Our vet suggests dry because it's lower calorie, promotes better dental health and controls the hairballs.

Oscar actually prefers the dry food over the wet, so it's pretty simple for us.

Oscar J. Cat answered on 1/9/09. Helpful? / 2

Both types of food have their benefits. Wet food more closely resembles what a cat might eat in the wild; meat, fat and water. However, dry food contains more fiber which a cat also needs. We've have questions about anal gland problems here and dry food bulks up the stool and goes a long way to prevent impacted anal glands. Some people also promote a "raw" diet or foods without glutens, etc. My cats are free fed dry food (Purina One) and get a half-can of wet twice a day as more of a treat than sustenance. The bottom line is, if you take your cats to the vet's regularly and get a clean bill of health, your cats are active, loving and have a healthy, shiny coat, whatever you are doing and however you are doing it is the right way...for you and your kitties! Cute photo, btw!

Izadore (Izzie) answered on 1/9/09. Helpful? / 1

The answer isn't as simple as wet or dry. The fact is, however, that cats absolutely need protein rich diets, more so than dogs even. A grain free, high protein food can be found in both the wet and dry forms. From here, the decision is a matter of the physical condition of your cat and personal choice. Older cats, especially those with kidney issues should not be fed a dry grain free food because it is harsh on their kidneys. If your cat is healthy and drinks plenty of water on the side then go for the dry.
I personally prefer wet because it is the easiest choice for me. The *only* concern with wet is dental health. Neither wet or dry food clears up tarter, but it is possible that dry food causes less tarter buildup in the first place. If you manage your cats' dental health as we should be doing already, wet is best.
This site has a lot of good informatiom: www.littlebigcat.com (go to article library and "what cats should eat")

Winter answered on 1/12/09. Helpful? / 1

Here is my opinion
Six reasons not to feed dry cat food:

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. A low-carbohydrate food has been shown beneficial in slowing cancer growth as cancer cells seem to “feed” more easily on simple carbohydrates (and again, wet foods are lower in carbohydrates and less glycemic than dry foods).
FelineOutreach.org, CatInfo.org and CatNutrition.org are all great sources of information.

Shadow answered on 1/12/09. Helpful? / 3

dry

Member 791289 answered on 1/12/09. Helpful? / 0

Dry being better for teeth isn't exactly true. Cats don't always chew and crunch their dry food, most just swallow it right down, not like dogs who do chew. Dry food is a cheaper alternative to wet but is higher in carbohydrates and can lend a hand in your cat developing diabetes. A good mix of wet and dry (mostly wet) is probably a better solution but 100% wet - you can't go wrong.

Bobbin answered on 1/12/09. Helpful? / 1

saying dry food is a "cheap alternative" to wet is not always the case. Phil has food allergies/sesntitive stomach and gets a mix of wet and dry. The dry food is for convenience purposes since i work all day and am not always home at an hour thats fair for the cats to wait for a second meal, but I did do a lot of research and asking other catsters and my vet to find a dry food I can feel good about giving Phil, and it is not cheap. he does get wet food every morning for breakfast and sometimes i even add al ittle bit of extra water to that, but he and squeaky are both very good and drinking lots of water. If I had a more flexible schedule i would feed him all wet food, but I don't so I try to give him the best dry food I can along with as much wet as I can.

Philbert answered on 1/13/09. Helpful? / 1

I was told that wet food is better - it is closer to their natural diet, and has more moisture and minerals in it. But dry food has its plus points - better for their teeth, and roughage. Surely, a good mix of both is the best solution

Mitten answered on 1/13/09. Helpful? / 1

Dry cat food is unnatural. The cat has changed very little over thousands of years! An obligate carnivore, kitties NEED high protein, low carb, MOIST food!
High carb diets can lead to diabetes. Dry food, even “low-carb” dry food, is higher in carbs than most canned. They spray starches on it to create “kibble”. It's over processed by heat, making it more glycemic than wet food, which raises blood sugar levels.
Lack of moisture in dry foods leaves cats dehydrated, creating kidney health probs, like CRF.
Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown more effective at weight loss in cats while maintaining lean muscle mass than high-fiber foods. High carb dry foods are ineffective at weight loss.They are high calorie and the excess fiber in them creates more probs.
Lack of moisture in dry foods increases urine’s Ph, leading to crystals and UTI. High protein, canned food has been shown more effective in treatment than ANY dry. Your vet gets PAID to promote "prescription" diets!

Flower **PAWS** answered on 1/14/09. Helpful? / 2

Wet food, definately. Cats are obligate carnivores and therefore not designed to handle carbs in virtually any amount. That is why dry food causes so many kittie health problems, especially if low quality foods are fed and/or dry makes up the entire diet.

Canned foods closer meet cats' nutritional needs and are closer to what would be provided in nature. And dry food does not clean teeth.

I also believe any diet should at least include, if not consist entirely of, whole, fresh foods.

Amber answered on 1/14/09. Helpful? / 0

i free feed cookie dry food but give him liiittle wet food twice a day just a pinch.. wet food has more moisture but if hes not used to it he cud start throwing up or get dhiarrea

Cookie answered on 3/28/09. Helpful? / 0

I think it is dry food AND dry food mixed that's my opinion.

Spot answered on 8/11/09. Helpful? / 0