Wet food, dry food, and your cat’s health.

You are what you eat. That goes for cats as well as people, so if you feed him or her a healthy diet, you’ll more than likely have a healthy pet. Dental diseases, urinary tract disease, lacklustre coats, smellier stools and even behavioural problems can all be helped by feeding your cat a balanced diet. But what does an ideal diet look like? All wet food, all dry food or a combination of both? Let’s look at wet food first.

Benefits of wet cat food

Hydration is high on the list of why wet food is beneficial for cats. Because your feline’s ancestors got most, if not all, their water from their prey a trip to the watering hole wasn’t really necessary. So, if your pet is rarely found with his or her head in the water bowl the behaviour could be hereditary. It could also be that the bowl itself is the problem, with some cats finding they irritate their whiskers. Whatever the reason, if they’re not drinking enough, then wet food will help them stay hydrated.

Hydration is super important for your pet’s health. Highly concentrated pee, which is a result of dehydration, can cause lower urinary tract disease. Crystals can form and this in turn can cause stones and blockages – very painful for your poor pet.

On the less serious end of the scale, your cat may simply be a fussy eater and the stronger smell and taste of wet food can help entice them to the bowl and get them chowing down.

Benefits of dry cat food

It may sound like wet’s a clear winner, but dry has a few benefits up its sleeve too. Other than being easier to store and therefore more convenient, it too has an important health benefit – it’s good for your cat’s pearly whites. Dry pieces of food rub and scrape against your pet’s chompers, removing plaque and tartar that can build up.

So what is the answer?

Because there are different health benefits of wet and dry food, we recommend that you go for a combo of both. We think a ratio of 60% wet food and 40% dry food is best for most cats. If possible, we suggest giving your pet a wet meal in the morning as well as in the evening, leaving Applaws Complete dry cat food in their bowl during the day and mixing it in with their evening meal. Click here to view the Applaws cat food range.

By structuring meals and mealtimes in this way, you’ll not only keep your pet healthy, but the variety will help keep them interested and eating well. Leaving you with food bowls that have been licked clean and a happy cat!