I just read this book and gathered that dry food is a no no.
Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life, Elizabeth M Hodgkins Amazon.com: Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life (9780312358013): Elizabeth M. Hodgkins D.V.M. Esq.: Books
What do you think,should they have a 50/50 diet.
As I read here from Zooplus "Please note: Feline Porta 21 is a complementary food. Make sure that you additionally feed some dry food"?

The only real advantages of dry food are cost and convenience. There are no health benefits of dry and therefore in my opinion it's best to feed as little dry food as possible. Having said that a little quality dry as a treat or left down when out for long periods will do no harm.

As for the Porta 21, as stated this is complementary food i.e it doesn't contain all the nutrients a cat needs, there are however many quality complete foods that do.

You half answered your own question. It depends on who you speak to and this is a classic example.

But then in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with it and you should feed your cats dry food AS WELL as wet food.

I feed my cats on Andy Carney, but they have Asda's own brand "Tiger" dry food down all the time. This sort of supplements them between their "main" meals. Just ensure you have water (and fresh water changed at least once a day) down all the time. Sometimes I use slightly warm water to encourage them to drink it more than they do now.

I believe by having dry food out, the cats can self-regulate how much food they want in the day. I feel sorry for those cats who are stuck with their owners giving them 200g a day but starving them between meals.


Plus, just because you read it in a book, doesn't mean it's true.


I guess the one thing I have learnt from cats is to do what YOU think is right. If you want to feed them dry food to snack on during the day, do that. If not, then that's fine too!
You'll find a lot of people will tell you you're doing it wrong if you're not doing it their way on this forum. Sort of like they turn their nose up at you if you don't feed raw food or high quality wet food. The way I see it, many thousands of cat owners have been feeding Whisky (the food, not the drink :P) and whatnot for years with no problems. My sister's cat get's Asda's own brand of Tiger (wet) and he is as lovely as any other cat and is as healthy as them too.
The other point to remember is that if Felix and such were horrible for cats then 1) The cats wouldn't eat it 2) the manufacturers wouldn't be able to produce it - they'd be out of business.

You can apply the same argument to indoor and outdoor cats.
Yet, I don't understand those people who have indoor cats but feed raw, giving the reason "it's what they would have in the wild". But your cat is never going to see the wild so no, your cat wouldn't have birds brains for breakfast :P

Well, I cannot say that I share this sentiment at all. On the contrary, I think that people here are really quite open-minded when it comes to what other people feed.

But education is key. If people come on here because they want to learn, then there is plenty of really good knowledge for them to peruse. If they still want to feed what they are feeding - so be it but it should be done because they they have made that decision based on good information; not just because it is easily available in a supermarket or because their vet says so or because they think that good quality food equates with being expensive food.

Re the dry, there are so many reasons why a wet diet is better and there is no reason why one cannot feed multiple wet meals - much better imo than leaving dry food out.

it depends who you speak to and the answer 2 above is ALSO A CLASSIC answer on the pro side - however. . . .

IMHO - dry is unbeneficial to cats - there is very little advantage for the cat to eat it - the only advantage is for the owners. Dry is very dehydrating and as cats don't have a thirst drive they find is very difficult to drink enough to rehydrate themsleves and so a lot of cats end up with crystals, urine infections or kidney problems. Cats don't need to constantly graze and so leaving food out for them to eat all the time is unnecessary. But many owners do it for their own convenience - and if they want to fine.

However . . .that book is an excellent book written by a very experienced vet, who majored in nutrition, worked in the cat food industry (including the dry sector), and runs her own veterinary business, and has decades of experience in the business rescuing overweight and poorly cats whose problems have ben brought on by eating a solely dry diet and then fixing them up by giving them a wet only diet. So NOT a book to be so quickly dismissed.

I don't believe you are WRONG if you don't feed the way I feed - but I do believe you are wrong if you don't do the research and dismiss stuff just because you don't want to change your already held beliefs. That's just blinkered.

EDIT: Hobbs - stop beating me to it!

DOUBLE EDIT: I have indoor cats and I feed raw - not because it's what they would have in the wild but because it is nutritionally RIGHT for them. Yes it mimics wild food - so what? Should we say that because humans use computers now they shouldn't have to learn to write? No, you don't just throw away one set of values/ learning/ evolution because times have changed a little.

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Well there are potential issues with dry food, carbohydrate content, grain content etc. A mixed diet also doesn't fully address the moisture content issue. Cats don't have a thirst drive, a fully wet diet will provide virtually all of a cats daily requirement whereas a fifty / fifty diet will only provide roughly half.

We will have to disagree about the free feeding benefit of dry too. I don't see any issue with splitting a cats daily feed over three or four meals, some cats self regulate others don't. I assure you my cat isn't starving, infact she often doesn't eat her full 200g provision. I would rather ensure they ate the correct amount than chance they do, a responsible parent wouldn't allow their kids to have three square meals a day then snack on as much crisps and chocolate as they like all day would they?

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying feeding a bit of dry is a terrible thing to do just I don't consider there is any need. I agree that you have to do whatever YOU consider best.

I hadn't even seen that original indoor - raw food = odd comment. Your reply is spot on Spid!

I think you are missing the point as to why many people (rightly) think that there are better foods out there than the supermarket fare. My thoughts are here:

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

This is the same fallacious argument used to support a steady diet of fast food and processed junk for people. There aren't any health benefits, but there's nothing wrong with it. And if it were really bad, they wouldn't be allowed to sell it. So, grab your Big Mac and chow down!

I really don't know why people seem to feel this need to defend dry food, as if they've got stock in the companies or something. Dry just isn't a normal natural diet for anyone. It may be "nutritionally complete", but it's also been over-processed to the point where they need to spray vitamins and things back on it, much like with Wonder bread or processed children's cereals.

I didn't know for years that it wasn't good. My vets told me it was the best thing ever, it cleaned teeth, blah blah blah. But when my Gwennie ballooned up, eating the same thing as all the other cats, I started doing research to find out what to do for her. My vet suggested diet dry food!!!!!! From my own education, a lot of it from this site, I learned that was the worst thing I could do to take weight off of her. And that raw feeding might very well be the best thing I could do for her and all of them. So, I started researching that as well. I've read a lot, educated myself, and am basing my decisions on that education.

Right now, much to my chagrin, they are getting a mix of wet and dry. The dry is mostly just a snack at night, but since Henry has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, it's more important to make sure he has a constant stream of calories than anything else. He's pickier these days---he used to eat anythiing, but now he seems to go off of flavors of wet food from day to day and only wants human food or dry. Some days he doesn't touch the dry, but gobbles up whatever wet you set in front of him. We've got some raw mince on order and since he'll eat anything raw I set in front of him, I'm hoping he dives right in. But I've been cautioned that it can change his kidney values to go to all raw, so the full transition is on hold for now. I'm distressed at the irony in this--that the best nutritional choice has to wait. But after his I131, I'm hoping to get all 6, plus the dogs, on raw. Next plan of action: learn if there are viable and doable options for the parrot than feeding a kibbled food.

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well I feed dried along with wet.

I started feeding it because I always had - with our other cats before. Looked into it and I have mixed feelings about it. It is convenient on occasion such as in the summer when I want to leave out food for a longer time and I'm worried about even leaving food in the timed feeder because it's so warm. Otherwise it makes no odds to be honest convenience wise.

In the last 6 months I've cut down the dried I feed in favour of good quality wet and ideally I think I would cut it out altogether. There are two factors which stop me - 1. Boo loves dried massively in comparison to wet. He eats a small amount of wet and then comes to me to miaow for dried. Bobs isn't bothered about dried at all and will have a mouthful or so a day but that's it. With Boo he just doesn't eat as much as he should eat if I don't feed dried and then I worry also the nagging drives me insane. 2. cost - I'll be honest even the most expensive dried is much cheaper than wet food and the money I save with that allows me to feed them good quality wet (which I have to feed because of Boo's sensitive tum) and occasional raw.

So I'm trying to cut the dried down but still leave some of it in so I'm still saving but still they are getting good food that they need. They are both very good drinkers fortunately. In the summer especially they both drink tons. I certainly would not feed a wholly dry diet.

People on here don't seem to admit they feed dried because of cost but I'm sure it's a big consideration for most people.