina to a Japanese made brand last year, but my lot still get Purina treats sometimes.

I hate Nestle with every fiber of my being.
 

Caspers Human

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
2,693
Purraise
4,703
Location
Pennsylvania
Hi, I just wanted to mention that Purina, which was one of the best American pet and animal food manufacturers, was bought by Nestle' which is based in Switzerland. Many people stateside don't like Purina any longer.
The company that makes Oreo cookies merged with the company that makes Winston cigarettes but I still buy Oreo cookies.

As long as Oreo cookies remain a product that I like at a price I want to pay, I'll still keep buying them regardless of where the company's corporate offices are located.
 

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,884
Purraise
9,880
Location
Houston,TX
It is quite impressive to observe a cat that is used to going it, tear meat off bone. Their teeth--as you rightly suggest--are purpose built for the task.

Whenever I put a meal together that I know will be especially fun to watch (with raw flesh to be torn off bone), I will call out to my wife, "honey, are you up for a little cat eating entertainment?" She always comes to take in the scene. LOL

The behavior is rather like watching a little lion. Most amusing.

And along with any entertainment value, the teeth stay nice and white, the gums look healthy, and the neck and jaw muscles get really (really) strong.

Watched our cat Desmond eat like this is relaxing to watch and I can't help but think that there is something triggered in his minds as he tapps into such a primal activity. You can feel the gears of his mind moving through the look in his eyes.

Bill
Now I want to go to the store and by raw meat!
 

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,884
Purraise
9,880
Location
Houston,TX
I was just reading about brown rice oil found mostly in dry food. Depletes taurine but helps with digestion. There are other ways to help with digestion. Also less taurine in beef
 

gabicards

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 1, 2021
Messages
327
Purraise
432
I was contacted today by a lady that has a cat from the same breeder as mine, born 9 months before, and she has also had bloody stool for the majority of the year (as far as I understood?). Do we know if food allergy has a genetic factor?

They probably have the same dad.
 

maggie101

3 cats
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,884
Purraise
9,880
Location
Houston,TX
Hmmmm
Why do cats get food allergies? Good question. I had to look it up to be sure. Yes, it can be genettic,feeding the same thing for a long time,certain proteins,and environmental. Trial and error best way to determine if she has that. Fish is highly allergenic. Second place is chicken
 
Last edited:

gabicards

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 1, 2021
Messages
327
Purraise
432
Hmmmm
Why do we get food allergies? Good question. I had to look it up to be sure. Yes, it can be genettic,feeding the same thing for a long time,and environmental.
That's so interesting. Her cat, just like mine, has had every test done and they've found nothing... she's also struggling to find some food that agrees with her.

She found me on Instagram, because I created an account for my kitten and every once in a while I write about what's going on, things we're trying, etc. Now I'm happy to have done that, as I feel it gives us a bit more context.
 
Top