There are lots of factors to consider when deciding what to feed your cat and one question you may be thinking about is whether to feed dry or wet food. Both dry and wet food offer different benefits, but have you considered that your cat might benefit from being fed both? Our friends at Royal Canin talk us through it.
Water intake
Cats don’t have a high thirst drive. This can make it challenging to ensure they are drinking enough water, especially when they have a condition which may lead to dehydration, for instance chronic kidney disease, diabetes or a digestive upset. Whilst there are lots of ways that you can encourage your cat to drink (water fountains, flavoured water etc.), don’t forget that they also obtain water from their food.
Wet food has a higher moisture content than dry food and therefore provides an easy way to support your cat’s water intake and hydration status. Not only that, but the increased moisture intake also helps support urine dilution1,3; which can be beneficial for maintaining urinary health. It is for this reason that alongside medical management, vets may recommend feeding a wet-based diet for cats with urinary stones.
Weight management
Dry food by nature contains less moisture than wet food making it more energy dense than wet food2. Feeding dry food therefore means that you can meet your cat’s daily energy requirement with less food than if you were feeding wet food, making it a cost-effective option.
However, the energy dense nature of dry food can result in smaller portion size and cats that are greedy or used to a high volume of food may display food seeking behaviour. This is a common concern for owners of cats who have been neutered or put on a weight loss programme. The high moisture content of wet food helps dilute calories and means the portion size will be bigger4. This is just another example of why incorporating wet food as part of your cat’s diet may be a good idea.
Nutrient balance
If you are looking at introducing mixed feeding then you need to ensure you are feeding dry and wet diets from not only the same manufacturer, but also from within the same range. This helps ensure that your pet receives the benefits of feeding both dry and wet foods and that they also getting the right balance of nutrients from their diet. Royal Canin provides mixed feeding guides for all diets within the Veterinary Health Nutrition range.
Introducing mixed feeding should be done gradually, over at least a week, to help limit any stomach upsets. Wet food needs to be served at room temperature, and you may need to break the food up before serving. Dry and wet food should also be offered in separate bowls.
Ultimately, cats need to be fed a complete and balanced diet and this can be achieved by feeding dry or wet food. Both dry and wet food provide different benefits, and mixed feeding may just offer you and your pet the best of both worlds.
References:
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Buckley, C.M., Hawthorne, A., Colyer, A., Stevenson, A.E. (2011). Effect of dietary water intake on urinary output, specific gravity and relative supersaturation for calcium oxalate and struvite in the cat. Br J Nutr.,106(1): S128-30.
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https://icatcare.org/advice/feeding-your-cat-or-kitten/
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https://icatcare.org/what-should-i-feed-my-cat-wet-versus-dry-food/
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https://www.ukpetfood.org/resource/different-pet-food-formats.html
