Author Topic: One Vote For Wet...  (Read 3036 times)

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Offline Lola

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One Vote For Wet...
« on: June 25, 2011, 12:51:45 AM »
Wish I had known this a loooooong time ago, before a medical emergency.

Dr. Lisa A. Pierson DVM - "The statement “but my cat is healthy/fine on dry food” means very little to me because I believe in preventative nutrition - not locking the barn door after the horse is gone.  I don’t want to end up saying “oops……I guess he is not so fine now!!" when a patient presents to me with a medical problem that could have been avoided if he would have been feed a species-appropriate diet to begin with.

Of course, in order to be on board with the 'preventative nutrition' argument, a person has to understand the following facts:

1)  Carbohydrates wreak havoc on many cats' blood sugar/insulin balance.

2) All urinary tract systems are much healthier with an appropriate amount of water flowing through them.

3) Cats inherently have a low thirst drive and need to consume water *with* their food.  (A cat's normal prey is ~70 - 75% water.)

4) Cats are strict carnivores which means they are designed to get their protein from meat – not plants."

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Offline Middle Child

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Re: One Vote For Wet...
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2011, 09:04:35 PM »
I've been feeding canned food (no fish:)) since 1985 when my male cat developed cystitis.  The vet (even way back then!) told me to prevent any more problems I should feed him only canned food, and no fish foods.  I followed that advice, and have fed all my cats a canned diet ever since (with one exception).  In those days I was feeding 9-lives and friskies though.  In early 2000 I upgraded (so I thought) to Fancy Feast.  It wasn't until the melamine poisoning recall in 2007 that I really began education myself on feline nutrition and the better cat foods available.

Since then the search for canned foods that meet my high standards AND finicky cat tastes (they do not always coincide) is never ending. 

(And, I am very poor, since my cat food budget is over $200 a month now LOL)

Offline Pinball

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Re: One Vote For Wet...
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2011, 06:46:00 AM »
Most definitely another vote for wet (or raw!). However, I personally curse the day that some bright spark invented complementary wet cat food!

Cats are not naturally good drinkers, which goes back to the time when they would have satisfied most of their moisture needs from the prey that they catch - meat contains a lot of water but they also drink the blood of their prey. So, for example, raw food contains about 70-80% of water, and wet food contains about that too. Now compare this to the 7-10% of moisture content of dry food.

Indeed, studies have shown that cats who are fed a diet consisting of wet food that contains about 70-80% of moisture don't tend (and don't need to either) to take in any more water from external sources. Also, cats who previously were fed dry food and were drinking a lot stopped drinking from external sources when fed a food high in moisture content.

Ok, so people who feed dry say that their cats drink more and are encouraged to drink more using water fountains etc. Fair dos one might think. However, studies have also shown that although cats drink a lot more than wet-fed cats, they still don't take in as much moisture as cats take in from their wet food, which leads to more concentrated urine, which CAN lead to urinary and other issues.

For example,

Water Intake/Urine Volume in Cats Fed Dry or Wet Food

........................Wet Food (mL/day).......Dry Food (mL/day)

Water (in food).............246............................6
Water (in addition to food)32..........................221
Total Water Intake.........278..........................227
Fecal Water ..................27............................44
Urine .........................166...................... ......79

http://www.hillspet.com/media/_refac...actDisease.pdf

However, don't get me started on the "dry food improves dental hygiene argument" that vets over here are still promoting too!




Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: One Vote For Wet...
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2011, 05:07:20 PM »
Ok Rant On>

I get a kick out of the people posting on forums asking for food advice who say:

I am almost out on the street, on a fixed budget so I have to feed dry, so don't preach to me about wet food I can't afford.

When will these people realise that rushes to Emergency Vets for blockages and emergency catherisations pop up when they least expect and are prepared for it? 

The cat's pain isn't going to "postpone" itself until finances improve!!

So, hopefully they'll apply for Credit Care or something like that, and hope to be approved. Why won't they even consider the cost of those visits and procedures, let alone syringes and how ever many other Meds the cat would be put on?

It's not like this is something that's rare, either. It's almost as common with cats as the Cold is for humans.

Is there anyone out there who does NOT know at least one person to have had a blocked and/or Diabetic and/or cat "avoiding" the litter box for the "usual" health reasons?




Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: One Vote For Wet...
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2011, 05:29:01 PM »

However, don't get me started on the "dry food improves dental hygiene argument" that vets over here are still promoting too!

A Malpractice Lawyer with some cajones could have an easy day in court but it's too easy for them because it's too much sense for them to process.  Doh1
 
For starters,  asking those people under Oath how a cat's even supposed to chew it, not to mention no Amylase enzymes to even break it down...thirst drive... bangsheadgif

Offline Lola

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Re: One Vote For Wet...
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2011, 06:50:10 PM »
Ok Rant On>

I get a kick out of the people posting on forums asking for food advice who say:

I am almost out on the street, on a fixed budget so I have to feed dry, so don't preach to me about wet food I can't afford.

When will these people realise that rushes to Emergency Vets for blockages and emergency catherisations pop up when they least expect and are prepared for it? 

The cat's pain isn't going to "postpone" itself until finances improve!!

So, hopefully they'll apply for Credit Care or something like that, and hope to be approved. Why won't they even consider the cost of those visits and procedures, let alone syringes and how ever many other Meds the cat would be put on?

It's not like this is something that's rare, either. It's almost as common with cats as the Cold is for humans.

Is there anyone out there who does NOT know at least one person to have had a blocked and/or Diabetic and/or cat "avoiding" the litter box for the "usual" health reasons?


People I run into that are first time cat owners...I "preach" wet and www.catinfo.org

For the "I can't afford a quality wet" people, I send them this link:
http://www.traciehotchner.com/cc/suggestions.htm#catfood

There ARE foods on the list that I would NOT feed our cats...but if given the choice of affordable "quality"  ::) dry or wet...I'd choose (just about) ANY wet, over dry.   2cents
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

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