Wet or dry food? HELP. I am so torn....every other day I am changing my mind.?

Question

If havent looked at my previous ?'s....Shadow is 3 yrs old and regurgitates whenever she has any dry food. I am feeding her wet only and some days i think its great but then when I read that its not good for cats...that dry is better I change my mind again. She had dental work about 1 month ago and had to get her back teeth extracted. The doc said maybe it just hurts her to chew and said that I can moist the dry with water. We know its not hairballs.........and I decided today to try to wean her unto dry and just give her wet once a week as a treat. So I added a tsp of dry food and will do this for a week then increase it. What do you feed your cat and do you have them on a schedule?
I want to make a final decision on this and also want my cat to be happy and not have problems with her teeth again.

Answer 1

First I would say if dry makes her throw up I would in no way give that to may cat. Dry does the cat no good if she can not keep it down.

Second I feed our cat a mixture of wet and dry. Wet in the morning and at supper, free feed dry in between. And he does fine. I have bounced back and forth on this issue as well and find this as a good compromise for us.

Wet has more moisture in it that is good for your cat. Mainly because cats do not have a thirst drive so they tend to not drink as much water as the should.

If I was in your case I would stick to the wet only. If you need more cat help check this site out www.thecatsite.com they are very helpful over there.

Answer 2

Wet vs. dry, the debate rages on...actually both forms of food are perfectly good, as long as a high-quality brand is fed and the feeding guidelines on the back of the package are followed. Both dry and canned food contain the proper nutrition that the animal needs. I personally prefer dry food because it is cheaper and keeps longer, while canned food is more expensive and spoils easily.
However, since your kitty can't handle dry food for whatever reason (and there could be many), why torment her with dry food? At least moisten the dry with hot water so it is soft, and see if she can eat that.

I feed dry, two meals per day for both my cats (4 of them) and my dogs (3 of them). I take their daily feeding and split it into two meals, morning and night. I don't like to leave food out as that encourages overeating (at least with my animals) and it is too hard to tell how much each animal is eating.

There is a long-standing argument that dry food is better for animals' teeth. In fact, this is not true. There is only one food, Hills' t/d, which is specifically designed to clean the teeth as the animal crunches into the hard kibble. All other dry foods crumble as soon as the teeth begin to compress the kibble, so they do not 'scrub' the teeth at all.
Also, pet foods in general contain little sugar. Even if they did, animals are not prone to cavities like humans are. Only rarely will you see a dog with cavities.

The best way to prevent further dental problems is to brush the cat's teeth. I confess that I don't brush my animals' teeth. A yearly dental cleaning at your vet's is highly recommended to keep those pearly whites shining. Periodontal disease can actually cause problems within the body, especially with the heart and kidneys...bacteria that grow in the decaying teeth can enter the bloodstream and take up residence in various places, including the valves in the heart, leading to serious problems.

Hope this gives you some useful information. Just do what you know in your heart is best for your kitty and good luck to both of you!

Answer 3

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your cat canned cat food. A lot of cats prefer it. But I would especially since she had her back teeth extracted. Just ask the vet about how much ash content there should be in the food for the cat, or you might have urination problems. But that goes with dry or wet.

Answer 4

I leave dry food out all the time and feed canned twice a day,and I have cats who are 15,17 and 19 years old. This is the feeding schedule my vet recommends.Dry is good for their teeth,but canned has the meat and oils they need.Also if your cat has sore gums and teeth,she would probably prefer canned.I have three cats with feline stomatitis,a common disorder in cats,which causes very sore gums.These cats have to eat canned or they would literally starve to death,as it is painful for them to eat dry food.They even eat baby food meat as a supplement. Stomatitis is not caused by a diet of canned food.The cause is not known.So,if I were you,I would try the free-feeding of dry,and give her half a can twice a day This would satisfy her craving for canned,and she would still get the dry for her teeth.Good luck with your cat.

Answer 5

If she's doing well on the canned food, don't mess with perfection.
You can brush the cats teeth. Special toothpastes help keep teeth healthy. Ask you vet or go to Petsmart.
What are you feeding?
Read "Foods Pets Die For" by Ann N. Martin. You will be shocked and amazed at what they are putting in pet food. Known toxins that are making our pets sick!
Look into Innova, Artemis, Felidae, and Wellness. All are great, all have websites.

Answer 6

I would try giving Shadow dry food with gravy or broth on it. My cat isn't crazy about dry food, either, but if I put all-natural, organic beef or chicken broth (from the health food store) on it, he will eat every drop. If your cat's teeth are hurting, that's even more of a reason to moisten the food. Good luck!

Answer 7

try this and see if it works...first grind up the dry into smaller bits and add either just a little bit of water or broth or some wet food and see how she tolerates it. she may need to be on this permanently.

i have two cats and feed them only dry. its good for their digestive and urinary tract and their teeth and gums as it 'brushes' their teeth as they crunch it. wet food tends to stick to the teeth near the gum line and since cats don't brush it can cause cavities.

Answer 8

Try a healthy mix of dry and sachet as the sachets are closest to meat we consume. Dry food completely can cause excessive drinking needing more toilet trips. Plus with this mix your pet will be waiting at your feet for meals. I have a dog and a cat that sit looking at me as if asking wot is taking so long...

Answer 9

I have always been told by Vet's that dry food is not good for cats, especially male cats, because it will clog up their stomachs and they will have trouble getting rid of hair balls.
Might try getting her some moist cat food in pouches and see how she likes that. It is not all the way wet but it isn't dry either. It is kinda in between.

Answer 10

k as a vet nurse we see this ALL the time
Can food is a waste of money full of water and carbohydrates!!
A lot of cats develope a food intolerance to fish so try Whiskas Advance Adult Chicken or Hills Science Diet z/d, the only cat food on the market that doesn't cantain ANY fish (often they are coated in fish meal)