# Anyone else NOT feed their cat wet cat food? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752 "2011-07-20T20:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/41 "2011-07-21T13:03:04Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > 🙂 > > What is it with the kitties and the “Hey, you’re peeing! I can pee too!” It’s weird, but I’ve certainly seen that myself. They also just seem to want to congregate in the bathroom whenever I’m in there. Cats is weird. Jasmine comes in for lovings when I’m pooping. Only when pooping. I’m peeing? She ignores me. I’m in the shower? She cries and begs me to come out of the giant glass box that’s spraying me with water until I get out. On topic; She loves wet catfood, but I rarely give it to her. She only eats half a can at a time, and I’m lazy and don’t like wasting food. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/42 "2011-07-21T13:38:16Z")
My 2 kitties get dry free fed, and start their morning with 1/4 of a small can each, really, no more than a heaping tablespoon. They look forward to their breakfast every day and believe me, I hear about it until I give it to them! ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/43 "2011-07-21T13:47:01Z")
I used to give my cat wet food and she wouldn’t eat it. It took me an embarrassing number of years to realise she simply doesn’t like to eat out of a curved bowl. She eats her kibble because she can knock it out of the bowl with her foot and eat it off the flat floor. Once I started serving wet food on a flat saucer, she ate it happily. I still reserve it as a sometimes-treat rather than a regular event. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/44 "2011-07-21T14:41:32Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > Dry food is better for their teeth. My cats only get soft as a treat. Ask your vet, they will tell you so. I used to think this also, but it’s really not true, and any competent vet won’t tell anybody this. Cats teeth are really designed for rending, rather for chewing, so most of the dry food goes down whole. Toothless cats can eat just as easily as those with teeth. The benefit to teeth is negligible, and the grain by-products in most dry food are not natural food for a cat. What a vet will tell you is to feed your cat whatever it will willingly eat on a regular basis, whether wet or dry. If it prefers dry, try to get some wet into its diet. If you’re going to feed it dry food as a regular diet, then something like Royal Canin HP (hypo-allergenic) is a good choice for when they get older. If your cat doesn’t like wet cat food (and a lot of them don’t), try pureed baby food, such as ham with ham gravy. They love the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/45 "2011-07-21T15:01:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I used to think this also, but it’s really not true, and any competent vet won’t tell anybody this. Cats teeth are really designed for rending, rather for chewing, so most of the dry food goes down whole. Toothless cats can eat just as easily as those with teeth. The benefit to teeth is negligible, and the grain by-products in most dry food are not natural food for a cat. What a vet will tell you is to feed your cat whatever it will willingly eat on a regular basis, whether wet or dry. If it prefers dry, try to get some wet into its diet. If you’re going to feed it dry food as a regular diet, then something like Royal Canin HP (hypo-allergenic) is a good choice for when they get older. If your cat doesn’t like wet cat food (and a lot of them don’t), try pureed baby food, such as ham with ham gravy. They love the stuff. Any cites? ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/46 "2011-07-21T15:03:44Z")
Little screamy cat has trained me to feed him wet food twice a day. Much easier to give in to him than to endure the Siamese yowl of starving protest. The other cat is pretty happy about the wet food thing, too. I mix hot water with it so it’s really sloppy and a little bit warm. Figure it’s a good way to get some fluids in them and makes the can last a bit longer. Dry food is left out for them free choice, though I have yet to find a location that the cats can get to that the dogs can’t, so it’s really only available if the dogs are out with me or I’m there to keep an eye on things. My last cat would turn his nose up at the wet food for most of his life, but started to eat it when he got older. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/47 "2011-07-21T15:09:37Z")
Lenny and Squiggy only ever got/get dry kibble. wet food was a treat for Christmas and stuff, and when Lenny was temporary on a special diet while he recovered form an illness. Squiggy loves it and the vet was very impressed with his health during his last visit. Last time we ran out of his kibble and got wet food as emergency stuff, Squiggy barfed it up everywhere. Too rich for him. (Dog thought that was just great though.) ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/48 "2011-07-21T15:19:22Z")
Only Walmart Special Kitty urinary tract protection dry for nearly eleven years now. Very happy, healthy kitty. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/49 "2011-07-21T15:25:58Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > Any cites? We’ve had a lot of interaction with our vets recently, as our cat was failing, so a lot of the information comes from them. Opinions abound on the internet, of course, but simply watching wildlife documentaries will tell you that cats eat meat and pretty much bolt their food. Usually, when cats start barfing it’s from allergies to the grains added to dry food, or from cow’s milk, or from hairballs. I’m not saying that dry food is a bad thing, as our sweet cat survived for 18 years on the stuff, but it did nothing for her teeth, which still had to be cleaned periodically. As for swallowing much of it whole, when your cat barfs a lot (as ours did with the thyroid problem), it’s easy to see that most of it goes down intact. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/50 "2011-07-21T15:43:42Z")
My cat eats pretty much only Hills Science Plan Furball Control Dry Food for Mature Cats. YUM! If I give him wet food, he just licks off the jelly. And god forbid that you might make him eat a bit of real chicken or tuna, he will look at you like you’ve lost control of your senses. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/51 "2011-07-21T16:12:34Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > Any cites? My vet told me the same thing, that dry food being better for teeth was a myth. Of course, that’s just my one vet so I suppose she could be wrong. I think it makes sense though. I wouldn’t expect a bowl of cheerios to do much about my plaque build up, I’m not sure why dry cat food (which is pretty much just meat cereal) would be any different. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/52 "2011-07-21T16:43:59Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > Any cites? A few given by the vet tackling the subject [here](http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/). It appears the bulk of the research in this area has been done on dogs rather than cats ( who have somewhat different dentition ) and her conclusions ( i.e. “_At best, we can say that dry food tends to produce slightly less tartar than canned food. For cats, the benefits of feeding canned food far outweigh any possible dental problems that may result._” ) are just a little at odds with her opening statement that dry food has NO benefit for cats, but not vastly so. The first reference cited ( Logan ), which looks like a book article surveying research rather than a research paper per se, seems to be the one that backs her argument the most strongly. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/53 "2011-07-21T17:09:33Z")
Didn’t anybody read my post? [Here’s an article/client handout that can be printed from Veterinary Partner](http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=PRINT&A=640) - sister website to the vet-only VIN. This was originally written in 2001 and edited in 2009. Interesting that you can search around on that site and still find some writings that say kibble helps, but this one is most current. > [@](#): > > Dental Diets > There is a common misconception that simply feeding a kibbled diet will protect teeth from dental disease. Consider what it would be like to attempt to replace brushing your own teeth with eating crunchy foods and it is easy to see how ineffective this method would be. When it comes to pet foods, much of the kibble is swallowed whole and not chewed at all. > > Clearly, there must be more to a dental diet than simple kibbling and in fact there is. Dental diets on the market today use several techniques to help reduce plaque. The first is that the kibbles are very large, which means the pet must chew them before swallowing them. These diets are high in fiber, which means the kibbles do not shatter when chewed but instead the tooth sinks into the kibble allowing plaque to be essentially scrubbed away. The large kibbles may pose an acceptance problem for the pet, leading the owner to use them as treats or mixed with other kibbles. The smaller the percentage of the diet these kibbles represent, the less benefit will be reaped. It is also important to realize that these diets are helpful only in cleaning the molars and premolars (i.e. the chewing teeth) and do not help the fangs or incisors. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/54 "2011-07-21T17:18:35Z")
My cat is not a fan. Considering his previous urinary problems, I wish he were. He’s good about “people food,” too; he eats some vegetables, almost any meat, and he loves eggs, but he’s not a big fan of canned cat food. Maybe we should just keep trying it. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/55 "2011-07-21T17:34:39Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > Any cites? I have one every time my Wonton gets hold of dry food. The vomit is still kibble shaped. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/56 "2011-07-21T17:37:34Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > A few given by the vet tackling the subject [here](http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/does-dry-food-clean-the-teeth/). It appears the bulk of the research in this area has been done on dogs rather than cats ( who have somewhat different dentition ) and her conclusions ( i.e. “_At best, we can say that dry food tends to produce slightly less tartar than canned food. For cats, the benefits of feeding canned food far outweigh any possible dental problems that may result._” ) are just a little at odds with her opening statement that dry food has NO benefit for cats, but not vastly so. The first reference cited ( Logan ), which looks like a book article surveying research rather than a research paper per se, seems to be the one that backs her argument the most strongly. I meant a reference to a scientific paper. I never did find much on why wet food is better than dry for a cat. I must say I was turned off by a reference to to the Huffington Post. I think it is full of socialistic garbage having no place in a discussion of pet food. To the extent that it is chewed, dry food will provide some teeth cleaning benefit. Inhaled whole, no. So let’s see a link to a study showing cats are healthier eating wet food than dry. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/57 "2011-07-21T18:04:11Z")
Larger kibble would work better with a dog, perhaps, although both animals are carnivores at heart and tend to bolt their food. Milkbones seem to help with dog teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/58 "2011-07-21T18:04:42Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Sort of the opposite of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=616492). > Most cat owners feed their cat canned cat food, though, right? Does anyone feed them dry cat food, like myself? We have three 12 year old cats and have only fed them wet food if we needed to mix in medicine. Otherwise they’ve been eating the same brand of dry food for their entire lives (although we do switch the flavors). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/59 "2011-07-21T18:19:23Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > I meant a reference to a scientific paper. They seem few and far between for cats. Here is one [review paper](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2387258/) summarizing some research on dry diets and potential relations to diabetes and other conditions in regards to the consumption of dry foods and it concludes that for the most part: _Current published evidence thus does not support a direct role for diet in general, or carbohydrates in particular, on disease risk in domestic cats._ I wouldn’t consider that definitive given the apparent paucity of research, but it is certainly a starting point. > [@](#): > > I never did find much on why wet food is better than dry for a cat. Well, there are several articles by DVMs on the web that discuss potential benefits which I’m sure you can search down yourself. However the ones I’ve found aren’t research papers so much as opinion pieces based on informed speculation and anecdotal evidence. I think they make interesting arguments, but as above I don’t think they have much solid research yet to back their arguments. I wouldn’t toss them, but I think taking them with a grain of salt is reasonable. _I_ went to an all wet diet for specific reasons related to struvite crystal formation in one of my cats that is almost certainly primarily genetic in origin. In his case every little bit of hydration helps. Before that I happily fed dry food. > [@](#): > > I must say I was turned off by a reference to to the Huffington Post. I think it is full of socialistic garbage having no place in a discussion of pet food. 😕 What references to the Huffington Post? > [@](#): > > To the extent that it is chewed, dry food will provide some teeth cleaning benefit. Well the counter to that ( that feline dentition is not designed for chewing and cats really don’t chew per se ) seems pretty reasonable to me. The only benefit to dry foods ( and they are not inconsiderable ) that I can see are convenience related - they smell less, are easier to clean and can be free-fed for cats that do okay with free-feeding ( not all do ). I wouldn’t get too obsessive about it for the most part. My last cat lived 17 years on an almost entirely dry diet. However for some situations ( i.e. my above crystal formation issues ) wet food does seem to have its advantages. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752/60 "2011-07-21T18:26:33Z")
my crews have dry food all day and night. cans on sundays and holidays. they abso. know which day is sunday. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-not-feed-their-cat-wet-cat-food/589752.md?page=4)