What Type of Food Should You Feed Your Cat? Tested & Vetted!

Taking care of the food of our purry little babies is one of the most fundamental aspects of caring for our cats. There are many options and types of food out there to choose from and you might end up looking at shelves filled with various brands, wondering which one is best suited for your cat.

So, to answer the question of what type of food you should feed your cat, we’ll first need to take a look at the types that are available, what each food brings in terms of nutrition value, and how they’re best suited to different cats.

Let’s take an in-depth look into each and see their characteristics, values, benefits, and drawbacks.

Dry Food vs Wet Food vs Raw Food

We can divide the cat food into three categories: dry, wet, and raw. With so many options available on the market, it can be quite overwhelming to choose the right cat food. Each of these three have their own unique benefits and their own drawbacks.

Learning of these differences can help you better understand these types and help you pick the best choice for your cat’s health, well being, and happiness.

Read on to find out the details for each of these three.

Dry Food

Dry cat food is often referred to as kibble and has quite a lot of benefits. Namely, it is convenient to buy, lay out for your cat, and it is easy to store. This type of food also has a longer shelf life compared to wet food.

Additionally, it is way less messier to deal with dry food as opposed to wet food, and it is much more cost-effective.

The biggest benefit your furry baby will have is the impact on dental health. Dry cat food’s crunchy texture helps reduce tartar buildup and plaque on your cat’s teeth.

That said, this type of food has its own drawbacks as well. It contains less moisture than wet or raw food, and this is something you need to pay attention to. Your cat’s hydration is incredibly important, so if you decide to feed your kitty with dry food only, make sure to also leave out bowls of water around for them to satiate their thirst.

If your cat doesn’t drink enough water, it can lead to issues like urinary tract problems or kidney disease.

Therefore, it is vital to make sure that your cat has constant access to fresh water. Our Kiki, for example, has a water fountain filled with water on a daily basis, and two to three water bowls placed in different rooms of our apartment. She drinks all the time from each of those water placements, and we make sure to monitor her water consumption.

Wet Food

Wet cat food comes in cans or pouches and, just like dry cat food, has its own set of benefits and drawbacks.

One of the main benefits is the high moisture content, which helps keep cats hydrated. This is immensely important, especially for cats with urinary tract issues or those that do not drink as much water on their own.

Moreover, wet cat food may be tastier for some cats, so it is a very good choice for picky eaters too.

On the other end of the spectrum, though, wet cat food is more expensive than dry cat food and has a shorter shelf life once opened. This means you’ll have to refrigerate this type of food and ensure your cat consumes it in a timely manner, requiring frequent pours in the bowl.

Additionally, it doesn’t provide the same dental benefits as dry food and it is quite a lot messier to store and serve.

What’s more, this type of food may contain a lot more taurine and fat, making it a bad choice for some cats. To provide an example, we gave Kiki quite a lot of wet food in the past only for her to become much more aggressive, bulkier, fatter, and with a greasy coat.

Once we stopped giving her wet food, her body became leaner, healthier, she became more muscular, and her coat is smoother, shinier, and silkier to the touch.

Raw Food

Raw cat food is a good choice for those who want to mimic a natural diet for their feline friends. There’s a whole host of benefits for cats who consume raw food. This type of food is highly nutritious and contains natural ingredients without the fillers that are often found in commercial cat food.

Raw food is often used for cats on a diet and includes raw meat, organs, bones, and fresh vegetables. This type of diet can improve the skin’s health and coat, provide high energy levels, and improve overall health and well being.

However, there are also quite a lot of drawbacks to feeding a cat with raw food. One of the biggest concerns is the risk of bacterial contamination, which can lead to illnesses both in cats and humans. To avoid these risks, it is imperative to properly handle and prepare this type of food.

Additionally, raw food lacks the moisture content that is present in wet food, so just as with dry food, you’ll need to make sure your cat drinks plenty of water throughout the day.

If you choose to feed your furry baby with raw food, always aim to buy fresh, high quality ingredients, and make sure to wash your hands, surfaces, and any utensils when preparing the food.

Nutritional Specifications

When you’re choosing the type of food you want to give your cat, it is important to understand the nutritional needs. Cats are very active and require a diet that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, and essential amino acids.

So, to ensure your cat stays healthy and receives all the necessary nutrients they need to live a healthy life, it is essential to pay attention to the nutritional specifications.

Protein-Rich Food

Protein is an essential nutrient and plays a vital role in a cat’s diet as it maintains muscle mass, supports a healthy immune system, and promotes overall growth and development. Cats naturally require a diet that is rich in animal-based proteins, so look for food that is rich in high-quality proteins.

These proteins provide the necessary amino acids that cats can’t produce on their own, which in turn leads to ensuring their nutritional needs are met and their health remains at optimal levels.

Limited-Ingredient Diet

A limited-ingredient diet for cats focuses on simplicity by using a minimal amount of ingredients.

The goal with this type of diet is to reduce the potential for allergic reactions and sensitivities in cats. These diets feature a single source of protein and basic carbohydrates, but excludes common allergens, such as dairy, grains, and artificial additives.

They can be highly beneficial for cats with sensitive digestive systems, skin issues, or cats with food allergies or intolerances.

🐾 Feeding your furry little baby with protein-rich food or a limited-ingredient diet can go a long way to alleviate any issues, allergy symptoms, and improve overall health and well-being.

Wrapping Up

Now that we’ve covered all the important aspects on the types of food available for your cat, we’re left to offer our own opinion on the question – what type of food should you feed your cat?

Our advice is to feed your cat with dry food only, while keeping in mind its hydration needs. You can always give wet or raw food, but make sure to do so on rare occasions, such as milestones, birthdays, or when you’ve been away from home for a few days, and you’d like to treat them with something special.

This is what works best for our loving Kiki as she adores dry food, drinks plenty of water, and doesn’t whine, complain, or ask for any other form of food, especially raw or human food.