Is wet food good for cats? How does it affect their weight, teeth, and water?

There are many different opinions about pet food, even in the veterinary community. I think it is fine to offer canned and dry food to cats. Most people will leave dry food out and will offer the canned food once to twice a day but don’t leave that out as it will spoil. If the cats are heavy, look for low-calorie foods. Dry food isn’t that good for the teeth unless it is a special dental formula. These formulas have kibble that will not break until the tooth is fully engaged into the kibble. Otherwise kibble only helps to keep the tips of the teeth clean and not the gumline. Kibble is however not bad for the kidneys. Canned food is better for the kidneys because of the water content but if kidney disease does develop, cats will need a special diet for kidney disease. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions about Moe and Mac.

Wet food is actually biologically a better food for cats. Dry food is easier for humans, but cats are desert animals and tend to run a little dehydrated if fed only a dry food diet. Since Spunkers already likes wet food, you should be able to easily transition her over to a wet food diet. However, since you have noticed that Spunkers is drinking more water than normal, I would recommend having her evaluated by your veterinarian and run some routine bloodwork and a urinalysis to make sure there aren't any metabolic changes that are causing the change in her water intake. A canned food diet is always a good idea for cats, but we also need to make sure there isn't anything else going on that needs to be treated. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

One of the things we have found is that wet food is actually healthier for cats than dry food. I feed my cats wet food only. It is better for their kidneys long term and seems to help prevent obesity since dry food has to have carbohydrates in it that cats can't utilize well. I have included a link below with a lot more information for you. http://catinfo.org I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Check the labels on your cat foods and see if it gives you a calorie count. Most good pet foods will have that information. Calculate how many calories are in 1/3 of the dry food and compare that amount to the canned food to get an idea of the right amount to feed him to maintain his weight. If you aren't fond of math (like me!) a less precise method is to simply keep an eye on his weight and adjust the amount you feed accordingly. When you run your hands over his body, if the ribs can be felt with light pressure then he's a good weight. If you have to really feel around to tell where his ribs are, he could lose a little weight, and if the bones are felt with no pressure at all, he should get fed a little more.

Wet food does have a higher moisture content, so your cat may be getting enough water from the wet food that he doesn't need to drink anything additional. It's good that you see him drink a lot of water when he eats dry food, and you can add some more water to his wet food if you want just to make sure he is getting enough water :-)

The amount of food they eat depends on how many calories are in that food. Pets should eat enough to maintain a normal body condition. You should be able to feel their ribs like your fingers on the back of your hand. They should have a waist from above and 'Tuck' from below. Adding regular dry food to the canned will only increase the calories they are getting and make them gain more weight. If pets are gaining weight, there are pet foods that are formulated for weight loss and to maintain an ideal body condition that are available from your veterinarian. Ask about weight loss foods and see what they suggest. Unfortunately, housecats are prone to becoming overweight as a lack of exercise and read access to food make a perfect situation to pack on the weight.

It is probably best to maintain Ginger on just dry food rather than switching it up a couple times a week. Unless she is supposed to be much smaller, 4.5kg is usually a normal cat weight. Measure out her food and only give her as much as she needs to maintain her weight. If you find that she is gaining weight on her current food and amount, then you may have to decrease what you are feeding her just a little.