The Truth About Dry Cat Food
Grocery and pet store shelves abound with a dizzying array of cat food. For decades, dry kibble has been the preferred choice for most cat owners. After all, the bags say it’s “complete and balanced,” it’s easy to feed, and most cats seem to like it. Unfortunately, dry pet foods, even the high-priced premium and veterinary brands, are the equivalent of junk food for pets. Feeding dry food to cats is no different than feeding sugared cereals to kids.
Cats are obligate carnivores. This means they need meat to survive. They cannot get enough nutritional support from plant-based proteins such as grains and vegetables, because, unlike humans and dogs, they lack the specific enzyme that processes plant-based proteins metabolically. They need little or no carbohydrates in their diet. Feeding foods high in carbohydrates leads to any number of degenerative diseases, including diabetes, kidney disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Many pet owners feed dry food because it can be left out during the day without spoiling while the cat is left at home alone. This method of free choice feeding is one of the leading contributors to obesity in cats. Cats, by nature, are hunters, and it does not make sense that they should need access to food 24 hours a day. Meal feeding twice a day mimicks their natural hunting behavior much closer, and by feeding controlled portion sizes twice a day rather than leaving food out all day long, calorie intake, and weight, can be controlled without the cat going hungry.
Dry food is the leading cause behind most urinary tract problems in cats. While cats who eat only dry food will generally drink more water, they still don’t get enough moisture to support all their bodily functions and essentially live in a constant state of low level dehydration, which can lead to bladder and kidney problems.
Due to the high carbohydrate content, dry food dumps unnaturally high levels of sugar into the cat’s bloodstream, which can lead to an imbalance of its natural metabolic process. In extreme cases, this can, and often does, lead to diabetes.
Dry food does not clean pet’s teeth. Most cats don’t chew their kibble long enough for any of the scraping action that is the theory behind this myth to kick in. What little they do chew shatters into small pieces. Some pet food manufacturers offer a “dental diet” that is made up of larger than normal sized kibble to encourage chewing, but in my years at veterinary practices, I’ve seen many cats swallow even those larger size pieces whole. Additionally, dry food leaves a carbohydrate residue in the cat’s mouth that actually encourages growth of tartar and plaque.
The one best thing you can do for your cat is eliminate all dry food from his diet and feed a meat based, grain-free canned or raw diet which is consistent with the needs of a carnivore.
You may find that some cats are very difficult to switch from their dry food, further supporting the junk food analogy. They’re literally addicted to the carbs and additives used in these diets – not much different from a sugar or carb addiction in humans. During the manufacturing process, substances called “digests” (fermented by-products of meat processing with no nutritional value) are sprayed on the outside of the kibble to make it more palatable to the cat. Most cats wouldn’t touch dry food if it wasn’t for these flavor enhancers. For these hard-core addicts, you will need to transition them to a healthier diet somewhat slowly. Never let a cat go without food for more than 24 hours.
[...] The truth about dry cat food [...]
I feed my cat both, but she still eats mostly dry food. I definitely can’t afford to feed her all canned food. She’s 13 (in August) and she’s never had a single health problem. She hates grain-free cat food and I’m trying to find a brand that she will actually eat enough of. She’s always been slender- but I don’t want her to lose weight just because she hates her cat food. The professional consensus on the matter seems to be that you should feed your cat both, and that only people who know how to provide adequate nutrition should try to create their own cat food.
I’m going to try to feed her wet food twice a week- perhaps even a grad student can afford this! She hates her grain-free Avoderm, and I’m afraid that wellness core will cost even more money!
I think the Wellness CORE line is probably comparable in price to the Avoderm line.
As for a professional consensus on what cats should eat – unfortunately, there isn’t one, which is why there’s so much misinformation out there.
Wet food is fine and it adds moisture to their diet which is good for their kidneys long term since most cats dont drink much water. I don’t think they necessarily get addicted to the carbs or additives. The reason many experts say cats like it so much is due to the oral sensation it gives them. Since they are hunters, the pointy edges and firmness of the dry food mimics the feeling of crunching down on bones like they would do in the wild. Also, a raw meat diet is a bad idea unless Taurine supplements are added. Cat food is formulated to include the proper amount of taurine. This is very important for cats and an unsupplemented all raw meat diet would lead to a deficiency which can cause serious problems like heart disease and blindness.
I agree, Dr. S, proper taurine supplementation is critical. Most commercially prepared raw diets have appropriate taurine levels, but it’s important to do the research.
[...] The truth about dry cat food [...]
[...] A brief health note: water is critical to keeping your cat healthy. While cats get moisture from a raw or canned diet, they should still have plenty of fresh water available at all times. Cats as a species don’t have a high thirst drive, and this can lead to chronic low-level dehydration if a cat is fed mostly dry food, which in turn, can lead to urinary tract and kidney problems. “Water flowing through the urinary tract system is the most important factor in keeping your cat healthy,” says Dr. Lisa Pierson on her website, catinfo.org. “Cats on canned food have been shown to consume at least double the amount of water (from food and water bowl) when compared to a dry food-fed cat.” ( For more on why dry food is not a good choice for cats, please read The Truth About Dry Cat Food.) [...]
[...] Amylase, the enzyme required to begin the process of digesting carbohydrates, in their saliva. Nature did not intend our cats to consume carbs. They metabolize carbs into stored fat. Unfortunately, most commercially available dry cat food [...]
[...] Water is critical to keeping your cat healthy. Cats as a species don’t have a high thirst drive, and this can lead to chronic low-level dehydration if a cat is fed mostly dry food, which in turn, can lead to urinary tract and kidney problems. “Water flowing through the urinary tract system is the most important factor in keeping your cat healthy,” says Dr. Lisa Pierson on her website, catinfo.org. “Cats on canned food have been shown to consume at least double the amount of water (from food and water bowl) when compared to a dry food-fed cat.” ( For more on why dry food is not a good choice for cats, please read The Truth About Dry Cat Food.) [...]
[...] not only to survive, but to thrive. The optimal diet for a cat is a raw or grain-free canned diet. Cats shouldn’t eat dry food; even the grain-free dry varieties are too high in [...]