Dry Cat Food vs Wet: Which One?

Decisions, decisions. Dry cat food, wet cat food, a mixture? Cat parents who are deciding what to feed their feline friends have likely pondered this dilemma. After all, dry food is cheaper…but wet food might go a little further in buying your cat’s affection.

And yes – there are health benefits and drawbacks to think about too, of course.

But back to that whole ‘buying your cat’s affection’ thing. Let’s look at whether they’ll love you more if you opt for dry cat food or wet. Read on!

Benefits of dry cat food

Feeding dry cat food, commonly called kibble, has a range of benefits for cats. And some benefits for the humans too!

Four key benefits

Here some of the top pros to feeding a (mostly) dry cat food diet:

1. Price. Dry cat food is usually cheaper than wet, especially as you can buy it in bulk without worrying about it going off once it’s opened. These means you might be able to afford a better quality dry food (as opposed to a lower quality wet food). Or it might just mean you have some spare cash leftover for pet insurance!
2. Shelf life. Dry cat food will usually last longer than wet cat food once open, which can be helpful if you buy a large bag and only have one or two cats, for instance. Because there’s less chance of it going off there’s less chance of it potentially causing food poisoning or similar, too.
3. Dental benefits. Cat teeth need cleaning just like ours! Much like how dog bones can be good for your canine friend’s teeth, kibble can be helpful for cats. It can help “scrape” them and clean plaque, helping teeth and gums stay healthy.
4. Convenience. You can’t deny that keeping dry food in a cupboard and tipping the bag into the bowl or dishing it out with a cup or scoop is preferable to keeping smelly wet cat food in your fridge and dishing it out with a spoon. Plus, it’s a bit easier to leave out during the day. So it can be convenient if you’re out late, aren’t home during the day, or your cat is a bit of a slow eater.

Drawbacks

There are some drawbacks to dry cat food, of course. Firstly, some cats may end up dehydrated on dry food. More on that later!

Secondly, dry food can sometimes lead to weight gain in cats. Especially if your cat is a bit Garfield-esque and loves to eat, sleep, and…well…that’s about it.

Obesity can lead to other problems such as diabetes in dogs and cats, which is not ideal in the least. Read our article about National Pet Obesity Day, which tells you all about obesity-related health issues and how to protect your pet from weight gain.

Obviously, wet cat food wouldn’t be a “thing” if there weren’t some downsides to dry cat food. So let’s take a look at the wetter side of things too.

Benefits of wet cat food

There are two major benefits to wet cat food. The first one is that fussy eaters tend to prefer it.

Benefit no. 1

We all know cats can be quite particular about the diet brought to them by their slaves, and will sometimes turn their noses up at plain dry cat food. Just like you might not take too well to a diet of All Bran every day, and would probably prefer some good old bacon and eggs.

So if you’re trying to get them to adore you (even if only for half an hour twice a day) you miiiight be better off with wet food.

Benefit no. 2

The other major benefit is hydration. You may have noticed some cats aren’t great at regulating their hydration levels and won’t drink enough water of their own accord. This, for a change, isn’t just because they’re picky. In fact, both big cats (like lions) and domestic cats are designed to get most of their liquid from the food they eat. Just like how lions don’t make trips to the watering hole to drink – mostly to hunt.

Wet food offers significantly more hydration than dry cat food, as you might imagine. Which means your cat doesn’t really need to drink extra water (in most cases) in order to meet their hydration needs. Avoiding dehydration provides plenty of benefits in and of itself, including fewer urinary tract infections, less chance of kidney stones, and decreased risk of heatstroke.

Benefit no. 3

Wet food is often better for overweight cats too as it has fewer overall calories than dry cat food per gram; thanks in part to the water content. So if your cat is prone to weight gain, wet cat food may be a better choice.

Drawbacks

On the other hand, wet cat food isn’t ideal if your cat doesn’t eat all their food in one sitting. Wet food breeds bacteria more easily so isn’t suitable to be left out for extended periods of time.

Plus, it’s more expensive and – as mentioned – is less convenient to store and dish out.  

Dry cat food or wet for kittens?

For adult cats, the choice of dry cat food or wet is largely down to your preferences. Or your cat’s preferences, more like it. But kittens should eat around two-thirds wet food, which is easier on their baby teeth. So stock up on those tins and pouches, even if you plan to switch to kibble later on!

When you first bring them home, it’s best to gradually transition them off whatever they’ve been eating. You can do this by mixing the current and new foods together in gradually increasing ratios. That is, starting with only 10% new food and slowly increasing it over a week or two.

Watch this PD Pet Care vlog with Dr Cath on the pros and cons of wet and dry pet food:

The final decision

The most important thing when it comes to the dry cat food vs wet cat food debate is making sure whichever you choose suits your cat’s lifestyle and individual needs.

What food you feed your cat might change over time depending on their age, breed and any health issues. For example, a cat with renal failure or diabetes would need a different diet to what they were eating before any health issues kicked in.

Did you know different purebred cats are more likely to develop specific health issues? For example, a Siamese cat is more likely to display bone or vision issues, as well as food allergies. So they might need a particular diet to accommodate this. Ragdolls have more high-maintenance dental needs than other cats, so their diet might take this into consideration.  

If in doubt, it’s always best to work alongside your vet to choose something appropriate.

For more information on what your kitty can eat, such as peanut butter, read this ‘Can Cats Eat Peanut Butter?‘ article.

Cat insurance – wet and dry approved

Unfortunately, even on a gourmet, GMO, organic, luxury diet, cats don’t always land on their feet. For those days where there are scrapes and bruises, accidents or illnesses to treat, cat insurance goes a long way.

Plus, if you sign up with PD Insurance online you’ll receive one or more months of pet insurance absolutely FREE.