Dry Food Diet for Cats
It is true that dry food is cheap and convenient, and it is often the staple of a cat’s diet, but the truth is, it’s far from ideal and should not make up the majority of a cat’s diet. Cats do like the crunch that dry food offers and because they are not very likely to overeat it, dry food can be left out for grazing during the day without causing harm. However dry food is far from perfect.
Cats who eat only dry food are often missing out on nutrients and vitamins that they need for a healthy and balanced diet. Dry food (or kibble as it is also known) often contains a large amount of filler including things like corn meal or corn gluten. These are carbohydrates and totally unnecessary in a cat’s diet. Cats need protein from meat based sources and plenty of it. Corn meal or other carbohydrate fillers provide nothing for them nutritionally speaking.
Cats only eat a tiny amount of grain in the wild. This comes from the stomach contents of other animals that they eat, so dry kibble is too far removed from their natural diet to be healthy. We wouldn’t feed our children or ourselves on just cakes, cookies or potato crisps, so we shouldn’t do the equivalent to our cats.
Research has shown that dry food is also related to the development of certain conditions including feline diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic renal failure, cystitis, diarrhea and dehydration. Dry food may be easy, cheap and long-lasting, but the long term health effects are simply not worth it.
There are some good dry foods on the market however, and there is no reason to ban kibble completely from a cat’s diet. After all, they do like eating it, but it shouldn’t be the main food they eat. Canned food or raw meat even should be consumed regularly, perhaps with just a few ounces of kibble left out during the day. Following a diet similar to this for your cat will mean your cat stays healthy and free from health problems.
