Diabetes: High carbohydrate diets can lead to diabetes mellitus. Dry food, even “low-carb” dry food, is naturally higher in carbohydrates than most canned foods, as it requires a starch to create “kibble”. Dry food is also more processed by heat, and thus more glycemic than wet food - raising blood sugar levels.

Kidney disease (CRF): Lack of moisture in dry foods leaves cats subclinically chronically dehydrated, compromising kidney health.

Obesity: As noted above, dry food is high in carbohydrates. Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown more effective at weight loss while maintaining lean muscle mass than high-fiber foods. “Low-carbohydrate” dry foods have been shown ineffective at weight loss, as they are very high in calories.

Urinary tract disease (FLUTD): Lack of moisture in dry foods increases urine’s specific gravity, leading to cystitis (urinary tract inflammation). Regular non-prescription canned food has been shown more effective at preventing recurrence of urinary tract stones/crystals than prescription dry foods.

Gastro-intestinal disorders (IBD): Grains are not tolerated by many cats, causing diarrhea and vomiting. Excessive fiber may stretch and inflame the GI tract, leading to constipation and megacolon. Carbohydrate malabsorption has been linked to gastro-intestinal problems.

Cancer: Heat processing of grains and potatoes creates acrylamide, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals. Many dry foods also contain preservatives such as BHA and BHT, shown to cause cancer.

Thanks for posting this. Took my cat to the vet yesterday and I was also informed of the above. The vet said diet needs to be wet food twice daily and minimal amount of dry food to leave during the day for my cats (prescription food).

I also wanna say thanks for posting this it had some info. I wasn´t aware of...

you are welcome, there are alot of things I wasnt aware of before I found out my kitty died of renal failure, I just hope some info I post helps someone else.

interesting those are all things I never knew about dry food, well I knew it had more plant based product in it than meat product ( kitties are carnivores, meat yum) so gee my Cleo is throwing kisses at you all for this tidbit of information, she loves her wet food.

Thanks for the interesting article. Seems that in this day and age, so few foods are considered safe - whether pet food and human food.

interesting! my cat is a diabetic (was fed on a mix of wet and dry food) now is on a dry prescription diet. the vet wants her to lose weight (how do you get a lazy elderly cat to exercise?!) but won´t allow me to change her diet! She has been on a restricted prescription diet for about 3 years now! Should I try again to change her diet! she´s never really been stable as a diabetic, but she has almost always been overweight (except when she was really ill)!

Talking of whom, she´s just come in and gone potty over her toys - 5 minutes and she´ll be asleep somewhere!!!

interesting! my cat is a diabetic (was fed on a mix of wet and dry food) now is on a dry prescription diet. the vet wants her to lose weight (how do you get a lazy elderly cat to exercise?!) but won´t allow me to change her diet! She has been on a restricted prescription diet for about 3 years now! Should I try again to change her diet! she´s never really been stable as a diabetic, but she has almost always been overweight (except when she was really ill)! Talking of whom, she´s just come in and gone potty over her toys - 5 minutes and she´ll be asleep somewhere!!!

have you seen this site??

http://yourdiabeticcat.com/index.html

Very informative Pagan, I hadn´t seen it - I have now, Thank you.

Our cats all love the ultimate wet food - raw meat!!! They don´t have much processed food at all - one Felix pouch in jelly between the three of them in the morning that´s all. Then small quantities of raw meat along with a bowl of dry food that is a mix of anti-hairball/fussy cat Royal Canin & Hills prescription tooth diet. In the evening they have a small tin of Applaws natural cat food (between them again) which is made from all tuna or chicken breast - no cereal in sight! They eat grass when they want it and are all disgustingly healthy and full of beans to boot!

Okay, what do you suggest that I feel my 3 cats who are use to eating Science Diet in a self feeder? Won´t they be hungry and bug me for food constantly when they are use to going to the food bowl at their leisure? Will they be able to adapt to the change in their routine with little trouble? Anyone´s thoughts much appreciated.

Well since reading the comments in here I have been reading about raw diet for kitties so I think that this might be the better way to feed my lil pork chop and see how that goes and keep the crunchies down to a minimum and buy some chicken necks for her to gnaw on and see where that takes me, luckily there are lots of places that have raw food for cats so I can just purchase and try her on it to see if she will go for the change.

http://www.petplanet.ca/ if you have a pet planet there go and check out their dry foods, I leave dry food in a self feeder all of the time and they get their wet foods and raw foods as well daily. So no they wont strave, or bother you all the time for food lol

Okay, what do you suggest that I feel my 3 cats who are use to eating Science Diet in a self feeder? Won´t they be hungry and bug me for food constantly when they are use to going to the food bowl at their leisure? Will they be able to adapt to the change in their routine with little trouble? Anyone´s thoughts much appreciated.

there are alot of good sites out there on raw feeding, have a look at them when you have the time as well. You will have to let me know how your kitty does

Well since reading the comments in here I have been reading about raw diet for kitties so I think that this might be the better way to feed my lil pork chop and see how that goes and keep the crunchies down to a minimum and buy some chicken necks for her to gnaw on and see where that takes me, luckily there are lots of places that have raw food for cats so I can just purchase and try her on it to see if she will go for the change.

My mom is actually a vet and wet food is bad for your cats teeth.

My mom is actually a vet and wet food is bad for your cats teeth.

So is feeding your cats food loaded with grains and cereals. Your Cat is a Carnivore, This means that your cat was built by Mother Nature to get her nutritional needs met by the consumption of other animals, derives very little nutritional benefit from plant-bases sources, and ideally should have minimal or no grains in her diet. In her natural environment, your cat would be eating a high-protein, moderate-fat diet with only about four to nine percent of her diet consisting of carbohydrates. Dry foods contain somewhere around 35 to 50 percent carbohydrates. This is not what Mother Nature intended for our carnivore friends.



Not all cat foods are created equal and not all proteins are created equal. Always keep in mind that your cat is a carnivore! This means she has a better shot at good health by consuming animal-based proteins (meat) instead of plant-based proteins (grains). Remember that quality meat is the best first ingredient in a food and that meat byproducts and grains supply a less bioavailable form of protein for your cat.

Don´t just look at the front label on cat food--look at the ingredient list supplied by the manufacturer. If the first ingredient is meat, the label should say so. If the first ingredient is a "byproduct" (unrendered parts of an animal left over after slaughter) remember this can include heads, feet, intestines, feathers, and egg shells. Even worse is a food that lists grain - like corn, corn gluten meal, or rice - as a first ingredient. The main ingredient in a carnivore´s diet shouldn´t be grain.

Look for real meat as the first ingredient, but also pay attention to all the carbohydrate/grain sources in the food. Bear in mind that pet food labels can be deceptive. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, and so manufacturers often split up all of the individual carbohydrate components so that each grain is a lesser weight than the meat product. But if you add up all the grain products in many dry foods, you are left with a large number of grain-based carbohydrates relative to the small amount of actual meat in the food. For more information on understanding labels, visit the FDA´s website on interpreting pet food labels.

Dry Food Is Convenient But It´s Less Than Ideal for a Carnivore.
WATER is vital to your cat´s health. Cats on a dry food diet are often chronically dehydrated. This can lead to many health problems. The natural prey of a wild cat contains between 65 and 75 percent water. Dry food averages 10 percent and canned food averages 78 percent -you can see that a canned diet is much better for meeting your cat´s water needs than dry food. Since cats do not have a strong thirst drive compared to other mammals, it is critical that they get plenty of moisture with their food.

Do not be confused by the listing of the protein percentages on dry food compared to canned. At first glance, it would appear that the dry food has a higher amount of protein than the canned food -but this is not true on a dry matter basis which is the accurate way to compare the two foods. Most canned foods, when figured on a dry matter basis, have more protein than the dry food. And remember, the percentage numbers do not tell the whole story. The majority of protein in the canned food is meat-based. The majority of the protein in the dry food is plant-based and is therefore less bioavailable to your cat.

At a bare minimum, use as little dry food as possible, and try to feed a quality canned diet that contains meat -preferably human-grade- as its first ingredient

Okay, what do you suggest that I feel my 3 cats who are use to eating Science Diet in a self feeder? Won´t they be hungry and bug me for food constantly when they are use to going to the food bowl at their leisure? Will they be able to adapt to the change in their routine with little trouble? Anyone´s thoughts much appreciated.

Nobody has taken the time to address my question.....is this because nobody knows the answer or they are taken up with their own cats diets? I would appreciate someones comments or I what is the point of posting in these "helpful" forums? Thanks

I wanted to reply to you before but hesitated to do so because I´m not a veterinarian. And I haven´t run across anyone on the site yet who claims to be one. We are just cat lovers sharing opinions and experiences, although some have worked in vet clinics, shelters, etc. and therefore have more knowledge than others of us and they are kind enough to share that knowledge. In my humble opinion, if your cats seem healthy and happy with their food and in their routine, why push the panic button? It´s good to know that things we (humans and our pets) consume and use may have harmful effects so we can make educated decisions as to whether or not to continue consuming and using them. But for every "expert" who says something is good, another "expert" will say it´s bad. Who to believe? I presume you trust your vet, so if you have doubts about your cats´ present food I´m sure he/she would be happy to give you professional advice and recommendations about their diet.

I wanted to reply to you before but hesitated to do so because I´m not a veterinarian. And I haven´t run across anyone on the site yet who claims to be one. We are just cat lovers sharing opinions and experiences, although some have worked in vet clinics, shelters, etc. and therefore have more knowledge than others of us and they are kind enough to share that knowledge. In my humble opinion, if your cats seem healthy and happy with their food and in their routine, why push the panic button? It´s good to know that things we (humans and our pets) consume and use may have harmful effects so we can make educated decisions as to whether or not to continue consuming and using them. But for every "expert" who says something is good, another "expert" will say it´s bad. Who to believe? I presume you trust your vet, so if you have doubts about your cats´ present food I´m sure he/she would be happy to give you professional advice and recommendations about their diet.

and thats exactly why it is important to do your research, question everything, I found that out long ago. Make your own decisions.

Thanks Pagan, I appreciate you thought chosen words.

tks pagan for the info on dry cat food. i feed my cat canned food and sometimes i would give her some dry food so she can have somethin to eat durin the day while i am at work. i do not give her too much and she likes it.