Okay to Feed Dry Only to Cats?

[workinatsavin]

Do you all think cats get enough nutrition from dry food alone or do they really need canned too? This is just for average 9 mo. olds with no health problems. (I've been feeding Purina Kitten Chow only and am now switching to Friskies Seafood Sensations.)

[TBEventer2002]

As long as it is a high-quality dry food (ie, Science Diet, Purina ONE, Iams, etc) then it might be fine. The risk you run feeding dry-only to male cats is that the dry alone can alter the pH in their urine and they can block on lower-quality dry foods (I would put Friskies dry in that category).

Many vets prefer cats be on dry and canned together. But that is only an opinion. Every blocked male cat that I've seen come thru our office was on dry-only, low-quality food.

[thorrocks1]

I have been feeding my cats dry food for 9 years .. they are indoor/outdoor cats (they do catch their share of birds, mice, squirrels etc.) .. both are very healthy cats and have had no health issues.

We have another cat that is just a year old and he is fed dry as well .. no problems.

Once in a while we might give them a small piece of chicken or turkey .. and they love to clean the ice cream bowls .. but that's it.

Every animal is different but if you are concerned, ask your vet!

[workinatsavin]

Originally Posted by TBEventer2002 As long as it is a high-quality dry food (ie, Science Diet, Purina ONE, Iams, etc) then it might be fine. The risk you run feeding dry-only to male cats is that the dry alone can alter the pH in their urine and they can block on lower-quality dry foods (I would put Friskies dry in that category). Many vets prefer cats be on dry and canned together. But that is only an opinion. Every blocked male cat that I've seen come thru our office was on dry-only, low-quality food.

Wow, didn't know that at all! I have one male and one female inside. So you think Friskies dry is not very healthy for them? I could change to something better. I buy big bags of Friskies for my 3 outside cats and I was just going to feed it to my inside cats too, but maybe I will reconsider. It is just all so expensive, but I don't want to risk their health.

[mama22qts]

I have always fed dry to our cats, and I had one to live to 21 years old, one was 18, and the others died due to other issues -- not health related.

I have one right now that is 2 years old, and she's fed mostly dry. I do give her the occasional piece of chicken or eggs or steak (last week she had fresh fish!) but mostly dry. Never had a problem. Both of mine that lived so long were female though, so I can't speak to the blockage issue. I do feed Kitten Chow and Iams to my kitty I have now.

[PirateQueen]

My cat will only eat dry food. The only wet food he likes is canned tuna which he only gets 4 or 5 times a year. I cringe when i think of how many cans of cat food went to waste sitting in his bowl, I finally gave them to my sister for her cats.

[Tiffany]

I and my mom have only ever fed dry food to our cats. Most of them wouldn't eat the canned food. They've all lived long, healthy lives.

[TBEventer2002]

Originally Posted by workinatsavin Wow, didn't know that at all! I have one male and one female inside. So you think Friskies dry is not very healthy for them? I could change to something better. I buy big bags of Friskies for my 3 outside cats and I was just going to feed it to my inside cats too, but maybe I will reconsider. It is just all so expensive, but I don't want to risk their health.

By most vets' standards, Friskies dry is not considered "high-quality." Unfortunetly, you get what you pay for in pet foods, so cheapest isn't always healthiest. But for a sure answer, just call up your vet's office and ask them what store-brand foods they reccommend. Lots of people call us asking about foods, and they are often pleasantly surprised when we suggest store-brand foods, not necessarily prescription diets.

In addition to that, dry foods tend to be high in calories and carbs. Most cats (not all) who are only free-fed dry food are the ones more likely to become overweight and that can lead to other issues such as diabetes. By adding canned food, you are adding less calories but more volume so the cat feel fuller for longer.

[meems]

Mine won't eat canned, she licks the gravy a little then leaves the rest to stink.

[unhinged]

Cats are carnivores. The closer their food is to their natural diet, the healthier they are. Most dry foods are, unfortunately, full of fillers like corn and wheat that are cheap to produce but really not very good for cats. I did a lot of research and became much more careful about which cat foods to buy, after our beautiful cat Sheba died in late 2006 as part of the tainted pet food disaster. You can find some good information at sites like Pet Connection, News for cats, dogs & pet owners, and Pet Food Tracker.