6 month old kitten :: dry food vs wet vs table food?

Question

i've heard wet cat food has unconsumable meat such as euthanized animals in it

ppl tell me cats can't digest corn, which is the main ingredent in dry food

is table food ok? baked, never fried, never any spices, nothing w a lot of sodium or fat, never raw

which is the best

Answer 1

The "unconsumable meat" you're thinking of is "by-products." A quality wet food has little or no by-products. Read the labels. Like human foods, cat food labels list the ingredients in order of how much is present.

You aren't likely to find really good cat food in a grocery store. You can get better stuff at pet shops or on line at places like:

http://www.petfooddirect.com/

which I use and recommend highly.

Any wet food is better than dry food. You're right about cats not being able to digest corn. In fact, they can't properly digest any grains or vegetable proteins. As "obligate carnivores" they lack the digestive enzymes to process plant proteins. All they can do is turn them into fat, then live off the fat as if they were starving. This is why it's not uncommon for cats that live on dry food to be obese and suffer from malnutrition at the same time!

Worse. as desert creatures, cats get most of their water from their food and they have a poorly-developed thirst drive. Wet food has about the same water content as fresh-killed prey. Dry food has very little water content, and that weak thirst drive means that cats who eat a lot of dry food don't drink enough water to make up for it. Over a lifetime this can ruin the kidneys. It's probably not coincidence that chronic renal failure was almost unheard of in cats until the introduction of dry cat foods, and now it's beyond epidemic; it's considered almost a normal part of the aging process.

Human table food is OK for treats, but not as a major part of a cat's diet. It lacks essential nutrients and can lead to severe health problems.

Read this and you'll know more about feline nutrition than most vets:

http://www.catinfo.org

The vet who made this site had to learn about feline nutrition from reading scientific papers, since vet schools don't cover it, so she started the site to help get the word out.

Since you're concerned about kitty's health, here's another site to check out:

http://web.vet.cornell.edu/Public/FHC/FelineHealth.html

and another:

http://www.vas-awareness.org

Answer 2

ok you have some half truths here

wet food - if it says CHICKEN MEAL or LAMB MEAL or specifies what kind of dead animal it uses you know there are not cats and dogs - however it can be animals that were euthanized (eg a lamb that was euthanized because of a broken leg) the only way you can be sure is if it says HUMAN GRADE MEAT.....

the Mystery ingredient you are wanting to avoid is "MEAT MEAL" or "MEAT BY-PRODUCTS" the word "meat" can mean any animal that they rendered that day, although most pet foods do not use rendered cat or dog - you cannot be too careful - this can be in DRY or CANNED (wet)

cats CAN digest corn BUT its low digestabilty and since cats are TRUE carnivours it is not a good protein source for cats...
corn IS NOT the main ingredient in all dry foods BUT it is the main ingredient in all crappy foods liek those sold in grocery store or wal marts - if you go to a pet food supply store and read the ingredient lists on the better foods you will be impressed - yes they cost more BUT because of higher digestability your cat will eat less -poop less and have fewer food related health problems later in life

table food does not have the proper balance of minerals needed by cats that the premium level food do have....(if any table food - chicken and rice are best)
milk is a no-no and so is fish - cats are lactose intollerant AND calcium contributes to urinary tract problems

kittens can benefit from SMALL amounts of canned a day, at 6 months you can feed canned once or twice a day but NEVER as much as the can suggests - each feeding should only be 1 teaspoon of canned - you can help improve urinary tract health by adding 2 teaspoons of water to this to increase water intake for your kitty

feeding too much canned will ruin their teeth - they need some dry to scrape their teeth clean and should have access to dry food round the clock (cats tummies digest better if they eat small amounts several times a day)

Answer 3

Go with dry food. I have a very healthy 2 year old and 1 1/2 year old who had nothing but the dry stuff. The best kind I've found for a medium budget is Purina Indoor Formula Cat Chow. Cats can digest corn; I don't know exactly who told you they couldn't. Cats need dry food to maintain healthy digestive tracts. I don't know what you are doing now, but whatever it is, make sure you introduce a new cat food slowly, even it is from dry food to another dry brand. Please let me know if this is helpful for you.

Answer 4

I don't know where people get the idea that corn is undigestable! Only if you swallow kernels whole! Corn in pet food is an excellent source of nutrition, and is very digestible. Your cat should be fed a premium brand of cat food (a good name brand). Dry food is better for their teeth. People food is not a balanced diet and will lead to malnutrition. They don't use euthanzied animals in canned food. They use by-products from human food that are still excellent sources of nutrition, just parts we don't consume.

Answer 5

I feed mine a mixture of both dry kibble and canned food. Make sure it is good quality not the 10lbs for $2 stuff. You do get what you pay for. I feed the dry b/c it is convienient and they like it but I add the wet b/c of the added moisture it gives them, and if your cat ever gets sick it is easier to entice them to eat with soft food when they have had it b4. I wouldn't worry about the teeth b/c if you watch a cat eat, they don't chew all that much anyway.
I would stay away from table food, although one of mine does like cantalope

Answer 6

Dry kitten food is the best, until a year then regular cat food will be OK. dry is better because of the nutrition and vitamins.Some wet food is good to, mix the dry and wet together, Pet stores carry brands for kittens.

Answer 7

A good quality hard food is better, because the wet food does not clean the tarter off of the teeth. Hard food choose something like Sience Diet, Iams, neutro rather than the cheap stuff if you can afford to. I also guve nt cat a quarter of a can of soft food, after she has cleaned her plate. I do not give my pets people food even though they would like to have some.

Answer 8

dry food is the most healthest...leave dry food out all the time, as cats eat a little bit several times a day...you can give your cat a treat of canned food, Fancy-Feast is good, and table scraps - some like chicken, ham, turkey, i had one cat that loved kraft dinner... I gave her bits once in awhile....But keep the dry food out for her....and fresh water.

Purina cat chow is the worst dry cat food you can feed you cat - especially if it is a male....Causes a blockage in his urinal tube, causing bleeding, and if not treated immediately death!!!!

The best dry cat food is whiska's - read the ingredients of whiska's and all other expensive brands you buy from your vets -or pet food store...

whiskas is the healthiest and best dry food you can feed your cat...

Answer 9

I feed mine dry food and it's fine for her. Get cat food that has a meat product listed first in the ingredient list...the people at the humane society said it's best.

Answer 10

I started my kittens on canned cat food when their mother started weaning them; then, I moved them on over to dry cat food. Some people food is okay, but so many can be dangerous that I never feed my cats (all ages) table food.