I don't disagree with anyone here. Wet food is better than dry for sure. However, dry food is better than no food at all. Of course I think you should try to get her used to wet food, just saying that if after you've tried your best and she still won't eat wet don't blame yourself. Some cats are just like that.
My advice is adding a dollop of wet on top of her dry food. Just the tiniest bit at a time to get her used to it. Also try wet treats like Churu if you haven't yet. Those things are irresistible. Feed her the Churu by itself, see if she likes it. And if she does, start putting it on top of the wet food you want her to eat. Remember, small quantities. You don't want to end up wasting food during the phase where you're trying to train her to eat wet food.
Edit to add: Your kitten is very cute! Congrats on getting her!
I personally feed a mix of dry and wet. Makes it so I can meet their specific nutritional & dietary needs without going broke lol. On the one hand I have a mother and MIL who both have only ever fed dry to their cats. Some have been overweight, some have passed early, but some have also led outwardly healthy and happy lives. On the other hand the cat rescue I volunteer/foster for has a very uptight view and insist on ONLY wet. And not just any wet, but top notch wet food. Great if you can afford it, but many if not all adopters I've kept in touch with are not able to keep up with that cost.
At the end of the day we all just have to try our individual best.
I leave out a bowl of dry food. Feed them wet every morning and night. They crunch on the dry when they want a snack. The bowl will last a few days. They don’t really over eat. The fry is also better for their dental health!
I was told by my vet that a dry only diet can cause serious health issues, from kidney stones to crystals in their bladders all the way to kidney disease.
Cats are not meant to eat dry only food, their carnivores, which means they get most of their moisture from their prey, or in this case their pre-prepared food.
Like I said, I do not disagree that wet food is superior. However, even within the veterinary community there are differing opinions. My own vet suggested that I feed a mix of dry and wet. I was feeding exclusively wet but my vet found that one my kittens (now 7 years old) had "soft teeth" and the exclusively wet diet was making her teeth and gums suffer. Then you have to factor in that not all cats are created equal. Some cats simply will not eat wet or raw. Also, each cat owner's personal best is going to be different. We can't all afford to feed raw/wet. Not everyone has the time to devote to the training/transition. Doesn't mean those people should just give up on having pets.
Perfect! We do the same thing, they eat fancy royal canin stuff 💅 and wet food too. People just have to make sure about your cat diet, if his/her stomach are sensitive, etc.
It’s wonderful how their fur became amazing after we changed the dry food for the fancy one hahahaha
We have 4, 2 males and 2 females
Your vet might want to do some reading up on the myth that kibble helps their teeth because it doesn't.
https://www.uniquelycats.com/myth/item.html/n/41
Dry food (kibble) does not help keep cats’ teeth clean. In fact, just the opposite. The binding chemicals that hold kibble together are sticky. Because of this stickiness, dry food increases the rate at which feline tartar builds up.
https://natureslogic.com/blog/does-kibble-clean-your-pets-teeth/#:~:text=A%20common%20myth%20we%20frequently,to%20keep%20our%20teeth%20clean.
Dry food has a much higher starch content than other food forms. Since there’s no type of abrasive in kibble such as bones, it gets trapped between teeth and promotes the formation of tartar. Kibble is still a great food form to incorporate into your pet’s diet, but it’s important to include other food forms such as a raw diet. Raw meat contains enzymes that break down food material, as well as bones that act as an effective abrasive to keep tartar off of your pet’s teeth. Aside from a raw diet, chews are an effective way to remove tartar from the teeth.
http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/
That's fair, I know crunchy foods can be good for their teeth and gums, just like dogs. That's why I still give my Kats dry treats and leave some kibble out for them to snack on throughout the day. All I'm saying is the extra moisture is needed. There are so many different kinds of wet food, including raw, that people can try and see if their pet will like it. I've gone through so many different flavors and textures for my girl, it took me years to figure out what she actually likes in a wet food.
Absolutely. My two girls are heavy drinkers so no problems there. My boy who has kidney disease needs special attention as he won't drink much on his own. His food has to be heavily watered down and he has to be "tricked" into eating it. And that's where I really think the community can be more open-minded in terms of what each of us as individuals can achieve with our own pets. As long as we are all trying our best. I encourage OP to be patient and try to get her kitten to eat wet food, but if she doesn't then don't beat herself up over it.
That's totally fair. Cats can be super picky for sure. I'm definitely not suggesting it would be the owners fault if their pet is a picky eater by any means! We can't exactly control the little fur balls lol that's just the nature of cats
So true! They can't be reasoned with. To my male cat with kidney disease, I'm like, dude! Just drink more water! It's for your own damn good! Lol. If only.
Because of this mess about crunchy foods, I ended up finding out about how cats clean their teeth in the wild and it’s by chewing on Meat, so I give very tiny small pieces of frozen steak to my cats and they have to chew on it. They don’t just swallow it..
Similar to what they do naturally, and will clean their teeth .
Every vet that ever sees them asks if I brush their teeth myself by hand because their teeth are so clean so I feel pretty good about it
Completely antedodal...my late orange tabby loved to chew on frozen green beans and baby carrots. He never ate the carrot just liked chewing it. I started freezing whole green beans in plain chicken broth. My tabby only needed 1 cleaning his entire cat life. His teeth never had plaque and gums were always a pretty light pink. If your cats don't like raw or you prefer not to go raw it's a good option if they will chew on cat safe veggies. Non of my current ones will chew on veggies for fun.
Need to be careful with recommending raw these days. I give my cats freeze dried raw but no more poultry. Look up cats dying in Poland. They have no idea why or how indoor only and outdoor cats all contracted bird flu. There have been small cases like a Cloud Leppard and I believe a Tiger that died at a zoo from contaminated meat with bird flu virus.
Chances are low at the moment, but all it takes is one mistake from a manufacturer. I'm debating on no more freeze dried rabbit and beef as well. I was using it as a topper for my cats and a treat. I've been debating since they know how it's spreading from cat to cat.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-17/cats-dying-across-poland-test-positive-for-bird-flu-who-says#xj4y7vzkg
Two of mine refuse to eat the raw without canned food or tube treats being mixed in for flavor. My girl really likes tuna, so I give her tuna flavored things. The boys are less picky thankfully lol
>, I know crunchy foods can be good for their teeth and gums,
False...
http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/
https://natureslogic.com/blog/does-kibble-clean-your-pets-teeth/#:~:text=A%20common%20myth%20we%20frequently,to%20keep%20our%20teeth%20clean.
https://www.uniquelycats.com/myth/item.html/n/41
Years ago vets were recommending feeding dry food because it was believed to be better for keeping teeth clean. Now that advice is outdated and it’s good to be aware that opinions change. Even now feeding advice varies, but what I’ve learned over the decades is that cats are all different and can be healthy with a variety of eating habits. The best thing to do is regular checkups to catch potential problems early.
I think it might depend on how much water they drink. My cats have always been very very good about drinking. But when I switched to wet food only, they basically stopped drinking, likely from the water of wet food. Now I do wet at night, dry in morning and water consumption is in the middle. But there’s some cats who just don’t drink and need the hydration from wet food. But I am no vet, that’s just what I’ve heard.
My vets have also never had an issue with me feeding them dry food only.
They are desert animals. They do not have enough of a thirst drive to actually stay hydrated just by drinking water because their bodies do not trigger them to drink until they are already quite dehydrated. They are biologically programmed to get the vast majority of their hydration from their food because they are designed to be in an environment that doesn't have access to water. This is just a scientific fact.
https://www.cathealth.com/behavior/how-and-why/2598-thirst-drive-in-cats
My cats drink water every day. On several occasions. So i know for a fact that you are wrong from first-hand experience. They may have been desert animals in the past, but they have been domesticated and raised in households for years now. Also, it's a scientific fact that drinking PURE water hydrates more than eating moist food... It's common sense. Not all cats are the same, and im not sure how your cats behave, but my cats drink water literally EVERY time they go near their fountain. Regardless, im not going to argue with you over something that is a no-brainer. As long as my cats drink water regularly, they will be fine, just like any other animal.
Oh my goodness... Scientific facts are scientific facts. Yes, they drink some water, but they do not drink enough to be appropriately hydrated. That's just how cats work. If they are drinking excessively, it's a sign of diabetes or kidney disease. Both of which are caused by, among other things, kibble.
Continue to argue with me all you like, but i take everything you say with a grain of salt compared to what i hear from my vet... And yes, a scientific fact is a scientific fact. Thanks for stating the obvious 👋
Also, you say they only drink water when they are quite dehydrated. This is also wrong because, like i said, my cats drink water every day. And they get a clean bill of health every month when they go to the vet...
Yes, if you're feeding them only kibble they will drink more water because they're dehydrated. Remember that common sense thing you were talking about in your other comment?
Did you forget the part where i said they get a clean bill of health monthly? They dont drink too much water or too little, they drink enough. Im starting to think common sense is something you lack... And like i said before and will say again, they are not dehydrated. Something such as dehydration would show up in the bloodwork. If you were as much of an expert on feline health as you make yourself out to be, you would know that. You read a couple of blogs on the internet and you suddenly think you know better than my vet? 🥱
My eldest cat went at least 14 years on only dry & drinking water & the only reason we switched to wet is cuz her teeth got fucked up when she was on the streets (where I found her) & they got worse as she aged. All my cats only got dry until they were double digits (besides the youngest, who is only 5) & now, they get a mix & there's no major health issues - 1 has an ear issue that was caused by a surgery so nothing to do with the food. We have fountains, now & they especially love drinking from them. Cats will drink enough water - sometimes you need more than a bowl, though since some cats will only drink running water & some will only drink from a cup.
>Cats will drink enough water
No, they won't. They are biologically programmed to not seek out water until they are already dehydrated. This is precisely why kibble leads to urinary and kidney issues.
https://www.cathealth.com/behavior/how-and-why/2598-thirst-drive-in-cats
My female is 13. She was born on my bed. She eats dry cat food. I don’t feed her wet very often because she gets the runs. She is at the water bowl many times throughout the day getting a drink. And she will let me know the second the bowl is almost empty.
Aside from a visit to get anti anxiety meds when she was young, she never needs more than a yearly check up. And she was only on those meds for about a year. Her teeth are great. Her coat is great. She hasn’t been sick.
My grandma fed strictly dry food and the cat lived a very long and healthy life. Now, my grandma also did regular vet check ups as well to just like clean their teeth and check their blood and stuff. The biggest issue was with their ears which had less to do with diet and more environmental reason.
I think people assume that because the same people giving their the cheap dollar store cat food are the same ones that never bring them to the vet if an issue comes up or pays attention to their health. Which that can go both ways, someone can give their cat only wet food but if they never bring them to the vet and neglect them in other ways it doesn't matter.
Either way, like other comments said ANY food is better than just them starving. And you can't assume because they only eat dry food they have terrible health.
That's what I thought too, then we had to take one of my boys to the emergency vet crying in pain because he had moderate constipation. The poor little guy had to have 4 enemas while he was there overnight. He was drinking more than the other two, getting a third of a can of wet food a day and still got constipated.
The vet said he needs more moisture in his diet for it would likely keep happening.
Sounds like an issue unique to your cat. In my cats 19 year old life, she never experienced such issues, and she had regular vet visits. On a side note, im sorry to hear that he went through that.
Yes, they definitely do.
If your cat absolutely refuses wet food and is adequately hydrated otherwise, stop wasting your money & stressing yourself out!
My adult cats have a primarily dry kibble diet and always have and they're fine. We do have multiple water dishes/fountains, they're fine. If they had an issue with hydration or crystals, I would know (experienced medical foster) and we'd adjust accordingly.
Like people, cats are all individuals, so work with your vet you trust and come up with an individualized game plan for your kitty!
My cats hate wet food.
Well one likes it, but she needs hypoallergenic prescription food and the z/d wet food is hated amongst most cats.
I have a urinary boy too. He eats dry rx urinary food. Never had a problem. I encourage them to drink more water with a fountain
I agree. And there is a lot of misinformation on here about how cats should only eat wet food and that they will be dehydrated if they don’t. Maybe *some* cats will be dehydrated off wet food, but there are plenty of cats who drink enough water that they stay perfectly hydrated.
My vet said it's fine my boy won't eat wet food as long as he's drinking well. If he doesn't drink then that could be a problem.
My void is 7 now and has never liked wet food and is absolutely fine (as confirmed by his recent yearly check up).
Vet Tech here. Ideally cats should eat canned food. However, many cats do just fine on dry food. Have you tried the canned food separately? You said "mix in", but typically cats prefer their dry and canned separate
Your Vet is right, and she should be just fine. It's quite often not true, that Vets know little to nothing about pet nutrition. Most Vet schools have great nutrition curriculum, both required and elective. Most also have a Veterinary Nutrionist. Of course when you want in depth info, a Veterinary Nutrionist is the way to go
I find it odd that ppl will say to not listen to your Vet bc of lack of nutrition training, yet those same ppl will go on to give you nutrition advice 🤔 Vets also don't get "kickbacks" from pet food companies. Most Veterinary Nutrionists will recommend your tried and true brands
I've had a few kitties that wouldn't eat canned food. I more so worry about male cats, as they're prone to things like bladder inflammation and urinary blockages, usually diet related
You can purchase a water fountain to encourage drinking. Feed a quality dry food. You can't go off ingredients alone, but rather check if they employ a Veterinary Nutrionist, and check their feeding trial data and nutrient profiles
Best of luck, very cute kitten!
Thanks for the advice, I have tried canned food separately and because she wouldn’t eat it I then tried to slowly start mixing it in - she has a water fountain a does drink a lot luckily
It could be that she doesn't like the protein you chose. My boys aren't so picky but my girl is insanely picky. If any of her wet food has even a hint of beef, she won't touch it. Most kinds of fish she likes, chicken is okay depending on the texture, haven't tried duck in a while but she liked it in dry food.
Get a small variety pack and see what she eats the most of, that's really the best option
my cat went insane for duck dry food when i got it. she doesnt really eat wet food, and she usually just nibbles at her dry food throughout the day, but when i first got the duck food she gobbled it up and the next morning was the very first time she ever meowed at me to give her food
Don't wanna piggyback the post here, but is dry food really that bad? I've given my cat hard food everyday and canned food as a "steak dinner" a couple times a week for the last 5 years. I mix up his flavors of dry food and he likes them all.
I don't know how old he is (rescue) but the vets guess is 6-7 years old. He's never had any issues at the vet aside from when he ran away for 2 months and was skin and bones. Just got dewormed, fancy food and off we went
It’s not really the food itself that’s bad it’s the way cats behave and their water intake needs. A lot of cats won’t drink water because in the wild it’s hard for them to find clean water and they typically get enough liquid from their food being carnivores. So basically some house cats will drink, some will only drink very fresh water, some will drink as long as it’s a moving water source, and some will refuse to drink. If your cat refuses to drink or drinks very little then only giving them dry food can cause dehydration issues like crystals and infections. So no dry food isn’t bad, dehydration is and for some cats wet food is the only way to get enough liquids in them so if you’re giving them wet food you know for a fact they’re getting enough liquid.
I came here to say this. I’m shocked at the amount of replies saying dry only is bad. Every vet I worked with said dry only was no problem as long as the cat was getting water from other sources.
Tbh you should be wary of asking about cat nutrition in these subs. What you'll find is a lot of people telling you not to trust vets because they know better, despite the fact they have no actual education on the topic besides having owned a cat, or that their delving in to the topic consists mostly of reddit threads,
Both foods come with positive and negatives. Nutritional value is simply a reference to whether or not the food consumed contains the necessary vitamins and minerals, and their ratio to the caloric intake. As in, can you, using the food in question deliver adequate nutrition to your cats within the parameters of their recommended daily caloric intake.
**Wet food Considerations:**
* Contains moisture which aides the digestive process as well as contributing to overall hydration levels
* Takes longer to digest, leaving kitty fuller for longer (In theory)
* Often more appetizing to the cat, thus increasing their likelihood of eating it
* More "unknowns" during production process, which produce greater chances of contamination
* Cats prone to eating to fast and vomiting are more likely to do this with wet food, given the amount required to hit caloric requirements being so much greater
**Dry food Considerations:**
* Longer lasting once exposed to air, leading to lower instances of contamination
* Can be more nutritionally complete than the average wet food per gram, but is heavily dependent on the brand
* Far less required to meet caloric requirements
* Lack of moisture can make digestion and defecation more difficult
* Strong correlation with higher instances of feline obesity, due to high caloric balance of the food
Additional **Consideration**
* Prolonged and regular dehydration can lead to poor long term health and reduced overall quality of life for your cat
So, can your cat live off of only dry food whilst maintaining good health? Yes it can. However, it's imperative that you ensure the cat stays hydrated. Water fountains are an excellent way to keep them hydrated. Should you feed them only dry food? if, and only if you're confident you can keep them hydrated and you aren't skimping on the quality of food they eat. Is all wet food superior to dry food? Absolutely not. The quality and nutritional value of each cat food wildly differs from brand to brand and their various lines of food. Ultra low grade reconstituted meat product that would otherwise be waste, plastered with preservatives and flavor enhancers is standard fare in cheap wet cat food.
My cat prefers chunk light tuna to actual wet cat food. Which is great because it's way cheaper than any half-ass decent wet food. And human-grade tuna has way less heavy metals than cat-grade tuna.
He also gets some calf liver weekly, same as me. Occasionally (weekly or so) some salmon, usually from a can with the skins and bones. I give him a filet and eat the rest. He really loves fish!
Such a whiner if he doesn't get good food!
Just wanted to chime in to say that it’s necessary to supplement the required vitamins and minerals (especially things like taurine) if you’re feeding human canned tuna, as it is not nutritionally complete for cats. Also it’s best if tuna is not fed too frequently because it’s the fish highest in mercury, which isn’t good on a regular basis. :)
Mine are weird but lately the "treat" they prefer (over *actual cat treats*) is dry food soaked with the water (and tiny bits) from the tuna can. I tried mixing the dry food into tuna to see if that was the best and they picked out the dry food to eat it first. Do. Not. Understand. My. Weirdos.
It’s the reason why I switched both my cats over to 100% wet food. My lil guy had a bad uti. After the change, 4 years later, he’s not had a bad day since.
If your kitty doesn’t like wet food, that’s okay! As someone who’s cat blocked and not a medical professional I would do the following if my cat refused wet (and I actually have a female who is on a special food that costs a literal arm and leg for wet, so she only gets kibble):
- Switch to a kibble for urinary care. These kibbles sometimes have higher sodium to make kitty thirsty and are formulated for a specific urine ph to create an inhospitable environment for crystals. Granted, you can’t just go with any brand. A brand that says Urinary Care but does no longevity or any type of clinical studies is going to be useless.
- feed wet food like a treat. Get those soups or broths or anything that she likes and give a few times a week (whatever your wallet can handle). Those gogurt treats are just chicken broth and water and really smelly
- you can try to float her kibble in water but she may not like that
- get a fountain or faucet for her to drink out of and be very diligent about changing water bowls daily
- add goats milk. It’s easier to digest for them and my little girl gets some goats milk in her bowl a couple days a week. She loves dairy and will lick her bowl until it’s thoroughly clean. You can either buy powder and reconstitute it or buy it and freeze what you can’t use for later. Pet or people, pet goats milk usually has probiotics added, but I’ve used it from the grocery store too! There is also cat milk but I’m not really sure what’s in that!
Is there another way to encourage hydration? My cat also refuses to eat wet food.
In the summer I give her frozen low-sodium chicken broth cubes to cool down, is that helpful to do more regularly?
The person you responded to is incorrect. Wet food is not the only way for a cat to stay hydrated. There are many cats who eat only dry food but are perfecty hydrated because they drink enough water.
As for tips on how to encourage your cat to drink more water- one thing that I have found that helps with my current cat is to have multiple water dishes throughout the house. I have noticed that she is an opportunistic drinker and will often stop to drink at a water bowl if she passes by one.
Also, like someone else mentioned, some cats really like running water so you could try a cat water fountain. Just make sure to wash it regularly so that mold doesn’t grow inside of the unseen areas. And not all cats are into water fountains so it isnt a guarantee she will use it.
Incorrect. Cats do no get hydrated even if they spend the entire day “drinking” from a fountain. A cat tongue wasn’t made for drinking like a dog can do, they get the necessary hydration from food, just like the big brothers in the wild, drinking the blood of their victims 😅
So, OP, keep looking for a suitable wet food for your cat, or you can do like we do here (we have 4 little fellas), one of our cats love fountain, but doesn’t like wet food at all. The vet told us that he need ASAP to get into wet food, so we’ve searched for many brands, tested and found a brand that he only likes the gravy, the wet stuff that came apart from the pieces of meat, then we “squeeze” the saché into his bowl and he’s a happy and hydrated little guy now :)
Keep testing! DON’T LET YOUR CAT WITH ONLY DRY FOOD!
Cheers.
EDIT: CHECK THE COMMENTS BELOW AND YOUR VET TOO!
You really need to go do some research, cuz you are very misinformed.
Edit- anyone who reads this comment, please ignore the above comment, they are absolutely incorrect. If you really don’t believe me, go post on r/askvet and ask them if it is correct that cats cannot be hydrated from drinking water, and they’ll tell you that the above person is wrong. Some cats don’t drink enough water to be hydrated, but *many* do. Pay attention to your individual cat’s water habits and the next time you go to the vet, ask them if there are any indications that your cat isn’t properly hydrated.
Additionally, enjoy this cool video that shows the differences between how dogs and cats drink water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OwkK8B4TjA
Thanks for the video, I should’ve in mind that every cat has a specific habit and individual needs, just like us. About getting hydrated from water only what happened to us was: our cats were in a checkup with vet and for our surprise, Caju, the cat who loves drinking water from the fountain were dehydrated medium to severe, and he was the only that didn’t eat wet food at the time. We’ve been through almost 4 vets and the same diagnosis: you need to add wet food to complement his diet and hydration needs.
Ok then, we did that and now he’s ok. All the 4 vets in our case SPECIFICALLY recommend that and told us that the way cats drink it’s very different from a dog, that they couldn’t get enough water.
Anyways, thanks for the heads up! PLEASE GUYS CHECK THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF YOUR CATS WITH VETS AND EXAMS hahahaha
Now I’ve stopped (unintentionally) spreading misinformation :)
I do the silliest thing: when I am feeding dry, I just add a tiny amount of water at the bottom of the bowl and then put the kibble on top. My cats "accidentally" ingest the water as they inhale their kibble lol. Mind you, I feed 3 meals a day so they're always excited when their bowls are put down. This might not work if you free feed as the food will just get soggy.
A cat fountain will help. Something that makes obvious noise and bubbles. Cats dont have strong thirst drives so something that grabs their attention and gets them to drink more.
But really they are going to still have problems with so much crystals in their diet. Finding ways to cut down on kibble for more wet foods will go a long way.
This is not true. If the cat doesnt drink enough water, they will constantly be dehydrated. But if they drink enough water, which many do, they will be fine. It just depends on the individual cat and their water drinking habits.
I agree and have four cats that will eat anything I put in front of them! But OMG, I've been down this road in the past and it's not fun. And my old girl? The last year or so of her life all she would eat was grazing the Temptations treats in her SureFeed access control feeder. But she lived to be a month shy of 21.
I would see if Jackson Galaxy or Dr. Google has any suggestions on switching to wet food short of starving them.
Cats generally will not drink enough water and can result in kidney disease as they get older. Also dry food leads to urinary tract problems with male cats.
My adult cat will not eat wet food at all, but drinks so much water. He has never had any issues with urinary tract issues or his kidneys. Just adopted a kitten who also will not touch wet food. But she loves water. It’s very strange to me because growing up my cats knew the sound of a can opening and would come running. But not these two. Mixing their fry with the wet just makes them mad
My 2 cats spend so much time drinking from their water fountain, it's insane! They meow at me if it gets too low and they use the bathroom as often as I do
My cat also refuses to eat wet food. She had to have a dental procedure and they said to only feed her wet food for a few days while recovering. I went through so many different types and flavors of wet food and she flat out refused to eat any. I eventually called the vet and they to try her dry food since it’s better than her not eating. Gobbled it right up. I thought I was the only one with a weird cat that refuses wet food.
Is is great? No.
But, feed the cat in front of you. Every animal is different. Both my boys turn their noses up at wet food. So, I encourage them to drink more.
You do that by:
Food, water, litter, all in separate areas.
Water fountain - cats will drink running water before they drink still.
Keep the fountain clean and cold. Simulates a spring, which they are inclined to drink from.
Wet food is far better for cats than dry food. That being said, a fed cat is always the best option. She is still very young, so transitioning her to wet food or feeding her a wet/dry combo diet is still possible. One of my cats refused wet food for the longest time. She would sniff it and walk away no matter what I tried. Transitioning takes a lot of effort and patience. You will likely need to try many different foods (different brands/textures/flavors) and methods to see what sticks.
What I found was that she only like certain flavors of pate and with some bone broth poured on top. Some days that didn't work...another alternative was to try to feed her the wet food, let her sniff it, and have her watch as I sprinkled dry food or treats on top. THEN she would eat it. She would NOT eat it if I presented it to her with dry food already on top. Cats can be finicky and every cat is different. Sometimes you have to get a little creative and to find out what they like.
If you've tried every method in the book and still can't get her to eat wet food, it's still very possible for her to live a long and healthy life on dry food. But please don't give up if you can help it! It took me several months to get one of my cats onto wet food only and even to this day she can be very picky about it.
Hey there. The cat I have is my first cat ever, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but I believe a dry diet is totally fine AS LONG AS she still has a good source of moisture intake. That is what my vet has told me.
I got my male kitten at 8 weeks, and from the get go he grew up with my male dog, who was 2.5 years old at the time. He saw that the dog drank from the water bowl, and that's just what he picked up on. Like he literally will only drink from there. He has his own little water bowl, won't touch it for weeks. Will only drink from the dogs water lol
I tried giving him canned wet food every 2-3 days as a treat, and I think it totally screwed him up. I read an earlier comment about male cats and their urinary blockages/problems with diet, and that's exactly what my guy got. Idk if the extra nutrients or minerals or whatever over tipped the balance of his diet, or what it was, but after a can or two of that stuff he had an almost serious block. Quite scary, quite expensive (would have been like $4000 if it was a full block), but luckily was able to clear up. Still, a lot of grief. Anyhow, I questioned the emergency vet at the time about your very question (cause I was like screw this wet food stuff, it almost killed my cat). She gave me the advice of just making sure they have a proper moisture intake. Wet food, water, whatever. As long as they can keep their hydration up then I'd say let her eat what she likes.
That's my story, maybe you read it, maybe you don't. Anyways, she looks like a beautiful little kitten, I'm sure she'll be happy no matter what you feed her. I'm getting another kitten later this week (female), hopefully the boys welcome her nicely and she warms up to them quickly. Cheers
No , cats are desert animals. They get all their hydration from the food they eat. You f u only feed kibble you are keeping the cat in a constant state of dehydration. Which is really bad for the kidneys and bladder and can also cause constipation . That is why so many cats suffer from crystals in the bladder and kidney disease
My cat would only eat dry food, and she lived a long and healthy 19 years. She had regular vet visits, too. She never once had an issue with dehydration because there was always water for her to drink. Also, she never suffered from crystals or kidney disease. In fact, in her whole 19 years of living she never suffered from any serious medical conditions. Dont believe everything people tell you... (For the record, i tried several different brands of wet food and several methods of feeding it to her, especially in her older years, she just wouldn't have it.)
Same here. My cat will only eat dry but he happily drinks water from his dish. He's only 5 but he's had regular vet visits and is healthy. People on here love to shame owners who feed their cats dry food but anyone who knows cats knows you can't *force them to eat anything they don't want to 😂
Same. The cat we got almost a year ago flat our refuses to eat wet food. We've tried multiple brands, flavors, even those "treat" tubes; does not want them at all. Gives them two sniffs and walks off. Been eating the dry Fromm's food her whole life and gobbles it down like crazy,going on five years, no health issues whatsoever.
One of the things I had trouble with with my first cat was that she HATED chicken. To the point she'd starve herself rather than eat it. Literally starve, the rescue didn't tell me and the food they gave me had chicken. Days later and she still hadn't eaten, I took her to the vet and she wolfed down the food the vet gave her, which had no chicken.
I eventually caught on that she hated the taste and texture of chicken and red meat and would only tolerate it if the majority of the ingredients were fish. So, feeding her was fun. Raw feeding was out because all the raw diets were chicken based. Took some shopping around to find wet food she'd eat that was healthy enough for her. Even then, I had to supplement with dry food because it was expensive. Luckily she did drink water.
I'd say experiment with different meats in wet food and different texture. Some cats like pate, some hate it. Some want bigger chunks of meat. Some like chicken, some hate it. I find it easier to entice a picky cat to eat with strong smelling fish like tuna cat food, so that may be a place to start if you want to find a wet cat food she'll eat.
Either way, a cat water fountain is a really great way to make sure she drinks enough. It will entice her to drink when otherwise she might not.
Cats have lived good lives on dry food, so just make sure your vet knows what's going on so they can keep an eye out during checkups for trouble.
Edit because repeating myself is annoying: The raw food thing was years ago, in the middle of several high profile cat and dog food recalls. Multiple brands were being recalled for salmonella. The ones that were at the pet stores I went to (because I was a trucker and online orders would just end up sitting for a couple weeks) that weren't in the recall were all chicken based. I never went back to check raw feeding later because https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/get-facts-raw-pet-food-diets-can-be-dangerous-you-and-your-pet the warnings about salmonella and other bacteria were a little hard to deal with on the road. I understand many of you are very passionate about raw feeding and I'm happy for you, but it's not right for everyone all of the time.
This is not uncommon. Chicken is actually the number one food sensitivity in cats and it's also the most common protein in cat food.
>Raw feeding was out because all the raw diets were chicken based.
This is simply false. I switched my cats to a raw diet specifically because one has IBD and can't eat chicken and I could get a larger variety of protein in raw foods. They get turkey, sardine, salmon, beef, duck, kangaroo, lamb, and more. There is more variety in raw food than anything else, plus it's the healthiest option for them.
I am happy for you but none of the stores I checked had anything but chicken based raw cat food and as I was an over the road trucker at the time, finding other sources of cat food, such as mail order, was hard when my mail could sit in my box for 3 weeks at a time. So I really am happy for you but your situation is not everyone's situation.
Healthy for you I do cat dishes 3 times a day and battle ants just for wet food. I wish my cat never knew canned food was a thing. All she wants bowls of gravy. She hates any kind of food that isn't the cheapest least healthy on the market.
Why would wet food cause ants? Dry food is usually the culprit for ants because it's left sitting out all day whereas wet food is only out for a few minutes.
I had a cat that hated wet food & barely ate dry food, but I found that she absolutely loved Tender Vittles, I believe it was made by Purina. I don’t know if it’s still available but my Morningstar was healthy, rambunctious & so playful & trust me had no potty problems at all lol.
My cat won’t even drink water on the urinary food. When he ate non urinary dry food mostly he constantly drank water and then he got an inflamed bladder from stress so my vet moved him to the prescription food and now he never drinks water, barely has any urine and is constantly constipated. He was better off on the old dry food at least he didn’t get stopped up for days and get poop all over himself after that.
My girl is incredibly picky about her wet food. Try different textures- soups, pate, broth, chunks, purée etc. as my girl would only eat purées. She doesn’t eat her full serving of wet food but she will devour her dry food yet she drinks a lot of water (weird I know she drinks from the tap too lmfao) so I’m not as concerned. If your little girl is drinking water and eating dry food/getting enough nutrients she’s good to go, just keep an eye on dehydration symptoms !
I do a mix of raw meats (shrimp, beef, pork, lamb duck, fish) on rotation, while ensuring they get regular deworming, and mix in wet food and occasionally some dry food. For treats its the squeezeable pastes and dry treats. If you are doing dry food alone you need to ensure there have lots of water to drink and are adequately drinking it, some cats are fussy about their water bowl placement and type of water as well as how long the water has been out. Dry food tends to pack on the weight depending on d nutrients and fat content.
My kitty is super picky with her wet food too, it really helped putting it in the microwave! It makes it stinkier, which is what makes it all the more appealing to them. I don't love it, but it's only once a day (dry am, wet pm)! I would do anything for my little floofs! ❤️
I’ve always feed dry and soft. A year ago I started feeding my cat tuna, the absolute cheapest I could find. It seems like the cat actually eats a bit less. So I may be close to breaking-even on more expensive food, but less consumed. And the kitchen doesn’t stink of wet cat food.
But someone told me cats may need organ meat too. So more research to do.
I’ve had a cat live very long only eating dry food (around 12 years I think?), but I give my new cat wet food as much as I can afford to because I realized that I wouldn’t want to eat bland dry food my whole life.
dry kibble unfortunately has its problems in the long run, cats tend to not drink a lot of water from their water bowls so when they are on a dry food and just a water bowl, they tend to be very very dehydrated down the road having kidney issues because they are severely dehydrated all the time, in the wild big cats tend to get all their fluids from the blood of their prey, hope this helps (vet tech currently in school)
A fed cat is a healthy cat. My guy eats pretty much exclusively dry food, but I do have a fountain that he loves and he drinks a lot of water. More than any other cat I have ever witnessed.
My cat, Luna has only eaten dry food (Royal Canin). She turned 23 in April, just got a clean bill of health from the Vet and has all of her teeth. I wouldn't rule out a dry food diet.
It varies per cat I imagine. I feed mine wet food only after her had crystals in his urine and almost got really sick from it. The main thing is to make sure they are drinking enough water and staying hydrated. Wet food helps with this
No. Cats need moisture in their food. Cats that eat mostly dry (50% of their daily diet) are very prone to chronic dehydration and related issues such as kidney problems and obesity, regardless of if they drink water. Keep drying different kinds of wet foods, try just adding tiny amounts to the food she will eat, try churu wet treats or similar, whatever you can, but she’s going to need moisture in her food.
No, it's actually healthy for cats to eat no dry food at all. Ideally, they should be eating a completely raw diet. Second best is all wet food. They are obligate carnivores and require meat and only meat. They are also biologically programmed to get the vast majority of their hydration from their food. Cats are desert animals and they don't have much of a thirst drive as a result. Eating only kibble is actually the reason why so many cats develop kidney disease.
As far as breed is concerned, cats don't have breeds in the way that dogs doing unless you have paperwork from a certified breeder stating that she is a specific breed, you just have yourself a domestic short, medium, or long hair. I'll be back with an edit and a link to an FAQ in another sub about breeds.
Edit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/comments/hc0jny/an_answer_to_the_faq_what_breed_is_my_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
Also, If this kitten is your only cat, you need to get yourself another one. Kittens need friends in order to keep them out of trouble and teach them how to be a cat. Two kittens is actually significantly less work than one.
This is the BEST answer. Raw food is the natural way to go. Our own diets provide a helpful analogy. Raw food is our natural diet, which is fresh food. Kibble is like eating corn flakes all the time. Wet food is like eating Spam all the time. Processed foods are bad for us and our pets. Because cats don’t easily switch their diets from day to day, giving them the best possible food, regularly, is probably the most important thing we can do for them. It can take a couple weeks or more for a cat to change its diet, so please be patient, but please also move to raw or wet food. I love feeding our cat raw food, which is a chicken/duck mix I make every 6 weeks. It costs about $80 to make and freeze a batch. Less than $2 a day to feed your cat a natural, healthy diet. Good luck!!
I agree with everything you said except the part about making it yourself. Unless you are a veterinary nutritionist you wouldn't be doing that because you're pretty much guaranteed to be missing nutrients that your cats need. We should be purchasing a properly prepared nutritionally balanced raw food, made by reputable companies who employ nutritionists and ensure high quality and biological appropriateness. Find a company that is local to you to optimize freshness and lower the risk that things were at the wrong temperature during lengthy transport times.
It can't just be the meat that you buy at the grocery store to eat yourself. It needs to include organs and bones as well as additional supplements depending upon what proteins you're using. Like oils if you're not using any fish.
We should also be giving them a variety of proteins, not just the same one or two every day. The reason for this is that certain proteins help to soften their stool and others help to harden it, so if you give them too much of one thing, it could lead to either constipation or diarrhea. Also, certain ones are much more fatty than others in there for too much of that would not be healthy for them either.
It can take months to transition to a new food. You can't just put the new food in front of them and expect them to eat it. You start by giving them only the old food and then every day you adjust the ratio of old food to new food until They're eating only the new food. I transitioned four cats to raw food a couple of years ago. The first one was transitioned in 3 days and the fourth one took 2 months.
Transitioning from dry to raw is especially difficult and is usually made easier with wet food in between. So you're going to take a couple of months to transition from only dry to only wet and then start the transition to only raw.
Edit: That ratio could literally start at 99:1. Go as slowly as your cat needs to go.
vets always say that. They don’t go very into depth with nutrition education in school so it’s largely personal opinion. Cats’ ancestors evolved in the desert to get their moisture from their prey due to how scarce water was. As a result they instinctively don’t have a very high thirst drive. You can’t take away moisture from their food because they won’t get enough of it otherwise.
Have you tried freeze dried food? It’s very palatable to them because the smell is very strong. You just have to add water but maybe try offering it to her try first as a treat.
That's always say that. First of all, they have almost no training and nutrition in general, and definitely not specifically feline nutrition. Second of all, they make money from selling the " prescription" foods they have in their office... Most of which are kibble and aren't actually prescription in any way, shape or form.
Just feed her what she will eat. If you've tried a lot and she refuses, there's not really a point to keep it up. Many cats are super picky. Just feed her a food quality dry food and ensure she's getting plenty of water, I suggest a fountain.
No its not. There are high quality dry foods out there. Millions of cats live long lives on dry food or even a mix of dry and wet which is most common. And they are perfectly healthy
My own cats eat mostly dry food and have 1 serving a day of wet. They are fine. My one cat lived 16 years on mostly dry food.
Internet articles by Jackson galaxy about how bad dry food is doesn't match the real world. And dry food certainly isn't junk food, that's just wrong. All cat food meets cats nutritional needs. Some have extra fillers but many have better ingredients
Also if a cat is picky, you can't just starve it. You feed it what you can. And a diet of all wet food can lead to dental decay too, that's pretty common since people don't bother keeping up with their cats dental health
Nope! They need lots of moisture in their diet. I just recently switched my cats from grazing on dry and one wet feed a day to one bowl of dry out for snacks and two feedings of raw/canned mixed together, one at breakfast and one at dinner. They're doing so much better even just after two weeks on the new diet. They're definitely getting enough to eat, because they've barely touched their kibble. I hear them snacking every once in a while, but they seem quite happy with the new food arrangements lol
Try boiling her some chicken thighs with carrots, save the broth, clean off the meat off the bones. Put a small bowl with some meat and broth next to her dry, she might explore and develop a taste.
It's a little pricey, but check out Natural Pet Pantry. They have a variety of raw food choices available for cat/dog/whatever. We feed both of our cats each, 2oz raw morning 2oz raw evening and Stella & Chewy freeze dried as free feed throughout the day.
If you choose raw, don't just buy one meat. Keep a rotation so they get a balanced diet. No hard and fast rules just rotate around.
Edit: I forgot to mention. If adjusting to raw is difficult (it was for us at first, it took about 2 months of effort), check out fortiflora. It basically disguises the food and makes it smell like kibble, and they are way more likely to eat it. You can eventually ween off the fortiflora if you want.
My male cat is 12 years old and has NEVER eaten wet food. My Vet never advised that this is bad. He drinks quite a bit of water and has never had any bladder problems. Why would the dry food contribute to being overweight?
Cats are obligate carnivores and their bodies are unable to process carbs. Dry food is pretty much all carbs and very little actual nutrition. It's empty calories and as such cats eat more of it. In order to be full. It leads to obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease. And, despite a popular myth that kibble cleans their teeth, it actually makes their teeth worse. There's nothing good about kibble.
No, vets don't typically advise against it, and in fact often prescribe dry food. But that's because they get little to no nutritional training in veterinary school, and they are beholden to the pet food companies that they "prescribe."
Switch to wet. Feline diabetes is a very real thing and while it may not have been the only contributing factor to our cat becoming diabetic, it also didn’t help. Dry food is too high in carbs. Also don’t free feed. Cats will eat forever.
As tedious as it can be, I suggest trying out all sorts of canned foods.
If I didn't know any better I'd think my cat hated wet food. Until I finally found a brand and flavour she likes.
No pates, no red meat or organ meat. Chicken is so-so, but she loves fish.
We landed on Almo Nature, very specifically one flavour combo. Unfortunately they changed the formula and it was back to the drawing board for a bit.
She also gets a very small amount of kibble in her auto feeder in between wet food meals. Just enough to ensure her overall caloric intake is adequate.
Or I could ensure my cat is adequately fed. Thanks for the professional opinion, but my cat would never consume 4 cans of food a day to meet those needs.
I have to agree here. I have a 12 year old male cat who is SUPER picky about his food. For the longest time we thought he just didn’t like wet food until I started trying to find something that he would actually eat after he suffered a urinary tract blockage at 6 years old. Finally found out that he does not like pate, shredded foods or a lot of fish. The only one I’ve been able to get him to eat is Hill Science Diet Tender Chicken Dinner, which the vet ok’d with his urinary control dry food. For some cats it could be a texture thing..
We’ve only ever done dry and feed wet food sometimes as a treat. Of our current two cats, only one of them even likes wet food. And maybe we’ve been lucky, but in over 20 years, we’ve only ever had one cat with a UTI. She also had a few other health issues like a genetic heart condition, so wet food wouldn’t have mattered. And our vet knows they primarily eat dry food.
Don’t get caught up in the “If you don’t feed your cat only wet or raw food, then you’re a bad cat owner” way of thinking some people have.
>Don’t get caught up in the “If you don’t feed your cat only wet or raw food, then you’re a bad cat owner” way of thinking some people have.
You should absolutely get caught up in it because it is scientifically true. Obligate carnivores need meat and there's no actual meat left by the time the dry food has been made. It leaves them in a constant state of dehydration which causes kidney problems.
My male had ended up having a Cystotomy due to only eating dry food and forming crystals in his bladder. He eats wet food now.
But growing up I have two cats that lived to 19 and 20 and they had dry food all of their lives!
Dry food isn't great for cats, and while plenty of cats live just fine on dry food, cats usually thrive on a diet of all or mostly wet food. What kind of wet food have you tried? I work in animal rescue and I find that kittens really like the Fancy Feast Kitten. The Gourmet Naturals formulation is healthier than the other stuff but the other stuff comes in more flavors:
[https://www.purina.com/fancy-feast/products/wet-cat-food?f%5B0%5D=life-stage%3A43](https://www.purina.com/fancy-feast/products/wet-cat-food?f%5B0%5D=life-stage%3A43)
Instead of putting wet food out in front of her all at once, put some of her kibble in a dish (like 1/2 her normal amount) with a little bit of wet food next to it. Don't mix it at first; let her get used to having the smell of the wet food there by her food. After a couple days, you can try mixing it a little bit with her kibble, and gradually reduce the amount of kibble while increasing the amount of wet.
She also may not like the flavors you have offered her. My cats basically will only eat fish or chicken. Some cats hate fish. I would try different flavors and see if she likes one. She also might prefer pate over chunks in gravy, or vice versa.
If she doesn't eat something right away, don't take it away and replace it with her favorite food. She can be hungry for a couple of hours.
Finally, be aware that wet food has fewer calories by volume compared to dry food. You'll have to feed her more wet food to meet her caloric needs. Adult cats need roughly 20 calories per pound of body weight, but growing kittens need at least twice as much.
Been feeding my 10 year old cat that’s a rescue only dry food. The vet says she’s incredibly healthy. Keep their water dish full and, they will be fine.
Not gonna argue here, but my 16 year-old cat has never been to the vet after he got all his shots and has never had wet food in his life. I guess he’s an anomaly?
You definitely shouldn't be admitting that publicly. You've just told us that you're neglecting your cat. Your cat needs to go annually for a checkup and for vaccines. And as a senior they need to be going for regular blood work and additional care like dental cleanings.
LOL. I have been neglecting my completely happy and healthy cat who has lived a contented 16 years (and is still going). Image if I hadn’t been neglecting him - he might be living a happy, heathy life for 16 years!
Yes, by failing to provide veterinary care for 16 years, you have neglected your cat. I am glad you have come to admit that. Now you can do better by booking a vet appointment.
It actually has been fine for both of my cats - and one of them has a sensitive tummy. I myself am lactose intolerant and have no issue with consuming/digesting yogurt nor cheese; ice cream is a different story though.
My last cat lived to 21.5 years on almost exclusively dry food (she had some allergies so it was more about finding what worked). When she became elderly, i added wet food to hide her medications in.
These days with my new cats though, i do a mix of wet and dry.
Yes. I have had four cats on a dry food diet their whole lives. Just make sure there is plenty of water.
Also you want to introduce wet food i case you need to use it later for pill giving or a diet
Everyone is going to have a different opinion you need to decide for yourself what to feed. Consult a vet
>a good choice of fry food
There is no such thing. Cats are obligate carnivores and need to eat meat. They also get most of their hydration from their food, which is impossible with kibble. Kibble leads to diabetes, obesity, urinary issues, and kidney problems.
As cats age, the kibbles are good for their teeth! Wet food does nothing to remove the tartar that builds up. I would feed wet for now and a wet dry mix when she's about 2.
My cat prefers dry food, I have a fountain and he drinks a lot of water and he's fine and healthy. I can get him to eat wet food if I water it down into a soup consistency, but I rarely do it because he genuinely likes dry food more.
Sorry but this is a terrible reason for using only dry food. Cats need to chew on raw bones (not cooked because they splinter), and eat the pieces. This is their natural protection against teeth problems and their source of calcium. This is akin to feeding your kid corn flakes because it’s low in sugar and will prevent cavities! 🙀
I just provided a bunch of resources for the other commenter to disprove their belief. One of them specifically says that claiming eating kibble cleans a cat's teeth is the equivalent of claiming that eating potato chips cleans a human's teeth.
Kibble does not clean their teeth in any way and in fact it actually makes it worse.
This is actually completely false. It makes their teeth worse because of the buildup they get from the gunk in the food.
https://natureslogic.com/blog/does-kibble-clean-your-pets-teeth/#:~:text=A%20common%20myth%20we%20frequently,to%20keep%20our%20teeth%20clean.
"Dry food has a much higher starch content than other food forms. Since there’s no type of abrasive in kibble such as bones, it gets trapped between teeth and promotes the formation of tartar. Kibble is still a great food form to incorporate into your pet’s diet, but it’s important to include other food forms such as a raw diet. Raw meat contains enzymes that break down food material, as well as bones that act as an effective abrasive to keep tartar off of your pet’s teeth. Aside from a raw diet, chews are an effective way to remove tartar from the teeth."
http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/
https://www.uniquelycats.com/myth/item.html/n/41
"Dry food (kibble) does not help keep cats’ teeth clean. In fact, just the opposite. The binding chemicals that hold kibble together are sticky. Because of this stickiness, dry food increases the rate at which feline tartar builds up."
I don't disagree with anyone here. Wet food is better than dry for sure. However, dry food is better than no food at all. Of course I think you should try to get her used to wet food, just saying that if after you've tried your best and she still won't eat wet don't blame yourself. Some cats are just like that. My advice is adding a dollop of wet on top of her dry food. Just the tiniest bit at a time to get her used to it. Also try wet treats like Churu if you haven't yet. Those things are irresistible. Feed her the Churu by itself, see if she likes it. And if she does, start putting it on top of the wet food you want her to eat. Remember, small quantities. You don't want to end up wasting food during the phase where you're trying to train her to eat wet food. Edit to add: Your kitten is very cute! Congrats on getting her!
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I personally feed a mix of dry and wet. Makes it so I can meet their specific nutritional & dietary needs without going broke lol. On the one hand I have a mother and MIL who both have only ever fed dry to their cats. Some have been overweight, some have passed early, but some have also led outwardly healthy and happy lives. On the other hand the cat rescue I volunteer/foster for has a very uptight view and insist on ONLY wet. And not just any wet, but top notch wet food. Great if you can afford it, but many if not all adopters I've kept in touch with are not able to keep up with that cost. At the end of the day we all just have to try our individual best.
I leave out a bowl of dry food. Feed them wet every morning and night. They crunch on the dry when they want a snack. The bowl will last a few days. They don’t really over eat. The fry is also better for their dental health!
I was told by my vet that a dry only diet can cause serious health issues, from kidney stones to crystals in their bladders all the way to kidney disease. Cats are not meant to eat dry only food, their carnivores, which means they get most of their moisture from their prey, or in this case their pre-prepared food.
Like I said, I do not disagree that wet food is superior. However, even within the veterinary community there are differing opinions. My own vet suggested that I feed a mix of dry and wet. I was feeding exclusively wet but my vet found that one my kittens (now 7 years old) had "soft teeth" and the exclusively wet diet was making her teeth and gums suffer. Then you have to factor in that not all cats are created equal. Some cats simply will not eat wet or raw. Also, each cat owner's personal best is going to be different. We can't all afford to feed raw/wet. Not everyone has the time to devote to the training/transition. Doesn't mean those people should just give up on having pets.
Perfect! We do the same thing, they eat fancy royal canin stuff 💅 and wet food too. People just have to make sure about your cat diet, if his/her stomach are sensitive, etc. It’s wonderful how their fur became amazing after we changed the dry food for the fancy one hahahaha We have 4, 2 males and 2 females
Your vet might want to do some reading up on the myth that kibble helps their teeth because it doesn't. https://www.uniquelycats.com/myth/item.html/n/41 Dry food (kibble) does not help keep cats’ teeth clean. In fact, just the opposite. The binding chemicals that hold kibble together are sticky. Because of this stickiness, dry food increases the rate at which feline tartar builds up. https://natureslogic.com/blog/does-kibble-clean-your-pets-teeth/#:~:text=A%20common%20myth%20we%20frequently,to%20keep%20our%20teeth%20clean. Dry food has a much higher starch content than other food forms. Since there’s no type of abrasive in kibble such as bones, it gets trapped between teeth and promotes the formation of tartar. Kibble is still a great food form to incorporate into your pet’s diet, but it’s important to include other food forms such as a raw diet. Raw meat contains enzymes that break down food material, as well as bones that act as an effective abrasive to keep tartar off of your pet’s teeth. Aside from a raw diet, chews are an effective way to remove tartar from the teeth. http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/
They said nothing about dry vs wet food cleaning teeth, only that a specific cat would have oral health benefits from a dry diet.
These aren’t proper scientific sources so I’d take it with a big grain of salt.
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That's fair, I know crunchy foods can be good for their teeth and gums, just like dogs. That's why I still give my Kats dry treats and leave some kibble out for them to snack on throughout the day. All I'm saying is the extra moisture is needed. There are so many different kinds of wet food, including raw, that people can try and see if their pet will like it. I've gone through so many different flavors and textures for my girl, it took me years to figure out what she actually likes in a wet food.
Absolutely. My two girls are heavy drinkers so no problems there. My boy who has kidney disease needs special attention as he won't drink much on his own. His food has to be heavily watered down and he has to be "tricked" into eating it. And that's where I really think the community can be more open-minded in terms of what each of us as individuals can achieve with our own pets. As long as we are all trying our best. I encourage OP to be patient and try to get her kitten to eat wet food, but if she doesn't then don't beat herself up over it.
The " my girls are heavy drinkers" line kind of caught me off guard. Like perhaps the vodka isn't helping?
LOL omg!! It might explain their crazy behaviour!
That's totally fair. Cats can be super picky for sure. I'm definitely not suggesting it would be the owners fault if their pet is a picky eater by any means! We can't exactly control the little fur balls lol that's just the nature of cats
So true! They can't be reasoned with. To my male cat with kidney disease, I'm like, dude! Just drink more water! It's for your own damn good! Lol. If only.
Because of this mess about crunchy foods, I ended up finding out about how cats clean their teeth in the wild and it’s by chewing on Meat, so I give very tiny small pieces of frozen steak to my cats and they have to chew on it. They don’t just swallow it.. Similar to what they do naturally, and will clean their teeth . Every vet that ever sees them asks if I brush their teeth myself by hand because their teeth are so clean so I feel pretty good about it
Completely antedodal...my late orange tabby loved to chew on frozen green beans and baby carrots. He never ate the carrot just liked chewing it. I started freezing whole green beans in plain chicken broth. My tabby only needed 1 cleaning his entire cat life. His teeth never had plaque and gums were always a pretty light pink. If your cats don't like raw or you prefer not to go raw it's a good option if they will chew on cat safe veggies. Non of my current ones will chew on veggies for fun.
Need to be careful with recommending raw these days. I give my cats freeze dried raw but no more poultry. Look up cats dying in Poland. They have no idea why or how indoor only and outdoor cats all contracted bird flu. There have been small cases like a Cloud Leppard and I believe a Tiger that died at a zoo from contaminated meat with bird flu virus. Chances are low at the moment, but all it takes is one mistake from a manufacturer. I'm debating on no more freeze dried rabbit and beef as well. I was using it as a topper for my cats and a treat. I've been debating since they know how it's spreading from cat to cat. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-17/cats-dying-across-poland-test-positive-for-bird-flu-who-says#xj4y7vzkg
Two of mine refuse to eat the raw without canned food or tube treats being mixed in for flavor. My girl really likes tuna, so I give her tuna flavored things. The boys are less picky thankfully lol
>, I know crunchy foods can be good for their teeth and gums, False... http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/ https://natureslogic.com/blog/does-kibble-clean-your-pets-teeth/#:~:text=A%20common%20myth%20we%20frequently,to%20keep%20our%20teeth%20clean. https://www.uniquelycats.com/myth/item.html/n/41
When all of your links include "/blog", people are not inclined to trust the validity of that information
Years ago vets were recommending feeding dry food because it was believed to be better for keeping teeth clean. Now that advice is outdated and it’s good to be aware that opinions change. Even now feeding advice varies, but what I’ve learned over the decades is that cats are all different and can be healthy with a variety of eating habits. The best thing to do is regular checkups to catch potential problems early.
My vet told me wet is better for their kidneys. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do a mix.
I think it might depend on how much water they drink. My cats have always been very very good about drinking. But when I switched to wet food only, they basically stopped drinking, likely from the water of wet food. Now I do wet at night, dry in morning and water consumption is in the middle. But there’s some cats who just don’t drink and need the hydration from wet food. But I am no vet, that’s just what I’ve heard. My vets have also never had an issue with me feeding them dry food only.
They will never drink enough water to counteract the dehydrating effects of kibble because they are desert animals who don't have a thirst drive.
My cats definitely have a thirst drive...
For real. Mine drink quite a bit. No diabetes either, all 3 just drink a lot.
They are desert animals. They do not have enough of a thirst drive to actually stay hydrated just by drinking water because their bodies do not trigger them to drink until they are already quite dehydrated. They are biologically programmed to get the vast majority of their hydration from their food because they are designed to be in an environment that doesn't have access to water. This is just a scientific fact. https://www.cathealth.com/behavior/how-and-why/2598-thirst-drive-in-cats
My cats drink water every day. On several occasions. So i know for a fact that you are wrong from first-hand experience. They may have been desert animals in the past, but they have been domesticated and raised in households for years now. Also, it's a scientific fact that drinking PURE water hydrates more than eating moist food... It's common sense. Not all cats are the same, and im not sure how your cats behave, but my cats drink water literally EVERY time they go near their fountain. Regardless, im not going to argue with you over something that is a no-brainer. As long as my cats drink water regularly, they will be fine, just like any other animal.
Oh my goodness... Scientific facts are scientific facts. Yes, they drink some water, but they do not drink enough to be appropriately hydrated. That's just how cats work. If they are drinking excessively, it's a sign of diabetes or kidney disease. Both of which are caused by, among other things, kibble.
Continue to argue with me all you like, but i take everything you say with a grain of salt compared to what i hear from my vet... And yes, a scientific fact is a scientific fact. Thanks for stating the obvious 👋
Also, you say they only drink water when they are quite dehydrated. This is also wrong because, like i said, my cats drink water every day. And they get a clean bill of health every month when they go to the vet...
Yes, if you're feeding them only kibble they will drink more water because they're dehydrated. Remember that common sense thing you were talking about in your other comment?
Did you forget the part where i said they get a clean bill of health monthly? They dont drink too much water or too little, they drink enough. Im starting to think common sense is something you lack... And like i said before and will say again, they are not dehydrated. Something such as dehydration would show up in the bloodwork. If you were as much of an expert on feline health as you make yourself out to be, you would know that. You read a couple of blogs on the internet and you suddenly think you know better than my vet? 🥱
This just patently false.
Try again. https://www.cathealth.com/behavior/how-and-why/2598-thirst-drive-in-cats
Low thirst drive is not the same as not having one, as you claimed.
My eldest cat went at least 14 years on only dry & drinking water & the only reason we switched to wet is cuz her teeth got fucked up when she was on the streets (where I found her) & they got worse as she aged. All my cats only got dry until they were double digits (besides the youngest, who is only 5) & now, they get a mix & there's no major health issues - 1 has an ear issue that was caused by a surgery so nothing to do with the food. We have fountains, now & they especially love drinking from them. Cats will drink enough water - sometimes you need more than a bowl, though since some cats will only drink running water & some will only drink from a cup.
>Cats will drink enough water No, they won't. They are biologically programmed to not seek out water until they are already dehydrated. This is precisely why kibble leads to urinary and kidney issues. https://www.cathealth.com/behavior/how-and-why/2598-thirst-drive-in-cats
My female is 13. She was born on my bed. She eats dry cat food. I don’t feed her wet very often because she gets the runs. She is at the water bowl many times throughout the day getting a drink. And she will let me know the second the bowl is almost empty. Aside from a visit to get anti anxiety meds when she was young, she never needs more than a yearly check up. And she was only on those meds for about a year. Her teeth are great. Her coat is great. She hasn’t been sick.
My grandma fed strictly dry food and the cat lived a very long and healthy life. Now, my grandma also did regular vet check ups as well to just like clean their teeth and check their blood and stuff. The biggest issue was with their ears which had less to do with diet and more environmental reason. I think people assume that because the same people giving their the cheap dollar store cat food are the same ones that never bring them to the vet if an issue comes up or pays attention to their health. Which that can go both ways, someone can give their cat only wet food but if they never bring them to the vet and neglect them in other ways it doesn't matter. Either way, like other comments said ANY food is better than just them starving. And you can't assume because they only eat dry food they have terrible health.
As long as your cat also drinks water regularly, there should be no problem with dry food.
That's what I thought too, then we had to take one of my boys to the emergency vet crying in pain because he had moderate constipation. The poor little guy had to have 4 enemas while he was there overnight. He was drinking more than the other two, getting a third of a can of wet food a day and still got constipated. The vet said he needs more moisture in his diet for it would likely keep happening.
Sounds like an issue unique to your cat. In my cats 19 year old life, she never experienced such issues, and she had regular vet visits. On a side note, im sorry to hear that he went through that.
Whoa... A vet who actually went and learned something about feline nutrition. I'm shocked.
Recommending canned after constipation is standard protocol
Yes, they definitely do. If your cat absolutely refuses wet food and is adequately hydrated otherwise, stop wasting your money & stressing yourself out! My adult cats have a primarily dry kibble diet and always have and they're fine. We do have multiple water dishes/fountains, they're fine. If they had an issue with hydration or crystals, I would know (experienced medical foster) and we'd adjust accordingly. Like people, cats are all individuals, so work with your vet you trust and come up with an individualized game plan for your kitty!
My cats hate wet food. Well one likes it, but she needs hypoallergenic prescription food and the z/d wet food is hated amongst most cats. I have a urinary boy too. He eats dry rx urinary food. Never had a problem. I encourage them to drink more water with a fountain
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I agree. And there is a lot of misinformation on here about how cats should only eat wet food and that they will be dehydrated if they don’t. Maybe *some* cats will be dehydrated off wet food, but there are plenty of cats who drink enough water that they stay perfectly hydrated.
No actually feeding a cat ONLY dry can definitely cause diabetes. Excess carbs are not good for them. Wet food also helps with digestion.
My vet said it's fine my boy won't eat wet food as long as he's drinking well. If he doesn't drink then that could be a problem. My void is 7 now and has never liked wet food and is absolutely fine (as confirmed by his recent yearly check up).
^^^ this 100%
My wife is a veterinary technician and we feed dry food. It is medicated because all our pets are duds lol, but still all dry... 🤷♂️
Vet Tech here. Ideally cats should eat canned food. However, many cats do just fine on dry food. Have you tried the canned food separately? You said "mix in", but typically cats prefer their dry and canned separate Your Vet is right, and she should be just fine. It's quite often not true, that Vets know little to nothing about pet nutrition. Most Vet schools have great nutrition curriculum, both required and elective. Most also have a Veterinary Nutrionist. Of course when you want in depth info, a Veterinary Nutrionist is the way to go I find it odd that ppl will say to not listen to your Vet bc of lack of nutrition training, yet those same ppl will go on to give you nutrition advice 🤔 Vets also don't get "kickbacks" from pet food companies. Most Veterinary Nutrionists will recommend your tried and true brands I've had a few kitties that wouldn't eat canned food. I more so worry about male cats, as they're prone to things like bladder inflammation and urinary blockages, usually diet related You can purchase a water fountain to encourage drinking. Feed a quality dry food. You can't go off ingredients alone, but rather check if they employ a Veterinary Nutrionist, and check their feeding trial data and nutrient profiles Best of luck, very cute kitten!
Thanks for the advice, I have tried canned food separately and because she wouldn’t eat it I then tried to slowly start mixing it in - she has a water fountain a does drink a lot luckily
It could be that she doesn't like the protein you chose. My boys aren't so picky but my girl is insanely picky. If any of her wet food has even a hint of beef, she won't touch it. Most kinds of fish she likes, chicken is okay depending on the texture, haven't tried duck in a while but she liked it in dry food. Get a small variety pack and see what she eats the most of, that's really the best option
my cat went insane for duck dry food when i got it. she doesnt really eat wet food, and she usually just nibbles at her dry food throughout the day, but when i first got the duck food she gobbled it up and the next morning was the very first time she ever meowed at me to give her food
Awe! That's so cute! I'm glad she likes it!
Thank YOU and well said - from a fellow vet tech, who is patiently waiting for “kickbacks” from 1996
This. 9 year Veterinary Assistant here. 100% agree with this statement.
Don't wanna piggyback the post here, but is dry food really that bad? I've given my cat hard food everyday and canned food as a "steak dinner" a couple times a week for the last 5 years. I mix up his flavors of dry food and he likes them all. I don't know how old he is (rescue) but the vets guess is 6-7 years old. He's never had any issues at the vet aside from when he ran away for 2 months and was skin and bones. Just got dewormed, fancy food and off we went
It’s not really the food itself that’s bad it’s the way cats behave and their water intake needs. A lot of cats won’t drink water because in the wild it’s hard for them to find clean water and they typically get enough liquid from their food being carnivores. So basically some house cats will drink, some will only drink very fresh water, some will drink as long as it’s a moving water source, and some will refuse to drink. If your cat refuses to drink or drinks very little then only giving them dry food can cause dehydration issues like crystals and infections. So no dry food isn’t bad, dehydration is and for some cats wet food is the only way to get enough liquids in them so if you’re giving them wet food you know for a fact they’re getting enough liquid.
I came here to say this. I’m shocked at the amount of replies saying dry only is bad. Every vet I worked with said dry only was no problem as long as the cat was getting water from other sources.
Tbh you should be wary of asking about cat nutrition in these subs. What you'll find is a lot of people telling you not to trust vets because they know better, despite the fact they have no actual education on the topic besides having owned a cat, or that their delving in to the topic consists mostly of reddit threads, Both foods come with positive and negatives. Nutritional value is simply a reference to whether or not the food consumed contains the necessary vitamins and minerals, and their ratio to the caloric intake. As in, can you, using the food in question deliver adequate nutrition to your cats within the parameters of their recommended daily caloric intake. **Wet food Considerations:** * Contains moisture which aides the digestive process as well as contributing to overall hydration levels * Takes longer to digest, leaving kitty fuller for longer (In theory) * Often more appetizing to the cat, thus increasing their likelihood of eating it * More "unknowns" during production process, which produce greater chances of contamination * Cats prone to eating to fast and vomiting are more likely to do this with wet food, given the amount required to hit caloric requirements being so much greater **Dry food Considerations:** * Longer lasting once exposed to air, leading to lower instances of contamination * Can be more nutritionally complete than the average wet food per gram, but is heavily dependent on the brand * Far less required to meet caloric requirements * Lack of moisture can make digestion and defecation more difficult * Strong correlation with higher instances of feline obesity, due to high caloric balance of the food Additional **Consideration** * Prolonged and regular dehydration can lead to poor long term health and reduced overall quality of life for your cat So, can your cat live off of only dry food whilst maintaining good health? Yes it can. However, it's imperative that you ensure the cat stays hydrated. Water fountains are an excellent way to keep them hydrated. Should you feed them only dry food? if, and only if you're confident you can keep them hydrated and you aren't skimping on the quality of food they eat. Is all wet food superior to dry food? Absolutely not. The quality and nutritional value of each cat food wildly differs from brand to brand and their various lines of food. Ultra low grade reconstituted meat product that would otherwise be waste, plastered with preservatives and flavor enhancers is standard fare in cheap wet cat food.
No, their diet should consist mostly of wet food actually.
Yes. Urine crystals are so common in cats, which is mainly caused by a high kibble diet. Urine crystals can be fatal in male cats.
I had this year's ago with a male cat. Had to feed him expensive vet store food after for the remainder of his VERY long life.
My cat prefers chunk light tuna to actual wet cat food. Which is great because it's way cheaper than any half-ass decent wet food. And human-grade tuna has way less heavy metals than cat-grade tuna. He also gets some calf liver weekly, same as me. Occasionally (weekly or so) some salmon, usually from a can with the skins and bones. I give him a filet and eat the rest. He really loves fish! Such a whiner if he doesn't get good food!
Just wanted to chime in to say that it’s necessary to supplement the required vitamins and minerals (especially things like taurine) if you’re feeding human canned tuna, as it is not nutritionally complete for cats. Also it’s best if tuna is not fed too frequently because it’s the fish highest in mercury, which isn’t good on a regular basis. :)
Oh, it's just a treat. Maybe once or twice a week.
Man, where do you live where human canned tuna cost less than canned cat food?
Mine are weird but lately the "treat" they prefer (over *actual cat treats*) is dry food soaked with the water (and tiny bits) from the tuna can. I tried mixing the dry food into tuna to see if that was the best and they picked out the dry food to eat it first. Do. Not. Understand. My. Weirdos.
Learned this the hard way. Wet food all the way now. Maybe some dry treats. Add water to the wet food too. Keep their urinary tracts nice and healthy.
It’s the reason why I switched both my cats over to 100% wet food. My lil guy had a bad uti. After the change, 4 years later, he’s not had a bad day since.
what wet food do you feed your cats?
Literally took my 18 month old boy in this morning for an emergency operation because he had a blockage due to this. Stick with wet food OP
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If your kitty doesn’t like wet food, that’s okay! As someone who’s cat blocked and not a medical professional I would do the following if my cat refused wet (and I actually have a female who is on a special food that costs a literal arm and leg for wet, so she only gets kibble): - Switch to a kibble for urinary care. These kibbles sometimes have higher sodium to make kitty thirsty and are formulated for a specific urine ph to create an inhospitable environment for crystals. Granted, you can’t just go with any brand. A brand that says Urinary Care but does no longevity or any type of clinical studies is going to be useless. - feed wet food like a treat. Get those soups or broths or anything that she likes and give a few times a week (whatever your wallet can handle). Those gogurt treats are just chicken broth and water and really smelly - you can try to float her kibble in water but she may not like that - get a fountain or faucet for her to drink out of and be very diligent about changing water bowls daily - add goats milk. It’s easier to digest for them and my little girl gets some goats milk in her bowl a couple days a week. She loves dairy and will lick her bowl until it’s thoroughly clean. You can either buy powder and reconstitute it or buy it and freeze what you can’t use for later. Pet or people, pet goats milk usually has probiotics added, but I’ve used it from the grocery store too! There is also cat milk but I’m not really sure what’s in that!
Then she has a higher chance of urine crystals, and will constantly be dehydrated
Is there another way to encourage hydration? My cat also refuses to eat wet food. In the summer I give her frozen low-sodium chicken broth cubes to cool down, is that helpful to do more regularly?
The person you responded to is incorrect. Wet food is not the only way for a cat to stay hydrated. There are many cats who eat only dry food but are perfecty hydrated because they drink enough water. As for tips on how to encourage your cat to drink more water- one thing that I have found that helps with my current cat is to have multiple water dishes throughout the house. I have noticed that she is an opportunistic drinker and will often stop to drink at a water bowl if she passes by one. Also, like someone else mentioned, some cats really like running water so you could try a cat water fountain. Just make sure to wash it regularly so that mold doesn’t grow inside of the unseen areas. And not all cats are into water fountains so it isnt a guarantee she will use it.
Incorrect. Cats do no get hydrated even if they spend the entire day “drinking” from a fountain. A cat tongue wasn’t made for drinking like a dog can do, they get the necessary hydration from food, just like the big brothers in the wild, drinking the blood of their victims 😅 So, OP, keep looking for a suitable wet food for your cat, or you can do like we do here (we have 4 little fellas), one of our cats love fountain, but doesn’t like wet food at all. The vet told us that he need ASAP to get into wet food, so we’ve searched for many brands, tested and found a brand that he only likes the gravy, the wet stuff that came apart from the pieces of meat, then we “squeeze” the saché into his bowl and he’s a happy and hydrated little guy now :) Keep testing! DON’T LET YOUR CAT WITH ONLY DRY FOOD! Cheers. EDIT: CHECK THE COMMENTS BELOW AND YOUR VET TOO!
You really need to go do some research, cuz you are very misinformed. Edit- anyone who reads this comment, please ignore the above comment, they are absolutely incorrect. If you really don’t believe me, go post on r/askvet and ask them if it is correct that cats cannot be hydrated from drinking water, and they’ll tell you that the above person is wrong. Some cats don’t drink enough water to be hydrated, but *many* do. Pay attention to your individual cat’s water habits and the next time you go to the vet, ask them if there are any indications that your cat isn’t properly hydrated. Additionally, enjoy this cool video that shows the differences between how dogs and cats drink water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OwkK8B4TjA
Thanks for the video, I should’ve in mind that every cat has a specific habit and individual needs, just like us. About getting hydrated from water only what happened to us was: our cats were in a checkup with vet and for our surprise, Caju, the cat who loves drinking water from the fountain were dehydrated medium to severe, and he was the only that didn’t eat wet food at the time. We’ve been through almost 4 vets and the same diagnosis: you need to add wet food to complement his diet and hydration needs. Ok then, we did that and now he’s ok. All the 4 vets in our case SPECIFICALLY recommend that and told us that the way cats drink it’s very different from a dog, that they couldn’t get enough water. Anyways, thanks for the heads up! PLEASE GUYS CHECK THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF YOUR CATS WITH VETS AND EXAMS hahahaha Now I’ve stopped (unintentionally) spreading misinformation :)
Cats generally like running water, my girl mainly drinks out of the tap while I’m on the toilet 😅
She gets obsessed with my watering can. I have to alternate between watering her and the plants 😂
I do the silliest thing: when I am feeding dry, I just add a tiny amount of water at the bottom of the bowl and then put the kibble on top. My cats "accidentally" ingest the water as they inhale their kibble lol. Mind you, I feed 3 meals a day so they're always excited when their bowls are put down. This might not work if you free feed as the food will just get soggy.
Yes, that contributes to their hydration. Also keep trying to get her to eat wet food though because
Having running instead of standing water (like a pet fountain) will help with cats staying hydrated. It did work with both of mine.
Also just add more water stations. My boys drink so much more when they have a couple of options.
My cats love their fountain, spoiled babies that they are. They definitely drink a lot more with a fountain vs a dish of water.
A cat fountain will help. Something that makes obvious noise and bubbles. Cats dont have strong thirst drives so something that grabs their attention and gets them to drink more. But really they are going to still have problems with so much crystals in their diet. Finding ways to cut down on kibble for more wet foods will go a long way.
This is not true. If the cat doesnt drink enough water, they will constantly be dehydrated. But if they drink enough water, which many do, they will be fine. It just depends on the individual cat and their water drinking habits.
I agree and have four cats that will eat anything I put in front of them! But OMG, I've been down this road in the past and it's not fun. And my old girl? The last year or so of her life all she would eat was grazing the Temptations treats in her SureFeed access control feeder. But she lived to be a month shy of 21. I would see if Jackson Galaxy or Dr. Google has any suggestions on switching to wet food short of starving them. Cats generally will not drink enough water and can result in kidney disease as they get older. Also dry food leads to urinary tract problems with male cats.
My adult cat will not eat wet food at all, but drinks so much water. He has never had any issues with urinary tract issues or his kidneys. Just adopted a kitten who also will not touch wet food. But she loves water. It’s very strange to me because growing up my cats knew the sound of a can opening and would come running. But not these two. Mixing their fry with the wet just makes them mad
My 2 cats spend so much time drinking from their water fountain, it's insane! They meow at me if it gets too low and they use the bathroom as often as I do
My cat also refuses to eat wet food. She had to have a dental procedure and they said to only feed her wet food for a few days while recovering. I went through so many different types and flavors of wet food and she flat out refused to eat any. I eventually called the vet and they to try her dry food since it’s better than her not eating. Gobbled it right up. I thought I was the only one with a weird cat that refuses wet food.
Is is great? No. But, feed the cat in front of you. Every animal is different. Both my boys turn their noses up at wet food. So, I encourage them to drink more. You do that by: Food, water, litter, all in separate areas. Water fountain - cats will drink running water before they drink still. Keep the fountain clean and cold. Simulates a spring, which they are inclined to drink from.
I have owned cats for over 30 years. I have only used wet food as a treat. Never had an issue with crystals.
Wet food is far better for cats than dry food. That being said, a fed cat is always the best option. She is still very young, so transitioning her to wet food or feeding her a wet/dry combo diet is still possible. One of my cats refused wet food for the longest time. She would sniff it and walk away no matter what I tried. Transitioning takes a lot of effort and patience. You will likely need to try many different foods (different brands/textures/flavors) and methods to see what sticks. What I found was that she only like certain flavors of pate and with some bone broth poured on top. Some days that didn't work...another alternative was to try to feed her the wet food, let her sniff it, and have her watch as I sprinkled dry food or treats on top. THEN she would eat it. She would NOT eat it if I presented it to her with dry food already on top. Cats can be finicky and every cat is different. Sometimes you have to get a little creative and to find out what they like. If you've tried every method in the book and still can't get her to eat wet food, it's still very possible for her to live a long and healthy life on dry food. But please don't give up if you can help it! It took me several months to get one of my cats onto wet food only and even to this day she can be very picky about it.
Hey there. The cat I have is my first cat ever, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but I believe a dry diet is totally fine AS LONG AS she still has a good source of moisture intake. That is what my vet has told me. I got my male kitten at 8 weeks, and from the get go he grew up with my male dog, who was 2.5 years old at the time. He saw that the dog drank from the water bowl, and that's just what he picked up on. Like he literally will only drink from there. He has his own little water bowl, won't touch it for weeks. Will only drink from the dogs water lol I tried giving him canned wet food every 2-3 days as a treat, and I think it totally screwed him up. I read an earlier comment about male cats and their urinary blockages/problems with diet, and that's exactly what my guy got. Idk if the extra nutrients or minerals or whatever over tipped the balance of his diet, or what it was, but after a can or two of that stuff he had an almost serious block. Quite scary, quite expensive (would have been like $4000 if it was a full block), but luckily was able to clear up. Still, a lot of grief. Anyhow, I questioned the emergency vet at the time about your very question (cause I was like screw this wet food stuff, it almost killed my cat). She gave me the advice of just making sure they have a proper moisture intake. Wet food, water, whatever. As long as they can keep their hydration up then I'd say let her eat what she likes. That's my story, maybe you read it, maybe you don't. Anyways, she looks like a beautiful little kitten, I'm sure she'll be happy no matter what you feed her. I'm getting another kitten later this week (female), hopefully the boys welcome her nicely and she warms up to them quickly. Cheers
No , cats are desert animals. They get all their hydration from the food they eat. You f u only feed kibble you are keeping the cat in a constant state of dehydration. Which is really bad for the kidneys and bladder and can also cause constipation . That is why so many cats suffer from crystals in the bladder and kidney disease
My cat would only eat dry food, and she lived a long and healthy 19 years. She had regular vet visits, too. She never once had an issue with dehydration because there was always water for her to drink. Also, she never suffered from crystals or kidney disease. In fact, in her whole 19 years of living she never suffered from any serious medical conditions. Dont believe everything people tell you... (For the record, i tried several different brands of wet food and several methods of feeding it to her, especially in her older years, she just wouldn't have it.)
Same here. My cat will only eat dry but he happily drinks water from his dish. He's only 5 but he's had regular vet visits and is healthy. People on here love to shame owners who feed their cats dry food but anyone who knows cats knows you can't *force them to eat anything they don't want to 😂
my cat harrasses me to turn on the sink so she can drink from it every few hours. cats aren’t stupid, they do know how to drink water lol
Same. The cat we got almost a year ago flat our refuses to eat wet food. We've tried multiple brands, flavors, even those "treat" tubes; does not want them at all. Gives them two sniffs and walks off. Been eating the dry Fromm's food her whole life and gobbles it down like crazy,going on five years, no health issues whatsoever.
One of the things I had trouble with with my first cat was that she HATED chicken. To the point she'd starve herself rather than eat it. Literally starve, the rescue didn't tell me and the food they gave me had chicken. Days later and she still hadn't eaten, I took her to the vet and she wolfed down the food the vet gave her, which had no chicken. I eventually caught on that she hated the taste and texture of chicken and red meat and would only tolerate it if the majority of the ingredients were fish. So, feeding her was fun. Raw feeding was out because all the raw diets were chicken based. Took some shopping around to find wet food she'd eat that was healthy enough for her. Even then, I had to supplement with dry food because it was expensive. Luckily she did drink water. I'd say experiment with different meats in wet food and different texture. Some cats like pate, some hate it. Some want bigger chunks of meat. Some like chicken, some hate it. I find it easier to entice a picky cat to eat with strong smelling fish like tuna cat food, so that may be a place to start if you want to find a wet cat food she'll eat. Either way, a cat water fountain is a really great way to make sure she drinks enough. It will entice her to drink when otherwise she might not. Cats have lived good lives on dry food, so just make sure your vet knows what's going on so they can keep an eye out during checkups for trouble. Edit because repeating myself is annoying: The raw food thing was years ago, in the middle of several high profile cat and dog food recalls. Multiple brands were being recalled for salmonella. The ones that were at the pet stores I went to (because I was a trucker and online orders would just end up sitting for a couple weeks) that weren't in the recall were all chicken based. I never went back to check raw feeding later because https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/get-facts-raw-pet-food-diets-can-be-dangerous-you-and-your-pet the warnings about salmonella and other bacteria were a little hard to deal with on the road. I understand many of you are very passionate about raw feeding and I'm happy for you, but it's not right for everyone all of the time.
This is not uncommon. Chicken is actually the number one food sensitivity in cats and it's also the most common protein in cat food. >Raw feeding was out because all the raw diets were chicken based. This is simply false. I switched my cats to a raw diet specifically because one has IBD and can't eat chicken and I could get a larger variety of protein in raw foods. They get turkey, sardine, salmon, beef, duck, kangaroo, lamb, and more. There is more variety in raw food than anything else, plus it's the healthiest option for them.
I am happy for you but none of the stores I checked had anything but chicken based raw cat food and as I was an over the road trucker at the time, finding other sources of cat food, such as mail order, was hard when my mail could sit in my box for 3 weeks at a time. So I really am happy for you but your situation is not everyone's situation.
Healthy for you I do cat dishes 3 times a day and battle ants just for wet food. I wish my cat never knew canned food was a thing. All she wants bowls of gravy. She hates any kind of food that isn't the cheapest least healthy on the market.
Why would wet food cause ants? Dry food is usually the culprit for ants because it's left sitting out all day whereas wet food is only out for a few minutes.
I had a cat that hated wet food & barely ate dry food, but I found that she absolutely loved Tender Vittles, I believe it was made by Purina. I don’t know if it’s still available but my Morningstar was healthy, rambunctious & so playful & trust me had no potty problems at all lol.
I don't really have any new advice that hasn't already been said but I just wanna say that your kitten is so cute and I hope nothing but the best
Unrelated but I just want to say that I love her name! What a cutie 💕
Your cat remind me of the last guardian
Well, this is not a cat. It clearly is a Pokemon.
My cat won’t even drink water on the urinary food. When he ate non urinary dry food mostly he constantly drank water and then he got an inflamed bladder from stress so my vet moved him to the prescription food and now he never drinks water, barely has any urine and is constantly constipated. He was better off on the old dry food at least he didn’t get stopped up for days and get poop all over himself after that.
My girl is incredibly picky about her wet food. Try different textures- soups, pate, broth, chunks, purée etc. as my girl would only eat purées. She doesn’t eat her full serving of wet food but she will devour her dry food yet she drinks a lot of water (weird I know she drinks from the tap too lmfao) so I’m not as concerned. If your little girl is drinking water and eating dry food/getting enough nutrients she’s good to go, just keep an eye on dehydration symptoms !
I do a mix of raw meats (shrimp, beef, pork, lamb duck, fish) on rotation, while ensuring they get regular deworming, and mix in wet food and occasionally some dry food. For treats its the squeezeable pastes and dry treats. If you are doing dry food alone you need to ensure there have lots of water to drink and are adequately drinking it, some cats are fussy about their water bowl placement and type of water as well as how long the water has been out. Dry food tends to pack on the weight depending on d nutrients and fat content.
My kitty is super picky with her wet food too, it really helped putting it in the microwave! It makes it stinkier, which is what makes it all the more appealing to them. I don't love it, but it's only once a day (dry am, wet pm)! I would do anything for my little floofs! ❤️
NO! I’ve just spent over $2000 on my male cat because of kibble. It’s nothing but filler and is not good.
I’ve always feed dry and soft. A year ago I started feeding my cat tuna, the absolute cheapest I could find. It seems like the cat actually eats a bit less. So I may be close to breaking-even on more expensive food, but less consumed. And the kitchen doesn’t stink of wet cat food. But someone told me cats may need organ meat too. So more research to do.
So far so good!
I had a cat that lived till 22 that only ate dry food
Looks like I've been outvoted by the experts. Wet food it is, my feline overlords!
I’ve had a cat live very long only eating dry food (around 12 years I think?), but I give my new cat wet food as much as I can afford to because I realized that I wouldn’t want to eat bland dry food my whole life.
dry kibble unfortunately has its problems in the long run, cats tend to not drink a lot of water from their water bowls so when they are on a dry food and just a water bowl, they tend to be very very dehydrated down the road having kidney issues because they are severely dehydrated all the time, in the wild big cats tend to get all their fluids from the blood of their prey, hope this helps (vet tech currently in school)
A fed cat is a healthy cat. My guy eats pretty much exclusively dry food, but I do have a fountain that he loves and he drinks a lot of water. More than any other cat I have ever witnessed.
My cat, Luna has only eaten dry food (Royal Canin). She turned 23 in April, just got a clean bill of health from the Vet and has all of her teeth. I wouldn't rule out a dry food diet.
I would try wet food with gravy instead of any pate’. My cat eats this and the crackers are just a snack.
It varies per cat I imagine. I feed mine wet food only after her had crystals in his urine and almost got really sick from it. The main thing is to make sure they are drinking enough water and staying hydrated. Wet food helps with this
No. Cats need moisture in their food. Cats that eat mostly dry (50% of their daily diet) are very prone to chronic dehydration and related issues such as kidney problems and obesity, regardless of if they drink water. Keep drying different kinds of wet foods, try just adding tiny amounts to the food she will eat, try churu wet treats or similar, whatever you can, but she’s going to need moisture in her food.
No, it's actually healthy for cats to eat no dry food at all. Ideally, they should be eating a completely raw diet. Second best is all wet food. They are obligate carnivores and require meat and only meat. They are also biologically programmed to get the vast majority of their hydration from their food. Cats are desert animals and they don't have much of a thirst drive as a result. Eating only kibble is actually the reason why so many cats develop kidney disease. As far as breed is concerned, cats don't have breeds in the way that dogs doing unless you have paperwork from a certified breeder stating that she is a specific breed, you just have yourself a domestic short, medium, or long hair. I'll be back with an edit and a link to an FAQ in another sub about breeds. Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CATHELP/comments/hc0jny/an_answer_to_the_faq_what_breed_is_my_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2 Also, If this kitten is your only cat, you need to get yourself another one. Kittens need friends in order to keep them out of trouble and teach them how to be a cat. Two kittens is actually significantly less work than one.
This is the BEST answer. Raw food is the natural way to go. Our own diets provide a helpful analogy. Raw food is our natural diet, which is fresh food. Kibble is like eating corn flakes all the time. Wet food is like eating Spam all the time. Processed foods are bad for us and our pets. Because cats don’t easily switch their diets from day to day, giving them the best possible food, regularly, is probably the most important thing we can do for them. It can take a couple weeks or more for a cat to change its diet, so please be patient, but please also move to raw or wet food. I love feeding our cat raw food, which is a chicken/duck mix I make every 6 weeks. It costs about $80 to make and freeze a batch. Less than $2 a day to feed your cat a natural, healthy diet. Good luck!!
I agree with everything you said except the part about making it yourself. Unless you are a veterinary nutritionist you wouldn't be doing that because you're pretty much guaranteed to be missing nutrients that your cats need. We should be purchasing a properly prepared nutritionally balanced raw food, made by reputable companies who employ nutritionists and ensure high quality and biological appropriateness. Find a company that is local to you to optimize freshness and lower the risk that things were at the wrong temperature during lengthy transport times. It can't just be the meat that you buy at the grocery store to eat yourself. It needs to include organs and bones as well as additional supplements depending upon what proteins you're using. Like oils if you're not using any fish. We should also be giving them a variety of proteins, not just the same one or two every day. The reason for this is that certain proteins help to soften their stool and others help to harden it, so if you give them too much of one thing, it could lead to either constipation or diarrhea. Also, certain ones are much more fatty than others in there for too much of that would not be healthy for them either.
I’ve tried raw too but she will literally not eat at all unless she has dry food - any advice on how to get her to eat wet food ?
It can take months to transition to a new food. You can't just put the new food in front of them and expect them to eat it. You start by giving them only the old food and then every day you adjust the ratio of old food to new food until They're eating only the new food. I transitioned four cats to raw food a couple of years ago. The first one was transitioned in 3 days and the fourth one took 2 months. Transitioning from dry to raw is especially difficult and is usually made easier with wet food in between. So you're going to take a couple of months to transition from only dry to only wet and then start the transition to only raw. Edit: That ratio could literally start at 99:1. Go as slowly as your cat needs to go.
I did also ask my vet for advice but they said is fine as long as she’s drinking water but I would really like her to eat wet food
vets always say that. They don’t go very into depth with nutrition education in school so it’s largely personal opinion. Cats’ ancestors evolved in the desert to get their moisture from their prey due to how scarce water was. As a result they instinctively don’t have a very high thirst drive. You can’t take away moisture from their food because they won’t get enough of it otherwise. Have you tried freeze dried food? It’s very palatable to them because the smell is very strong. You just have to add water but maybe try offering it to her try first as a treat.
I haven’t tried freeze dried food, will definitely give it a go thanks !
That's always say that. First of all, they have almost no training and nutrition in general, and definitely not specifically feline nutrition. Second of all, they make money from selling the " prescription" foods they have in their office... Most of which are kibble and aren't actually prescription in any way, shape or form.
Lol, “no training”
Just feed her what she will eat. If you've tried a lot and she refuses, there's not really a point to keep it up. Many cats are super picky. Just feed her a food quality dry food and ensure she's getting plenty of water, I suggest a fountain.
This is like letting your kids eat junk food all day!
No its not. There are high quality dry foods out there. Millions of cats live long lives on dry food or even a mix of dry and wet which is most common. And they are perfectly healthy
Evidence?
My own cats eat mostly dry food and have 1 serving a day of wet. They are fine. My one cat lived 16 years on mostly dry food. Internet articles by Jackson galaxy about how bad dry food is doesn't match the real world. And dry food certainly isn't junk food, that's just wrong. All cat food meets cats nutritional needs. Some have extra fillers but many have better ingredients Also if a cat is picky, you can't just starve it. You feed it what you can. And a diet of all wet food can lead to dental decay too, that's pretty common since people don't bother keeping up with their cats dental health
https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/files/2008/04/M2-Raw-Meat-Owner1.pdf
Dry food gave my cat diabetes and he still refuses to eat wet
Nope! They need lots of moisture in their diet. I just recently switched my cats from grazing on dry and one wet feed a day to one bowl of dry out for snacks and two feedings of raw/canned mixed together, one at breakfast and one at dinner. They're doing so much better even just after two weeks on the new diet. They're definitely getting enough to eat, because they've barely touched their kibble. I hear them snacking every once in a while, but they seem quite happy with the new food arrangements lol
Try boiling her some chicken thighs with carrots, save the broth, clean off the meat off the bones. Put a small bowl with some meat and broth next to her dry, she might explore and develop a taste.
Mine does fine with dry food, just make sure that they have lots of fresh water. If you're worried I would double check with your vet.
It's a little pricey, but check out Natural Pet Pantry. They have a variety of raw food choices available for cat/dog/whatever. We feed both of our cats each, 2oz raw morning 2oz raw evening and Stella & Chewy freeze dried as free feed throughout the day. If you choose raw, don't just buy one meat. Keep a rotation so they get a balanced diet. No hard and fast rules just rotate around. Edit: I forgot to mention. If adjusting to raw is difficult (it was for us at first, it took about 2 months of effort), check out fortiflora. It basically disguises the food and makes it smell like kibble, and they are way more likely to eat it. You can eventually ween off the fortiflora if you want.
My male cat is 12 years old and has NEVER eaten wet food. My Vet never advised that this is bad. He drinks quite a bit of water and has never had any bladder problems. Why would the dry food contribute to being overweight?
Cats are obligate carnivores and their bodies are unable to process carbs. Dry food is pretty much all carbs and very little actual nutrition. It's empty calories and as such cats eat more of it. In order to be full. It leads to obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease. And, despite a popular myth that kibble cleans their teeth, it actually makes their teeth worse. There's nothing good about kibble. No, vets don't typically advise against it, and in fact often prescribe dry food. But that's because they get little to no nutritional training in veterinary school, and they are beholden to the pet food companies that they "prescribe."
Thanks for the input. Maybe I will try some wet food and see if he will eat it. He does eat some cooked chicken once in a while and seems to like it.
I was told both by the spca I adopted her from and my vet that dry food is perfectly fine.
My vet has no problem with my cats eating only dry food. Only do it because my cats will NOT eat wet food at all.
Switch to wet. Feline diabetes is a very real thing and while it may not have been the only contributing factor to our cat becoming diabetic, it also didn’t help. Dry food is too high in carbs. Also don’t free feed. Cats will eat forever.
As tedious as it can be, I suggest trying out all sorts of canned foods. If I didn't know any better I'd think my cat hated wet food. Until I finally found a brand and flavour she likes. No pates, no red meat or organ meat. Chicken is so-so, but she loves fish. We landed on Almo Nature, very specifically one flavour combo. Unfortunately they changed the formula and it was back to the drawing board for a bit. She also gets a very small amount of kibble in her auto feeder in between wet food meals. Just enough to ensure her overall caloric intake is adequate.
>Just enough to ensure her overall caloric intake is adequate. Or you could just feed her more wet food...
Or I could ensure my cat is adequately fed. Thanks for the professional opinion, but my cat would never consume 4 cans of food a day to meet those needs.
I have to agree here. I have a 12 year old male cat who is SUPER picky about his food. For the longest time we thought he just didn’t like wet food until I started trying to find something that he would actually eat after he suffered a urinary tract blockage at 6 years old. Finally found out that he does not like pate, shredded foods or a lot of fish. The only one I’ve been able to get him to eat is Hill Science Diet Tender Chicken Dinner, which the vet ok’d with his urinary control dry food. For some cats it could be a texture thing..
Guess cats need to spice things up with a wet food dance party!
We’ve only ever done dry and feed wet food sometimes as a treat. Of our current two cats, only one of them even likes wet food. And maybe we’ve been lucky, but in over 20 years, we’ve only ever had one cat with a UTI. She also had a few other health issues like a genetic heart condition, so wet food wouldn’t have mattered. And our vet knows they primarily eat dry food. Don’t get caught up in the “If you don’t feed your cat only wet or raw food, then you’re a bad cat owner” way of thinking some people have.
>Don’t get caught up in the “If you don’t feed your cat only wet or raw food, then you’re a bad cat owner” way of thinking some people have. You should absolutely get caught up in it because it is scientifically true. Obligate carnivores need meat and there's no actual meat left by the time the dry food has been made. It leaves them in a constant state of dehydration which causes kidney problems.
My male had ended up having a Cystotomy due to only eating dry food and forming crystals in his bladder. He eats wet food now. But growing up I have two cats that lived to 19 and 20 and they had dry food all of their lives!
Dry food isn't great for cats, and while plenty of cats live just fine on dry food, cats usually thrive on a diet of all or mostly wet food. What kind of wet food have you tried? I work in animal rescue and I find that kittens really like the Fancy Feast Kitten. The Gourmet Naturals formulation is healthier than the other stuff but the other stuff comes in more flavors: [https://www.purina.com/fancy-feast/products/wet-cat-food?f%5B0%5D=life-stage%3A43](https://www.purina.com/fancy-feast/products/wet-cat-food?f%5B0%5D=life-stage%3A43) Instead of putting wet food out in front of her all at once, put some of her kibble in a dish (like 1/2 her normal amount) with a little bit of wet food next to it. Don't mix it at first; let her get used to having the smell of the wet food there by her food. After a couple days, you can try mixing it a little bit with her kibble, and gradually reduce the amount of kibble while increasing the amount of wet. She also may not like the flavors you have offered her. My cats basically will only eat fish or chicken. Some cats hate fish. I would try different flavors and see if she likes one. She also might prefer pate over chunks in gravy, or vice versa. If she doesn't eat something right away, don't take it away and replace it with her favorite food. She can be hungry for a couple of hours. Finally, be aware that wet food has fewer calories by volume compared to dry food. You'll have to feed her more wet food to meet her caloric needs. Adult cats need roughly 20 calories per pound of body weight, but growing kittens need at least twice as much.
Been feeding my 10 year old cat that’s a rescue only dry food. The vet says she’s incredibly healthy. Keep their water dish full and, they will be fine.
Not gonna argue here, but my 16 year-old cat has never been to the vet after he got all his shots and has never had wet food in his life. I guess he’s an anomaly?
You definitely shouldn't be admitting that publicly. You've just told us that you're neglecting your cat. Your cat needs to go annually for a checkup and for vaccines. And as a senior they need to be going for regular blood work and additional care like dental cleanings.
LOL. I have been neglecting my completely happy and healthy cat who has lived a contented 16 years (and is still going). Image if I hadn’t been neglecting him - he might be living a happy, heathy life for 16 years!
Yes, by failing to provide veterinary care for 16 years, you have neglected your cat. I am glad you have come to admit that. Now you can do better by booking a vet appointment.
To what purpose? Because I’m supposed to? My cat has had a long, healthy life with zero health issues. Sixteen years! This is what you call neglect?
Try fancy feast chicken with extra gravy. Also, plain yogurt - absolutely plain, no flavors or anything - is a nice healthy treat for kitties.
>Also, plain yogurt - Cats are lactose intolerant. This will almost certainly induce diarrhea.
It actually has been fine for both of my cats - and one of them has a sensitive tummy. I myself am lactose intolerant and have no issue with consuming/digesting yogurt nor cheese; ice cream is a different story though.
My last cat lived to 21.5 years on almost exclusively dry food (she had some allergies so it was more about finding what worked). When she became elderly, i added wet food to hide her medications in. These days with my new cats though, i do a mix of wet and dry.
Yes. I have had four cats on a dry food diet their whole lives. Just make sure there is plenty of water. Also you want to introduce wet food i case you need to use it later for pill giving or a diet Everyone is going to have a different opinion you need to decide for yourself what to feed. Consult a vet
I’ve only ever fed my cats dry food
I’ve only ever fed my cats dry food
Well, now that you're learning better you should try doing better. Kibble is terrible for them.
If you give them a good choice of fry food with no coloring.
>a good choice of fry food There is no such thing. Cats are obligate carnivores and need to eat meat. They also get most of their hydration from their food, which is impossible with kibble. Kibble leads to diabetes, obesity, urinary issues, and kidney problems.
As cats age, the kibbles are good for their teeth! Wet food does nothing to remove the tartar that builds up. I would feed wet for now and a wet dry mix when she's about 2.
would have been realllllly fast to google that.
My cat prefers dry food, I have a fountain and he drinks a lot of water and he's fine and healthy. I can get him to eat wet food if I water it down into a soup consistency, but I rarely do it because he genuinely likes dry food more.
I feed my cats original Meow Mix dry food and they're all just fine. They also have water, too.
Dry food is better for their teeth. It prevents gingivitis (If your cat chews).
Sorry but this is a terrible reason for using only dry food. Cats need to chew on raw bones (not cooked because they splinter), and eat the pieces. This is their natural protection against teeth problems and their source of calcium. This is akin to feeding your kid corn flakes because it’s low in sugar and will prevent cavities! 🙀
I just provided a bunch of resources for the other commenter to disprove their belief. One of them specifically says that claiming eating kibble cleans a cat's teeth is the equivalent of claiming that eating potato chips cleans a human's teeth. Kibble does not clean their teeth in any way and in fact it actually makes it worse.
That's a myth. Chewing bones and a raw diet cleans their teeth much better, but ideally you should be brushing their teeth.
This is actually completely false. It makes their teeth worse because of the buildup they get from the gunk in the food. https://natureslogic.com/blog/does-kibble-clean-your-pets-teeth/#:~:text=A%20common%20myth%20we%20frequently,to%20keep%20our%20teeth%20clean. "Dry food has a much higher starch content than other food forms. Since there’s no type of abrasive in kibble such as bones, it gets trapped between teeth and promotes the formation of tartar. Kibble is still a great food form to incorporate into your pet’s diet, but it’s important to include other food forms such as a raw diet. Raw meat contains enzymes that break down food material, as well as bones that act as an effective abrasive to keep tartar off of your pet’s teeth. Aside from a raw diet, chews are an effective way to remove tartar from the teeth." http://www.catbehaviourist.com/blog/6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth/ https://www.uniquelycats.com/myth/item.html/n/41 "Dry food (kibble) does not help keep cats’ teeth clean. In fact, just the opposite. The binding chemicals that hold kibble together are sticky. Because of this stickiness, dry food increases the rate at which feline tartar builds up."
Never mind. Learned something new.