Should you feed your cat Wet cat food or Dry cat food?
Cat foods are designed in such a way that the food has all the ingredients that address their nutritional requirements. Cat food is prepared using both plant and animal material, supplemented with vitamins and minerals. The most important material in a cat food is a compound named taurine (an amino acid derivative) that cannot be synthesized naturally inside their body
Types of Cat food:
The two main types of cat food that are commercially available in the market are
- Dry Food
- Wet Food
Apart from these two, we also have home made food. Let’s discuss each of them briefly.
Dry food:
Dry food contains less moisture. It is prepared by cooking under high heat and pressure. Generally animal by-products of protein are added to provide the necessary proteins.
Wet Food:
Wet food or canned food comes in cans or pouches and is most commonly used by a lot of pet owners. It contains fish which acts as the source of proteins and has less grains and carbohydrates.
Home Made Food:
Some pet owners are satisfied only when they prepare food of their own and feed their cats. So they prepare food at home which normally consists of raw meat, vegetables, bones, and supplements containing taurine and multivitamins.
Before deciding the type of food, one has to ensure that they meet the requirements of their cat. Cats could be of different sizes and shapes and will need different diets based on their body. So you need to consult the vet before confirming a proper diet.
Wet food or Dry Food?
Let us now discuss which type of food is better for your cat. It should be noted that every food has its own advantages and disadvantages. As owners, it’s our responsibility to analyze the pros and cons before feeding them either of them.
Advantages of Dry Food:
The two most attractive feature of dry food are its convenience and price. This kind of food primarily uses grain based ingredients and animal by-products to cut the making cost. Another advantage of dry food is the fact that it can be left out to the cat to eat at its own will. As it has less moisture content it can be stored easily compared to wet food. Dry food is also recommended for its crunchy nature. Due to their crunchy nature, cats need to chew their food which serves as an exercise for their teeth apart from preventing the deposits of tartar, thereby keeping their teeth healthy.
Disadvantages:
The most important problem of dry food is its reduced moisture content because of which the cat has to be regularly supplied with water to prevent dehydration. If left open, it could get contaminated due to the reaction of fat present in the food with air. Also many owners leave the food to the cat to eat at its will. This can lead to overeating.
Some studies showed that, cats that were on dry food diet excreted urine that was highly alkaline. To prevent this some food manufacturers added supplements which showed signs of formation of stones when consumed by the cat. Therefore lots of water needs to be given along with the dry food.
Advantages of Wet Food:
The main advantage of wet food is the fact that it boasts of high water content. This, along with consumption of water will provide good health to the cat. Apart from this, they contain less grain and carbohydrates and more of proteins. The ingredients used to prepare them are of highest quality. Wet food is considered to prevent or reduce the occurrence of diseases like urinary infection, renal failure, constipation and diabetes which is more prevalent in cats that consume dry food.
Disadvantages of Wet Food:
Wet foods contain fish as an important source of protein. However consumption of excess fish might lead to a disease named “Yellow fat disease”. This is caused due to the high levels of unsaturated fatty acids present in fish. Since wet food comes in cans, there is a chance of hyperthyroidism to occur in cats. But this is very rare.
From the above factors, we can come to a conclusion that both type of food have their pros and cons. As owners if you are looking for convenience, hygiene, and affordability then dry food is suggested. But you need to take extra care to ensure enough of water is consumed by your cat and a regular check up to make sure your cat is healthy.
If you are looking at high quality and not bothered about the price then wet food is recommended and you can also protect your cat from a lot of diet related diseases.
Is it that cat food is bad for dogs or dog food bad for cats?
Should you feed your cat Wet cat food or Dry cat food?
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