is dry cat food really as bad as crazy pet fanatics make it out to be? am i really some terrible horrible degenerate for feeding my cat dry cat food the majority of the time? i give him wet food occasionally as a treat but i've heard even wet food gives them diarrhea.
should i hire a chef?
>WAAAAAHHHH! Make me feel better about compromising my pet's health, because I'm a cheap ass who doesn't want to spend a couple extra bucks to provide a healthy diet
my aunt feeds her cats garbage and they all live to be in their 20s
i don't like cats so i say go for it
>>2125269
Cats don't have as high of a thirst drive, so wetfood should be provided even if it's the cheapy shit and you only feed it once a day.
Other than that, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. Take your cat into the vets once a year for a good checkup and they'll let you know if you need to change anything that you are currently doing.
>>2125298
They'd probably live into their 30s on a good diet
>>2125269
No, just go to the vet and make sure he's healthy
>>2125269
No, just keep feeding him what you're feeding him.
>>2125269
as long as the cat drinks a lot of water, it's fine.
The best solution for me was to mix a bit of dry food with wet food, to add a bit of extra fiber and oral stimulation from chewing.
>>2125295
>Someone's acting rational and asking a question.
>BUBUBUBUUUUUUUUUUUUHUUUUUUUUU
Go to sleep PETA.
The main advantage of wet that I hear is that cats typically don't drink as much water as they should so the wet gives them that water. Mine drinks a human-sized bowl of water everyday so I don't worry about it. But if your cat isn't much of a drinker you could just add water to moisten up the dry food
>>2125269
You could try killing the cat and getting a real pet
>>2125655
>Mine drinks a human-sized bowl of water everyday
Seriously?
I feed mine dry food and she does fine.....cat before her lived to 17 on dry food
>>2125689
He is also a 20lbs monster cat but yes. He loves drinking water which is good because wet food makes him vomit
>>2125269
>am i really some terrible horrible degenerate for feeding my cat dry cat food the majority of the time
Yes, and it's the reason you cat doesn't love you.
>>2125269
>is dry cat food really as bad as crazy pet fanatics make it out to be
The correct answer is "No." and the reasons are everywhere on the internet both in published literature as well as communities that aren't as retarded as /an/.
Now I am backing away from this thread and never visiting it again because I know better.
I've read that wet food is supposed to be better than cat food because of the moisture content, as well as high protein content if it's high quality.
The high water content supposedly helps to prevent kidney stones and urinary tract disease, and the high protein content protects against diabetes.
I alternate my cat on cheapass and expensive wet foods. We used to offer him high quality kibble as well with it but he wouldn't eat it.
>>2125768
What you're looking at is the nutritional balance, not ingredients. Cats are fine drinking water. Always have been. Protein level is just as high in quality dry food as it is in quality wet food. The nutritional balance is also the same. And that is all that matters. It's the same reason that Purina One is just as good (better, actually, but that's another story) than Blue Wilderness. The nutrient intake is equal. They all getting all the vitamins and such that they need. Nothing else matters.
The only accurate argument that can be made for wet foods is that they are much, much tastier than dry food. But that's where the advantages end. They cost 5x as much for the same benefit to the cat. Or dog.
>>2125701
leave it to americans to think fat animals are cute or cool. Jesus christ.
>>2125701
Your baby is fat anon, if it's the one in the pic.
Not saying you're a bad pet parent, but he could be drinking.so much because he's developing diabetes.
Try to play with him more if ya can.
Can't you just moisten up the dry food as you serve it for the same effect as wet food? In smaller portions so it doesn't all rot of course.
>>2125825
Here is a more recent picture where you can better see how sleek he is. He is just getting old so he's getting saggy kitty belly
>>2125701
>mfw my friends cat is even fatter than that
I'm just counting the days till that thing develops diabetes
>>2125269
My mother's cat lived for 22 years on fucking Meow Mix. Vet was impressed that he died with all his teeth.
Girlfriend's cats eat natural and wild and live to be 4-6 years.
Just like human food nutrition labels, there is a 100% recommended daily value of each kind of vitamin and such for dogs and cats (and every other living thing).
When you exceed those limits (or don't meet them), there is consequences. Makers of ultra-premium, like Blue, are a prime example of what happens when you exceed what an animal needs. Excess is not better. Ask anyone with a fat girlfriend. And vets can tell you stories about the number of animals that come in that are sick because of Blue and the over-abundance of shit in it.
Just keep it moderate. Purina, Iams, stuff like that, they all make quality food that isn't terrible expensive and it has proper nutritional balance. And they've been doing it for a century, so they have time-tested formulas crossing dozens of generations of pets, unlike Blue that is new to the market (relative to other brands) and was founded on advertising ideals instead of actual pet nutrition.
At the end of the day, in my opinion, wet or dry really doesn't matter. It won't add/remove years from your pets life. As long as the food is balanced and not excessively rich.
>>2125299
>Cats don't have as high of a thirst drive
Lol what. My cats treat any water source in the house like it's their own private drink fountain. Aquariums, betta bowls, toilets, sinks, shower, potted plants, dish water, and my own glasses of water. They are just like "Wow man thanks for bringing me some nice cool ice water I was getting thirsty".
One of my cats will jump into the shower after I'm done and start licking the walls. Once, I jokingly let her drink from my hand and sink but she got fucking addicted to it. She refused to drink from any other water source. She would climb into the sink and cry until I came over, turned on the water, let it pool in run over my palm so she could drink from running water in my hand. It took forever to get her to break that habit. The most spoiled little bitch of a cat in the world.
>>2125300
that's... not how life works.
>>2126850
>This isn't true for my cats, so a well-documented evolutionary quirk of felines isn't true!
You're fucking retarded.
>>2125773
>wet foods is that they are much, much tastier than dry food
I have one cat that will eat anything, she doesn't cat.
The other cat refuses to eat wet food. He would rather starve to death than eat it. Whenever I tried to give him wet food he would spend 10 minutes trying to bury it.
He lost a lot of weight because he wouldn't eat it. He won't eat any of those "expensive and healthy" cat foods either. Things like science diet. He will only eat friskies indoor cat dry food. I got him from a shelter when he was 8 so I have no idea of his past. Just the sweetest cat in the entire world.
One of my cat's is overweight and the other is underweight. I measure out their food each day to make sure they are getting the right amounts. But the fat cat is female and eats considerably less than the other one so it's frustrating. I try to play with her and give her some exercise but she keeps gaining weight it's really making me frustrated and sad. I don't want her to have health problems but everything I try doesn't work.
I took her to the vet who told me that some female cats have hormone issues after they get fixed that causes them to keep gaining weight.
>>2126852
>a well-documented evolutionary quirk of felines isn't true!
>citation required
Never once has any cat I have ever known had issues with drinking water.
I'm sorry you're so full of yourself.
>>2126838
>Just keep it moderate. Purina, Iams, stuff like that, they all make quality food that isn't terrible expensive and it has proper nutritional balance.
>At the end of the day, in my opinion, wet or dry really doesn't matter.
u wot m8
don't fucking feed your cat any of the brands that anon just mentioned. blue is shit, but not because "it has too many vitamins". purina and iams are just shit.
also, unless your cat is like >>2126850 's, get quality wet food because of its moisture and protein content. I don't know much about cats, but at least I have the sense to know every pet is different and has different needs.
>>2125269
It's fine.
>>2126860
>purina and iams are just shit.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. At all. I mean, you are so far off base that you should be kicked out of the thread for spreading misinformation. Pro-tip: 130 year old companies don't survive by making "just shit."
The only reason these threads exist and generate 300 replies is because there is no definitive evidence that one is better than the other. If one was clearly better, no one would need debate it.
Dry and wet food are the same. There's your answer.
im still iffy on my cat's diet consisting of wheat and corn with roadkill powder mixed in for protein content
>>2126952
>You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. At all. I mean, you are so far off base that you should be kicked out of the thread for spreading misinformation.
how's your autism today anon? do you need to go stim a little before you come back and reply?
>130 year old companies don't survive by making "just shit."
they do if good alternatives have smaller marketing budgets, are less widely distributed, and people aren't adequately educated about the product.
it's only recently that people in america have started to treat their pets as more than disposable tools. no one buys purina or iams because they think it's good for their pets. they buy it because it's cheap and because they see the commercials. now that nutritional information is more widely available to the public there's no reason to buy shitty cornmeal-and-diseased-carcass-slurry pebbles for your pets.
>>2126850
>keeping bettas in bowls
You shouldn't own any animal.
>>2127062
it's a bowl as in a a hexagonal shape. It's not big enough to be called a tank and has several live plants.
Literally kill yourself. It's a fucking fish that breathes air. It's not self aware enough to care about anything. It literally lacks the processing power.
idiots like you are so fucking retarded and absolutely clueless. Name one actual reason it's bad.
>>2126850
Well I'm happy your cats drink a lot of water, but there are many who don't.
Cats evolved to get most of their moisture from their prey, and though they have been domesticated for a while, many of them still have that evolutionary trait in their genetics. A lot of cats still end up at the vets due to UTIS and kidney stones.
Now, does every cat in the world absolutely need wet food? No. BUT, since a large can of wet food that lasts upwards of a few days is only about 50 cents, it's pretty easy for most people to provide it and just avoid the problem all together.
And like I said earlier, a yearly check up at the vets will let you know if you DO need to change anything.
>>2127198
you know, if you listen to scientists they will claim the majority of even first world human populations don't drink enough water and are all dehydrated.
realistically though, it doesn't matter. If any animal is thirsty it will drink water. No ones cat is in danger of negative health from dehydration.
>>2127190
I personally dont see a problem with it as long as its2.5 gallons or more. Preferably 5
Something like that needs to be changed every 3-ish days (unless you dont care about having an ammonia-blinded fish) and constant water changes are enough stress to possibly kill it
>>2127204
disregard the UTIs and Kidney stones though
i'll chalk that up to nature
>>2127204
Dude...I'm not saying you're a bad owner because you don't give your cats wet food, but this shit has been proven over and over, why are you acting like it's bullshit?
It's a proven fact that cats have low thirst drives. Most people never notice this because usually they feed wet food or their cats are outdoor cats who catch their own prey.
It's a fact that a LOT of cats go to the vets due to some fom of issue from dehydration.
It does happen. Why are you being a shit about it when it's pretty common knowledge?
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272116/thirst-regulation-in-cats
Any of you familiar with Nulo?
>>2127230
I have owned cats my entire life and never once have any of them had any health issues until they reached 14+ years old and that's just natural old age issues.
My sister has never had a problem with her cats either. They all eat dry food.
Literally every cat shelter feeds their cats dry food. They don't seem to have many problems with dehydration either.
>>2127244
> been proven over and over, why are you acting like it's bullshit
Because it's bullshit and I asked for a citation and it was never posted. I even googled it myself and the only shit that came up was "why don't cat's drink water near their food?"
>It's a fact that a LOT of cats go to the vets due to some fom of issue from dehydration.
It's a fact you're pulling that out of your ass.
>It does happen. Why are you being a shit about it when it's pretty common knowledge?
Your "facts" and "common knowledge" is just bullshit anti-dry food faggots say to help backup their retarded ideas. It's circular reasoning you using here. "This is true because it's true! Everyone knows it!"
literally the only thing I could find remotely on this topic was "Cats are desert animals that naturally conserve water".
Upon more research, the only citation I can find says you're full of shit.
http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/cat/jcoates/2013/april/more-on-cats-and-their-water-needs-30083
"A talk given by Nick Cave, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, DACVN of Massey University at the 2013 World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress suggests that just like us, healthy cats are perfectly capable of determining when they need to drink. In his work, he has found that when cats eat a diet containing “between 65% and 5% moisture, cats adequately adjust voluntary intake [of water] such that the total water intake remains constant.”"
>>2127190
You sound absolutely retarded and know you're in the the wrong. That's where the anger is coming from. Literally kill yourself because you sound like you don't care about the well being of a living animal. That's what you just made yourself out to be. I bet it is unfiltered as well. Holy fuck I could literally tear you down but there's no reason to try and give someone facts and advice if this is how they think. Please surrender your animals to actual responsible owners so they can live out a nice happy life.
>>2125805
control your autism, friend
>>2127298
Just joining now, I did some googling for you. Take whatever you want from it.
http://www.hillscampus.it/files/simposi/19_2011PrecongressSymposiumInternalMedicine/3-Risk%20factors%20in%20feline%20lower%20urinary%20tract%20disease.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10023397
http://www.animalendocrine.info/2011/10/daily-water-requirements-and-needs-for.html
That last once has a bunch of sources. I didn't feel like picking through all of them. Enjoy.
all these years later, and /an/ is STILL arguing about wet vs dry food. guys, it seriously doesn't matter. they have advantages and disadvantages, but none of that has to do with health or nutrition otherwise we'd have a stack of papers saying that beyond the shadow of a doubt one is definitely aces. accept it. and move on.
