Is dry food bad for your cat?
Although many dry foods do not contain corn, wheat, rice, etc. they
still have totally unnecessary ingredients such as potatoes or fruits,
like blueberries and apples. When you add up all the grains, fruits,
and high-glycemic vegetables, you're looking at anywhere from 15-50%
of the calories in the form of carbohydrates.
One of the problems associated with dry food is that it can cause
your cat's urine to be too alkaline. A cat's ideal urinary pH is between
6.0 and 6.5 The more alkalizing cats' diets are, the higher the risk
of
struvite crystal formation.
In addition to
urinary tract infections, the high-carb (and low moisture) content of dry food increases a cat's risk for
developing diabetes and pancreatitis. Dry food typically has more
calories (and more carbs) than wet food which also promotes obesity in
felines. The grains in dry food are often responsible for allergic
reactions in cats such as diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting. These
symptoms are part of a condition in cats known as
Irritable Bowel
Disease or IBD.
Another myth about dry food is that it contains teeth cleaning
benefits.
This is simply
untrue and this false claim
all started years ago with a slick marketing campaign by pet food companies. The commercials usually show an animaltion of
tarter build-up magically breaking away from teeth as a cat chomps down on a piece
of kibble. But have you actually watched your cat chew a piece of dry food? Usually it's one or two quick crunches and immediately
swallowed. There is no thorough chewing involving all the teeth that results in plaque or tarter removal. And much of the time, kibble is swallowed
whole. The fact is, dry food does nothing to clean your cat's teeth,
and the starchy carbohydrates present in kibble can actually promote tooth
decay.
Dry food is about as unnatural in a cat's diet as one can get. Real
meat, balanced with organs and bones is the healthiest diet for your
cat. Meat diets also produce
slightly
acidic urine
which is what your cat needs.
Bottom line - dry food deprives cats of proper nutrition, and adds
insult to injury by causing them to have very concentrated alkaline
urine. This increases the risk that struvite crystals will form. Even
without crystals, these diets contribute to bacterial infections and
bladder inflammation (cystitis).
Cats are obligate carnivores. Stick with all meat diets for your cats; especially raw but good quality
canned foods are fine too, and always better than dry food.