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

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

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

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...)

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

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.

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...

Google... Dr. Karen Becker on this topic!! Cats have a low thirst drive and therefore, most are living in a constant state of dehydration from eating kibble!! They end up with kidney problems as a result of this! Wet food is a "species appropriate" diet for your cat!! Think about what cats eat in the wild..it's not dry kibble! No offense, but your Vet is living in the dark ages! Educate yourself on this topic and see what you think! Do your cat a favor and buy high quality, grain free, human grade food. Start reading labels, you don't want to see, by products, corn wheat or gluten!

A Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) eating a prey and watching around wary. - 3605471 | Shutterstock Footage that is what cats eat in the wild.