Should you mix wet and dry cat food

Wet Cat Food vs. Dry Cat Food: Which Is Better?

A common question that veterinarians get asked is whether cats should eat canned or dry food.

The good news is that most commercial cat foods provide an excellent source of nutrition, whether its dry cat food or wet cat food. But finding the best food for your cat will depend on several factors, including:

Whether to feed dry, canned, or a mixture of both is a decision that you and your veterinarian can make together to provide the best health for your cat. Heres some insight on wet vs. dry cat food.

What Are the Main Differences Between Wet Cat Food and Dry Cat Food?

Here are a few big differences between wet cat food and dry cat food.

Moisture Levels

The main difference between dry and canned cat food is the amount of water that the food contains.

Dry cat food contains approximately 10% of water, and the other 90% consists of dry matter such as carbohydrates, fats and vitamins. Canned food contains much more waterapproximately 70%compared to dry matter.

This can be important to consider when choosing which to feed if your cat has certain health conditions that may benefit from more water intake.

Manufacturing Process

Given the higher moisture content in canned foods, these foods are typically made with fresh or frozen meats in combination with a protein source that comes from grains. The meats are blended with water, fats, and vitamins and placed in a can, where a heating process ensures that foodborne pathogens are destroyed.

Dry food is made by combining and then cooking meats, vitamins, minerals, and fats at a high temperature and pressure, which makes the starches more digestible. Fat may then be sprayed on the food to ensure that its palatable.

Nutrients

Dry cat food typically contains more carbohydrates than canned food. The protein and fat in canned vs. dry can vary based on the type of diet. Certain formulations of dry cat food may also contain probiotics.

Should I Feed My Cat Dry or Wet Cat Food? Or Both?

Whether to feed your cat dry food, canned food, or a mixture of both depends on several factors. Here are some benefits and drawbacks of both types of food.

Canned Cat Food Benefits

The largest benefit of feeding a canned diet is the higher water content. Cats with certain health conditions that require a higher-than-normal water intake, such as kidney disease, diabetes, or lower urinary tract disease, may benefit from the additional water in these diets.

Canned food is also highly palatable, and some cats will eat a canned diet over a dry diet, particularly if they are picky eaters.

Canned Cat Food Drawbacks

Canned food is often more expensive than dry food, so this may play a role in your decision.

Once opened, canned food has a shelf-life of 24 hours and must be stored in the refrigerator. If your cat does not finish their wet food, it should be properly stored in the refrigerator or discarded. Leaving canned food out for longer than a few hours can run the risk of contamination and cause gastrointestinal upset.

Dry Cat Food Benefits

Dry cat food is less expensive than canned food, so people who are on a strict budget or those that feed community cats may choose this option.

Dry food also does not have to be stored in the refrigerator and can be left out much longer than can food. This is a good option if you free-feed your cats, but any portion not eaten by the end of the day should be discarded.

You can also use dry cat food in automatic feeders or in puzzle feeder toys.

Dry Cat Food Drawbacks

Studies have shown a correlation between obesity and feeding dry cat food. This could be because a lot of cats that eat dry food are often free-fed, and owners do not realize how much their cats are actually eating in a day.

It can also cause the opposite problem because its hard to notice that your cat is not eating when they are free-fed. The amount your cat eats in a day should be monitored or measured out for both reasons.

Older cats with dental disease or those who have had some of their teeth removed may also have a harder time chewing dry food.

Feeding Both Canned and Dry Cat Food

To balance the benefits and drawbacks of both options, you may choose to feed a combination of both. This may be particularly useful with cats who require a higher water intake but enjoy eating dry better than canned.

By either mixing them together or giving canned at one feeding time and dry at the other, you may be able to get the benefits of both diets.

If you are looking to mix wet cat food and dry cat food, talk with your veterinarian to find the best balance. Your veterinarian can help you calculate how much your cat should be eating and how to portion out the two food options.

Every cat is different, and the amount you feed a day will depend on the age of your cat, your cats current body condition, and the presence of any underlying diseases.

What Wet and Dry Cat Food Do Veterinarians Recommend?

Regardless of whether you choose to feed a dry or canned cat food, it is important to feed a well-balanced, commercial diet to ensure that your cat gets the vitamins and minerals they need.

Reputable brands such as Science Diet and Royal Canin have been quality-controlled and specially formulated to meet a cats nutritional requirements. Your veterinarian can give you more specific recommendations based on your cats health history.

Avoid feeding a home-cooked or homemade diet unless it is specially formulated by a veterinarian who is specialized in making these diets. If you dont have help from a qualified vet, these diets can be deficient in vitamins and minerals such as taurine, which can cause heart disease in cats.

Involving your veterinarian in your decision of what to feed your cat can be very helpful in ensuring they get the most appropriate nutrition.

Here are some other things to consider.

AAFCO Approval

Basic minimum nutritional requirements for cats have been established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This is important because all pet foods that carry an AAFCO statement or AAFCO-approved nutritional guarantee are considered to be nutritionally complete and well-balanced diets for your cat.

Ingredient List

Its important to read the label on the back of the package to ensure that the main ingredients, which will be listed first, consist of meat and meat by-products. This is because cats are carnivores and require a high-protein diet that supplies the appropriate amount of essential amino acids and fatty acids.

Your Cats Particular Health Needs

The best cat food for your cat will be unique to their lifestyle and nutritional needs.

For example, if your kitten or cat is of normal weight and healthy, then a kitten or adult maintenance diet should be sufficient. If your cat is overweight, it may be best to look for a low-fat diet.

If your cat has a health condition, your veterinarian may prescribe a specific diet formulated for that disease. For example, kidney diets are recommended in most cats who develop kidney disease, or a urinary diet may be more appropriate in cats who have lower urinary tract disease.

Your Cats Preferences

At the end of the day, you may not have a choice in what type of diet you feed your cat. Some cats can be very picky and only eat dry or only eat wet food.

Featured image: iStock.com/Nils Jacobi

WRITTEN BY

Cathy Meeks, MS, DVM, DACVIM

Veterinarian

Dr. Cathy Meeks started her veterinary career as a veterinary technician while getting her Master's degree in Veterinary Medicine, Forensic...

How To Mix Wet And Dry Cat Food

A cats sense of smell is 14x stronger than a humans sense of smell. This means that the primary trigger for a cats appetite is smell. Often cats lose interest in feeding due to boredom. This can be quickly remedied by changing to a different flavor of food, adding water to dry cat food, or even mixing wet and dry food together.

Wet and dry cat food can be mixed together in a ratio of one-third wet food to two-thirds dry food. Take the total number of calories your cat needs daily, then divide that into thirds. Two-thirds of those calories should come from dry food. One-third of those calories can come from wet food.

Cats find the smell of wet food to be more interesting than dry food. It is also more hydrating for the cat. Dry food keeps the cats teeth cleaner by scraping off plaque. It is also more nutrient-dense. Mixing them together can seem like the perfect solution. However, there is more to think about, like calorie intake, cost, and health benefits.

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Mixing Foods Saves Money

Wet cat food is preferred by cats due to the soft texture and intense smell. It tends to mimic the types of foods that a cat would typically forage on its own. Cats instinctively prefer wet foods because of this. Also, it is hard for most cats to drink enough water, so wet cat foods help to get more healthy moisture in the cats diet.

Due to budget constraints, most cat owners opt for dry food. Dry food is also great for a cats health. Benefits of dry food include:

• Greater nutrient density
• Higher quantity of added vitamins and minerals
• Formulated to keep the cats teeth clean
• Comes in a large variety of flavors

Because dry cat food lacks the pungent, intense smell of wet cat foods, the cat may lose interest in eating it. Owners may notice that the cat is not eating well and become worried that the cat is sick. Further, the cat can become dehydrated from eating only dry food and not drinking enough fresh water. Dehydration leads to urinary tract infections.

Mixing the two foods together can reignite the cats interest in eating and perk it back up by giving it the energy that it needs. This also is a budget-friendly way to be sure that cat is getting the nutrition that it needs, but in a way that also pleases the cats adventurous tastes.

How To Determine Cats Caloric Needs

One negative to mixing foods is that cats can more easily get too many calories each day and quickly become overweight. This happens when owners mix foods without taking caloric intake into consideration.

The best way to find out the cats caloric needs is by taking it to a vet for evaluation before changing the food. This way, you can be sure that the dietary decisions you make are in the cats best interest and will result in greater health and longer life for the cat.

However, when a vet visit is not possible, you can use an online calculator such as this one to determine what the healthiest caloric intake is for your cat. These calculators factor in the cats:

• Age
• Developmental stage
• Activity level

These factors are key to determining the proper daily calorie intake for the cat. Too few calories and the cat will become weak and sickly. Kittens and adolescent cats need more calories to grow properly and maintain their high energy levels. Adult and senior cats quickly become overweight from too many calories.

Dosing Food By Caloric Needs

Once you or your vet has determined how many calories the cat needs per day, you need to determine how to divide these calories up into healthy feedings for the cat. Take the total number of calories needed per day, and divide this number into thirds.

One-third of these calories should be dosed as wet food, with two-thirds of these calories dosed as dry food. Refer to the calorie content on the bag of dry food and the can of wet food to determine how much food is needed to equal the number of calories.

Always use scoops or measuring utensils to ensure proper food intake. Cat owners usually prefer to dump food in a bowl and set it out, refilling it when the cat begs for more. This method of feeding always results in overweight and unhealthy cats. Measuring food helps to make sure that the cat remains at a healthy weight.

Feeding Times

Your veterinarian may recommend a specific feeding schedule for your cat. If so, always follow the vets recommendations. However, there are three main feeding schedules that cat owners follow:

• All-day grazing
• Specifically timed daily feedings
• Limited availability feedings

For all-day grazing, simply mix the proper ratios of food together, then set it out for the cat to eat at will. This is the least complicated method for feeding the cat. However, resist the temptation to feed more later or give table scraps to a hungry, begging cat. Table scraps are a sure way to negate the benefits of a healthy mixed-food diet.

For timed daily feedings, simply divide the amount of food determined by caloric intake into two or three smaller amounts that are allotted at specific times. Cat owners often like to feed the cat once before leaving for work, then again when they get home. This way, they can monitor the cats eating habits and make changes where needed.

For limited availability feedings, the full amount of food is given to the cat but not left to be eaten until it is gone. Cat has access to the food for a certain amount of time, after which it is taken away. This method can also be used with timed daily feedings. This way, the cat is eating enough to satisfy hunger, but not too much, causing weight gain.

Adding Water To Dry Cat Food

While cat owners should give the cat access to fresh, filtered water at all times, day and night, this does not guarantee that the cat is drinking enough water. Cats often become dehydrated and are prone to urinary tract infections caused by dehydration.

A simple way to solve this problem without mixing wet and dry food is to simply moisten the dry cat food. To do this, pour cup of fresh, filtered water over the dry cat food. The water will quickly moisten the food in the bowl.

This method of hydrating dry food has four main benefits:

• Increases cats water intake
• Helps cats with sensitive mouths to eat more food
• Helps cats with missing teeth to eat enough food
• Increases the aroma of dry food, stimulating the cats appetite

When You Should Not Mix Food

There are four times when you should not mix wet and dry cat foods together.

• Do not go against your vets recommendations
• Do not mix brands
• Do not mix different flavors
• Do not mix prescription cat food with anything else

Keep in mind that mixing different brands of food may upset the cats stomach. Monitor the cat carefully for signs of distress whenever you change food or feeding patterns. Also, mixing different flavors of food can be distasteful for the cat. For example, if the dry food is salmon, then mix it with salmon wet food.

Prescription foods are carefully formulated for specific conditions. These should never be mixed with other foods or dosed differently than the recommendation made by the vet. If the cat is having trouble eating a prescription food, please make an appointment to discuss the problem with the veterinarian.

Final Thoughts

Mixing wet and dry cat foods together is a common practice. This helps the cat to get enough calories, nutrition, and water intake for optimal health. However, it can also increase overall caloric intake and result in an overweight cat. This is why it is extremely important to determine the cats dietary needs and measure foods carefully.

Your cats vet can make exact recommendations for how much food to feed and the times of day that will work best for your cat. Always make feeding changes gradually, and watch for negative reactions. Your cats dietary needs will change throughout its lifetime. Caring for your cats diet can help it enjoy a long, healthy life with you.