Our cat isn't eating canned food anymore -- only dry food -- and my wife seems to think it's "weening." Can a cat live on dry food alone? (Water too of course).
2006-09-07 10:58:23 · 40 answers · asked by carademenzo 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Yes, that is if you feed it a nutritional food (aka something that the first ingredient isn't chicken byproducts or corn meal) my vet recommended only feed wet food as a treat because it can have health affects on their teeth.
2006-09-07 11:01:11 · answer #1 · answered by Miss Mew's Mama 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I can't believe how many people have said yes to you question. The answer is NO. Cats need both wet and dry food to keep a healthy digestive tract. Male cats especially can develop a plethora of ailments from eating dry food alone. I give my cat 1/2 of a tiny can every other day or so and always have dry food available. It's not much extra work if you care about your pet.
Here is a link you may be interested in,
http://www.mercola.com/2005/nov/12/cats_need_wet_food.htm
2006-09-07 11:28:59 · answer #2 · answered by atomictulip 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dry and wet food have the same ingredients and nutritional value. The only difference is one has water and the other has been dried. The only effect which isn't really an effect because you should supply plenty anyways is that she might drink more water than if she was on wet food. It's just personal preference. Some cats prefer wet because it has more flavor. But some owners don't like the smell and the look. It's whatever you choose. I have 2 cats one is 13 and the other is 14 and they have been on dry food their whole life. Except when we had to try a special brand of cat food to test for allergies and they hated the taste. It was duck and peas flavored so we were told to mix it with the duck and peas wet food to get them to eat it. It smelled disgusting and we couldn't wait to go back to their normal dry food that didn't smell. Plus it was expensive! $34 for a 5 lb bag and 2.50 per small can of wet food
2016-03-17 10:19:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if it's a male cat the answer is no!
dry food is fine but every couple of weeks you must give him wet food.
I had a cat that had to put down because of irreversable urinary tract damage cause by nothing but dry food.
he suffered greatly and bled every time he peed.
I believe it's called FUS feline urilogical syndrome...dry food contains too much ash..and can be very harmful if that is his only diet
2006-09-07 11:10:16 · answer #4 · answered by chefzilla65 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes! Cats can and do live very well on dry food. Mine is 3 years old and has never had anything but dry food. I have tried to purchase canned food for her as a treat, and she won't touch it! (The true anti-cat, isn't she?)
But dry food does have all of the vitamins and nutrition a cat needs.
2006-09-07 11:05:12 · answer #5 · answered by hrhtheprincessofeire 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
YES! I have a 12 year old purebred and the breeder recomended Eagle Brand what she feeds them, so I went to feed stores to buy it. The stuff you buy in the grocery store is the worst. Go to good pets stores or feed stores and pay the extra money if you want to feed dry only it is healthy and safe. I get organic chicken Eagle brand. My cats are indoor 100% of the time I have one of those water filter constant flowing water things right by thier food dry food feeder. I have tried to feed canned once in a while, but they really don't want it so it goes to waste.
So yes they are right about the ash in dry food BUT check the ingredients and stay away from the grocery store for pet food.
2006-09-07 11:54:57 · answer #6 · answered by Tamela : 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Aha! A thinking man! Yes, cats can live on dry food alone. Is it the proper diet for them? You know instinctively that it is not. Cats are obligate carnivores and meat eaters, raw meat eaters to boot. Do you think the felines in zoos are fed dry food? Of course not!
I feed my cats a home-prepared raw meat diet, plus some dry, plus some canned. All premium foods.
It took veterinarians 15 years to figure out that cats were dying of heart failure and going blind from lack of taurine in their diets. Taurine is esential to the cat and is destroyed by cooking.
Will it be another fifteen years before they come to the conclusion that dry food only diets are causing cats to die from early kidney failure because of the constant dehydration they endure with dry food only?
2006-09-07 11:11:59 · answer #7 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes. Your cat is actually better off eating dry food. It's much for the teeth than wet cat food.
2006-09-07 11:04:06 · answer #8 · answered by HDB 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I was wondering--did your cat stop eating the canned food or you would just like to ween it off it and give it dry? If that's the reason--I tried to do the same with mine--she's 8 now--and she refused to eat the dry--once they have it someone told me they don't like to give it up--but yes my vet says they can live on dry--but after so many years of it--he said it's not fair to take it away. Good luck!
2006-09-07 11:12:39 · answer #9 · answered by katie 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes they can but with water too but you might want to mix it up a bit because if you have an emergency and you cant feed it dry food it wont eat its could to have variety you couldnt live on just one food can you ? lol go with that
2006-09-07 11:07:57 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it might even be healther for the cat to chew dry food to clean its teeth.
2006-09-08 12:43:29 · answer #11 · answered by DARLENE H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋