Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Is it bad for a cat's health if you only feed them dry cat food




Is it bad for a cat's health if you only feed them dry cat food?
I only give my cat dry food. She seems to vomit very often when given wet food. Yes, I took her to the vet and she is in fine health.
Cats - 11 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
if you give them dry food make sure they drink plently of water. other than that it should be fine.
2 :
No it's fine.
3 :
Yes dry food is perfectly fine.
4 :
There is nothing wrong with giving cats only dry food. Actually some vets say it is better for cats than wet food as it is better for their teeth.
5 :
Yes providing that the biscuits are a complete food. If you are buying biscuits from local supermarkets anything stated as premuim and upwards will contain tarine which unlike dogs is why cats are obligated carnivores (tarine is only found in meat). If its a product such as Advance, Royal Canin etc these are very complete foods and can be given on its own but more water is required to be given. Note: regardless of goodness biscuits usually hold more carbs so keep to feed charts.
6 :
In regards to the vomiting...have you thought about the brand that you have your cat on? It could be that their stomach does not tolerate the wet food because of the brand. I only say this because my kittens have hard time digesting anything but Fancy Feast made purley for kittens. However, my older cat only can eat certain foods which I think is good for them because than they get a better source of nutrition. A lot of the dry foods and wet foods are nothing but fillers meaning they will keep your kitty full but all in all will not be good for your pet, Science diet is one of them. I would try Kit-and-Kabootle made by purina, and if you want to mix a little wet food in with his/her food it wouldn't hurt just don't give it to he/she all the time because it tends to rot out teeth.
7 :
Cats are carnivores - nature designed them to eat meat (as in raw prey) and not dry kibbles. Those were created for our convenience, and not for the health of our cats. Dry food is now linked to such feline disorders as obesity, diabetes, constipation, urinary tract disorders, and kidney disease. Dry food does not clean the teeth - look at your cats teeth - there are NO flat chewing surfaces, they are designed to rip meat, and not to chew. Vets who've actually continued their education, and vets newly out of school now recommend either an all-canned diet, or at least one canned meal a day. They need to moisture provided by the canned food, and they do not need all the carbohydrates that are present in the dry (leading to the diabetes and obesity). Adding one canned meal a day will save you vet bills in the future for illnesses that can be avoided by proper diet.
8 :
In the best case scenario, you would prepare a diet for your cat which resembles closely the sorts of things cats eat in the wild: fresh meat, in the form of chicken or rabbit, including organs and fat, and very small amounts of grain. However, you may not have the time and inclination to do so, and there are some very acceptable alternatives in the form of premium brands of canned cat foods. See my article on Canned Cat Food for more information on the virtues of canned vs dry foods for cats. On the other hand, if you have long working hours, and there is no one staying at home to feed the cats, you may also have to supplement with dry food left down for "grazing," during your absence. There are also automatic feeding devices, some of which have refrigerated units which are capable of opening cans with a built-in timer. Be sure to provide plenty of fresh water for your cat when feeding dry foods. He will need the extra moisture he would normally get in canned food. Automatic water dispensers are excellent for this purpose. I hope this information is helpful Good Luck!
9 :
I have only ever fed my cats dry food and they are all very healthy and happy. The dry food is better for their teeth, as it helps to scrub away plaque and other nasties.
10 :
Dry food is the best its also good for their teeth wet food should only be given once in a while as a treat.
11 :
Is it bad for their health. Yes. Just as it is bad for your health if you eat cookies. You could probably eat nothing but cookies for quite a long time before your health showed up as anything but "fine" in standard health tests. It does not mean you are living your most healthy life. Dry food does have SOME nutriants and despite the claims of being "complete and balanced" (those tests are done for 6 months and if only a small number of the cats die in that time then they figure it is ok) it is too full of junk and not full enough of the things cats do need to remain optimally healthy. People who recommend dry food (both lay people and vets) are very behind in their reading and not up to date on the latest research. Start with http://www.catinfo.org a website run by a vet who studies feline nutrition. She has links on her pages to other vets who also study feline nutrition. If you prefer your information in hard copy, start with "Your Cat" by Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins. Cats learn when they are kittens which foods are acceptable at their mother's side. If she deams it worthy to be eaten, they eat it. Anything she didn't bring them, they don't recongnize as food and it is going to take a lot of work to help the cat adjust. Their digestive systems also modify to the foods they are eating, so when something novel is introduced, their bodies immediately react to it. If they are not used to it, they vomit or have diarrhea. It is just how the cat has been designed to work to protect itself. If you are interested in getting her on a better diet then you will want to slowly introduce the new foods, feeding 20-25% new food to 80-75% old food for a few weeks, then slowly increase the new food and decrease the old. Just about every cat can be transitioned on to a healthier food if you are committed to helping her out



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Posted by Health Food at 5:23 PM