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Anonymous
So my gf and I are going to get a kitty from the humane society in the next week or two, and I've been reading up on food. It seems that a lot of people recommend a diet solely of wet/canned food and that dry food is basically the devil. It's said that dry food is loaded with carbs (truth) which cats simply do not need. Also, cats apparently get their water primarily from their food rather than separately, so even with a steady supply of water, dry food can lead to kidney/bladder problems.

What are /an/'s thoughts on this?
>> Anonymous
It's said that cats have been living perfectly healthy to 20 years old on nothing but the cheapest dry food that Wal-Mart sells.

That said do find something with a decent protien content, Iams usually has the best protien for the price. Everything else is marketing.
>> Anonymous
Don't cats need dry food to clean their teeth? It's all about balance. Feed them both wet and dry food. You don't have to choose 1.
>> OP
Yea, I'm doubting that dry food means your cat won't live past five years or crap like that, but what I've been reading -seems- like it makes sense. I mean, I know for a fact that quality pet food is worth the extra cost. Animals instinctively know what they need and they'll eat until they get it, so they'll eat more of the cheap carb-loaded crap than they will something full of protein and other nutrients. All those carbs then lead to weight gain, diabeetus, etc.

The food pictured in my OP has crazy-good reviews and it costs a bit less than $1/can, with most saying their cat needs one can a day. I'm wanting to go with an exclusive wet-food diet, so I'm mostly looking for input on whether this would be a good idea.
>> Anonymous
I heard it's best to hand-make all your pets food because anything processed is going to have all the nutrients sucked out of it and then replaced with fake nutrients anyway. Also wet foods are probably high in salt content. Dry food won't kill your cat but there are better solutions. Do some googling to figure out the best solution for you.
>> OP
>>269290

Yeah, the only thing I've seen rated higher than quality wet food is a raw diet. But my gf and I live in a small apartment and we lack room for a meat grinder, as well as freezer space.

Here's the ingredients for the food pictured:
>Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Duck, Salmon, Carrots, Brown Rice Flour, Fish Meal, Lecithin, Dried Cranberries, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin K Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement.
>> Anonymous
>>269286

No, they don't need dry food to clean their teeth. That is just marketing BS spread by pet food companies. Do cats living in nature need dry food to clean their teeth? No.

Get down to basics here: Cats are obligate carnivores. They eat meat, and only meat. Their digestive tracts cannot handle the digestion of plant materials. Their body is set up to digest meat and meat only. This is unlike omnivores such as humans or dogs which can digest plant material.

The best cat food, therefore, would be composed entirely (or at least mostly) of meat. Small amounts of plant fillers or "supplements" are fine, but expect problems from foods that are largely composed of plant-based fillers.
>> Anonymous
Dry food does not help clean any animals teeth. You can either brush the kitties teeth or give her some chicken wings once or twice a week, the bones will clean her teeth. And no, raw bones don't splinter.

For dry food I recommend EVO feline. Its the closest and cheapest you can get to actual natural foods (theres also wysong but its quite expensive)

If you are willing to do the chicken wing thing, I'd say just do dry. If not, just also use wet food.. don't want a lazy kitten that wont eat dry because it luvz wet too much
>> Anonymous
>>269300
>>Their digestive tracts cannot handle the digestion of plant materials.

And for that reason they actually need to consume some plant matter from time to time, as any digestive system needs a bit of indigestible material. An outdoor kitty will usually just munch on grass, but failing that a little bit of dry food probably doesn't hurt.
>> Anonymous
>>269312

You're right, but that is getting a little off topic. The point is that cats should be eating a diet that is mostly meat. Plant products should make up a tiny bit of their diet--certainly not a large part of it, let alone the majority of it.

Dry foods are mostly fillers and/or plant products so even though they may contain some meat, dry food only or half dry, half wet, is not healthy.