Hi,

We have a kitten who is currently on its kitten food. The problem where having is the dog loves it and although in different rooms the dog can smell it and kicks up a fuss!

When the kitten is older, could we move it to dry food? How much is a typical bag?

Thanks,
Darren

I cant answer on cost as there is no such thing as a typical bag :S There are different sizes, brands, etc.

Anyway, I would not move your cat to dry food as its very unhealthy. Your cat should be eating a mostly wet diet. It could eat an adult food now if you moved them slowly to a high quality adult diet, kitten food isnt necessary.

Please read this about dry, as its not at all a good diet for your cat:

Feeding cats for beginners (and more seasoned cat owners alike)

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After being offered lots of advice etc on here I wouldn't recommend a dry diet either. I know lots of people (including myself) leave some dry down during the day (along with any wet they haven't eaten at breakfast) while out at work as a 'snack' if they get hungry but I wouldn't have a cat on a solely dry diet.

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Sorry, no wet is not good! Dry has always been recommended as the best food! Any vet will tell you that. With wet it can cause tooth-decay amongst other things. A dry-diet (of good quality) is the best, as cats need the kibble for their teeth, and dry is digested better. I have 4 cats and the vet says they are four of the most healthiest cats she has seen, and she always tells me how fantastic their teeth are, even my 10 year old cats teeth! I have always had them on 'Hills Science Plan' and do treat them to wet-food once or twice a week as to give them a bit of variation. My friend has 11 cats and they have always been on wet - cheap brands as Felix and Whiskas - where the meat content is as little as 4%, it is full of crap! But due to her having always had them on that and they won't eat anything else. She wishes she had started them, and kept them on dry, as many of her cats teeth are poor. Wet food like commercial brands really hack me off as people see the huge brand name "WHISKAS" and fall for it being a very nutritious and quality food... wrong!!!!!! If you look on the ingredients list it says 'meat derivatives' BAD!!!! And wet-food cause their breath and their poop to stink!!!!!!!!!!! And who wants a really stonking litter-box in their home?

Cats by nature are carnivore animals. If left to getting food on their own they seek out prey like a missile. This is what their bodies are made to thrive on. Basically, this is what keeps them healthy.
The main ingredient you are looking for in cat food is meat. The best flavors are fish and chicken.
Do not get fooled by meat by-products and fillers. Stay away from these. They are not the healthiest products for you cat to eat.
Wet cat food contains between 40 – 50% water. Out in the wild, this would be up to 70%. This is how a cat gets most of its water is through prey.
Providing wet cat food simulates what your cat would be getting in the wild. Cats use the fluids of their prey to keep them hydrated.
Cats that primarily eat wet cat food are healthier in their protein consumption but offend in foul breath.
You will be cleaning their teeth more often to remove any buildup of plaque.

Dry Cat Food

Dry cat food has no more than 10% moisture in the food. Your cat needs to get the water it needs from other sources.
Cats by nature do not drink lots of water. So they will have to be trained to get enough moisture in their bodies on a daily basis. If they don't, it can be fatal to them. I have a 'Drinkwell 360' water fountain for my cats and they are always at it and get so much water, so no concerns there whatsoever

Cats raised entirely on dry cat food tend to have healthier mouths.
When looking at the labels of dry cat food look to confirm that the first ingredient is chicken, turkey or fish and not chicken or meat by-products or filler. These ingredients are not healthy for your pet and should be avoided.
Dry kibble helps your cat in removing excess plaque from their teeth, so cleaning them will be not as often as with wet food. But BUY a good quality dry-food, nothing cheap! Would you eat cheap food? I always stand by, if you have cats/or any animal and cannot afford the best food for them, then you shouldn't have them.....as harsh as that sounds, I am being honest! We are what we eat after all!

Cats by nature usually nibble at their food throughout the day. They do not eat all of their food at one sitting.
Leaving wet cat food can cause attraction for germs, bugs, and rodents.
Try combining both the wet and dry cat foods together, if you have to feed them wet, but good quality of both! This may be the best of both worlds. Hope this helps!

at above!

Emmie)) you need to have a read through the site Hun

Obviously we are not recommending the poor brands of wet food but the high quality, high meat content ones. If they are high quality then litter tends to smell less! Litter smells due to not only diet but also the type of litter. If you are not feeding your cat wet food then you need to make sure they are drinking plenty as there is no water or any type of liquid in dry food to keep them hydrated.

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Also..try reading the stickys at the top of page about wet and dry food

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Gosh, where to start I guess, firstly, welcome to posting on the forum. I see that you have been a member since 2008 but haven't actually posted it, so good to see that you have finally taken the leap.

Now, it might surprise you that I feed my cats a completely wet and raw diet and guess what? My vet thinks that they are the healthiest, best looking cats that they have seen. But then again, i am probably slightly more cynical and believe that they tell any owner that, no matter what they feed lol

There is no evidence that dry food is any better for dental health. Have a look at this thread: Feeding cats for beginners (and more seasoned cat owners alike). It outlines why a purely dry diet is not a great idea for cats and why neither dry nor wet food are doing dental health any good. Dental issues are also largely genetically determined. But bits of raw food and /or brushing them are your best bet to help your cats' gums and teeth.

I would also suggest that you read up on food labelling a little before you jump to any major conclusions. The 4% that you so often see on supermarket type foods etc refers to the minimum percentage of the flavour meat that a food needs to contain legally. That doesn't mean that there isn't more of it in it or that there aren't any other meats in that food. It simply is a really bad regulation that requires manufacturers to not declare what is really in the food.

Very few people on here think that Whiskas and co is great food and we all are recommending wet foods that are so much better on so many levels. All for very much similar amounts of money.

And no, wet food doesn't mean bad poops. That means it is either low quality food (with loads of fillers), contains something that the cat doesn't get on with or it simply means that the food has been introduced too quickly.

Anyhow, there are more things that I could unpick but I think you get the message.

Oh I have hun, and I stand by what I know and believe. My cats are the evidence! I have had cats for 25 years and all kept on dry high quality food. All my cats have lived until a ripe age, the eldest lived till 19 and the youngest 15. I am proud and know I have done the best by the diet I have maintained for them I need not read the site as my cats are living proof and that is enough for me

Just saw your edited post. Hun, how can you say so rightly say that cats are obligate carnivores and need meat but you are feeding a dry food that is nothing like the food they would as you say, seek out like a missile?