The three key negative issues associated with dry food are:
1) Type of protein - too high in plant-based versus animal-based proteins
2) Carbohydrate load is too high
3) Water content is too low
Cats are obligate carnivores which means they need meat / protein! Canned cat food on average provides 20-30% more protein per serving than dry cat food. Feeding canned cat food addresses the
three negatives associated with feeding dry food.
Protein
Kibble or dry formulations of cat foods are often too low in protein and rely too much on plant based protein. Proteins help our cats produce amino acids, which help the body grow, create cells and regulate normal bodily functions. A protein deficiency can lead to: Loss of appetite, dull coat, poor skin, decreased immune function, lethargy, and increased rate of illness or infections.
Carbohydrates
Who doesn’t love carbs! Despite being delicious they are not always the best for us or our feline friends! Dry cat foods are heavy in carbohydrates because of the manufacturing process used to produce the food. Although the dry food may be dipped in animal fat to make the kibble more appealing to the cat, this may present a problem if it encourages the cat to eat dry food excessively. A diet high in carbohydrates can lead to weight gain and overweight cats can have complications from and higher chances of diabetes, poor mobility, liver disease, heart disease, arthritis and urinary tract disease.
Water content and hydration
Cats do not drink enough water and those cats fed only a dry kibble based diet do not receive adequate hydration. In the wild cats eat fresh prey, such as birds and mice, and the raw meat of these animals has some liquid content that helps keep the cat hydrated without it having to seek additional water sources. When fed kibble they do not seem to make up the difference with their water intake. Poor hydration over years leads to both kidney disease and or urinary tract disease. Feeding canned cat food helps reduce this risk !
article written by:
Dr. Joe Whalen
Companion Animal Hospital
Thanks for the article - good to know.
ReplyDeleteWhat brands of wet cat food do you recommend? I have a 14 year old underweight cat and an overweight 7 year old cat.
ReplyDeleteMCB, here is Dr. Whalen's reply to your question. We are also working on a follow up article to help with transitioning your kitty to a new diet. So keep an eye out for that one to come soon! -- We don't have one specific brand we recommend, unless we're using a diet to treat a health problem. Having said this, here are a couple of guidelines. Grocery store canned foods are generally not as high quality as pet store foods. Of the grocery store brands, Fancy Feast is probably the best. Remember that these are 3 ounce cans, and most adult cats would eat 2 cans per day. For the pet store brands, usually the more expensive the food, the higher the quality. We recommend you look at the label for the first 3 or 4 ingredients. For canned foods, usually the first ingredient is water or broth. For the second and third ingredient, you should see animal protein-Chicken, Liver, Turkey, etc. If a by-product is one of these, choose another food. The fourth ingredient can be either a protein or a carbohydrate. Each cat is an individual, and you may need to try several foods before finding the one that's best for your cat.
DeleteHello, I have two cats. They do not like moist cat food no matter how much we try to feed it to them. They do like to eat Meats such as Jarred baby food that is chicken or turkey. They are very happy with chicken that we cook or bake along with beef that we cook. They will eat some fish that we cook. When I open a can of cat food, they both turn their noses up at it, and walk away. We do feed them the scientific brand of dry cat food. They do seem to drink a lot of water. Well enough at least. I would not say that that is excessive. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to add that when we give them food that we cook, it has no spices or salts in it. It's just plain meat.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to add that when we give them food that we cook, it has no spices or salts in it. It's just plain meat.
ReplyDeleteHello, I have two cats. They do not like moist cat food no matter how much we try to feed it to them. They do like to eat Meats such as Jarred baby food that is chicken or turkey. They are very happy with chicken that we cook or bake along with beef that we cook. They will eat some fish that we cook. When I open a can of cat food, they both turn their noses up at it, and walk away. We do feed them the scientific brand of dry cat food. They do seem to drink a lot of water. Well enough at least. I would not say that that is excessive. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTribecca, we always recommend a complete feline diet, such as a name brand canned food like Iams or Science Diet. Chicken and beef will not be a complete diet for them. If you would like to discuss your kitties specifically, give our hospital a call. One of our doctors would be happy to make recommendations for you kitties. Thanks for your interest in our article! Wendy
DeleteTribecca, we are working on a follow up article on this topic now. Keep an eye out for it in the near future. :)
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