Only dry cat food?

Question

My cat only likes dry food - ever since I adopted him at 4mths old , he has been eating only top quality food ( my friend owns a pet store) and does not like wet food . He just licks the gravy . Is this ok / My vet said its fine, but is only dry food ? He drinks only pure bottled spring water too.

Answer 1

Absolutely! It is best for him. Giving your cat only dry food will do a few things; dray food helps their digestive tract, keeps their teeth healthy, and their breath will not smell as bad. Wet food makes his poop runny and in his older yrs he may get problems with his teeth. I only give my cats dry food, plenty of water and love and they will be fine. Good Luck! >^..^<

Answer 2

Of all these responses I hope you will note the two (now three) that recommend your MALE cat have at least 50% wet food.

I have not read the information on catinfo.com and, after you have read that, please go to: www.littlebigcat.com and read the article on dry food by Jean Hovfe, DVM.

I converted some of my six cats to a raw meat diet seven years ago. One of my male cats would not eat the raw meat and continued to eat the kibble ( I use the top quality dry foods too.) He never had any health problems. This spring he started to have blood in his urine, after a long diagnostic route he was found to have bladder cancer. There is no treatment for this cancer and it is very aggressive. He is just 12 years old. Did the dry diet contribute to this cancer? I will never know of course and I can't help but wish I had used a little more tough love to get him to eat the meat.

Just as there are high quality dry foods, the same brands are available in canned foods. My cats like the Natural Balance canned meats. I give my cats some dry, some canned and the raw meat for their dinner.

Answer 3

Answerer Mick has it right in the money!
Cats should eat a mostly, if not all, canned diet.
Feline nutritionists are just beginning to realize we've had it backwards for years!
Canned food has been connected with reducing diabetes, managing obesity, lowering instances of urinary problems.
I use dry as a convenience when I'm going to be gone for the day or with pet sitters, as my cats can get greedy about the canned and steal from each other. Otherwise its canned all the way :)
In my opinion a cheaper canned food is better than a higher quality dry any day.

Answer 4

Noooooo!!!!

It is NOT fine!

Your friend who owns a pet store is not a veterinary nutritionist and your vet, like almost all vets, did Not study feline nutrition in vet school! They are both completely wrong!

Cats are obligate carnivores and they lack the enzymes required to digest vegetable proteins. All they can do is turn it into fat, then live off the fat as if they were starving. Grains are particularly useless to them and dry foods are made mostly from grain. Dry fod is why so many cats are obese and suffer from malnutrition at the same time!

Also, as desert creatures, cats evolved to get their moisture from their prey, and they have poorly developed thirst drives. Wet food has about the same water content as freshly killed prey. Dry food, as the term implies, has very little water content. Because of that poorly developed thirst drive, cats that eat a lot of dry food don't drink enough water to make up for it. Over the years this ruins their 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 so common it's considered almost a normal part of the aging process.

Here's a link to a site created by a vet who had to learn about feline nutrition by reading scientific papers, and who became alarmed because this stuff isn't covered in vet schools. Read it and you'll know more about feline nutrition than most vets:

http://www.catinfo.org

As you read, you'll come to a section about how to transition a kibble addict to healthy wet food.

Answer 5

Yes, that is perfectly fine, many vets suggest a mostly dry food diet, it is better for the cats in the long run. One of my cats was crazy about Fancy Feast, but for some reason he puked a lot when eating wet food, so the vet suggested going to 100% dry. It is much easier on his digestion and he lost a couple of pounds, which was good because he's a big, lazy neutered male who needed to go on a diet anyway!

Answer 6

the dry food only is ok BUT the bottled water is BAD! bottled water is too "pure" for pets.. in fact scientists even say its bad for people unless you have a contaminated well..... anyhow it lowers their immune defence system so should NEVER be given...

the main advantage of canned foods is they help increase water intake so to help the urinary tract - the chucks are often the least liked of any kind of canned - most cats like the mushed kind and you can make extra gravey by adding 1-2 teaspoons of water.. you should NOT feed the amount suggested on the ca, rather 1 teaspoon a day is all they need.

Answer 7

Your vet is correct: your cat will be fine eating dry food only.

Animals don't need the variety in their diets that we need. If you get them used to certain food (and I guess also spring water...that's kind of funny), that's what they'll want to stick with. Unless you have a cat who is extremely food-oriented.

If it ever came to a time when he HAD to eat soft or wet food, he'd probably be able to transition in a few days once he accepts that it's the only food he's going to get.

Same with the water. If the spring water habit happens to become a burden. As long as your consistent with there being one option only, the cat will switch -- he's more interested in living than being stubborn to a fault.

Answer 8

Sounds like you have a very smart cat there...dry cat food is always the best way to go. It eliminates hair balls and their litter box will not smell as bad as it would if he was eating canned food! Plus, you don't have all those fishy smelling cans to throw away. As for the water...try mixing half spring water and half tap water and put less spring water every now and then until he gets used to the taste. That could get very expensive ! Good luck

Answer 9

I feed my cat moist canned food interior the morning and dry cat food at night. Dry cat food exposure lasts longer, as far as freshness is in contact, than canned after commencing. Canned food is in good shape than dry. i ought to make confident my cat is satisfied and fed. So, I say the two are good.

Answer 10

Dry cat food and wet cat food primarily have the same type of nutrients that cats need. There really is no difference! People used to think that dry cat food was better for their teeth, although thats since been disproved! Cats are carnivores, their teeth are made to "rip meat" not to chew food. So, just make sure you are either brushing your cats teeth or giving him treats for Tartar Control!