Are my cat's eating habits weird? She will ONLY eat dry food. Has no interest in wet food, snacks, tuna.?

Answer 1

It's not unusual, but it's not healthier than high-quality wet food.

Hard kibble is *not* better for digestion *or* dental hygiene. Cat's teeth are not made to crush food, they are made to tear and shred. With this in mind, food manufacturers make the food so that it shatters on impact. This has little-to-no abrasive effect on the teeth, and it often results in large chunks of food getting stuck between the teeth which form plaque. And since the large chunks get swallowed that way, the food sits in the stomach longer and can actually *upset* it.

Dry foods (especially cheap kinds that are full of corn and meat "meal"), are not very good for a cat. The majority of cats on all-or-mostly dry food diets are dehydrated. This is because in the wild, cats are used to getting their water from their food; a mouse is about 78% water. This is why you don't see too many cats lapping from water dishes in the same manner dogs do.

Dry food is usually high in grains (which cats don't need since they're obligate carnivores), and corn. Corn has absolutely no nutritional value for any living thing. Humans can't even *digest* corn. Our bodies suck out the natural sugars, then pass the husks whole. Cats and dogs do the same thing. Foods containing corn often lead to obesity and diabetes. People wonder why the health of pets in recent years has been on a steady decline; check their diets. It's the same for humans. Corn is widely available because it's easy to grow, therefore cheap. Corn, corn meal, high fructose corn syrup, and corn starch....all highly prevalent in the foods we eat. And obesity and diabetes are on the rise.

To top it off, when you use a filler like corn, your cat is getting full without actually getting the nutrients it needs. It would be the equivalent of a human living on cereal. Could you live on cereal for the rest of your life? Sure, you could....but that doesn't mean you *should*.

After reading up on the useless and sometimes detrimental effects of dry food on cats, I switched my cat to a steady diet of Wellness canned food. He gets half a can, two times a day. He was getting quite fat free-grazing on dry Science Diet (which isn't any better than Meow Mix, just doubled in price)....after the switch, he slimmed right down. His fur is softer and shinier, his eyes are brighter, he's more active, and he's not seeking out sources of water like his life depends on it (before, he would search for water in the bathtubs, sinks, etc.).

Don't let anyone tell you it'll make their poop runny or stink more. Blaze has never had a case of diarrhea and the poop actually stinks *less* because his diet is more on par with what he's *supposed* to be eating. Corn tends to make poop bulky and a little smelly.

If people are worried about their cat's oral health, they should consider what I've already stated about dry food, and invest in some other form of dental product for their cats. A toothbrush and cat toothpaste works just fine. As does getting the cat's teeth scaled at the dentist every once in a while. My cat has never needed either one. Cats and dogs don't brush their teeth in the wild and their oral health is fine, so why is it that pet owners are now being subjected to having to do this? Well, probably because cats and dogs are not eating as well in our homes as they would be in the wild. In the wild, they'd be eating what they're supposed to eat as opposed to corn-riddled, useless hunks of powder.

My cat wasn't much for soft food, either. When we switched, he went hungry for a couple of days turning his nose up at the soft food I offered. But let me tell you something; no otherwise healthy animal will starve itself. I had to throw the bag of dry food I had out because he could still smell it and was holding out, but once it was gone and he realized I wasn't giving him any alternatives, he happily chomped down the soft food. Now he's a soft food junkie, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

I think soft foods bad rep comes from the fact that a lot of your mainstream soft foods (Meow Mix, Fancy Feast, Whiskas, Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, etc.) aren't any good, either. They're full of corn....so of course they'll make a cat fat!

So read up on it a little. If you think it's a load of hooey, fine, but at least switch your cat to a high-quality dry food (if it isn't on one already). Some great brands are Wellness, Nature's Variety, Natural Balance, California Natural, Felidae, and Solid Gold. A good rule of thumb in searching for a good food (dry or wet) is to avoid any food that has corn listed *anywhere* in the ingredients, and words like "meal" should be avoided, as well. Look for foods that list *real* meat as the *first* ingredient, and use more nutritional fillers like peas.

And NO cat is a vegetarian.

Answer 2

Dude my one cat is the same way... except she does love treats. When I first got her, she did eat wet food. After a little bit, she would only eat the wet if it was chicken flavored. Now she has no interest whatsoever. I always feel bad when I'm giving the other two cats (one of whom is her littermate) the wet food, but she just won't eat it so I give her a couple treats. She also won't eat tuna or salmon or anything like that. Sometimes she gives it a sniff, but won't let one bite pass her lips. Also, did you ever try Whiskas Temptations cat treats? I have never met a cat who didn't love them!

Answer 3

That's fine I have an 11 year old cat that I rescued with her four kittens when she was about 8 months old. I kept one of the kitten because it was her favorite. Her daughter eats both wet and dry, mom on the other hand has never touched wet food and she is a very healthy cat. All the best;^)

Answer 4

Cats can be very particular about what they
eat!
If she only eats dry food, then it's very important that she also drinks plenty of water. Make sure she has a bowl, or even a couple of bowls of water throughout the house.
My cat also prefers dry food and turkey wet food. She does not eat salmon or beef. Chicken, is ok, it depends.
And she absolutely refuses the extra special wholesome and healthy wet food (the expensive type!) that I bought from the healthfood store.

Answer 5

My fave baby. Pepper, (hence, my user name), was raised on a bottle, lots of loving care after being found abandoned at my daughter's workplace. After he got big enough to eat cat food, I tried all types of wet food we had here for Oreo. Pep wanted no part of it! Only kitten chow. Wouldn't touch it if I moistened it either. Now he likes a little cheese now and then, a little turkey or ham. He thinks wet cat food is the most terrible thing in the world. His fave food is that new stuff called Good-life Recipe. Oh yeah, he is known to eat mashed potato with butter, and corn. I used to make him a little t.v. dinner with those things and some cut-up chicken. He's not spoiled at all! Ha!Ha! :)

Answer 6

No, not at all. It's highly possible she's not attracted to the oils in wet foods.

As a kid, I too preferred dry cat food over the wet. The oils feel funny goin' down. (Don't ask. I was 4)

Answer 7

She's unusual but I wouldn't call her weird. One of my cats has chosen to eat only dry food her entire life, and she's now 14 years old and healthy. She also won't touch treats of any kind. (The other cats are kind enough to eat hers for her.)

Dry food is actually better for their teeth than canned food.

Answer 8

my cat only eats dry food and drinks only the liquid of wet foods. Sometimes i think hes a vegetarian or something. no, it's completely normal

Answer 9

I have a cat that only eats dry food too - he wants to sniff ANYTHING I'm working on in the kitchen, but won't eat any of it, not even salmon. He's healthy and happy. They have their quirks, just like us.

Answer 10

I had a cat that only ate Tender Vittles Gourmet For 13 years. It makes me sick to think of only eating one food that long, but that's all she wanted. She would have eaten it longer if she hadn't been injured and had to be put down.

Answer 11

It might be unusual. But my two have had dry food all their lives, and will turn up their noses at wet food.