Is your cat refusing to eat wet food? Find out why some cats won't eat wet cat food, and whether they need to have wet food as part of their diet.
Many cats do love to eat dry food, and there is no need to have any concerns about feeding them only dry for the rest of their lives.
Do cats need to eat wet food?
Although, if your cat has a dry food only diet, you will need to ensure they are drinking enough water. A water fountain can be a good idea to encourage this or you can cook some fish or prawns into a broth, freeze it in an ice cube tray, and add one of those to their drinking water.
One important thing to remember is that although dry foods had a bad press when they were first introduced, those problems have been overcome by altering the formulation. If you choose a high-quality dry food there should be no problems digesting the carbohydrate.
Can I feed my cat a complementary food?
If you feed a complementary food (i.e. a food that is not nutritionally complete) a common rule of thumb is that it should equal no more than 10 to 15 per cent of the diet. However, that's not true across the board, as it depends on the nutritional composition of the food, and how far away it is from being complete.
Just looking at the ingredients or nutrients isn't always enough to allow you to predict this, because nutrients can also interact with each other, and the cooking process will also effect the availability of the nutrients in the finished product.
If you want to be safe though, assume that complementary foods are unbalanced and keep them to 10 to 15 per cent of the diet, unless individual manufacturers can reassure you in regards to a safe level to feed. Speak to your vet if you have any concerns.
Advice given by vet Susan McKay.
