Wet food for cats, a fundamental food for cat hydration

Domestic cats are not big water drinkers, but they need to hydrate. A cat is made up of approximately 80% water, so proper hydration is essential for good health. Combining dry food or feed with canned food can provide much-needed hydration. To know more.

In nature, the main source of liquids consumed by this feline comes from its prey (blood, liquids, water, etc.).

It is not surprising if you do not see the cat going to the water bowl often and if you notice that the water lasts quite a long time. In fact, it is one of the species whose thirst drive has evolved the least , the cat is almost never thirsty. And it still maintains the idea of ​​hydrating through food.

And what happens when fed a completely dry diet? The water intake is not sufficient to cover his real needs. This can lead to dehydration, kidney disease or urinary tract problems, among others.

To avoid all this, what can we have on hand that is nutritious and nourishes our cats, also giving them a surplus of hydration? Wet food or canned food!

Wet food is a natural source of water.

Wet food, commonly known as pellets, has an added benefit beyond nutritional intake: it also provides moisture .

Wet food contains 60-80% water (feed only 5-10%) and, if it is a quality canned food, it is a perfect combination with dry food.

The benefits of wet food are many, but wet food alone is not enough to provide all the nutrients your cat needs, so a mixed diet (dry food + canned food) is the key.

Benefits of wet cat food

As we have already said, the wet diet provides much-needed hydration to the cat. And it contributes to aspects such as:

• Avoid diseases such as the risk of crystals or stones in the urinary tract. All urinary tract systems are much healthier if their water flow is adequate. A large amount of urine is needed to dilute the solid materials present in the urine, so if the cat does not consume enough water, it naturally does not have much urine. The majority of cats suffering from this type of pathology are those fed exclusively on dry food; rarely occurs in cats fed even quality canned food. Urinary tract obstructions are very painful, life-threatening and expensive to treat, so prevention and prevention are essential.
• It reduces the risk of cystitis and bladder inflammation. Studies like this one from the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition have found that incorporating wet food into the diet of cats with idiopathic cystitis (FLUTD)
• It's very palatable. Ok, maybe this is the least scientific of the benefits, but it's real. I don't know any cat that doesn't love wet food. I would say that almost everyone runs every time they hear a can being opened. A good can of wet food smells like food and cats love it.

Mixed diet: food + canned food

If the wet diet has so many benefits, why not feed cats canned? As we said, this type of food usually does not provide all the nutrients they need, while dry food does.

The ideal would be to choose a mixed diet of dry food and wet food. Dry food is usually more complete in terms of nutrients, so it is perfectly complemented by the water contained in the pellets.