Is it okay to mix wet and dry cat food

Can You Mix Wet & Dry Cat Food? 4 Dos & Donts for Mixing Cat Foods

The short answer isyes, you can mix wet and dry cat food. There are plenty of reasons to do so. Many cats prefer wet food, so it makes a good treat and encourages them to eat healthily. Wet food and dry food also offer unique health benefits when fed together. Heres the low-down on mixing wet and dry cat food.

Reasons You Should Mix Wet & Dry Cat Food

1. It Promotes Oral Health

Dry food may seem boring to our cats and us, but kibble promotes oral health. Not only does the crunchiness of kibble give your cat a pleasing texture, but it also cleans your cats teeth as they chew on it. The crunchy texture scrapes away plaque and tartar as the cat eats. Dry food can also help pet parents as they try to keep tabs on their cats health. If your cat has dental problems, you will probably notice right away when they try to eat their kibble.

2. It Helps With Hydration

While dry food helps with your cats oral health, wet food helps with hydration. Cats are descended from desert animals, and they dont need a lot of water to survive, but sometimes they forget that they need some water and can get dehydrated even if they have water in their bowl. Wet food provides both nutrition and extra hydration that dry food doesnt. Adding a little bit of wet food to your cats diet can help promote kidney health by keeping them hydrated.

3. Your Cat Likes It

Cats often prefer a mix of wet and dry food. Like people, variety keeps them from getting bored with their food. Having both wet and dry food means your cat will have something to look forward to instead of eating the same meal for every meal at the end of the day. Many owners find that their cats prefer to eat wet food, but it is important to remember that your cat will get bored of anything if its the only thing theyre provided with.

Its Cost Efficient

Mixing cat foods can be a great way to save money. Both wet and dry food are expensive, but by feeding your cat a mixture, you can cut down on the amount theyre eating in general. Wet food tends to be more filling and will leave your cat satiated for longer, but it is extremely expensive compared to dry food. Using dry food to supplement the wet food means that your cat wont be eating as much of either, or both food containers will go further than they would on their own.

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Dos of Mixing Cat Foods

Talk to your Vet

Talk to your vet before you start mixing cat foods. Your vet will be able to assess your cats dietary needs and help you portion out how much of each food you should give to your cat. While there is a general recommendation that roughly 25-30% of your cats food should be wet food, it is better to have a veterinarian look and help you build a personalized plan for your cat. Vets recommend that any foods you feed your cat be high quality, especially when mixing foods. Providing your cat with low-quality foods could result in nutritional deficiencies that could lead to illness if not corrected.

Measure Proper Proportions

Once you have the correct proportions down, make sure you measure them correctly! Proper proportioning will ensure that your cat is getting all of its dietary needs fulfilled by its diet.

Make sure youre feeding your cat the right amount, check out our cat food calculator here.

The exact amount of calories an individual animal needs to maintain a healthy weight is variable and influenced by many factors including genetics, age, breed, and activity level. This tool is meant to be used only as a guideline for healthy individuals and does not substitute veterinary advice

Use Separate Bowls

Just like people, cats dont like to eat out of dirty bowls. Cats generally will not eat food that has been mixed into one large bowl, and can you blame them? If youre going to feed your cat both wet and dry food, keep a separate bowl for each type of food and one for water.

Donts of Mixing Cat Foods

Substitute Prescription Diets Without Talking to Your Vet

If your cat is on a prescription diet, do not substitute any part of the prescription food without consulting your veterinarian. Your vet prescribed your cats prescription food for a reason, and theyll be more than happy to help you find a diet more suitable for your cats needs.

Conclusion

There are lots of reasons to start mixing your cat foods. Whether you want to save money or your cat just needs a little bit of variety in its life, theres a lot to consider and prepare for when changing your cats diet. We hope to help you find the essential information you need to start the process while keeping your cat healthy and happy!

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Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

Should You Mix Wet and Dry Cat Food? (The Pros & Cons)

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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Cats are known to be finicky with their food, and its a common challenge for many cat owners to have their cats get their daily nutritional needs met. Commercial cat food comes in different types and textures that can help encourage cats to eat.

If youve tried to feed both dry and wet cat food and havent had success, you may want to try mixing the food to see if its more palatable for your cat. Mixing dry and wet cat food has several other benefits besides flavor and texture. However, its also important to be mindful of some disadvantages of mixing food.

Here are some things to consider before you start mixing dry and wet food for your cat:

The 3 Pros of Mixing Wet and Dry Cat Food

1. Mixing Helps With Hydration

Some cats may not prefer to drink water from a bowl, which leads to dehydration. Introducing wet food to their diet can help increase their water intake. Wet food is more effective for keeping your cat hydrated than dry pet food, which has a moisture content between 1012%. Many canned cat foods contain between 7578% moisture, and you can find some that exceed 80%.

The moisture in wet cat food often comes from meat or bone broth. So, not only are you introducing more water to your cats diet, but youre also feeding your cat more nutrient-dense foods.

2. Mixing Can Make Food More Palatable

Cats may not enjoy biting into crunchy kibble and often prefer eating wet cat food that has similar textures to their natural prey. Incorporating wet food to dry food can introduce new flavors and textures to your cats meals. It can also soften up kibble so that cats with dental issues have an easier time chewing their meals.

Slightly warming up wet cat food can make cat food more aromatic. While we may not enjoy the odors associated with cat food, the smells can grab a cats attention and encourage them to eat.

3. Mixing Can Prevent Grazing Behavior

If meals are tastier for your cat, they can help your cat maintain a healthy body weight. One of the disadvantages of dry cat food is that it can encourage grazing behavior if it is left out throughout the day, which means its more difficult to track how much your cat eats.

If your cat finds its meal delicious and eats it all in one sitting, youll have an easier time adjusting proportions to help your cat gain or lose weight. Sticking to a feeding schedule can help cats lose weight more effectively because theyll eat an appropriate amount of food consistently and not feel intense hunger throughout the day. Adding more moisture will also help them feel fuller for longer.

The 3 Cons of Mixing Wet and Dry Cat Food

1. Mixing Can Be More Expensive

Theres no denying that wet food is more expensive than dry food. Its also important to avoid low-quality wet food that contains unhealthy ingredients, like poultry by-product meals. So, you can expect your budget for cat food to increase if you plan to incorporate wet food.

2. Mixing Can Be Difficult With Prescription Foods

Cats on prescription diets need to eat a certain amount of food. So, its important not to adjust the quantity of prescription food your veterinarian prescribes for your cat. If your cat doesnt like its prescription food, you can often find wet food versions that your cat may prefer. However, this can get even more expensive, and prescription food is already significantly pricier than regular cat food.

Before mixing prescription food, consult your veterinarian to determine healthy portions. Your veterinarian may also have some alternative brands with different recipes that your cat might like.

3. Mixing Can Lead to More Food Waste

Because wet food has a much shorter shelf life than dry food, its easier for it to go to waste. Most opened canned cat food can last in the fridge for between 5 to 7 days. Once the food is in the bowl, it must be eaten within 2 hours. Sometimes, its even sooner in higher room temperatures.

Because wet food goes bad much more quickly than dry food, its important to get your cat on a feeding schedule to prevent food waste. This can take some time and may even confuse or frustrate your cat. So, its important to be prepared for challenges that may come with switching up your cats lifestyle and routine.

Tips for Feeding Your Cat Mixed Food

If youre interested in mixing your cats food, make sure to do it in a safe manner. Cats can have sensitive stomachs, so switching their diet drastically can cause an upset stomach that leads to vomiting or diarrhea. Its important to do it in a gradual transition and ease your cat into eating new food.

If your cat needs extra help with maintaining a healthy weight, make sure to consult your veterinarian to ensure it eats the right portions. You can also use a scale to keep track of your cats weight as it transitions to eating new food.

Some cats may need some extra encouragement to stop free-feeding and eating on a time schedule. Its helpful to praise your cat every time it eats and not keep food out for too long. When youre in the beginning stages of scheduled feeding, you can give your cat about 15 minutes to start eating. If it doesnt eat, place the food back in the fridge and bring it back out after several minutes have passed. You can also add some of its favorite treats to the meal to encourage your cat to eat.

It may take between 12 weeks for cats to adjust to a fixed feeding schedule. So, its important to be patient and stay consistent while your cat learns to adjust to a new routine.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to mixing dry and wet cat food, but its not always appropriate for every cat. So, make sure to weigh the pros and cons before incorporating both types of food into your cats diet. If you ever have questions about proportions and your cats nutrition, dont hesitate to consult your veterinarian to ensure your cat has a healthy and nutritious diet.

Featured Image Credit: Nils Jacobi, Shutterstock