I’m a veterinarian and cat owners need to stop feeding their pets just one type of food
A vet has issued an urgent warning to cat owners who exclusively feed their pets dry food.
Drew, from Tampa, Florida, warned about the dangers of not giving cats wet food and how it can result in urinary tract problems in a viral TikTok.
The vet, known online as @thejunglevet, said: “Cats must consume most of their moisture through their diet and cannot do this with dry food because it only contains 10% moisture compared to wet food, which contain 75%. percent humidity.
Dr. Drew continued: “A high-moisture diet is critical in preventing a large number of diseases that we see developing in cats, one of the main ones being urinary tract obstruction.
‘This is an extremely common disease. We see this occurring regularly in veterinary medicine, especially in emergencies.”
Although the veterinarian described the problem as “extremely preventable,” he said some veterinarians are hesitant to admit that dry food diets are unhealthy for cats.
Drew began the video by saying he was “frankly exhausted” and frustrated “with veterinary experts not emphasizing enough the importance of hydration for cats.
He said: ‘Almost every time the subject is mentioned, he receives some indifferent response, such as ‘oh, my cat is eating dry food and he’s fine’ or choosing to die on the hill that dry food is an appropriate diet for a cat when There are enough studies showing that this is not true.
‘Every cat is fine until it develops a unitary tract obstruction and dies suddenly.’
“Or every cat is fine until they develop cystitis and associate their litter box with pain and start urinating everywhere else,” the concerned vet added.
According to pet food brand Purina, wet food is preferable because it better reflects what they would eat in the wild.
Their website says: ‘In the wild, cats obtained most of the water their bodies needed from their prey.’
Cats benefit from wet food because it has a lot more water and is easier to consume.
Purina states that felines tend to avoid drinking from a bowl because it makes them feel vulnerable and they associate being in bodies of water with being full of bugs and bacteria. As such, it is even more important that they get enough moisture from their food.
Purina added that because water makes up 60% of a cat’s body, it is “essential for chemical reactions in the body, temperature regulation, and joint health and mobility.”
Wet food is also beneficial for increasing protein intake and supporting muscle mass, which is especially important for older cats.
What’s more, wet foods contain more essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and biotin, which contribute to better overall health.
Other negatives associated with feeding cats only dry food is that it is an inefficient way of controlling weight, as owners are unlikely to see exactly how much their pet is consuming.
Older cats may also have difficulty chewing hard, crunchy biscuits if they have teeth or joint problems, making it difficult for them to get the food and nutrition they need.
In addition to incorporating wet food into cats’ diets, Purina recommends purchasing an open tap for cat owners since cats are hesitant to drink still water. A single swirl in a bowl of water is only about 3/100th of a teaspoon and is therefore not efficient in getting the hydration you need.
