Wet and dry food: how best to feed a cat?

About the correct feeding of domestic cats for many years there has been debate, to a unanimous opinion did not come neither breeders nor veterinarians. Which is more preferable for pets - natural food, dry or wet food? Is it possible to combine wet and dry formulas, which feed manufacturers should choose for their favorite animals? You will find answers to these questions in our article.

Ready-made store cat food is gaining increasing popularity among breeders and there are several reasons for this.

• Food does not need to be cooked - the owner is only required to pour it in the saucer in the specified volume, it is quite convenient and saves time.
• High-quality food has a balanced composition - it contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats in the required dosages, in addition, they are enriched with vitamins, microelements and essential amino acids.
• Of course, the best natural food has not yet been invented, but it is no secret that in order to create a balanced full-fledged diet, especially for pedigreed cats, which are extremely fastidious in nutrition, you need a lot of effort, as well as time and money. Ready feed completely solve this problem.
• Another indisputable advantage is the convenience of their storage, natural products begin to deteriorate very quickly, and store stocks can be bought immediately in large quantities.

All types of dry and wet feed are available in several versions.

• Economy - the cheapest, widely publicized type of feed, but at the same time the most useless and even dangerous. The product is made from waste of the meat-processing industry - hoofs, bones, fats and skin, and the basis is made up of soybeans and legumes.

• Premium and Super Premium - This mixture, which is made from natural meat. The composition of the product is balanced and contains all the vitamin and mineral supplements necessary to maintain the activity and health of the pet. These are more expensive feeds, you can buy them exclusively in specialized stores, but they, as a rule, fully satisfy all the animal's needs for proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

• Holistic - This is the most expensive feed, the composition of which is as close to natural as possible. Natural meat, greens and vegetables that are grown without the use of hormones and antibiotics are taken as a basis. Preservatives and various flavor enhancers are not included in the product. Such products can be purchased only on request.

• Medicinal - It is food for cats that have certain health problems. Keep in mind that such mixtures should not be given to animals for prophylaxis; from such “care” the animal, on the contrary, will only get sick.

Depending on the consistency, the feed is divided into wet and dry.

• Dry they are pressed granules, the water content in them is minimal. As they enter the digestive organs, they begin to absorb liquid, so when feeding an animal with such products it is very important to carefully monitor that the pet receives the required amount of water.

• Semi-wet food - These are pieces of product in a jelly sauce. The product has a limited shelf life after opening the package.Pies are also classified as semi-moist foods: in fact, they are the same products, only more ground. This product is optimal for small kittens and adult cats with sore gums and teeth. For healthy pets, such feeding is irrelevant, the cats' teeth will remain healthy only when they use them.

• Separate feed category - This is a treat, these include dried meat and nibbles. Such products are not used as the main feed, only as a promotion.

An unequivocal answer to the question of what kind of food is better to feed the animals - wet or dry, no, it all depends on the taste preferences of the animal. Each of the products has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Benefits:

• dental health - veterinarians note that the use of dry food contributes to the sliding of tartar and dental plaque, the product does not contain water, so the pet gets it from the outside, which also helps to clean the teeth;
• dry feeds are more economical: one pack is enough for a long time, so the product does not spoil for a long time and is often sold in large packages, so you can buy bulk food at once for several months in advance;
• dry food will be a good opportunity to strengthen the muscles of the jaw - the product fully satisfies all the chewing instincts of cats and cats.

Now let's talk about the cons.

• Dry foods contain elevated concentrations of carbohydrates. Representatives of the cat family are carnivores, the food they find in nature does not contain grains of cereals, which are present in large quantities in dry food (they are added as a source of carbohydrates). Typically, the proportion of cereals in mixtures is 30-50%, this can cause diabetes in an animal.
• If the cat has been kept on a wet or natural diet for a long time, then its digestive system is used to digestion of high-protein foods and digesting dry food will become a rather complicated procedure.

Pros:

• wet mixes are the optimal source of proteins and fats in a form that matches the physiological characteristics of animals, feeding such food does not cause constipation in pets;
• 70% of the wet food consists of water, so the animals do not need abundant feeding;
• studies have shown that cats eat less food when they eat wet foods, so the use of such feeds helps protect the pet from overeating - animals quickly achieve a feeling of satiety, which persists for several hours;
• appetizing taste and smell - usually pets like the aroma and texture of wet food.

Minuses:

• wet foods are more expensive than dry;
• wet foods have a limited shelf life, so they are usually packaged in small jars or sachets;
• the use of such compounds is often the cause of bad breath, in some cases, animals appear plaque and stone, which often cause gum disease.

According to the recommendations of the manufacturers, mixing of dry and jelly-like feeds is allowed, but only in the case when both products belong to the same brand. Also, manufacturers do not recommend combining ready-made store products with natural food, nevertheless, many breeders from time to time still enter meat or other protein ingredients into the menu of their pet.

In fact, there is nothing dangerous in mixing several types of feed, but it is important to follow certain rules. First, the products should not be combined in a single feed. In this case, there are three possible problems:

• it is difficult to make the menu so that it is balanced;
• When mixing feeds, it is difficult to track the flow of the required volume of water into the animal's body: if the cat eats a wet food immediately after the dry one, then it may completely refuse to drink the water that is so necessary for it.
• dry and wet foods in the pet's body are digested at different rates, which can lead to serious eating disorders in the animal.

Secondly, with great caution should be combined ready-made feed with natural food. If you are committed to combining ready-made food with natural products, then it can only be protein components - meat, high-quality by-products or fish. Pets are not allowed to be fed with cereals, sour milk, vegetables and fruits, they get everything they need from the finished feed composition.

Many breeders buy advertising and choose products for their pets that in fact turn out to be not only not useful, but even dangerous for animals. When choosing the optimal food for your pet, you should not believe the advertisement and the picture on the package - for sure you will see an image of a well-fed healthy cat. The only thing that really should get your attention is the information on the composition of the ingredients.

The composition should be completely “transparent” - all ingredients should be prescribed there with full indication of the type of product, for example, the feed should contain beef / veal / chicken, and not “meat products” - such a formulation is rather vague and may imply ground tendons, bones, skins and fats, and not high-protein components, so necessary for pets.

We draw attention to the fact that The composition on the package is usually indicated by descending mass fraction, and here unscrupulous manufacturers often go for some tricks. For example, they include quite a lot of grain additives, but at the same time in minimal concentrations. Thus, all of them are indicated at the end of the list of products and at first glance their content is small, but if you add up the total content of the components, you will notice that their dosage significantly exceeds the recommended one.

Another important point is the integrity of the packaging. Do not buy dry food by weight. The fact is that the wet food opened can be stored for only a few hours, and dry for several months is oxidized and becomes completely useless for the animal, and in some cases harmful. In addition, often in such a way sellers sell stale goods, mixing it with pellets from the just-opened package. Keep in mind that the implementation of feed by weight should be carried out exclusively from hermetically sealed containers, and not from the packages.

On how to choose cat food, see below.