First of all, let us clarify that by mixing food we do not mean giving pets a temporary treat, but regularly adding wet canned food to the main, dry type of diet. Moreover, the volume of the latter can range from 30 to 50% or more of the total daily norm - for example, a whole jar or 1-2 pouches.
Let's start with the messages that guide animal owners when choosing a mixed type of feeding:
- dry food in itself is harmful, and for the health of the pet it is advisable to dilute it with something useful;
- the animal does not like to drink water, and canned food somehow provides moisture;
- I want to diversify my pet’s menu and pamper it;
- dry without wet animals ignore.
Despite the fact that each of the above reasons can be objected to, and in some cases the issue can be resolved by adjusting the pet’s behavior, experts have no scientific counter-arguments against combined feeding.
In fact, there is no particular difference between dehydrated granules and wet kibble, which are identical in composition, except, of course, the presence of moisture. Both types of food are complete, that is, they can contain vital nutrients for cats and dogs in the right ratio. Both are well eaten and digested by pets, however, with a mixed feeding scheme, many factors must be taken into account, which we will discuss below.
The difference between wet food and dry food
Wet cat food seems to be a convenient choice for owners: it is readily eaten by cats, well-balanced and healthy.
Liquid cat food with a high meat content is an excellent option either as a base or as a supplement. If the cat does not like dry food, then mixing it with wet food is quite possible. The main benefit of wet food is that it contains water, which is an important component in keeping your cat healthy. This is especially important in the summer, as well as for pets with kidney or bladder problems.
Eating a balanced diet for your pet is important for its health.
Important! The basis for good health and well-being of a pet is a properly selected diet.
Wet food has many benefits for both cats and their owners. Among them:
- a large amount of protein and fats, which are necessary for the health of the pet;
- low percentage of carbohydrates, which does not contribute to excess weight gain;
- the composition includes water (75%), which is beneficial for the pet, especially for those who drink little liquid. Moisture in food prevents gastrointestinal problems;
- ability to quickly saturate a cat due to its high protein content. The animal is not prone to overeating;
- ease of use: open it, put it in a bowl and you're done.
Among the most significant disadvantages of wet food are:
- is not able to protect your pet from the formation of tartar and gum disease. When using only this type of food, it is necessary to separately take care of your pet’s teeth with other means;
- Storage of open packages lasts a short time. Opened canned food only lasts for a couple of days even in the refrigerator;
- more expensive than regular dry.
Wet food is convenient for owners
Wet cat food comes in many forms. It differs both in packaging and consistency. In pet stores you can find products packaged in jars or bags. The former have different capacities: small cans (70–100 g) to large sizes and more economical options (200–400 g). The packages have a small volume, from 85 to 100 g.
The consistency of wet food is much more varied than the dry version. In jars you can find carefully chopped pieces of meat or fish. Another type is reminiscent of canned food. You can find jars and bags of whole pieces of meat in sauce or jelly.
Important! The best option for wet food is in the form of pate. It is soft and easy to serve the animal.
Canned food is the most popular wet type of food for cats. In this case, pieces of meat or fish are visible and the quality of the food can be assessed at first glance. Their composition can contain up to 90% meat.
Dry food has a number of advantages:
- saving money. It is financially more profitable to purchase dry food in large packages;
- saving the owner's time. Simply pouring a handful of food into a bowl is enough;
- with good quality, you do not need to follow a diet;
- quality food is well balanced and rich in nutrients. It is worth choosing a trusted manufacturer.
Disadvantages of dry options:
- little moisture leads to problems with the urinary system, especially if the animal consumes little water;
- harms cats' teeth, contrary to the existing myth that dry food cleans teeth;
- if the quality of the food is low, it contains a lot of carbohydrates, which can cause a jump in blood sugar and lead to an imbalance in metabolic processes;
- cats getting used to low-quality dry food options due to aromatic additives.
Dry food has its advantages and disadvantages
Is it possible to feed a cat both dry and wet food?
Is it possible to feed a cat dog food - wet or dry and what is the difference?
As a rule, the healthiest option is still natural food, which includes a balanced and suitable diet for the cat. When there is absolutely no time to cook, the question arises whether it is possible to combine dry food and natural food for cats. Answer: it is possible, but the quality of dry (wet) food must be high. It is necessary to purchase premium and holistic food.
Although it is possible to mix dry and wet food together, this is not recommended as the cat's digestive system gets used to a certain type of food, releasing the corresponding enzymes. And when mixing different options, he may have problems with the gastrointestinal tract. However, mixed meals at home are acceptable, but not often and at different meals. In this case, it is better to combine food from the same manufacturer.
Mixing food is possible, but it should be done wisely
Is it possible to mix different manufacturers?
Those who believe that it is possible to mix cat food from different manufacturers are mistaken. The reasons for this are:
- different balance;
- different calorie content.
Each manufacturer achieves feed balance in its own way, which is reflected in their composition. The same level of protein is obtained from both low-quality plant elements and high-quality animal raw materials.
By mixing food, it is impossible to improve the quality of food that is inferior in composition. In such a situation, even the best food will not be beneficial. There will be an imbalance that every manufacturer strives for in order for the product to be considered a complete nutrition. It turns out that there will be more of some substances, less of others, which is fraught with the appearance of various diseases for the animal.
Important! Mixing food from different manufacturers will negate the results of balance, and your pet’s nutrition will not be complete.
Another important reason why you should not mix food from different manufacturers is calorie content. For each diet, different manufacturers have their own calorie content. For this reason, consumption rates for different feeds are different.
When mixing food of different production, it turns out that the diet has not just an arbitrary composition, but also an unknown energy value and calorie content. This may result in overfeeding your pet or, conversely, a calorie deficit. This will be immediately noticeable in the pet’s changed behavior. Excess is fraught with obesity, which may not be noticed immediately.
You can only mix feed from one manufacturer
Can it be mixed with natural food?
The reasons mentioned above also negatively affect the processes of mixing ready-made feed with natural food. Although this practice is very common among most owners. It appears that breeders are trying to diversify their pet's diet, but in reality they are only increasing the risk of eating disorders, allergies and intolerances.
The opinion that dry food is uniform in composition is erroneous. In them, all the elements are balanced and accessible. If natural food is added to dry food, the number of ingredients increases sharply, resulting in a kind of cocktail that is rich in the composition of substances. The pet's stomach needs to digest such a diet, which becomes a rather complex process.
Mixing with natural food is acceptable, but at different meals
Feeding standards
All packages of ready-made food indicate the dosage of the daily portion in grams, depending on the age and weight of the animal.
Is it possible to feed a dog dry and natural food at the same time?
The amount of wet food is considered normal at a value of 5% of the animal’s weight. That is, if a pet weighs 5 kg, then 175 g of wet food per day is enough for him.
Note! A cat with a calm lifestyle needs 70 ml of water per 1 kg of weight per day, and with an active lifestyle - 85 ml per 1 kg of weight. This is approximately 4-6 tbsp. spoons of water.
For adult cats, the daily intake of dry food is:
- weight up to 3 kg - 25 g;
- weight from 3 to 4 kg - 40 g;
- weight from 4 to 5 kg - 55 g;
- weight over 5 kg - 12 g per 1 kg of weight.
For a kitten this norm looks like this:
- weight up to 2 kg - 35 g;
- weight from 2 to 3 kg - 50 g;
- weight from 3 to 4 kg - 70 g.
A pregnant cat needs 55 g of dry food per day.
For large breed cats, the calculation is based on the rule: 12 g per 1 kg of animal weight.
For older animals, the norm is slightly reduced by 10-20%.
For active cats, the feeding schedule is free in large portions.
For sterilized cats, food is given 2 times a day in small portions, as they are prone to obesity.
Feeding standards for cats should be followed
In one bowl or separately
There is no single recommendation on this matter from veterinarians and well-known manufacturers. Some believe that it is possible to mix different types of food in one bowl. Others insist that time should pass between the intake of dry and wet food. Since no research has been conducted on this issue, there is no clear answer.
What food is best to feed a cat: advice from veterinarians
Most recommendations highlight the following points:
- separation of food makes it possible to accurately track how much and what was given to the pet in terms of volume, composition, how much the animal eats, what can be mixed and what cannot;
- if you alternate food, it is easier to track the animal’s reaction to one or another type of food: what caused the allergy, indigestion and other undesirable effects;
- mixing feed leads to spoilage of the dish and loss of taste characteristics much faster.
Important! It is worth trying a mixed feeding option first, then separate feeding. You need to track which option was more preferable for the cat and make a choice in its favor.
Is it necessary?
We don't know why you decided to mix dry and wet food because, except for special physiological conditions where wet food is recommended, there is no reason to stick to this type of feeding. On the contrary, it causes some difficulties and risks associated with an insufficiently balanced diet, receiving excess or insufficient amounts of nutrients.
At the same time, feeding one dry food, provided the selected diet is of high quality, allows you to reduce them to a minimum. In any case, we respect your choice and hope that with our advice we have helped you establish mixed feeding without harm to your pet.
Time to keep food in bowl
For wet food, opened packaging should be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days. In this case, the food should be transferred to a glass bowl.
It is advisable to store the opened food packaging in the refrigerator, hermetically sealed. Air access contributes to the oxidation of components and loss of their value.
Important! If wet food is in your cat's bowl, you should not leave it all day: it may spoil or dry out, especially if the room is hot.
The shelf life of dry food is usually indicated on the packaging. But it concerns exclusively the hermetically sealed version. However, an open pack of dry food can only be stored for 1.5-2 months. The fact is that the fats in the food are oxidized, which can cause gastrointestinal upset in the pet.
It is better not to leave food in a bowl for a long time
What are the consequences of delay?
If the packaging is not opened, it is advisable to use the food before the date indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. After this period has expired, you should not give it to your pet. However, manufacturers often indicate conditional expiration dates and it is assumed that the food can be consumed for some time after the indicated date. In this case, you can focus on the appearance of the contents of the package.
Food suitable for a dog should not:
- have traces of mold, rot;
- contain insect larvae;
- have a putrid or musty odor.
If at least one of these signs is detected, the food is considered unsuitable. It accumulates a high concentration of toxins that can cause severe poisoning to your pet. If, after feeding expired food, your dog experiences convulsions, increased salivation, vomiting and sweating, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.
Dry food is a modern and complete form of dog nutrition.
How to feed
When choosing cat food - dry or wet - you should be guided by the composition. Wet food for cats, the best in composition, should contain primarily meat: the more of it, the better the quality of the food and the more effective it will be for the health of the pet.
Proper nutrition is the key to your pet’s health
Among the elements of natural products you need to add:
- vegetables. It is a valuable source of vitamins and microelements, as well as fiber. They support digestion and increase the nutritional value of food;
- eggs. In some cat foods, eggs are an additional source of protein. In addition to this, they also contain vitamin A, D, iron and polyunsaturated fatty acids;
- taurine is an amino acid found in meat that is essential for keeping your cat healthy. Promotes the proper functioning of the heart and digestive system. In addition, it plays an important role in building immunity and the functioning of the animal’s nervous system;
- vitamins, minerals, trace elements have a beneficial effect on the condition of the cat’s skin, coat and general well-being.
When planning your cat's or kitten's diet, it is important to consider that a good wet food should not contain cereal, sugar, preservatives or artificial colors and flavors. The simple composition and many useful nutrients will allow the cat to live a long time and not get sick.
General information
The popularity of industrial cat food is understandable - owners have no time to prepare food for their pets. Ready-made food can be placed in a bowl and stored for a long time - this is undoubtedly convenient. Striving for convenience, do not forget about the needs of the cat, because its health depends on a balanced diet!
You should not feed your pet with economy class food. These products are made from cereals and do not contain meat or vitamins. Simply put, cheap food is a useless filler for the stomach. In addition, economy class products contain salts and preservatives, which contribute to the development of urolithiasis.
Premium and super-premium classes are considered optimal for everyday feeding. However, you should not blindly trust the inscriptions on the packs! Read the composition of the product, only it will show the true value of the food. Some manufacturers believe that food containing 70% grains is healthy, but this is far from true. Holistic class foods are considered the most natural, but they also have the highest price.
