Chosing the Right Cat Food: Dry Food or Wet Food?

     One of the biggest themes in cat nutrition today is whether dry food is actually good for cats. Dry cat food manufacturers use grains, not because they are what the cats normally would eat in the wild, but because they help to hold the food together. According to Doctor Lisa Pierson, DVM, "An increasing number of American Veterinary Medical Association members, including board-certified veterinary internists, are now strongly recommending the feeding of canned food instead of dry kibble."

Often mentioned in this discussion is the phrase "obligate carnivore," a term used to describe cats. Whereas dogs can eat other things, cats by nature, exist on a diet consisting almost exclusively of meat. You can see this in the way their teeth are formed. They have very short small intestines, which are important for it to digest raw meat, since a short digestive time prevents the food from culturing bacteria. Also, their digestive systems do not have the proper enzymes to digest grains, and without meat they are not able to form important amino acids, the most important being taurine.

So it follows that the best cat foods are the foods closest to meat which they could find nature, meaning canned foods. Logically, a home prepared diet is better, but many people are afraid to try to make their own food. Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, in her article, Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition, at the site, www.catinfo.org, says that there are three problems with dry cat food: it has the wrong type of protein: plant protein. It has too many carbohydrates for a cat, and It has too little water.

What is wrong with plant protein? As mentioned above, cats are obligate carnivores. They need animal protein. Only animal protein can give them all of the amino acids needed for survival. Taurine is one of these, and it is missing in plants. The reason that the manufacturers use them at all is because they are cheaper. Of course this makes the products cheaper as well. But this compromise may have effects on your cat.

What is wrong with too many carbohydrates? Simply put, they are not what a cat would eat when in nature. Cats do not hunt for grains. Their digestive systems are not suited to process them as easily, either. They are just a way for the manufacturers to make more money. But beware- not all canned foods are necessarily low in carbohydrates either.

Too little water in the dry food is a big problem. Canned food has a large percentage of water, almost 80 percent, whereas dried foods only have from 7-10 percent. And since cats are naturally not as thirsty, if they eat only dried foods, they miss out on a lot of water. This is could contribute to your cat developing kidney and bladder problems.

In addition, some people have noticed that dry cat food has contributed to causing many illnesses in cats, such as feline diabetes, because of its high carbohydrate count. There are many other digestive problems, and dehydration can also occur. Fatty liver disease, renal failure, and urinary tract disease, are few others. Also, the presence of mycotoxins from the grains in dry foods is also a threat.

So to sum it all up, it the best foods for your cat are the foods that are closest to nature. Just because the manufacturer is permitted to sell it does not mean that it is the healthiest cat food. A hungry cat may eat those dry foods, but chances are that it would prefer something with a whole lot more flavor, and a whole lot more natural. It seems that the dry food does not fit the bill.

Adrian Edler is a resident of Berlin, Germany, and is interested in helping people make smart decisions for the health of their cats. http://healthyorganiccatfood.com

Adrian Edler is a resident of Berlin, Germany, and is interested in helping people make smart decisions for the health of their cats. http://healthyorganiccatfood.com