moist food?

Question

i dont get it, why does everyone say moist food is bad for a kittens/cats teeth, but when in the wild they eat raw meat (ex. tigers, pumas, or out door cats)...those cats dont have "dry food"

Answer 1

a cat that has to use it's teeth is less likely to develop dental problems than a cat that just swallows moist food without having to chew it. wild cats tear the meat off the bone when they eat, therefore using their teeth, also, they will chew the bones quite a bit, again using their teeth. The closest thing that domestic cats have to this is having to chew dry food, keeping their teeth clean and their gums healthy.

Answer 2

I think the idea is that in the wild, they use the bones to clean their teeth. However, dry food and moist food are about the same for domesticated cats. Both will leave food particles on the teeth that lead to tooth problems, just like in humans. In my experience, dry food is no better than moist food. Very few cats will chew their food, so any abrasive action that dry kibble may have is negated. I prefer moist food, since it mimic their diet in the wild and in general it has a higher protein level than dry which is often high in carbohydrates. Cats are carnivores and need a high protein diet. Plus they have difficulty processing carbs.

Answer 3

You can put "dry food cleans the teeth" to rest if you go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hofve's article titled, "Does Dry Food Clean the Teeth?".

Many people use that as part of their rationale for feeding an inappropriate diet to the carnivorous cat. I use a raw meat diet for my cats who unfortunately will not chew on bones so I have to use ground meat (with an appropritate supplement to provide calcium).

If only I had a kitten! So many people are missing that great opportunity to introduce the kitten to raw food. After a few months cats will not eat anything they have not eaten before (or very reluctantly). The mother cat trains them about what and what not to eat and then they stay fixated on that for their lifetime.

Answer 4

The soft canned food commercially made IS bad for cat's teeth. The raw that cats eat in the wild isn't soft and pureed. They must chew through bone, gristle, and tough muscle. This cleans their teeth while they eat, practically eliminating the risk of tarter buildup. Dry food is only a VERY SLIGHT step up from wet food because it cleans their teeth better. According to most veterinary statistics, most cats and dogs develop periodontal disease before the age of 3. This is due to inadequate and inapropriate food and dental care. I recommend all owners of carnivorous animals, especially dogs and cats, feed their pets a raw diet. The Honest Kitchen http://www.thehonestkitchen.com is a great raw base diet, and offers many dog as well as cat foods. Visit their website for details. Their cat food is called "PROWL".

Answer 5

they don't have dry food no, but they have whole muscle meat to chew on, plus hard gristle and bones. Moist tinned stuff is bad because they don't have to chew at all because it's all in nice little pieces. Try giving her half an ox heart if you want to replicate what happens in the wild, or buy a whole rabbit from your nearest game dealer and feed her that skin, bones, innards and all. She'll get her teeth a good natural workout then.

Answer 6

The equivalent to eating raw wild meat is for you to start feeding your cat raw domestic meat - and the only really "safe" one in our food system is beef. Canned food is too fatty for cats, so just feed once in a while. Dry food has the proper balance of nutrients.

Answer 7

I never heard of that, my cats get both and are happy and healthy. Besides I have heard you are supposed to give male cats moist food if they don't drink a lot of water to prevent problems.

Answer 8

Outdoor cats and indoor cats have different needs. If indoor cats had to fend for themselves it would be different. But I assume (not from personal experience) that not ALL moist food is bad for cats, after all there is canned cat food which is moist. I think you just have to find that happy-medium there.

Answer 9

your right in the wild they don't have dry food because they eat the bone as well as the meat or flesh of the bird-mouse whatever. dry food is essential to keep their teeth clean and gums strong also as roughage for the digestion. that is why wild and domesticated cats eat grass for the digestive tract.

Answer 10

Probably because they don't use their teeth as actively to chew. Try giving your cat a variety of different textures. I keep hard food available to them but give them soft food at night.