Help me understand which are myths and which are truth about cat nutrition!?

Question

The more I read the more confuse I get, so please comment on some of these points.

Dry food versus Raw food

Some say dry food is bad cuz a cat's natural diet does not contain any carbohydrates and dry food are packed with it.

Yet many vets still recommend dry food.

Also it is said that dry food may cause obesity as cat's natural digestive system are not made to digest carbohydrates, so these carbos gets stored as fat.

Some say even those holistic brands are nonsense with all their fruit and vegetable replacement for the usual corn and wheat, as cats do not eat vegetables in their natural surroundings.

So some claim that by putting their pets on a raw food diet, they maintain healthy weight, luxurious fur. And contrary to popular belief, raw food is not harmful to cats.

Alot of dry food claims to prevent tooth decay because biting on kibbles will wash their teeth, but raw food advocate claims when kibbles mix wtih saliva will get stuck and cause tooth decay.

Also, some say dry food is bad because of how dehydrated it is. That cat in the wild mostly get their water from the fresh meat it eats, that it is not the nature of cat to drink alot of water, and eating dry food, despite the constant supply of water, will cause dehydration and liver and kidney problems.

Answer 1

The fact is that the vets are really unsure about which food is more appropriate for your cat. Ask 10 different vets, and you will get 3 or 4 different responses. You should make sure that the food you feed your cat is not causing any health problems (obesity, urination problems, or upset stomach). Cats digestive systems are not meant to digest fruits and vegetables. They are carnivores. Check the ingredients of their food. You will notice that cheap food lists fillers such as corn and rice near the top of the list. This means that it contains more filler and less food.

Answer 2

I just know from my experience. My oldest is 16 and my younger two are 6.

My 16-year-old (neutered male) lost his litter mate 15 years ago to Feline Uninary Syndrome. This is a treatable condition, but fatal if not tended to in time. My vet told me that this is caused by feeding the cat a food with too much ash. Some of them (tends to occur most in neutered males) can't process the ash and it clogs their urinary tract. Other cat (the 16 year old I still have) came down with the same issue a month or two later, took meds for a while and went on a special diet.

I brought another kitten home around that time. I also fed her the "special diet." I found out about 6 years later that because she was eating food geared to the Uninary Tract patient, her kidneys never fully developed. We were able to keep her alive for about 3 years after that.

When she died, my vet had two three week old kittens who someone had found on the side of the road about a week previously (my two six-year old cats) they were eating moist IAMs. (just the regular formula...not Kitten Formula or anything like that). I took them home and fed them the canned food, fed the older one the dry IAMs, and offered dry food to the kittens. They all ate that for many years.

I do try to get decent food now, but sometimes they wind up with a bag or two of something cheap. The wrong kind of food can KILL your cat! I've found that out the hard way...twice! I'd ask a vet what the best food for your particular cat is. The IAMs kept my kittens and my Uninary Tract Syndrome patient healthy. I'd recomend that, but again, I'm NOT a vet!

Answer 3

I have four cats, and all have eaten dry food their whole lives. (Sometimes they get some canned, but only as a treat.) Two are skinny, one is fat, and one is average, and they all are about the same age and eat the same food and portions. I think that - like humans - some cats have different metabolism and activity levels than others.

My cats all have beautiful white teeth, and are healthy. There's nothing wrong with a dry food diet - remember, your cat isn't out in the wild, it's (hopefully) kept in your home. A cat will drink water when it's thirsty. Just make sure you give your cat a good quality food - one that has the meats in it that your cat needs, not something loaded with corn or other fillers.

Answer 4

keep in mind that vets actually receive very little or no education on food and ingredients

dry food ranges in quality from cheaper (crappier) grocery store and wal mart level foods, which are so low in nutrition the cat has to eat a great deal more - since cats are TRUE CARNIVOURS they have to eat through a lot of filler to get a good meat protein
so yes if the cat is eating a lower quality dry food it is eating too much and will get fat or will have increased strains on their digestive system

Holistic foods go a bit too far in my opinion, I prefer Super Premium foods all natural preservatives and with human grade meat and ingredients (in Canada - NUTRAM or ACANA)

A vet I disgussed feeding raw food said there are risks to the handler (you)
I find raw food diets miss some of the good additives that better foods put into them (like Yucca for odor control, beet pulp for hair balls, and glucosamine/chondroitin particularly in dog food for joint health

I do think dry food does clean teeth as far as water intake goes this is what I do -> I feed a small amount of canned food (1 teaspoon) chicken and rice once a day and I mix it with 2 teasspoons of water so the cat gets a soup and this increases their liquid intake

Answer 5

The folks who want you to think the fancy foods are the best are the people who sell fancy foods.

Truthfully, cats do well on a diet of a good quality dry food (Cat Chow, Meow Mix, stuff like that) and water.

They do occasionally like fresh grasses or lettuce, and they do occasionally enjoy a treat like a chicken liver or a soft packaged cat treat.

One thing to remember - cats have personalities, and it's rare to find two cats who like all of the same things. Get to know your cat and learn what makes them happy.

Answer 6

Hi! I also have read both of those points, and decided going for the middle ground. I give my cat the dry food (she has it all day long at her disposal) and once a day I give her a meal of fish, meat or a canned meal. This one meal a day I try to vary as much as I can.
This method seems to work as last time I went to the vet she was in a great shape.

Answer 7

I feed our cats dry food only and they seem to be doing fine no plaque build up on the teeth Im not sure about dry food versus wet food but our vet never said it was not good for them. wet food does give our cats gas. also cats need plenty of clean fresh water so they dont get a urinary track infection

Answer 8

All true. What can I say.

Some people smoke to relax because they have stress. Stopping could actually kill them.

The good and the bad of choice.

Go with what your cat likes. You know the only interest the cat has is his own so it's always right.

Answer 9

Yes! there is a very annoying man at my work and everyone hates him. I've always defended him saying he's just kinda goofy, trying to be funny. One day he got caught taking sixty bucks from my coworker, since then I don't see him as goofy. He even played a song on the jukebox that I normallylike. ButI didn'tenjoy so much because he is the one that played it. (I'm a bartender) Once you know what you know, it'll always be in the back of your mind.