Dry vs Wet food: What our Vet said and do you agree/disagree?

**Lollypop** · 5th June 2013, 12:35 PM

Hi MC lovers,

I would like to get some opinions on cat food/diet..

We have just come home from taking our 14 month Maine Coon to the vets as we were worried she might be deficient in Taurine as the wet food we give doesnt contain it (Applaws).

However, it turns out that not only does the Vet think she will be fine because of her dry food Royal Canin which is a complete food with Taurine, but actually that dry food is best for cats and that wet food isnt really neccessary. You can feed wet in addition if you like, but she really didnt seem that fussed about it. She has been a vet for 20 years and fed her cats aged 13 years a diet of Only dry food. She said that billions of pounds were spent on the industry, and that the main reason why pets are living much longer is down to their diet rather than vaccinations etc. The dry has everything you need.

She positively was horrified at the mention of a raw food diet we had found- completely not needed in her opinion and the product of a few groups/forums which very strong opinions who try to persuade others of their view.

However, my OH disagrees as his reasoning is 'Could you imagine if all we could eat was dry?' I understand him in one regard, I believe the preference to feed wet is probably psychological- we wouldn't feed our human babies only dry food. But I dont want him to just dismiss a vet's opinion just because it might go against what you like to believe.

But what is your opinion on this and have you had vet's advise you of similar/different? What do you feed your cat/s, as my partner and I are having mixed views/a debate on the subject! He's just spent about £150 on wet cat food imported from somewhere

**jckkerrison** · 5th June 2013, 02:03 PM

As I have said in many threads before I am a wet food believer through & through....... my boss who is a vet of the older school is also a wet food believer,all my animals have been brought up on tinned food with just a small portion of bikkies {RC,Hills or Sanabelle}
What did we feed our animals before biscuits came on the scene,think there was perhaps only two brands of cat food available way back then,I have worked at a vets for 40 years & never had half the problems that we see now before biscuits appeared,lots more cases of cystitis,overweight cats & now something that was very rarely seen diabetic cats too......
I know if you are a raw food feeder that they do recommend added taurine but also believe that it comes from meat & fish anyway so wether it is how it is derived from those sources I have to admit that I don't know,obviously the tinned food contains other parts of the animal involved where as raw food diet tends to be the straight forward flesh part,perhaps someone could come & tell us in easy to understand terms or otherwise it could mean some homework for us but all I know is that I have never had any problems wet feeding in well over 40 years,canine or feline.........x

**Alekto** · 5th June 2013, 05:20 PM

hey Lollypop, I am also a wet food believer - only dry food as supplement, though Neevie-Coon-the-Pirate disagrees. When I first got her, the breeder's advise was :
1) only wet food for the first year - helps settles kidneys and all that -
2) and also it has to be wet food in jelly at least till the first 6 months because gravy would be too rich for a kitten
3) it's ok to avoid wet food alltoghether - contrarily to what the Iams add suggests, wet food being made of 70% water is a good thing! it keeps your baby hydrated!
(she also advised to feed her boiled chicken breasts and raw salmon as treats... Neevie totally agrees with that...)

**Chris** · 5th June 2013, 09:49 PM

Frazer hasnt arrived yet, but i will be feeding him wet food as well as fresh fish and a little biccies, but thats cos I have always fed my moggies that and havent had any problems. But I am a beginner with MC's so I dont know how we will get on, fingers crossed ! lol

**donnad** · 6th June 2013, 03:39 PM

As the wet vs dry food war rages on, I will play it safe and feed both. Ginger gets half a can in the am and the pm and all of the grain free dry kibble her heart desires. I have fed dry food for years and never had a problem with my cat's diets or health. One of my vets suggested a raw diet but neither I or the cats were down with that. I tried and they just would not touch it. Oh wells, I think we all have their best interest at heart.

**jckkerrison** · 7th June 2013, 05:22 PM

Went to stock up the furries wet food larder this afternoon & although I always used to feed tinned Felix because it has gone up so much over the last 18 months have been feeding Classic,made by Butchers {now there is another pretty old name over here for animal foods} it works out at 45p a tin & there in big writing is "With added taurine" now how good is that...

**Alekto** · 7th June 2013, 08:11 PM

OK, I just looked up on Amazon Buchers Classic .... 1 pound a tin! must be quality! where do you get your 45p ones, Jckkerrison!?

**jckkerrison** · 7th June 2013, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Alekto

OK, I just looked up on Amazon Buchers Classic .... 1 pound a tin! must be quality! where do you get your 45p ones, Jckkerrison!?

Today we got it from Waitrose,have to say couldn't believe it as normally we do pay a bit more but it still works out cheaper than the Felix,needless to say we got a few packs....x
Will have to have a look & see if it is a better type....!

Nope same one can't believe that price is right have just checked Pets at Home & it is 48p a tin.....

**Ginacool** · 13th June 2013, 05:17 PM

I'm another 1/2 and 1/2 for quality wet and dry food. Do feed raw fish once every week as a treat though. Don't like the idea of raw food any more after looking into it thoroughly and seeing all the problems with salmonella and E coli. I would prefer to leave it to the experts to guide me, especially with the add ons such as vitamins and taurine.
I have two (nearly) 21 year old moggies brought up on Go Cat until several years ago when they were swamped by the coonies and now they are on a much higher grade food and still going strong, and thoroughly enjoying it ;)
My vet strongly believes in the dry food though.

**Howlinbob** · 16th June 2013, 07:29 PM

Wet food all the way. Best quality you can get, grain free if possible. Better still, if you can manage it, raw food. But that's not for everyone.

Dry food is awful stuff full of indigestible grains and carbs. As Jckkerison says, in the long term it can lead to a lot of health problems, because of the low protein content and lack of moisture. Unfortunately a lot of vets recommend it because they make money out of a) selling it and b) treating the health problems it causes.