Which Food is best for Cats? Canned or Dry?

Please leave a comment to welcome Amanda Johnson to That Mutt. She has two kitties named Shelly and Sylvester.

Years ago, during my college years, I had a sweet tabby kitty named Boba Fett.

Yes, he was named after the infamous star Wars bounty hunter as a kitten because the fur aligned around his jaw like a helmet and his coloring was a near-perfect match.

He was found in South Austin by a fantastic animal rescue organization during the glaring heat of summer in a trailer park with a few of his siblings.

A scrappy little guy, he stole my heart instantly at first sight, and I took him home to my college house that same day. He would accompany me through the most hectic years of my life in school and on a cross-country relocation from Texas to California.

I have to admit that I was a bit clueless and not very observant in my 20s, so I could have missed some things about his health that may have changed his fate; but I never saw the signs that he was ill.

At only 6 years old, he unexpectedly passed away. There was a awful argument as to how and why, but I always wondered if his diet was partly to blame. I fed him entirely dry food and water and was racked with guilt for not seeing the signs or catching it in time.

Needless to say, when I finally became a cat owner again, I was (heck, I still am) obnoxiously paranoid about their diet, veterinary checkups, sleep, flea meds… you name it.

One of Amanda’s current kitties, Shelly

And of course, the first thing I did upon getting my new fuzzy little bears was to obsess about their diet, do tons of research and hound their veterinarians at every checkup.

So here’s the low down on which food is best for cats:

1. Cats have a low thirst drive

Cats don’t get thirsty in the same way we do. They are developed to get the majority of their moisture from their prey. That implies if they’re an inside cat that eats solely dry food, you’re betting on them to drink lots of water to satisfy what their bodies need in terms of liquid to stay healthy.

Dry food is comprised of about 10% moisture, whereas wet food on average includes 78%. ¿Porque es esto importante? because a lack of moisture contributes to chronic dehydration, which can easily turn into feline kidney disease, diabetes and/or urinary tract infections that can threaten your cat’s life.

In fact, in numerous cases where cats have been diagnosed with kidney disease, they’re placed on wet food diets high in water-soluble vitamins, fiber and high antioxidant concentrations. Cambridge university studies have shown that cats fed solely dry food have a lower water intake and lower urine volume than cats on a wet food diet, even if they have constant access to fresh water.

In addition, a study from the national research Council’s committee on animal Nutrition found that regardless of a cat’s total food and water consumption, the proportion of water in the diet is higher for cats fed wet food than for cats fed dry food.

2. often too numerous carbs in a dry-food-only diet

An interesting fact I learned from my vet: cats can’t taste sweetness. That’s got to suck.

This is because they don’t have taste receptors dedicated to tasting sweet like they do for salty, sour, bitter or savory. Their systems are not intended to consume carbohydrates. In the wild, cats only consume carbohydrates through the minute stomach contents of their prey (I know, gross).

They aren’t equipped to metabolize carbohydrates like other animals can, and the carbs really go to their bellies, even much more than they do to ours. With some dry foods including as much as 40% carbohydrate content, you could be opening your cat up to unintentional health issues by feeding them solely dry food.

3. dry food isn’t necessarily evil

When my sweetheart and I first got our black and white tuxedo kitten Sylvester, he had some digestion issues caused by tape worms that chose to burrow in his young tummy. The vet bill was fun.

Amanda’s cat, Sylvester

Our vet instructed us to feed him a premium dry food, specifically developed for gastrointestinal issues. It’s not cheap either, but the specially-formulated crunchy stuff soothed his tummy and helped him to pass normal, healthy stools while his digestive system healed.

Our other cat, Shelly, a tortoise shell female that’s just a year older, started eating on the premium stuff too, and both cats became hooked. Out of paranoia, I called my vet directly to find out if it was alright for both cats to eat, and he said he would recommend it as a source of good nutrition for any cat.

Another reason why a little dry food is a good idea is that some studies show a small dental benEft para secar la comida en la dieta de un gato debido a la abrasión natural de la placa de sus encías en el proceso de crujirlo con los dientes. Los problemas dentales son un problema común para los gatos envejecidos, por lo que tener un poco de alimento seco en su dieta podría ayudar a mantener sus chompers saludables por más tiempo.

¿Qué comida es mejor para los gatos? ¿Húmedo o seco?

Entonces, después de mi investigación de alimentos para gatos aparentemente ilimitados, desarrollé una fórmula que creo que funciona bien para nuestros dos pequeños monstruos.

La fórmula: alimentar los alimentos secos y los alimentos húmedos a los gatos

Les alimento dos latas por día de alimentos enlatados húmedos de calidad; Una vez por la mañana y una vez por la noche, con aproximadamente una taza de alimentos secos premium divididos entre dos tazones y salido durante todo el día.

Por supuesto, cada gato es diferente y podría decidir sobre una fórmula completamente diferente después de una discusión con su veterinario. Cualquier historial médico que su gato haya tenido pesará en gran medida en la discusión y podría anular algunos de los puntos que he hecho aquí.

Pero según esas recomendaciones, al seleccionar su comida, asegúrese de familiarizarse con los ingredientes, evitando cualquier relleno como el maíz o el arroz. Desea que la carne sea el primer ingrediente en cualquier alimento húmedo y concentraciones más bajas de carbohidratos en alimentos secos.

Alimentar a su gato al menos una dieta parcial de alimentos enlatados húmedos ofrece la humedad requerida para la nutrición de su gato.

En general, la investigación reflexiva y una discusión con su veterinario prepararán a su gato para una vida saludable y larga de compañía cómoda.

Y aunque esta publicación no se trata de alimentos crudos para gatos, ese Mutt admite dietas crudas para mascotas. Es posible que desee considerar agregar alimentos crudos a la dieta de su gato o preguntarle a su veterinario sobre esta opción. Hay numerosas marcas de comida cruda para gatos para elegir, como Darwin’s, Raw Paws o Jimbo’s Raw Cat Food.

En los comentarios, háganos saber cómo eligió la dieta de su gato y si tiene alguna pregunta.

Amanda Johnson, nativa de Texas, escribe para varias publicaciones en línea y vive en el sur de California con su novia y dos osos difusos, Shelly y Sylvester. Es posible que esté interesado en el breve artículo de Amanda sobre qué hacer cuando uno de sus gatos es un matón.

Artículos relacionados:

Alimentos crudos para gatos (que Mutt admite una dieta cruda para perros y gatos)

¿Son buenos Weimaraners con los gatos?

Presentando tu canino a un gato de granero

¿Pueden llevarse los perros y los gatos?