Dry or Wet Food That is the Question

We all want what is best for our cats and this includes their nutrition. What you give your cat to eat will determine how healthy he or she will be. Cat obesity is at a all time high. Could it be that you are making your cat fat (and exposing him to potential illness) by what you are feeding him? Do you give your cat strictly dry food, mostly wet food or a combination of both? You should be putting more thought into what you feed your cat besides just walking down the pet food aisle and buying whatever is on sale. Dry or wet food that is the question.

You’ve probably had this discussion with your veterinarian before regarding what type “dry” or “wet” you should be giving your cat. If you have not had this discussion then you should probably bring it up next time you are at the veterinarian. This topic is becoming a growing trend with cat nutritionist and veterinarians alike. It seems that some vets are leaning more towards giving your cat wet food versus dry kibbles.

These board certified veterinarians have discovered five problems associated with giving your cat dry kibbles. These five dry food cons are:

1. There is little water in dry food.
2. Dry food contains too much plant-based proteins instead of proteins made from animals.
3. Kibbles have too much carbohydrates which causes obesity.
4. The making of the dry food process involves high temperatures which destroys all nutrients.
5. Due to heavy processing, dry food is often found to have high counts of: fungal, bacteria, mites, cockroaches, mycotoxins and insect feces.

This data is quite alarming for those who find that it is cheaper to give their cat hard food versus wet food. As if this information wasn’t enough there is also a huge array of medical problems that can potential be tied to feeding your cat dry food. These medical issues include:

• Kidney disease
• Hairballs
• Diabetes
• Inflammatory Bowl Disease
• Cystitis and Crystals
• Urethral blockage and urinary tract infections
• Fatty liver disease
• Obesity
• Asthma
• Dental health

There appears to be a whole lot of bad stuff associated with giving you cat hard food. It is not certain if the same applies if you give your cat organic or the more expensive dry cat food brands. If your cat is suffering from any of these medical issues or you suspect that they could be developing a medical issue that could be linked to the type of food that you are giving you should talk to your veterinarian immediately. Just as you are concerned about the freshness of your food and your nutritional balance so should you be concerned about what you are giving your cat.