Three Reasons Your Cat Needs Wet Food in Their Diet

This post is sponsored by Purina. We received coupons for free 12-packs of Fancy Feast for ourselves and a giveaway to discuss the importance of wet food in a cat's diet. Purina is not responsible for the contents of this post. Lola The Rescued Cat only shares information we feel will be of interest to our readers. 

Cat Writers’ 25^th Anniversary Conference

Purina has been a sponsor and supporter of Cat Writers’ Association since its inception in 1992, so I was thrilled that not only would they be presenting at the 25^th Anniversary Conference, but they would also have a booth with staff available to speak one-on-one with members.

Unfortunately,I arrived at the conference a day late, so I missed a fantastic presentation by Purina speakers Dr. Janet Jackson and Dr. Kurt Venator, who spoke about feline nutrition and hydration and Purina’s science-based, nutritional approach to pet food. But when I visited the Purina booth I chatted with Niky Roberts, Purina’s Public Relations Liaison, who shared some of the information with me.

Lola and Lexy’s Food Choices

I started telling Niky a little bit about Lola and Lexy, and that although I like to feed them a variety of food, Fancy Feast is always on our menu. Lola and Lexy insist on the grilled variety, and there absolutely must not be any pate or seafood flavors served!

I also told her a little bit our history with wet food, as well as Lexy’s weight loss journey. To (try) to make a long story short, I have two cats with two different needs - Lola tends to be underweight and Lexy is overweight. It has been a juggling and balancing act to get them to eat the proper food they each require. If Lola could live on dry food only she would, and if I want her to eat enough to maintain her weight (she was down to just a little over 6 pounds at one point) I must leave some kibble out. Lexy (a petite cat who at one time topped the scales at 12.5 lbs and would only eat dry food when I adopted her) cannot graze on dry food all day. It was a struggle (and a battle of the wills with both), but we finally came to an agreement.

We’re now at the point where the girls look forward to their breakfast and dinner of wet food. Lexy likes variety and will eat just about any wet food offered to her. Lola, on the other hand, is a very picky eater. She will explore new foods and will enjoy them for a little while until the excitement wears off. Fancy Feast is the only food I can get her to eat on a consistent basis. I was very happy when two veterinarians told me that Fancy Feast is actually a good food to offer Lexy for weight loss and I had a win-win going on!. I still feed a combo diet, but the dry food is carefully measured, and the girls eat a diet of mostly wet food. Yay! I’m happy to announce that Lola is just shy of 8 pounds now, and when Lexy was weighed in March she was down to 11.5 pounds! Trust me…if I can accomplish this, anyone can.

When Niky asked me if I’d be interested in sharing the benefits of including wet food into a cats’ diet with my readers, I was happy to oblige.

Three Reasons Your Cat Needs Wet Food in Their Diet

Wet Food Promotes Lean Body Mass

According to Purina, “A cat’s total body weight is comprised of lean body mass (LBM) and fat mass.”  Muscles, ligaments, and bones are all considered LBM. A higher LBM is healthier because muscle is more metabolically active which increases the body’s metabolic rate, which in turn helps support many vital functions such as mobility, immunity and more. More muscle mass increases agility and provides greater strength. So a leaner cat is a healthier cat.

We all know that cats are obligate carnivores which means they require nutrients only found in animal products. Indoor cats rely on their people to provide them with the nutrition they need to stay lean and healthy. Making sure your cat has wet food in their diet is a way of ensuring their protein requirements are met. A diet high in protein assists in maintaining strong muscles throughout adulthood and into their senior years, keeping them healthier as they age.

Wet Food Adds More Variety

I learned something interesting from Purina. Did you know that cats are neophiliacs? That means they like new things and have a love of novelty. That is definitely Lexy! Some cats may actually crave variety and get bored with the same food every day. Incorporating more wet food into your cats’ diet helps combat the boredom that a diet of only dry food cannot. There are an abundant variety of textures and flavors in wet food to satisfy your cat’s cravings. As you read above my cats can be picky, so I had to play around with different things to see what they like. I’m often jealous of my friend whose cats will eat anything. She definitely has no problem satisfying their neophiliac tendencies, that’s for sure!

Pin Us!

Wet Food Ensures Better Overall Hydration

What is hydration and why is it important? According to Purina, hydration is the physiological state of balanced electrolytes, specific minerals, and fluids within the body. Proper hydration is important because “Water affects everything from circulation to digestion, so it’s evident why keeping your cat hydrated is critical.” Proper hydration regulates your cats’ body temperature, keeps their bones and joints healthy, and helps nutrients move through their body.

I was surprised to learn that a cat requires 20 teaspoons of water daily to maintain proper hydration and that they only get 3/100 of a teaspoon per one lap of their tongue. Isn’t that amazing? This means they need to do a lot of lapping to get 20 teaspoons!

Some people may think that the only way to keep your cat hydrated is through water. However, wet cat food has at least a 65% moisture content (and often more than that.) By ensuring your cat has wet food available to them you’re helping to improve their overall hydration.

Other Benefits of Wet Food

In addition to the above, there are also other benefits of feeding your cat wet food.

• Compared to dry food wet food is often higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates, and lower in calories per volume.
• Wet food in cans provide built-in portion control vs. free feeding with a bowl full of kibble left out.
• Wet food provides a complete source of nutrition (including iron, zinc, taurine, and biotin.)
• Wet food is highly digestible

Purina nutritionists recommend feeding a combination of wet and dry food. This will ensure they get plenty of moisture in their diet and add some variety. However, your cat will definitely let you know what they prefer to eat, just like mine do!

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Purina, two of our lucky readers will each win five coupons, each for a free 12-pack of Fancy Feast. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+ years of age, except where prohibited by law. The winners will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter and contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize, and a new winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter. Please note that to qualify for the prize a comment must be left on this post. Giveaway closes on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 12:00 am Eastern Time.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone who enters! To stay up to date with Purina, make sure to follow them on social media. 

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  | Youtube | Pinterest

Introducing wet food into my girls' diets was one of the best decisions I've made for them. As soon as I did, Lexy's coat was so soft and shiny! (And she still feels like silk.) Lola has been able to keep some weight on and she looks amazing. I'm so happy they're both happy and healthy and enjoy their food. 

What do you feed your cat? Are they picky eaters? Tell us in the comments. 

Dawn

Sources:
Purina: Do Cats Need Wet Food? The benefit of Including it in Their Diet
Purina: How Much Wet Food Should I Feed My Cat?
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University
Dictionary.com

Ketogenic Diet Resource