has anyone ever been told by your vet to feed both dry and canned food to your cat?

Answer 1

Yes! Cats just can't drink sufficient water to keep up with the demands a dry food places on its body. That, along with premature neutering of males, is the primary cause of the increase in incidence of urinary tract problem with cats today. Dry food is more convenient for people and a lot less messy, but not the best thing for a cat, as the sole source of nutrition.

Just ask your vet. He can tell you the truth. There is a difference between adequate nutrition and a healthy diet.

Answer 2

Completely change it once a month if you are using scoopable litter. Otherwise you should scoop out the used litter (wet or poop) at least once a day. For feeding your cat will be a lot healthier in the long run if you feed it quality kitten food in both canned and dry every day. Don't believe the "all dry is better" - cats have more problems with UTI (urinary infections) on an all dry or too much fish diet. Stick to quality food (kitten) like Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance in both canned and dry foods.

Answer 3

The brand of food you feed your pet is the MOST important thing. There are high end brands of dry food and then there are crappy (potato chip equivalent) brands of dry food. Get a mid-high grade brand. Cats should ALWAYS have a combination of dry and canned food diet. Contrary to what most people are telling you, canned food is better. Cats are carnivours. Canned food is great for them and keeps moisture in their systems which will prevent urinary tract infections and blockages which male cats are especially prone to. Do not overfeed any animal. Good brands of canned are Fancy Feast, Iams and Friskies is o.k., too. I feed my cats 1/3 can of Fancy Feast 2 times a day. They have dry food out all the time (Nutro Brand). They are all a healthy weight and have never had teeth / tarter issues...just normal tartar that comes with age and they get their teeth cleaned yearly. Look up Catkins Diet on the Internet. http://www.catnutrition.org/catkins.html A mixture of canned and dry food diet is what most vets would recommend to you. Also, please do not mix the canned with the wet. A cat may not eat all of the canned food in one sitting and it will spoil if left out more than an hour. By keeping it separate, you can throw away what he/she doesn't eat without the dry food getting bacteria on it.

Answer 4

Hi Karen...certainly! And lovemycats0 probably said it best. Most cat owners prefer dry cat food, which stores easily and makes litter boxes easier to clean up. Dry cat food is great in terms of cost and handling (some people can't stand the smell of canned cat food), but canned cat food is closer to raw food and contains a lot of water, which helps cats get the hydration they need. Canned food also generally contains less filler and carbohydrates, though reading the labels carefully is key.

For certain cats with kidney or bowel problems, dry food can exacerbate the condition, and if your cat has urinary issues, the water content in canned food can be especially valuable. According to an excellent article at Max's House.com, a great Web site for health information on cats, wet food comprises a better diet for cats because it more accurately reflects the nutrient and water-to-protein balance a wild cat would consume in nature. So while dry cat food is more convenient for pet owners, and many cats seem to like the "crunch" of dry food, wet food is an important part of a cat's diet. As vets, it is emphasized that wet food should be your cat's main food. Dry food can be used for variety and convenience. Because wet food generally costs more than dry food, supplementing with dry food can help with pet-food expenses.

Answer 5

At my last vet appointment, my vet told me to introduce wet food to my cat because as cats grow older they become more picky and if or when they develop a condition where they can't eat dry food, they should at least be used to canned food.

Answer 6

Yes, the last time I took my cat to the vet I was told that. In previous years, vets have advised against wet food because of the sugar content and the decay of the teeth of cats. But, in the last year they have decided that there have been enough improvements to warrant wet food being an important part of a cats diet.

Answer 7

with my last maine coon mix kiten long ago, my vet told me to keep the dry food always outin a feeder and give kittens up to 1 year of age 3-5 canned food meals/day until they are 1 year old, then drop number of can meals to 1-2, and judge by weight and habits how many after then--i usually drop to 1 can/day for adults--that is 3 ounce can, not 5 ounce can. the can food meals i give my current mc mix male kitten are 3 of the 3 oz cans each day.

Answer 8

Yes, dry food is good for the teeth. The moisture in the canned food is good for them too.

Answer 9

Yes I have. However, that isn't a "normal" thing to do. Usually it is done when the feline is under-weight and/or malnourished. It helps keep their teeth in tact (the dry food) and the wet tends to be higher in calories. Also, it has a much stronger smell and tends to be more attractive to the animal...hence they eat more.

Answer 10

yes just mix it together. for some cats both is best