How to feed your cat wet food

Pieces of pink tuna and selected shrimps… Chicken breast with olives and asparagus… White fish… Tuna with surimi crab… And all this in jelly that melts on the tongue…

Think we’re listing a Michelin star restaurant menu? No, these are just a few flavors of super premium wet cat food. It is unlikely that there will be at least one pet in the world that can resist this magnificence. Yes, and the owners of the dizzying aroma will immediately jump up the appetite.

Be careful. Wet food is great, but you need to know how to feed it properly. Inappropriate food or non-compliance with the feeding norm can lead your cat not to a taste extravaganza, but to torment on the tray. Or the strongest rash under the coat.

To feed healthily and keep your pet healthy, take a close look at the top 7 questions about wet food. It is important!

Pet stores have a large selection of wet foods, but not all of them are equally beneficial. It is better to focus on premium diets and above. It’s not just about taste. For the production of such diets, only fresh, selected ingredients are used, the quality of which reduces the risk of food intolerances and other health problems.

The food should be suitable for your cat: by age, lifestyle, individual characteristics. You can not feed an adult neutered cat with canned food for a kitten, and vice versa.

Also, be sure to look at whether it is a complete feed or not. If the food is complete, you can regularly feed the cat only with it – and nothing else. You don’t even need to take extra vitamins. If not complete, then this is not the main food, but an addition to the basic diet. For example, a cat may regularly eat a balanced dry food plus canned food. At the same time, it is important to observe the daily feeding rate. More on this below.

The daily norm and the number of feedings are indicated on each food package. The amount of servings depends on the weight of the animal. But you need to understand that this is indicative data. Always keep an eye on your cat. Depending on the reactions, the amount of feed can be adjusted both up and down.

The daily rate should be divided into portions. It is better to feed more often, but less. Try to give your cat as much wet food as she can handle at one time. Unfortunately, wet food in a bowl spoils quickly and the leftovers of the meal will need to be removed immediately after the cat has eaten.

• Is wet food better than dry food?

Both wet and dry food have their advantages. It cannot be said that one type of feeding is better and the other is worse.

However, wet food is more attractive to pets and contains more moisture. For comparison, wet food is about 70% moisture, dry food is about 7%. Thus, wet food helps the cat to consume enough liquid and reduces the risk of developing KSD.

On the other hand, dry food is more economical, easier to store, trains the jaw muscles and saves teeth from plaque.

If you can’t decide which type of food to choose, then don’t. Wet and dry foods can be combined in one diet, and this is a great, very healthy solution.

• Can you mix wet food with dry food? What about food from the fridge?

Wet and dry food can be combined in the same diet, and this is very beneficial for your pet’s health. The combination of two types of feed maintains the water balance in the body, prevents urolithiasis and the formation of tartar, satisfies the need of animals for a varied diet.

But with other products from the refrigerator, it’s a different story. They can not be combined with either wet or dry food. This is due to the fact that the composition of a balanced ready-made food already includes all the useful substances necessary for a cat. When we alternate between dry and wet food, we meet the daily allowance, taking into account both portions. But it is almost impossible to determine the balance of components in natural products on your own. In addition, not everything from our refrigerator is suitable for pets.

The combination of prepared foods and homemade food can lead to imbalances in the body, weight gain, digestive problems and food intolerances.

Veterinarians recommend giving your cat dry and wet food of the same brand. Products from the same manufacturer are similar in composition, better combined with each other and more easily absorbed by the body.

• How to alternate dry and wet food?

Carefully read the feeding recommendations on the packaging of spiders or canned food. If you choose the same brand of dry and wet food, there may be instructions on the packaging on how to combine them correctly.

To be sure, it is better to discuss the diet with a veterinarian who knows all about the individual characteristics of the cat.

Remember not to mix two types of food in one bowl. Share feedings. An example is the following scheme:

4 feedings per day

– Morning and evening feeding: wet food.

– Day and night feeding: dry food.

And all these portions in the aggregate should be the daily norm of feeding a cat.

• How long does wet food last?

Wet food cannot be stored for a long time, and this is its disadvantage. Leftover food from the bowl should be removed as soon as the cat has eaten. They will have to be thrown out.

Opened packaging (jar or pouch) can be stored in the refrigerator tightly closed for no more than a day. Please note that the cat should not be given food from the refrigerator immediately: it must be at room temperature.

• Can I switch wet food lines?

Feed can only be changed if necessary (if the pet has had negative reactions to the diet, for example, vomiting), according to the testimony of a veterinarian. Any change in diet is stressful for the body, and you never know how a cat will react to a new ingredient. Experimenting for the sake of experimenting is not worth it.

We hope this article will help you create a healthy, balanced diet for your beautiful cat. And if you have any questions, ask us in the comments!