feeding dried cat food only is dangerous?

Question

My cat got severely ill when i swithch to dry cat food only, to try to control his weight. He was only on it for 2 weeks and in that time he developed an erroded bladder. He very nearly died. He had access to water and did drink a lot, but still had serious health problems. His bladder will never recover and he is on special low Ph wet food and pills for the rest of his life. I wanted to know if anybody out there feeds their cats dried only, and please let this be a warning to u if u do.

he was on iams. Vet siad its not natural for cats to eat only cereal nuggets, they are meat eaters

im not suggesting only wet food, but a mix of both. I did it gradually and he still got ill. Dried food does clean teeth, but shouldnt be given as an only food

im not suggesting only wet food, but a mix of both. I did it gradually and he still got ill. Dried food does clean teeth, but shouldnt be given as an only food

clovicat - that is EXACTLY what I am trying to say. u r right

Answer 1

The newest recommendations by veterinarians is to feed a large portion of the cat's daily food in a canned form, to increase the water intake.

In the wild, cats are not big water drinkers. They obtain most of their dietary water from the critters that they eat. So their body evolved to preserve as much water as possible, thereby concentrating their urine. All of this worked well in the wild, but then we domesticated them, and screwed up the works.

By feeding only dry food, we are concentrating the solutes that can form in the urine, without providing additional moisture. Thus causing crystal and stone formation, and urinary tract obstruction.

The best diet to feed is a good quality canned food, as the majority of the diet, which you can supplement with dry food. It is great if you can add water to the canned food, or encourage the cat to drink more water by getting a circulating water bowl, turning on the faucet, or leaving a cup of water out for them. This dilutes the urine, and decreases the chances for urinary tract problems.

The other important thing to remember is that if your cat urinates outside of the litter box, GET IT CHECKED! Most cats urinate out of the box due to medical problems, not behavioral. This is their little clue to us that something is wrong. Don't ignore it!

Answer 2

I would say that it was something with that specific cat food and your specific cat. Or maybe just an odd coincidence.

Is your cat young or old? I know that some foods have higher protein amounts than others and this can cause problems if the cat already had a minor problem, possibly so minor that nothing was noticed before.

I have had 8 cats (Jewel is our 9th) in my lifetime (one died at the age of 18 with kidney failure, one got out one summer, and the others were given to friends and family at different times when we had to move from one place to another). ALL were fed primarily on dry food with no problems.

The 18 year old didn't start having problems until she was 18. Then she had kidney problems and refused to eat the lower protein food, but it wasn't because of dry cat food in general. She was just a picky eater and would only eat the food that at that time was not right for her.

Answer 3

My sister had one of my cats for 6 months and fed him canned food and wiskas, when he came back to me(she move to a place where she can't have him) he had an urinary tract infection, I rushed him to the vet and was told to feed him food that lowers ph(which is what I am already feeding my other cat). So far George the cat hasn't had a problem on dry only food.(it's been almost a year). My other cat has never had a problem with his urinary tract. They do drink lots of water, mostly from the fish tank! I think I may pick up some good quality canned food (the cheep stuff is not good for them) for a treat here and there. It may also help my other cat Morimoto gain a bit of weight!

Answer 4

My cat is 70 years old in cat years and she refuses to eat dry food to the point of not eating and she will tell me this in her way, I thought she was just wanting her way, but now I am giving her the wet food when she wants it. I love her very much and she feels the same way about me so I am not going to deny her wet food any more. She was bitten by a larger animal and I had to take her to the vet and it cost 318.00 at a time when money was hard to come by and much needed for bills. I think of the all the times she stood by me. It was a no brainer to pay the bill. So I guest what I am trying to say, is that what she wants is what she gets. Did I mention how intelligent and wise she is?

Answer 5

I feed my cat dried food only; in fact, she won't eat anything else. She is 6 years old and has never had a problem of any kind. The cat I had before her ate only dried food and she lived to be 19 with almost no problems.

One warning, however. The dried cat food that is usually found in groceries does not include all the nutrients that cats need. I use only the dried food found in pet stores.

Answer 6

Being natural is the best way, either in case of human or animals. I would advise all cat lovers to feed their loved ones with a diet resembling the food in wild, mainly meat, fish and small amount of grain.

However many find it easier to feed by dried/canned food for various reasons like money, time or simplicity.

I feed my cat ALWAYS with dried food (Whiskas), and never developed any health problems. I don't agree that feeding only on dried food is dangerous, especially given that cats have accessibility to plenty of clean potable water.

I am not a nutrition specialist, so guess your answer can best be answered by a vet / dietitian.

Wish him very best,

Answer 7

There seems to be a lot of contreversy on this topic. MY cat was on dry food only and every now and then would get a urinary tract infection. Now that I give her both wet and dry she hasn't had one for 3 years. Dry food seems to help keeping their teeth in good shape but wet food seems to give them the moisture they need.
Below is an interesting link about the truth of cat food.

Answer 8

We used to feed our cat dry food all the time, our vet said it was healthier than wet cat food. Try adding a very small amount of water to the dry cat food to moisten it a little, see what does.

Answer 9

I think male cats are more sensitive to food than females because of the whole urinary tract thing. I keep a good quality dry out all the time for snacks, and give them a small can of premium food or a can of tuna at night for a treat.

When my cats lived outside (they don't anymore) they were fed all dry, but think they supplemented with mice and lizards, etc.

Answer 10

I will buy my friend's cat dry food (only dry) and that's all she feeds but its top food (natural balance) because she loves her kittie and I feel it deserves the best

Also wet foods cause more build up on the teeth. I would suggest raw to her but she is vegetarian