Cats are what we call natural obligate carnivores, meaning that they require a high protein low carbohydrate (10% or less) based food to stay happy and truly healthy. Though cats can eek by on many of today’s popularized dry pet foods, there is much more to be gained with the incorporation, or switch-over, to wet foods for your lovable feline. Here’s a breakdown on some of the facts on wet food:
- For thousands of years cats lived as desert dwelling animals, deriving the 65% or more of their liquids from the prey that they caught and consumed. Many of today’s domesticated cat may not hunt, but have still retained their ancestors tendency not to drink (especially standing water) thus resulting in chronic dehydration.
- Due to the added water content, wet food can help prevent health issues such as urinary crystals as well as several other urinary tract issues that are otherwise commonly found in male cats.
- Today, the majority of dry cat foods consist of little more than 10% moisture content. In contrast, a good quality wet food closely mimics your cat’s naturalized diet both in higher protein percentage and much higher moisture content (ex. Wellness cans = 82% moisture).
- Why can’t I just water-down my cats’ dry food? There are two main reasons that adding water to your cats wet food is not recommended. First, the natural bacteria found on your cat’s food have the tendency to flourish and multiply at a rapid rate, making it unsafe for your feline’s stomach and often resulting in diarrhea. Secondly, your cat goes primarily by texture vs. taste when eating their food, making the overall palatability of watered down dry food less than appealing to your average cat.
- Because your pet can also more readily process wet food, it also helps your pet maintain a healthy weight! Vets often recommend increasing the quantity of wet food within your pet’s diet to help achieve or maintain a healthy weight and strong muscle mass.
Note: A large majority of cat owners give up on wet food after only a few tries to incorporate wet food into their cat’s diet. Try following these basic guidelines to aid in a more successful transition.
- If you have never tried wet food with your cat before or have done so in the past unsuccessfully, you may need to incorporate wet food into your cat’s diet slowly to prevent GI upsets. Some cats may be more sensitive to changes than others, listen to what they are telling you and transition more slowly if needed.
- If you have a finicky eater, don’t give up! Your cat goes primarily by texture when selecting his or her food and secondarily by flavor, so when selecting foods be sure to pay attention to whether you cat prefers minced, pate, flaked or a chunky variation of wet food.
Click like & follow Your Pet Care Connection on Facebook for updates, offers and more great info!
