How often should I feed my Cat Wet Food?

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It is a question everyone has been asking, and here in this blog, we give detailed illustrations and answers to make you understand the scope.

When we refer to wet cat food, what we need to consider? Wet cat food is food that has a moisture content of more than 60%. They are presented in cans, terrines, or sachets, among others, and have different textures: mousse, gelatin, and pieces in the sauce.

As the owner of a cat, surely on more than one occasion, you have wondered if wet cat food is better or dry feed as a complete daily diet. It is important to note that each of the two types has its advantages and benefits and can be combined daily. It is also essential to note that, whether it is dry or wet food, the food we must offer our cats to provide all the necessary nutrients must be a complete diet.

Specifically, in this article, we are going to focus on wet cat food.

Cats throughout their lives have different needs, and their food must be adapted. The amount and type of food that you should give your cat will vary depending on its size, age, the physical activity it performs per day, etc.

Remember that it is your responsibility that your cat has a balanced and quality diet. As we have spoken on more than one occasion, the rate of obesity in pets increases, and clearly, one of the leading causes of this increase is that pets do not feed the appropriate food.

You need to consider it a part of your cat’s diet but not the main element regarding wet food. In general, your cat will always like wet food more than its feed, because it has more flavour, but it is essential that it not only eats it since it also has many benefits for its feeding. Also, it is important to know how often to feed a kitten. Most felines are provided only once or twice a day, and convenience to the pet parent is the most crucial driver. Advice on ThePets blogshows that you can use a hinged-lid dispenser that runs on a timer to give pre-portioned meals. Using this type, you can dispense wet food.

However, wet food has excellent advantages for your cats. Cats are animals that do not get used to drinking a lot of water and that your feline is well hydrated is essential for their health. Not drinking enough water can lead to kidney problems, which is not too unusual for cats. The feed usually contains around 10% water while a serving of wet food can contain up to 80%.

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About the amount of wet food, you should give your cat, and there are endless opinions. The truth is that depending on factors such as age, the recommended portions will vary.

For smaller cats, from 8 weeks when they have fully weaned, it is indicated that wet food has a significant presence in their diet since they do not usually drink much water. From 12 months, once the Cat is an adult, the cat's physical activity, weight, and even its breed will be much more taken into account to determine how much we should give it. Once your cat is over seven years old, it will begin to assimilate proteins and fats worse, so it will need food that is easier to digest, and then it will be advisable to increase the amount of wet food in its diet.

“Dry or wet food usually fattens equally, everything depends on the dose that is given to the cat " and continues " the feed fills up more because when combined with gastric juices, it rehydrates, and doubles or triples its size in the stomach, giving a greater feeling of satiety. In contrast, the wet diet is already hydrated, and therefore "fills less," and in proportion, they eat more volume. "

The amount of wet food will vary from one serving a week to half a serving every day, but when you give it wet food, don't forget to reduce the daily ration of feed. If you give your cat too much food, he runs the risk of becoming obese, which will lead to many health problems and reduce his life experience. And of course, always make sure that the food you give your cat is of quality.

We must emphasize that when you add wet food to your cat's diet, you make sure to subtract the dose of feed-in proportion, people usually add the can apart from the daily feed, which is why cats get fat.

The Benefits of Wet Cat Food

Recent studies have observed that, in the cat, due to its peculiarity of 'bad drinker,' the water intake in a cat is higher when we exclusively administer wet food. When dry food distributes, the total water intake is lower and compensate by concentrating the urine (increasing its density). A study carried out with 24 cats showed that when fed with wet food (in different proportions of the total ration (33, 66, or 100%), the entire water intake was higher than when they exclusively fed on dry food.

Higher water intake is translated into more upper body water content. As we have commented, the lack of hydration in cats related to the risk of various disorders. In the case of cats, one of the common diseases is related to urinary disorders in cats.
The administration of wet food as a proportion of the cat's total ration is potentially beneficial in cat health.

1. On the one hand, due to the higher water intake that supposes reducing the risk of urinary problems in cats.
One of the main clinical tools is dietary management, and within this, the essential measure for any obstructive urinary alteration is the decrease in urinary density. More diluted urine results in a lower risk of urolithiasis, regardless of the type of stone, since by reducing the precursors' concentration and increasing the transit (more frequent urination) of these precursors, the probability that they mineralize is less.
The study that we mentioned, carried out with 24 cats, shows that when fed with wet food, the urinary density was lower, and the volume of urine was higher (36%) than when they were exclusively fed dry diet.

2. Properly hydrating your cat is beneficial for managing weight loss.
One of the main times when it is essential to alert and guide the owner to prevent overweight development is right after sterilization. Sterilization reduces energy needs while increasing hunger (due to lack of appetite inhibition of sex hormones), so we should recommend limiting the amount of food to administer and control the ration to make it adequate for the maintenance and optimal body condition of the animal.

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3. Wet cat food increases the volume of the ration without increasing the calorie/energy intake.
Dry cat food or feed contains less water than wet food, making it more energy-focused. Moist food because it contains more water (which does not contribute calories) has a more diluted energy content. It means that including wet food in the cat's ration will allow for a larger, bulkier quota. It will favour that the cat spends more time eating, and the owner does not have the sensation of offering little food to the cat, supporting that it does not give more.

4. Wet cat food makes rationing easy.
It is easier to overfeed with dry food since it is possible to leave it available to the cat all day. Its energy density is high and is not usually weighed every day (measuring cups may be inaccurate). Using wet food can help cat owners feed less and more accurately to their cat according to the resource.

5. Wet feeding helps resolve the satiating effect, reducing the amount that the cat eats voluntarily.
One study compared how much food cats fed on a wet diet or the same dehydrated diet (via lyophilization) ate voluntarily up to 10%. These diets were offered ad libitum (the wet food changes several times a day to ensure it was fresh and delicious) for three weeks in a "cross-over" design (all cats consumed both foods).
Cats fed wet food voluntarily ate about 25% fewer calories than were offered dry food. Furthermore, throughout the three weeks of the study, cats fed the wet product lost weight significantly (albeit in small amounts due to the study's short duration).

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6. Wet food can help multimodal management of constipation (constipation) in cats.
Tricks to ensure that my cat is hydrated and does not suffer alterations in its health:

• The cat's water must always be fresh and clean and must replenish periodically.
• Preferably use a metal or ceramic container.
• Use a full bowl; some cats do not like whiskers to touch the box's edges when drinking.
• Cats are often attracted to flowing water. It's great to turn on a tap where they can drink a few times a day. Another good alternative is cat fountains, which generate a constant flow. Of course, it is essential to clean the sources periodically, renew the water, and change the filters.
• Your сat's drinking fountain should be in a quiet place several meters away from the sand.
• Finally, did you know that the presence of several drinking fountains for your cat can help it drink more?...