The choice of foods that are available for our cats is huge and can be a little overwhelming. Not only is there wet and dry food, but various textures of wet food, from stews to chunks in gravy to tinned, paté-style foods. So how much wet food should you feed your cat? The short answer is that it’s entirely up to you (and your cat!).
Complete and balanced
It’s very important that whatever food your cat is on, it should be complete and balanced. This means that it provides all the nutrients for your cat’s life stage and in the right proportions. You can feed your cat dry kibble only if you want to, as long as it is complete and balanced and you provide plenty of fresh water at all times. However, there are advantages to feeding wet food and indeed a combination of wet and dry.
Hooked on textures
Cats are very particular creatures in lots of ways. It’s what makes them so endearing! It’s the same when it comes to food. Early in life, cats can get hooked easily on certain textures of food. This means that if you just feed wet or dry from a young age, your cat may never want to eat anything else. This may not be a problem, but sometimes circumstances change and you may need your cat to eat something different. For example, if your cat is hooked on dry food but then gets a problem like a bladder stone, feeding wet food makes a huge difference because it’s the easiest way to increase your cat’s water intake. Conversely, wet food is more expensive than dry food, so if your cat is hooked on wet food and your financial situation changes, you might need to switch them to dry.
With this in mind, whenever you get a cat or kitten, try to feed a mixture of wet and dry so that your cat stays adaptable throughout their life.
Tasty Tips
The advantages of wet food
Water intake. As we mentioned, the biggest advantage of wet food is water intake. Cats are descended from desert-dwelling African wild cats, so they are really good at conserving water and don’t tend to drink very much. However, water intake is really important, especially with certain diseases such as the bladder issues we mentioned. If urine is very concentrated, it is much more likely to form into crystals and stones, and will be much more irritating to a damaged bladder lining, possibly leading to cystitis.
Palatability. Wet food tends to be viewed as a real treat by many cats, so it’s a great way to enforce your beautiful bond with your cat without indulging in too many treats.
Medication. Cats are notoriously difficult to medicate. Wet food can be really useful for hiding medication, especially if your cat needs to be on it long-term.
Variety. Wet food comes in a wide variety of textures and flavours, so it’s an easy way to keep your cat’s food interesting.
So, how much wet food should you feed your cat?
As we said, this is entirely up to you. As long as the wet and dry food you are feeding are both complete and balanced, you can vary the proportions as much as you like. Cats do well with small frequent meals, so you may find that it suits you to feed wet food twice a day yourself to give your cat a nice treat, and then have a timer feeder feed dry food throughout the day. You can feed 100% wet if you want to, 0%, or anything in between. Just remember that feeding some of each will help you if ever you need to switch to one or the other.
Reviewed by Dr. Hein Meyer, DVM, PhD, Dipl-ECVIM-CA
Related products
Urinary Health Adult Cat Food with Chicken
Hill's Science Plan Urinary Health Adult Cat Food with Chicken supports the health of the whole urinary system. Suitable for sterilised cats.
Senior Cat Food
Hill's Science Plan Senior Cat Food with Chicken is a complete pet food, specially formulated with ActivBiome+ Multi-Benefit Technology.
This food supports healthy aging during the golden years. Contains a special ingredient blend to help keep older cats agile, more alert & interactive.
Oral Care Adult Cat Food
Hill's Science Plan Oral Care Adult Cat Food with Chicken contains clinically proven kibble technology to reduce plaque & tartar build up.
Sterilised Mature Adult Cat Food
Hill's Science Plan Sterilised Cat Mature Adult Cat Food with Chicken is specially formulated with ActivBiome+ Multi-Benefit Technology. It is a precisely balanced nutrition tailored to meet the needs of mature adult sterilised cats, ages 7+, and to promote graceful ageing.
Related articles
Cats Need Good Nutrition In Order To Stay Healthy
Good nutrition is about the right balance of nutrients. Learn more about health issues when feeding a cat food that has an improper nutritional balance from your friends at Hills Pet Nutrition.
Hill's Cat Foods: A Healthy Choice for Your Cat
Selecting the right food for your kitten is a key to quality nutrition and a long, healthy life. Learn more about how to select the right kitten food.
How Often Should You Feed A Cat?
Feeding time can be a wonderful bonding opportunity for you and your cat. Find out how to make the most of it and create a healthy habit with HIll's Pet UK.
Hill's Cat Foods: Nutritional Balance Just for Indoor Cats
Find the right Hill
Put your cat on a diet without them knowing
Our low calorie formula helps you control your cat's weight. It's packed with high-quality protein for building lean muscles, and made with purposeful ingredients for a flavourful, nutritious meal. Clinically proven antioxidants, Vitamin C+E, help promote a healthy immune system.
Put your cat on a diet without them knowing
Our low calorie formula helps you control your cat's weight. It's packed with high-quality protein for building lean muscles, and made with purposeful ingredients for a flavourful, nutritious meal. Clinically proven antioxidants, Vitamin C+E, help promote a healthy immune system.