Will Cats Get Enough From Free-feeding Dry Food?

[auntie]

Hi,

I feed my cats wet food, in small amounts, 3x per day. They don't get a lot since they're inside cats. I feel okay about this, since they also always have access to high-quality dry food at all times. But, of course they prefer the wet. Will they actually make up the nutritional difference if dry is available? Or will they just ignore it and starve? One of them is a 6-month-old kitty so I am wondering if you have any insight. I do see them eating the dry food, but they don't go through it too fast.

Thank you!

 

[Kieka]

Yes, if you have dry food out they will eat when hungry. It may just be that they are getting enough from the wet that dry consumption is extremely limited.

 

[auntie]

Kieka
Okay, that's good to know. They only get about six tablespoons or so of wet food a day...I've been researching cheaper food alternatives and discovered that most people give their cats a lot more than that! Glad I'm not starving the poor things...
thank you

 

[Kieka]

As long as your cats aren't demanding more food they likely are eating enough. Most cats are very good at telling us they need more. You can also start weighing them on a weekly basis to make sure their weights aren't dropping, just to be sure.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Your babies will eat enough. I recommend a baby scale if you want to keep close track of their weight. The wet food is so high in water, probably fills them up more? Not sure, just guessing.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi- your kitten could possibly benefit from more wet food while s/he's growing especially since s/he's indicating s/he likes it, but for an adult cat, as Kieka suggested maybe use a baseline from your vet and then use a bathroom or baby scale to weigh them and track their weight over time. Or, take a look at adult cat body charts on the Internet. You want to be able to lightly feel the ribs with a thin layer of fat over them.

 

[Kieka]

Here a chart to help with body condition

fat-cat-scale.png

• Kieka
• Feb 1, 2017
• 3

 

[duckpond]

I feed wet food twice per day. but the wet foods i feed are normally lower in calories. and i have one female cat that will not eat enough wet to survive. So i do supplement and keep dry food out at all times. They nibble when hungry, some days more than others, just depends on how well they like the wet selections of the day

 

[Neo_23]

Your cat will get enough calories if you free feed dry, but they won’t get enough water.

 

[auntie]

Interesting point Neo_23
I wonder if the small amount of wet food I give them helps with that. I do see them drinking pretty regularly...more than I see them eating dry food

 

[Neo_23]

I actually just had a conversation about this with my vet yesterday. She has pretty good knowledge of feline nutrition and according to her if a cat is drinking from their water bowl they are not getting enough water. She explained that cats are designed to obtain water from their food and it's abnormal for them to go to a "water hole" and drink. She's an advocate of all wet or raw diets because they provide cats with moisture through food. Cats have no need to drink from a water bowl when they are obtaining sufficient moisture through their food. Just a thought for consideration...

 

[auntie]

Interesting...sadly, all-wet is out of my budget and raw takes more time than I have. But I like the zoological approach!

 

[Neo_23]

Interesting...sadly, all-wet is out of my budget and raw takes more time than I have. But I like the zoological approach!

There's lots of commercial raw options on the market that take no preparation time. But, it's understandable if it is out of your budget. I would just feed as much wet as you can and supplement the rest with dry.

 

[Minxrat]

Poppy doesn't eat much wet since Milo came along but loves dry food (I leave dry out all the time). She drinks a lot of water though. Not sure if it's because she likes me feeding it to her! We have the vets tonight to ask about her tongue (and nail/bum fluff cutting!) so I will ask.

Not sure whether I should withhold the dry so she is forced to eat wet? she usually just has a couple of mouthfuls, and then the little sods only like one brand.........grrrrr

Milo eats anything, however...

 

[lisahe]

Poppy doesn't eat much wet since Milo came along but loves dry food (I leave dry out all the time). She drinks a lot of water though. Not sure if it's because she likes me feeding it to her! We have the vets tonight to ask about her tongue (and nail/bum fluff cutting!) so I will ask.

Not sure whether I should withhold the dry so she is forced to eat wet? she usually just has a couple of mouthfuls, and then the little sods only like one brand.........grrrrr

Milo eats anything, however...

We weaned our cats off dry food by tapering it off over about a month. First I fed it only at night, then the amounts got smaller and smaller, then it was just a topper, then it was nothing. And nobody missed it, though our cats had loved dry food -- and would hold out for it -- when we adopted them. In any case, the first step is to stop free-feeding dry food. If Milo hasn't been in your household for long and/or was underfed when you took him in (as our cats were when we took them in) you might want to wait a bit, but sooner is generally better so a cat doesn't get too addicted to dry food!

 

[Minxrat]

I’ve had milo from 9 weeks and he’s always been a big eater. He won’t miss dry.

The vet told me tonight that Poppy is overweight :0. She said dry food is good for their teeth so keep them on it but reduce it, and try find a wet food for neutered males/females. I can’t feed them separately, it just doesn’t happen lol. Milo is a bulldozer, bless him!!