Dry Food vs. Wet Food for Cats: What’s Best for Your Pet?
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re surveying the abundance of options in the cat food aisle of your local pet store. With a wide variety of brands, flavors, and types of cat food, it’s hard to identify which food is the best for your cat. One question cat owners often struggle with is whether they should be feeding their cat a diet of wet food or dry food.
There isn’t a right or wrong answer when it comes to the wet food vs. dry food debate. The two types of cat food are different and bring with them different benefits. We’re going to explore these two food types to help you make an informed decision the next time you’re in the cat food aisle.
Pros of Dry Cat Food
Convenient
Dry cat food is unequivocally more convenient for pet owners than wet cat food. Dry cat food doesn’t spoil at the rate that wet food does, which offers cat owners more flexibility when feeding their cat.
If your cat is left alone during the day while you work, leaving out a nice portion of dry food allows your cat to eat leisurely throughout the day. Also, if you must leave your cat home over a traveling weekend, the dry food you leave out for your cat won’t spoil while you’re away.
Economical
The long shelf life of dry food also makes it more economical. Cat food can be bought in bulk, which drives down your price per serving significantly.
The price of dry food can fluctuate quite a bit based on the ingredients of the food. Typically, the more filler (essentially carbohydrates) mixed into the food, the cheaper it will be.
Storage Friendly
Storing dry cat food is an easier task than storing wet canned food. You can find a size-friendly container to dump your large bag of dry cat food into. So long as the lid seals tight, you’ll have no concern with the dry food getting wet and spoiling.
Pros of Wet Cat Food
Hydrating
Some cats fail to drink the appropriate amount of water during the day. If your cat is among them, wet food is an excellent way to boost their water intake. In the wild, the foods that cats prey upon contains about 70 percent water. Canned food varies based on brand and the type of meat, but on average it contains about 78 percent water.
Taste
You know why cats go crazy when you open a can of tuna? It’s the smell. Wet cat food possesses a richer scent than dry cat food. Because of this, cats usually prefer the taste of wet cat food. The sense of smell and taste are closely aligned, especially with cats.
Energy Density
Energy density is the number of calories per gram of food. Cats, like all other animals, use calories to generate energy. So, the more energy that a cat metabolizes per gram of food they ingest, the healthier and lighter that cat will be. Because of all the carbohydrates in dry food, wet food is leaner and less calorie dense than dry food. For cats that struggle with weight issues, wet food is a nice option.
Cons of Dry Cat Food
Empty Calories
Dry food contains a large amount of carbohydrates that lead to a high energy density. Due to this, each portion of dry cat food that a cat eats will have more calories than a portion of wet food. This might not be an issue for your cat if they are active. Active cats will burn enough calories that the heavy calorie intake won’t affect their health much.
Difficult for Older Cats
The sense of smell can waver as cats get older. Because of this, dry cat food may not smell very appetizing to them, which could cause them to not eat enough food.
Additionally, older cats can develop brittle teeth which can make chewing hard food difficult for them.
Cons of Wet Cat Food
Expensive
There are a lot of attractive pros when it comes to feeding your cat wet food. They do come at a cost, however. The high cost is due to the high protein content of the food and the aluminum can package wet food comes in. There are brands of wet food that come in sealed plastic packaging that can help mitigate the cost.
Convenience
Once you open a can of wet food, its freshness starts to decline rapidly. You’ll want to immediately place the wet food into a sealed container and into the refrigerator after opening it. For cats that are left alone for periods of time, it is difficult to serve fresh, wet food on a timely basis.
Every Cat’s Diet Is Different
There isn’t a conclusive answer as to whether you should feed your cat a wet or dry diet. Both present pros and cons. One solution that cat owners employ is to use a mix of both. By feeding your cat a balance of wet and dry food you’ll allow yourself, and your cat, to experience a blend of benefits.
Before deciding on a wet-food diet, a dry-food diet, or a mix of the two, you should consult your cat’s veterinarian. Your veterinarian will know which food your unique cat would get the most benefit from by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your cat.