Today, almost every apartment has a cat. These wonderful animals can not only delight with their playful nature, but also help their owners in stressful situations. However, when bringing a kitten into the house, you must definitely think about its nutrition. Of course, everyone wants their animal to grow up healthy and happy.
Today, pet stores offer a huge variety of food. The most popular of them are dry mixtures. It is believed that the higher the grade of food, the better it will be for the pet. However, quite often, animal owners begin to wonder whether feeding cats such difficult-to-digest food is harmful. Perhaps soaking dry food is the best solution?
That is why it is worth considering the opinion of experts regarding this issue. You need to know that first of all it is recommended to pay attention to the following important aspects of choosing dry food.
About dry food
If we talk about whether it is possible to feed a cat with pre-soaked dry food, then first you need to pay attention to a few useful tips. Cat food packages are usually labeled with a category. The higher it is, the better quality the manufacturer guarantees.
The cheapest food is not recommended to be given to animals in any form (soaked or dry). The fact is that they have a detrimental effect on the cat's health. Therefore, it is recommended to refuse such options or give your pet such food only in the most rare cases.
If the products are of higher quality, then they may well constitute the pet’s main diet. In addition, dry food will not harm your pet if he always has clean drinking water nearby. The fact is that there is practically no moisture in such food products. Because of this, the components are very poorly digested, so the animal must drink after or during meals.
In addition, food should not be mixed. First of all, this applies to various dry products. It is also not recommended to add canned food to granulated food. The fact is that the digestive system must accept a certain type of food. If you mix 2 different types of food, this can lead to stomach problems.
Second difference
A cat is by nature a carnivorous, predatory creature, so the basis of its diet must necessarily be meat. It is its presence that is the determining factor when choosing any food, both dry and wet. However, in addition to meat products (roughly speaking, protein), any body requires at least two more types of substances - fats and carbohydrates. They are necessary for proper metabolism and maintaining activity, since carbohydrates are the main “fuel” for any living creature. This “set” must be supplemented with vitamins and microelements, which also have a huge impact on the functioning of all body systems (you can find out more about their action here). The second difference is related to this nuance.
Almost all dry food on the market is complete, that is, it contains a complete set of all necessary substances in the quantities required by the animal at a certain period of life. At the same time, wet food is not always complete, that is, it is a simple delicacy.
Based on the above, two simple conclusions can be drawn:
- Dry complete food is more preferable for cats than non-complete wet food.
- Provided that both foods are declared by the manufacturer as complete foods, they are absolutely equivalent in terms of nutritional value and usefulness.
It’s worth making an important note here: all of the above applies exclusively to premium and super-premium food, that is, containing at least ~30% meat products. At the same time, both types of economy-class food are equally useless - they do not contain enough protein for the proper growth of the animal
Even in the case of wet varieties, it is clearly visible that the pieces do not have a meaty structure, but consist of a mass vaguely reminiscent of minced meat, but with one important exception: its main component is cheap cereals.
Is it possible to resort to soaking?
If we talk about whether dry cat food can be soaked, it all depends on the specific situation. Veterinarians often comment on this issue.
Often, older cats pounce on food and begin to swallow it very quickly, without even chewing. This happens when an animal begins to have problems with its teeth or its fangs completely fall out. In this case, it is also worth either switching your pet to a more liquid diet, or figuring out whether dry cat food can be soaked.
You need to understand that in the absence of the required amount of liquid, dry components can stagnate in the animal’s body, and this, in turn, will lead to constipation. It is not recommended to allow this, since in this case intoxication will begin and poisons will begin to be released into the gastric tract. It's better to add some water to your food.
Water consumption rate for dogs
A dog is a predator. They require about 80% liquid from their daily diet. This is explained by the chemical composition of the meat that their relatives eat in the wild.
Dry granules contain no more than 10% moisture. It is very important to ensure that the animal has free access to drinking water. To do this, it is not necessary to mix it with food; it is enough to always have a bowl of clean liquid nearby. The dog itself will drink the required amount for normal digestion.
The volume of fluid consumed normally is calculated as follows:
- minimum: 20 mg per 1 kg of dog weight;
- maximum: 70 mg per 1 kg of weight.
It turns out that an animal weighing 20 kg needs to drink 400 – 1400 mg of liquid per day. The variation in volume depends on several factors:
- in hot weather the body requires more fluids;
- active individuals need more than passive counterparts;
- individual characteristics of the organism of individual animals.
If the pet is fed natural food, then some of the moisture enters the body along with the food. In winter, the need is significantly reduced. But if the dog is on a dry diet, it must receive additional water.
When does food need to be soaked?
When answering the question whether it is possible to soak dry cat food, it is worth considering the situation when this is simply necessary. If your pet vomits some time after eating, this indicates that the pellets are causing harm to the stomach walls. In this case, it is recommended to study the consistency of the vomit. If there are whole pieces of dry food in the vomit, this indicates that the animal is not receiving enough water, or this category of food is not suitable for this pet.
In this case, the answer to the question of whether dry cat food can be soaked is clear, since the food must be liquefied. It is also recommended that you visit a veterinarian. He will help you choose a different type of food.
How to soak dry cat food correctly?
For everything to work out in the best way, you must use exclusively purified boiled water. You need to make sure that it is not very hot, as boiling water will destroy the beneficial substances contained in the food. The optimal temperature should be 50-60°. If you use cold water, then solid food will take too long to dissolve.
How to soak and brew dry food and do you need to adjust the diet? Yes, a portion of the product must be filled with water so that all components are completely covered with liquid. The mixture should be left in this state for 10-15 minutes. This time is enough for the food to swell and be ready for consumption.
Some owners of small kittens prefer to fill their food with warm milk. However, experts strongly recommend against doing this. The fact is that milk contains its own nutrients, which can enter into poor symbiosis with the components of dry food. Also, when feeding an animal, you need to pay attention to some nuances.
Do not use boiling water
Some owners soak food in cold water, others say that warm water is better, and still others recommend using boiling water. The first two methods are quite equivalent, but we do not recommend practicing the last one. The fact is that boiling water can destroy vitamins and other beneficial substances present in the finished diet.
The duration of soaking also depends on the temperature of the liquid. To make the process go faster, it is better to use warm water, but not scalding water - about 40°C. If you are moistening the food in order to accustom your pet to it, it is enough to simply spray the granules with water from a spray bottle. This way the animal will better sense the aroma of food, which will increase its attractiveness.
When very soft food is needed for medical reasons, you can pour hot water (50–60°C) and wait about an hour. Granules with a high content of meat components soak worse than their counterparts with a high grain content, so they can be additionally crushed with a blender. The result will be a mass reminiscent of a pate or puree soup in consistency, depending on the amount of liquid.
Features of feeding kittens
If a kitten aged 6 to 12 months lives in the house, then he should be given no more than 100 grams of dry food per day. Older pets require 2 times more. As a rule, food packages indicate the approximate volume and how many times the animal should be fed.
It is also worth considering that animals do not always understand exactly how many nutrients they need to fully function. Fluffy fidgets love to climb into the refrigerator or on the table at night and feast on what people have left. At the same time, you should carefully monitor the animal and try not to spoil it. If you give him what people eat, it will not help the development of his digestive system.
When a cat looks much larger than its fellows or suffers from obesity, then it should be fed no more than 2 times a day, no matter how much it asks for more.
If there are more than two pets living in an apartment, then you need to allocate a bowl for each of them and make sure that both pets receive the required amount of food.
Measure your portion in advance
Both overfeeding and underfeeding can negatively affect the health of pets. Therefore, it is important for the owner to ensure that the pet eats enough, but does not overeat. Dry food in water increases significantly in volume and weight, but the nutritional value remains the same. To avoid confusion with dosages, it is easier to measure the portion in advance. It must comply with the manufacturer's recommendations printed on the packaging.
You will also find feeding tables for Acana and Orijen on the product pages on our website. Please note that the indicated dosages are not one-time, but daily. This volume still needs to be divided by the number of meals, and each portion should be soaked separately (20–30 minutes before feeding).
Adult dogs usually need two meals a day. It’s more difficult with cats: they prefer to eat small meals, so when using soaked food they may need more feedings than when “drying”.
If there is very little left in the bowl, it is better not to remove it for an hour: the cat may return and finish the meal. But this period cannot be extended by several hours due to the risk of product spoilage.
What needs to be done to ensure that the pet is healthy later?
When feeding your pet, you need to follow a few simple rules that will help maintain the animal’s health for a long time. First of all, it is worth considering that adult cats should never be fed food intended for kittens. The fact is that depending on the age of the animal, certain additives, minerals and vitamins are added to the products. Therefore, experts do not recommend buying inappropriate food.
It is also worth considering that dry food should never be mixed with fresh food. This may lead to indigestion. Sometimes pet owners decide to add some natural meat to their dry food. This is a completely wrong decision. If an animal, for one reason or another, refuses to eat dry food, then there is no need to force it. Packages of food must be stored tightly closed; there is no need to put them in the refrigerator.
Second period
It starts from the second month of life. Now the baby needs to be fed every three hours, regardless of breed. Gradually the number of feedings can be reduced. Each serving of food should contain a volume of food corresponding to the size of the baby. And here the owner faces a difficult task. In order for the diet to be complete, you need to include meat, dairy, and vegetable dishes. Of course, it is much more convenient to buy a package of factory-made feed. Don't forget to consult your veterinarian. He will also tell you how to soak dry food for your puppy to make it optimal for his delicate body.
