The ongoing debate….
This article offers some insight: https://pottycats.com/blogs/cat-care/should-i-feed-my-cats-wet-food-dry-food-or-both?syclid=ccff3u839i7vd0ievv4g&utm_campaign=emailmarketing_143552217311&utm_medium=email&utm_source=shopify_email
And what do our 11 cats eat?
Juniors: Minnie (3 yo), Smurfy, Rey, Robin, Lynx (all 2 yo) – 100% raw.
Seniors: Tabs & Ginger (both 11 yo)- Mostly raw, some canned and kibble (snack), but not mixed.
Super Seniors: Cow Mau (16), Bunny (16), Cleo (15) & Indy (14) – Less of raw, mostly canned and homecooked and kibble (snack), but not mixed.
I had to switch the Super Seniors to a hybrid diet because Indy can only eat Cindy’s pureed food in the morning and Bunny cannot digest raw very well now. Cooking breaks down the proteins to make it more easily digestible. But on the other hand, raw food has natural enzymes to help with digestion. So while Indy and Bunny are mostly on cooked food, Cow and Cleo are still eating some 100% raw meals. The important thing, I’ve noticed, is not to mix if we are giving wet and dry. When it’s wet, let it be all wet only for that meal. If dry, then only dry for that meal. But I do add water to the dry kibble. Dry food has more carbs while wet has more protein, and it takes different enzymes to digest carbs and protein. Cats, being obligate carnivores, digest protein much more efficiently than carbs. This is the reason that a protein-dense diet is more suitable for cats, hence, wet food would be a better choice, in general.
Tabs & Ginger shouldn’t be on canned or kibble at all but they know the Super Seniors are getting it, so they too are demanding for it. At present, Ginger has a tendency towards FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis), so he is on a special diet consisting of canned CD and urinary kibble.
The Juniors are on 100% raw – Coco&Joe’s is their staple (they get chicken, turkey, rabbit and cooked sardines), and I add raw chicken meat, liver and gizzard. They also love Cubgrub’s dehydrated raw chicken treats.
This is my favourite site for feline nutrition: https://feline-nutrition.org/
Whenever I need motivation and a reminder that raw is the most biologically appropriate food for cats, I will re-visit this site.
But at the end of the day, the pet parent knows best.
The principle of wisdom would be “Fed is Best” or as our vet says: “As long as they eat” when it comes to senior picky cats!
Here’s today’s dinner:
Tabs is eating Cubgrub (her staple) and Ginger is eating Hill’s CD canned food (because of his cystitis). Ginger normally eats Cubgrub mixed with Coco&Joe’s. For protein rotation, Tabs and Ginger get Cubgrub’s CKD chicken and rabbit.
Oh, this is always complicated and it’s always a “throwing darts” hibrid diet – whatever works! Indy and Bunny are eating raw chicken breast meat followed by canned food, Cow is eating Cubgrub and Coco&Joe’s, Cleo is eating Coco&Joe’s. Again, for protein rotation, they have at least two proteins.
Minnie, Smurfy, Rey, Robin and Lynx are eating Coco&Joe’s mixed with raw chicken breast meat. Sometimes, it’s mixed with raw chicken liver or gizzards.