I been around cats all of my life, 55 years and counting.
We've always tried a balanced approach of kibble and kanned. We free feed with an indoor formula dry food (lower carbs/calories) and the girls each get 1/4 can of wet for breakfast and dinner.
All of our cats have been water drinkers as long as I've had furpers in the house. Miss Teia and I have a twice a day ritual, right after she finishes eating she'll sit by her water bowl and mew at me. I'll go "Time for wa-ter?" She'll then stand and walk to beside the sink stand, watches as I rinse and refill the bowl. Doesn't drink until I say, "Okay, fresh wa-ter!"
Miss Hildie loves to get a drink from the magic porcelain fountain. Chessie likes her regular kitty reservoir water bowl.
They all carry a bit of extra tonnage, but a veterinarian friend of ours said that in her experience, cats can be a bit chubby and still be okay.
you'll always get everyones opinion wherever you search...including one Vet against the other..
Cats don't drink enough water to compensate for the lack of moisture in dry food...that leads to dehydration and all the complications with it mainly FLUTD...after my cat was dx'd with this I too began to research the role of diet...
dry food is also loaded with carbs which leads to weight gain and diabetes.
this is especially bad when you FREE FEED.
the fillers and preservatives in dry foods also lead to all sorts of skin allergies, itching, hair loss, open sores, asthma, etc......
Your Vet knows very little about nutrition...my own has told me they take a one WEEK crash course in this, what they know and what they sell is based totally on what the 'suppliers' tell them and believe me these suppliers Hill's/Medical/Royal Canin/Science Diet...are billion dollar companies with the best sales pitch imaginable.
Cats are obligate carnivores....they need meat..a good quality meat diet, not by-products and not grains....remember a cat in nature will eat mice, not potatoes or wheat or corn!!! all these are added to cat foods b/c they are cheap fillers..meat is expensive....
the best diets are homemade..for those unable or unwilling to try this than the second best is grain free canned food. However Dr. Pierson states that even the cheapest canned food on the market is better the the very best dry food..
I urge everyone to read
Shojo gave an excellent reference site.
catnutrition.org
also Dr. L. Pierson DVM
catinfo.org
book by Dr. E. Hodgkins DVM
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cat-Simple-Secrets-Stronger/dp/0312358016/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1121778-6836659?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179210413&sr=8-1
cats will LIVE on dry food diets but they'll not THRIVE...do your homework everyone♥
Thank you all so much for your help! I'll continue to research and see what will work for my kitty. Dry food left out during the day and canned food at night seems good. :)
what it all boils down to is you have to figure out what works best for your cat. not even all the experts agree which is better wet or dy. but what they will probably agree on is there is no simple answer because all cats are different. what does well for one cat can make another cat sick. just keep an eye on your cat and if he/she is gaining or losing weight or having issues with what you are giving them then try something else. and when you find out what works best for your cat then stick wit that.
Hi cramshad! There is a lot of debate about this! 2 vets have told me that the main part of their (I have 6 cats) diet should be wet food and to limit the amount of dry food! Mainly because of the high carbs in the dry food and that it will cause weight problems! My cats do have weight issues!
So, what I do is feed them 1, 3oz can of wet food a day, usually around dinnertime for me! Then I give them about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dry, usually around breakfast and that's it! I confess to also giving them around 5 little cat treats for fun and playtime! I hope that helps! Definately seek as much information as possible! Take care and enjoy your new friend!
The only issue to watch is whether wet food gives them gingivitis. Otherwise it is a viable option. My Abyssinians (a breed that deals with gum issues) had to have dry, but all my other cats do well with only minor tooth and gum problems by their tenth or eleventh year, on canned.
I have been researching this and there are very valid reasons for feeding wet food rather than dry. Here is a good website, but I recommend doing more research for yourself. I think I will begin feeding my kitten homemade food when I get a grinder.
www.catnutrition.org
we recently had a debate about this. some think that cats should only be on a canned food diet and some go with all dry diet but personally i say go with what work for your cat. if your cat does well on a canned diet then go with that if they do well on dry then go with that i think most people go with a 50/50 diet and feet their cats canned food once a day and have dry for them when they want it. if your goal is for them to be slim then i would recomend that you limit the amount of food they have access to unless they are very active. personally i have dry food down for my kitties all the time and give them a can of food once a week as a treat but thats just me.