Is it okay to feed kittens dry food only

Is It OK To Give A Cat Only Dry Food?

Updated April 13, 2021

Listen to this rubbish.

If your cat only eats dry food, she is likely to be getting less nutrition than a cat eating wet food. Many low-quality dry foods contain a lot of fillers.

Throwaway lines like these are typical of the overly simplistic advice you find online about feline nutrition. The truth takes a deeper look. To know whether wet, dry or both are best for your cat, we need to talk about:

• nutritional adequacy & completeness
• fillers in wet & dry cat food
• the risk of obesity
• diseases associated with wet & dry foods
• other alternative cat diets

Lets dive in!

Complete vs Unbalanced Cat Foods

The main reason why the opening statement misses the point is that more than half of available wet foods are severely lacking in essential ingredients. Ive listed Aussie examples here and shown you how to tell from the packaging. Therefore, while plenty of good, balanced wet foods exist, if you feed the others, your cat risks suffering a nutritional deficiency.

Dry diets, on the other hand, are almost always balanced for all essential nutrients. If you then feed an unbalanced wet food with these, it generally doesnt matter so much. And yes, for nutritional completeness you can just feed a dry diet. But that still isnt the whole story.

Fillers In Cat Food

Now lets clear up some myths about fillers. By this, most people mean carbohydrates from grain sources. Here, three things are clearly true:

1. High levels of carbohydrate in cat foods are not natural
2. Despite this, most cats tolerate high levels of carbohydrate
3. Many wet foods are as bad as dry foods

I have written before about the problematic levels of carbohydrate in cat foods, and Im not going to make any excuses for the companies. However, despite being a vet who regularly trials sick cats on low carbohydrate diets, its actually rare that I get a positive response.

Similarly, theres no evidence that high carb levels are by themselves dangerous to cats. And before going on, I want you to notice that most dry diets sold as grain-free have just swapped the carbs out for another source, such as sweet potato. This is marketing, not nutrition.

So lets relax a bit about carbs. While not great, theyre mostly a minor evil. If you still want to feed a low carb diet, and why wouldnt you, Ive made a list of carbohydrate levels in Australian wet cat foods. Theres an online calculator you can use if your food isnt listed.

Do Dry Foods Cause Obesity?

If you research the risk factors for feline obesity, youll find that dry foods dont get a mention. So the answer is no. Instead, its much more important how you feed.

The reason dry foods get such a bad name is that they are so often left out for a cat to graze on. This whole concept of free feeding is severely frowned upon by vets, because very few cats can be trusted to regulate their food intake.

Click here for advice on converting a free feeder to accepting timed regular meals. Once you do it, youre at least three-quarters of the way to fixing feline obesity.

Disease Risks With Wet vs Dry Foods

There are only two evidence-based risks based on the food type.

Firstly, lower urinary tract disease in cats is more common on dry diets. These are the cats that get cystitis regularly, or have urinary obstructions. If a cat starts showing symptoms, I will always recommend a wet-only diet. However, as less than 5% of cats experience this problem, my opinion is that this advice doesnt need to apply to all cats.

Dental disease, on the other hand, is more common on wet foods. However, the difference, while real, is small. Where it gets significant is when you choose the dry dental foods made by Hills or Royal Canin. These can be extremely effective in preventing tooth and gum disease.

Any other diseases you might read about are only in the authors overly fertile imagination. That includes diabetes, liver, gastrointestinal and skin diseases. And in all the years of performing wellness blood testing, I have yet to find a healthy cat thats dehydrated just from eating dry foods.

Alternatives To Commercial Cat Foods

What about following some of the advice that says you can make a raw diet for your cat instead?

When I read this I get very, very cross. Cats arent little dogs. Theres almost no way a normal person without specialised training and equipment can make a reliably balanced cat food.

You can either have a cat literally eating wild foods, or you have to accept the safety of manufactured cat foods. The only in-between might be found on my recipe for a wild-type cat diet which takes a bit from each. However, like all compromises, it wont satisfy everyone.

So Are Wet Or Dry Diets Better?

The reality that for most cats, a 100% dry diet will be perfectly adequate, and no reason to feel guilty. I recommend spending as much as you can, as its clear that urinary problems go down as quality goes up. I also need you to understand feline water needs.

Dry foods are incredibly convenient, which is why I rely on one for my kitty (thats him here). However he also gets cat grass, a raw chicken neck a day, and as you can see I keep his weight under control. All these factors increase my sense of security.

You may feel guilty and want to add a tasty wet food, and in theory thats OK. My complaint is that when people who already choose a high quality dry get a wet food, its often a low quality one. Thats because wet foods need to be bought frequently, and so most people get them with their supermarket shop.

In the end, if the quality of your wet and dry cat foods are similar, it makes very little difference which one you choose.

Related: Supermarket vs Pet Store: Whats The Difference?

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

When can kittens eat dry food? A vet spills the kibble!

When can kittens eat dry food? Its a question you may be asking if youve recently welcomed a new bundle of fluff into your family. While every kitten is slightly different in terms of how soon theyll be ready for solid food, theres certainly plenty of guidance that can assist you in figuring out when they can be safely weaned off their mothers milk.

Its unanimously agreed by vets that the only source of food and fluid a kitten should consume up to the age of four weeks is their mothers milk. After that, you can start to introduce the best kitten food in wet form in small amounts before moving on to dry food a few weeks later.

When it comes to how much food should a kitten eat, its important to introduce both wet and dry food slowly. Our youngest fur friends have super sensitive stomachs, so this will help avoid digestive upsets. In terms of portion size, think little and often four to five small meals spread across the day is ideal.

To help ensure you feed your kitten the right amount of solid food at the right time, vet Dr. Sarah-Jane Mollier shares her expertise below, including how to wean your kitten and what food is best to feed them.

Dr. Diana Hasler, MRCVS is a 2018 graduate of the University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. She has experience working as a small animal veterinarian in first opinion practice, where she has treated many dogs, cats, rabbits, and rodents. She has also recently branched out into the field of medical communications and does freelance work as a medical editor and writer.

Dr Sarah-Jane Molier BVM&S MRCVS

Sarah-Jane Molier graduated in 2009 and has been enjoying life as a vet ever since. She currently works as Head Veterinarian in a small animal practice. Sarah-Jane particular enjoys internal medicine, alongside her managerial role. When not working in practice Sarah-Jane enjoys sharing her knowledge and helping pet parents by writing on a wide variety of animal health and medicine topics. In her spare time Sarah-Jane loves walking Nero (her rescue dog), gardening with her two young children and reading.

When do kittens start eating food and drinking water?

For newborn kittens, their mothers milk should be a kittens only source of nutrition from birth until four weeks of age. Its important that all kittens suckle within two hours of birth, as this is when they receive vital colostrum, the first milk produced by mom. Colostrum provides essential nutrients as well as antibodies, which protect the kitten against diseases until they are able to produce their own.

If a kitten is orphaned or cannot be with its mom, and no foster mom is available, then kitten formula is the next best thing. Its important to note that kittens should never be given human or puppy formula. This wont contain the right nutrition for them and can even be harmful. Only kitten formula is suitable.

Kittens can start eating food and drinking water from around four weeks of age. Some kittens may be ready after three weeks, but a kitten should never start weaning before three weeks of age.

Tell-tale signs that a kitten is ready to start weaning include trying to steal some of moms food, or biting and chewing on the teat in bottle-fed kittens. The weaning process takes around two to four weeks, with the majority of kittens only eating solid food at eight weeks of age.

When can kittens eat dry food?

Kittens can eat dry food from four weeks old, but its sensible to wait until they are five to six weeks old to start offering kibble.

The guide below will help you know what to feed your kitten at each stage of the weaning process.

What to feed kittens to wean them

You can start with wet or dry complete kitten food soaked in water or kitten milk. Starting with wet food is a good idea, as kittens will find this easier to eat and it tends to have a stronger smell, which will entice the kittens.

Kittens must have free access to fresh water at all times during weaning. They will need to stay with mom until they are eight weeks old, so they can supplement feed from her while they get used to eating solid food. Staying with mom during this time is also crucial for their socialization. If they are bottle-fed, you will need to continue with some bottles until they are taking in enough nutrients from the solid food.

How to wean kittens

Here are our top tips for successfully weaning kittens:

• First, be patient. Weaning takes two to four weeks and there will be a LOT of mess in the early stages!
• Once your kittens reach four weeks old, you can start to introduce some solid food. Its a good idea to start with wet kitten food, mixed with a little warm water or kitten milk.
• You can offer dry food soaked in warm water or kitten milk from four weeks if you choose to. Or, you can add it in starting at five to six weeks.
• You can offer a little food on the tip of your finger or a baby spoon, to tempt the kitten to try it. You should never smear it on their face or force their head into the bowl. They will try it when they are ready.
• Start by offering the food on a flat dish or plate, so there is no lip or rim in the kittens way. Be prepared to change the food regularly though, as the kittens will likely walk in it too!
• Over the next two to four weeks you can gradually decrease the amount of water or kitten milk you are adding until they are only eating the solid food.
• Ensure fresh drinking water is easily available at all times.

Its important that you take your time and dont try to rush weaning, as this will only cause stress to both the kittens and the mom.

How often to feed your kitten

Wondering how often to feed your kitten? Kittens need to eat little and often, so offer at least four small meals a day initially. It is very rare for kittens to over-eat, so they can also be fed ad-lib, as long as you change the food regularly to keep it fresh.

You should monitor your kittens weight daily, to be sure they are getting adequate nutrition. Kittens should gain at least 10 grams per day, on average. If your kittens weight gain is less than this or is dropping, contact your vet for advice as a kitten not eating can have huge health ramifications.

Similarly, if their belly looks tucked in, they are crying excessively, or seem cold or weak, you should call your vet straight away.

What's the best type of food for kittens?

Kittens must be weaned on good quality, nutritionally complete kitten food. Kittens have specific calorie, protein, and calcium requirements for healthy growth. They also need adequate vitamins and minerals.

Look for a manufacturer who employs board-certified veterinary nutritionists, or someone with a Ph.D. in animal nutrition, to work on their formula. Consider looking for a brand that is part of the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA). To be a member, the manufacturers have to meet higher quality standards than the legal minimum.

You can find out more in our vet's guide to which kind of kitten food is best for your young cat.

Weaning kittens is such an exciting time, but can also be a challenging one! Successful weaning takes patience, love, and a lot of mess! Now you know how to get started on weaning your kittens. Remember, if you arent sure, or have any concerns, then contact your vet for advice. And for more helpful guidance, check out these six kitten care tips to assist you in giving your little one the best start in life.