I've recently read that dry cat food is very unhealthy and dehydrating to cats, which is...?

Question

probably why my male cat is very prone to urinary tract infections and is thirsty all the time. (He's always trying to steal my ice water) So, what kind of canned for should I start feeding my cats? What's the best?

Answer 1

You read right! Dry cat food is very unhealthy! You need to switch to a high quality canned food, like Merrick (www.merrickpetfood.com) and get their low glycemic varieties (there are several). Only feed your cat, unless it's a kitten, ONCE a day. If your cat doesn't finish, take the food up and toss it after 20 minutes. The next day your cat will have a better appetite. Cats may refuse canned food after being addicted to the dry food, but with patience you can make the switch. The absolute best food for your cat is raw meat and bones, but not many people want to feed this way, so a high quality canned food is the next best option. Stay away from cat food that uses by-products, BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, propylene glycol, or propyl gallate.
Check out www.littlebigcat.com for more info. I had the same problem with one of my cats and called a holistic vet who told me to stop feeding dry, start feeding canned, and only feed once a day. It worked! I hope this helps! Good luck.
P.S. It's a myth about dry food cleaning your cat's teeth! A raw chicken neck is one of the best ways for your cat to clean it's teeth. That's how they clean them in the wild. You could give them a raw chicken neck once a week as a treat and let them clean their own teeth instead of having to brush them. DO NOT GIVE A CAT OR DOG A COOKED BONE...THEY WILL SPLINTER, ONLY GIVE THEM RAW BONES! You will need to supervise the first couple of time you give them a bone and make sure they don't get choked.

Answer 2

I had a cat with UTI also. It was the high ash content in the food, but some cats are just more susceptible than others. I always feed dry food for tooth and gum health, canned as an occasional treat. In your case I'd look for good brands of food specifically for the prevention of UTI. My cat had to eventually go on prescription food I could only get at the vet. If you try the preventative food you may be able to bypass that. It's expensive and kind of a pain to have to go out of your way to get.

Answer 3

You are right, males tend to have more UTI problems with an all dry food diet. Canned or raw is the best - dry is for our convience. Most people feed both the dry and canned, as canned can get expensive if you have more then one cat. And if you have to leave them for a weekend, dry helps so you can leave it for them to eat till you come home. Many people (and vets) are under the impression that dry keeps teeth cleaner - it doesn't. Think about it - does eating a pretzel keep your teeth clean? The cat just breaks up the food and swallows it - the food doesn't scrape against the teeth to clean anything!

Answer 4

The type of dry food you feed to a cat with a history of FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) is extremely important. Low quality foods are high in sodium and don't have as much nutritional value as a high quality food. Vets do occasionally recommend a canned food diet for pre-diabetic or diabetic cats and those with a history of FLUTD problems. The canned food you use must also be prescription or very high quality to prevent chronic problems in your cat. A cat that drinks an unusual amount of water could be on the fast-track to becoming diabetic (or he already is). The best non-prescripition canned foods are Science Diet, Eukanuba and Purina. Check with your vet on what would be best in your particular situation.

Answer 5

It's not necessarily the food that's causing the problem. Cats can have conditions similar to diabetes which can cause them to be very thirsty. Also some cats are prone to urinary problems (it's genetics) We had one that required her to have a special formula to help prevent crystalization. Try putting her on a urinary formula first before switching off of dry food. Wet food contributes to more health problems than dry.

Answer 6

Hi

Good for you! my cat got diabetes from eating dry and since then I have \helped more then a dozen cats get off of insulin mostlu by switching from dry to low carb canned foods.
The rise in kidney disease also has risen in conjunction with the rise in the sales of dry foods.Many other disease can be prevented too if dry food was off the market!
You want to feed low carb canned foods which means the canned foods without the gravy. Fancy bfeast is a middle grade food with 9/lives and friskies lower grade and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods. Make sure the first ingrediant is a muscle meat and you don't want corn in the food. Unfortunatly grain is in many of the foods (cheaper then meat) so it's hard to avoid but if you can, keep it out of the first 3 ingrediants

Answer 7

My male cats eat Merrick and Wellness grain free wet food and LOVE them! They have much softer shinier fur than they did on dry food and no litterbox odor ( major plus!!)
It can be expensive(I pay .99 for a 5.5 oz can and they each go through 2 cans a day) but it's much healthier.
Stay away from anything that has fish in it as that causes most uti problems.
You can also check into feeding a RAW diet...it's less expensive than canned and is the best thing for a cat to eat.
Natures Variety makes a prepared raw food that comes in small medallions. You just thaw and serve =)

Answer 8

Our male cat used to drink a lot... i was so concerned and took him to a vet and did lots of tests on him for any sort of infection and for diabetes... But he turned out to be fine... he just drank a lot and of course, peed a lot too. I guess some males cats do that.

I heard the same thing about wet food being better than dry ones. First of all, they are higher in protein concentration and more hydrated, both of which are required in cats diet. Dry foods on the other hand are high in carbohydrates and constant grinding and chewing on them is not good for their teeth.

So I would give wet food according to the recommended amount on the package and leave some dry food as a snack...

Answer 9

Depends on the make of dry food. Some of the cheaper brands are very high in Ash. I feed Royal Canin and Hill's Science Diet. Canned or pouch food -- again, you get what you pay for! Your vet can probably recommend a food that may help with the UI.

Answer 10

Not true. It's not because it's dry food, it may be the brand. Stick with a major brand. Feed dry all the time, only with wet food as an occasional treat. Have clean water available all the time.
Your cat may just have another medical problem.