So is it ok for my cat to eat just dry complete cat food?

[Millys Mum]

something to do with the fact that the outside of the biscuit is sprayed with fats of some description to make sure they do eat it

Chicken digest   

Its has bacterias added to start breaking it down, guess thats why salmonella can live on it easily?


Milly and Lola were biscuit girls when i got them, Go Cat/Whiskas addicts    They will eat vast quanititys of dry if left down and then Milly pukes it back up  never learnt her lesson tho so its set meals times now.
Keeps them keen, i have no waste and if one of them doesnt turn up for food i know somethings up.

[hOrZa]

I may have to try a dry only diet as the boys are eating less of the wet and just eating the dry that I leave out for them to graze on

Well they would if its left out for them!  Dry food is addictive, something to do with the fact that the outside of the biscuit is sprayed with fats of some description to make sure they do eat it - they wouldnt give it a second glance if it didnt have that fat sprayed on it I'm sure LOL!

Its always been left out for them but only now is it being eaten wholesale rather than pecked at

[Rosella moggy]

I may have to try a dry only diet as the boys are eating less of the wet and just eating the dry that I leave out for them to graze on

We find that Tom will often (not always mind) eat the last bits of the wet food if we sprinkle a little dry on top.  I tend not to top up dry grazing food on occasion so they eat the wet. Billy in particular is partial to dry and getting a wee bit podgy.

[Gillian Harvey]

I may have to try a dry only diet as the boys are eating less of the wet and just eating the dry that I leave out for them to graze on

Well they would if its left out for them!  Dry food is addictive, something to do with the fact that the outside of the biscuit is sprayed with fats of some description to make sure they do eat it - they wouldnt give it a second glance if it didnt have that fat sprayed on it I'm sure LOL!

[hOrZa]

I may have to try a dry only diet as the boys are eating less of the wet and just eating the dry that I leave out for them to graze on

[Gillian Harvey]

Even if a cat drinks water everyday, its never replaces what the bsicuit takes, cats on a dry diet are clinically dehydrated 
When you compare dry to a mouse or rabbit its the complete opposite-grainy and dry compared to meaty and full of water.

And dont believe what vets say about dry being good for teeth either.

Yep, agree with all that! Dry food did absolutely nothing for my cats's teeth, in fact most had to have dental procedures including extractions at young ages.

Owners seem to think that because they see their cats drinking a lot of water when they are fed a dry diet its a good thing - when in fact they just can't keep up with the dehydration. Cats that eat a wet/natural/raw diet rarely drink - they don't need to because they get all the moisture they need from their diet.

[blackcat]

granted it is more cost-effective and convenient, but if your vet recommends it it is also sometimes essential. That was certainly the case when mine were on it and it made a considerable positive difference to Bob's quality of life. However cats are not drinkers by nature, so will take a lot of effort to maintain their hydration on dry food only diet.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Also dry food is less stinky! 

I have to say that I've not noticed any difference in the stink when I switched Jaffa from mostly dry to all wet.  What does seem to make a difference with my 2 is the quality of the food, be it wet or dry.  Their poo is less stinky when they eat something with good quality meat protein than when they eat something with lots of cereal etc as fillers.

[Millys Mum]

Even if a cat drinks water everyday, its never replaces what the bsicuit takes, cats on a dry diet are clinically dehydrated 
When you compare dry to a mouse or rabbit its the complete opposite-grainy and dry compared to meaty and full of water.

So many people now pick dry over wet for cost and convenience.

And dont believe what vets say about dry being good for teeth either.

[Corporal Smokey]

I feed mine dry and they have a fountain right next to their food. They eat lots, drink lots and the Cpl's stopped getting a runny bottom. I was going to move them on to Bozita or Applaws as recommended by trusted friends on here but I had a bag of Royal Canin Exigent left so I tried that first. The poopy problems stopped instantly.

I am concerned still about Smokey having kidney problems later in life so I keep a close eye on what goes in and what comes out and it's been fine so far. I've also found that meal for meal, premium dry food, even at £12ish a 2kg bag works out cheaper or on a par with normal priced wet food so imho they get a better diet for the same price or less.

Also dry food is less stinky! 

[smudgepickles]

You need to feed dry food to neutered male cats with a bit of caution.  My Bertie was diagnosed with bladder crystals last year, and although the vet confirmed that some cats are predisposed to them and some cats aren't, they are much more common in neutered males eating dry diets.  The high ash and magnesium content in dry food can contribute to the formation of the crystals, and Bertie is certainly doing a lot better since I took away the dry food.

I have the same scenario with Louis and Tabitha too... Gizmo also had crystals not long before he died as he was a butter for not wanting wet food.....I dont now leave a bowl of biscuits as I use too so they get them after they have eaten their wet food it tool a while to sink into them that as long as they ate the wet they got the dry

xx

[Team Svartalfheims]

Not read al lthe replies so sorry if I'm saying things that others have already said.

The 3 cats that live with my Mum only eat Hills dry food and will not touch wet food at all and have never had any health problems from this (2 girls and a boy) but Team Svartalfheim's happily eat a mix of dry, wet  and raw.

If you want to feed only dry then make sure it is a quality brand such as Hills, Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved, Purina Pro Plan etc. Will he eat chicken or anything like that? If he will then it might be worth trying Applaws or Almo Nature food (they are complementary so feed alongside a complete dry food such as one of the ones above) Nature's Menu wet is also good. It could simply be he doesn't like Whiskas as there's basically no meat in it so a high meat wet food might convicne him that wet is good sometimes.

[blackcat]

My last cats were all fed dry food with no wet - Hills science diet, with no problems arising from that. But others on this site will disagree. My present cats have a mix of wet and dry simply because that is what they were used to.

[berties mum]

You need to feed dry food to neutered male cats with a bit of caution.  My Bertie was diagnosed with bladder crystals last year, and although the vet confirmed that some cats are predisposed to them and some cats aren't, they are much more common in neutered males eating dry diets.  The high ash and magnesium content in dry food can contribute to the formation of the crystals, and Bertie is certainly doing a lot better since I took away the dry food.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I've put a reply on your other thread as well about where you can get lots of different wet foods to try out on your little man

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Personally, I favour at least some wet food in the diet as water is an essential nutrient and cats don't have a strong thirst mechanism so can very easily become dehydrated if they don't take in water with their food.  However, if your cat won't eat wet food then I wouldn't fret about it.  A complete dry food contains all the nutrients a cat needs (with the exception of water) but I agree with Sam in going for a 'premium' brand such as JWB, Royal Canin etc.  And it's a good idea to put water bowls in several different places to encourage drinking.  Water fountains are good too as lots of cats like to drink from dripping taps!

If you've tried lots of wet foods and he won't eat any of it, don't worry.  But it might be worth trying some different brands to see if you can tempt him with something.  Some wet food just now and again would be beneficial if you can find something he likes.

[Gillian Harvey]

He wont really eat the tinned food !  advice for a new cat owner !

I wouldnt feed a dry only diet, its not a natural diet for a cat,  but agree with Sam, if you do feed dry only - go with the premium brand dry foods. Perhaps try some of the higher meat content brands of cat food, like natures menu in pouches, applaws, almo, bozita etc to see if he'd like those wet diets.

[betsy]

If you are going to feed a "dry only" diet then I would suggest buying a better brand .... James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin etc.  There is nothing wrong with a dry only diet but make sure your furbabe always has access to water.

Thanks !  yes he always has access to water,  would you recommend that i leave a little bit of wet food in a bowl also or not?

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

If you are going to feed a "dry only" diet then I would suggest buying a better brand .... James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin etc.  There is nothing wrong with a dry only diet but make sure your furbabe always has access to water.

[betsy]

He wont really eat the tinned food !  advice for a new cat owner !