Wet food vs. dry food – which is better for your cat?

Loving cat parents are always concerned about what they are feeding their cat. With so many options in the market, the choice ranges from wet to dry food in different flavours, age specifications, and quality. 

There’s always a debate about whether cats should be fed dry food or wet food. While many cat parents have varying opinions, there are pros and cons to each kind of food.

Wet Food

Wet cat food can be found in pouches or cans and comes in a variety of flavours to pick from. These are smaller packets of food that allow you to provide a variety of food to your cat as well as helps with portion control.

A big benefit of wet food is that it has 75% moisture content which takes care of most of their daily water intake, helping avoid health issues such as crystals or stones in the cat’s urinary tract which can be caused due to a low moisture diet. Wet cat food also provides different textures and ingredients that cats love and it is easier for them to chew on.

Dry Food

The biggest benefit of feeding your cat dry food is that it is much more economical and comes in bigger packs. It can be left out for long hours when you are away and it also has a long shelf life once the pack has been opened.

Some research shows that the crunchy dry kibble also helps in removing plaque and tartar build-up on cats’ teeth, helping keep their oral health under control. Though, you must make sure the size of the kibble is easy for your cat to chew on as older cats may find it hard to do so.

Facts about wet and dry cat food

• Wet cat food has 75% moisture content as opposed to 20% in dry cat food.
• Studies show that cats on a dry food diet have a lower intake of water even if they have fresh water available to drink.
• Dry cat food has a high carbohydrate content which may be harmful for your cat and can lead to obesity and risk of diabetes. Since a cat’s primary source of energy comes from protein and fats, they are poor at metabolising carbohydrates.
• Wet food cannot be kept outside for longer than 30 minutes to 1 hour or it starts growing bacteria. This may be inconvenient for cat parents who have to leave their cats for a couple of hours alone every day and need to leave food out for them.
• Dry food has a much longer shelf life than wet food and turns out to be much cheaper and economical than wet food.

So, which should you choose?

Cats love trying new things and can easily get bored of eating the same food every day. The best way to satisfy your cat’s nutritional requirements and food cravings is to give them a mix of both. This will help your furry baby receive the required moisture content as well as oral health management they need, getting the best of both.

Ultimately, let your cat decide which food they like best. Give them a mix of half and half or alternate wet and dry meals.

While wet food does seem to have more nutritional benefits, one point to remember is that low-quality wet food isn’t much better than dry food. So, make sure to pick premium and good quality food for your cat and treat them like the king or queen they deserve to be!

What else can you do?

If you want to go one step further and make mealtime healthier for your cat, purchase a raised feeder for them. An elevated feeder can help with better digestion as it puts the cat in a more comfortable position for eating and reduces strain when leaning the body forward to eat. It also helps maintain hygiene and prevents the cat from playing with their food and water by pushing the bowls around!