Pet Care - Dietary Information - Dried Food for Cats

Dried Food for Cats

It is commonly thought that dried cat food may lead to kidney failure and an increased occurrence of urinary conditions. However, some points that may be of interest:

(1) At the NAVC (North American Veterinary Conference) 2005, Dr. P. Schenck advised feeding dried foods to cats because recent research shows that cats fed on a canned food were more at risk from hyperthyroidism. Interestingly, at the same conference another vet advised feeding moist food because in his opinion dried food caused urinary problems. Thus, even the experts cannot agree!

(2) The veterinary prescription diets for renal (kidney) failure and urinary conditions come in both canned and dried diets!

(3) The BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) 'Manual of Companion Animal Nutrition and Feeding' states that: 'Relatively higher fluid intake is required with dry than with wet foods. This is not a disadvantage as long as water is constantly available.' It also states that 'Adult cats can be fed entirely on canned or dried foods....dry foods provide a change in taste and texture.' There is no mention in this book that dried foods cause either renal failure or urinary problems.

(4) In 'Small Animal Clinical Nutrition' 4th Edition. 2000. By Hand, Thatcher, Remillard and Roudebush it is stated that the urinary pH of cats is influenced by the time of feeding, the method of feeding and the quantity of food not by water consumption.

It is difficult to find any scientific evidence to prove that dried foods actually cause kidney disease and urinary problems. Many experts agree that dried foods do not actually cause these problems but may exacerbate the problem once the cat is actually ill.

Dried diets are of course not the same as the diet a wild cat would eat. However, it is important to note that pet cats are not the same as wild cats. Pet cats do not need as much energy from their diet. They are kept in centrally heated houses, they do not have to hunt for food and have been fed on ‘left-overs’ of human diets which will be cooked food (they would eat raw food in the wild), including meat and carbohydrates (whether they are from grains, cheese, milk or other sources). Even feeding your cat a raw food diet will not be equal to a diet in the wild. The food is not freshly killed, the meat will not be at body temperature and the organs and contents of organs will be missing.

There are several good quality dried and moist cat foods on the market. We believe that it is the quality of food which is most important not the water content. You can look at the label of a cat food to determine the quality:

'Cereals' means the manufacturer can change the type of cereal used depending on what is cheapest and more available each season.

'Animal meat, animal fat' means the manufacturer can change the type of meat used depending on what is cheapest and more available each season.

Feeding amounts, the better the food - the smaller the amount you need to feed (small amounts are more digestible). Sugars and caramels are often added to moist food to stop the water escaping and to give the food the brown 'meaty' colour.

Chemicals may be labeled as EEC permitted antioxidants or EEC approved preservatives (Burns uses Vitamin E and Rosemary Oil to preserve the food)

Whether you feed a dried or a moist food, extra water can be added if you are worried about renal problems or urinary problems. You could encourage water consumption by:

(1) Offering filtered or bottled water instead of tap water (many cats do not like the taste of tap water).
(2) Offer large bowls or trays of water as some cats do not like their whiskers touching the edge of the bowl.
(3) Offer running water, there are many water fountains now available.
(4) Soak the Burns food in warm water before feeding it.

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