Book of Meow

Cat Food

Friskies, Pate, Liver & Chicken Dinner

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  • The back of one can of delicious cat food, friskies, Pate, Liver and Chicken Dinner
  • The back of one can of delicious cat food, friskies, Pate, Liver and Chicken Dinner

This is an affordable wet food. It is highly-nutritious. It is poultry flavored. It costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, poultry by-products, meat by-products, liver, fish.

Nutrition

This is a highly-nutritious wet food. Its first five ingredients are meat or meat based-products, or water.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this food is low cost, high nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

The primary disadvantage of this wet food is that it requires a person to open the can and feed your cat. This food is not suitable if you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend. If you must leave your cat alone over the weekend, consider leaving some extra dry food out, as well as plenty of water.

Friskies, Prime Filets, Ocean Whitefish & Tuna, in Sauce

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  • The front of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies prime filets with Ocean Whitefish and Tuna in Sauce
  • The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies prime filets with Ocean Whitefish and Tuna in Sauce

This is an affordable wet food. It has adequate nutrition. It is seafood-flavored. It costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, liver, wheat gluten, meat-by-products, ocean whitefish.

Nutrition

This food has adequate nutrition. Water and liver are listed as the first two ingredients, which is good. However, “wheat gluten” is listed as one of the first five ingredients, which is not ideal.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this food are low cost, adequate nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

The primary disadvantage of this wet food is that it requires a person to open the can and feed your cat. This food is not suitable if you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend. If you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend, consider leaving some extra dry food out, as well as plenty of water.

A word on “wheat gluten”

One of the first five ingredients in this food is wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is a protein found in wheat. It is not a meat. Wheat gluten is sometimes used as a filler in cat food, or to “bind” (keep) everything together. Although wheat gluten in cat food is acceptable, it is not ideal for cats, who are carnivorous.

Friskies, Tasty Treasures, Ocean Fish in Sauce, with Bacon

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  • The front of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies tasty treasures, accented with bacon, with Ocean Fish in Sauce, mixed grill
  • The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies tasty treasures, accented with bacon, with Ocean Fish in Sauce, mixed grill

This is an affordable wet food. It has adequate nutrition. It is seafood-flavored. It usually costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: water, chicken, liver, meat-by products and wheat gluten.

Nutrition

This has adequate nutrition. Water, chicken, liver and meat-by-products are listed as the first four ingredients, which is good. However, “wheat gluten” is listed as one of the first five ingredients, which is not ideal.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this wet food are low cost, adequate nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

The primary disadvantage of this wet food is that it requires a person to open the can and feed your cat. This food is not suitable if you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend. If you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend, consider leaving some extra dry food out, as well as plenty of water.

A word on “wheat gluten”

One of the first five ingredients in this food is wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is a protein found in wheat. It is not a meat. Wheat gluten is sometimes used as a filler in cat food, or to “bind” (keep) everything together. Although wheat gluten in cat food is acceptable, it is not ideal for cats, who are carnivorous.

Friskies, Pate, Mixed Grill

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  • The front of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies pate, mixed grill
  • The back of two cans of delicious cat food stacked together, friskies pate, mixed grill

This is an affordable wet food. It is highly-nutritious. It usually costs between 50-cents and 75-cents, per can. It has enough food for a large cat, or two servings for a kitten.

Ingredients

The first five ingredients for this food are: meat by-products, water, poultry by-products, liver and chicken.

Nutrition

This is a highly-nutritious wet food. Its first five ingredients are meat or meat based-products, or water.

See our article on the importance of water, here.

See our article on the importance of a meat-based diet for your cat, here.

Benefits

The benefits of this food are low cost, high nutrition, and high water content.

Disadvantages

The primary disadvantage of this wet food is that it requires a person to open the can and feed your cat. This food is not suitable if you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend. If you need to leave your cat alone over the weekend, consider leaving some extra dry food out, as well as plenty of water.

The Best Wet Food For Your Cat

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Advantages of wet food

Wet food is an excellent food choice for your cat. Because of its high water content, you can rest assured that your cat is getting enough water. Also, wet food is usually free of the grain and corn found in many dry cat foods. As a result, wet food is a more natural food option for your cat.

Individual preferences

All cats are different. Some cats prefer certain flavors over other flavors. Some cats prefer certain textures over other textures. It would be impossible to predict which flavor and texture your cat will prefer. However, we can provide some tips to help you select the best wet food for your cat.

Meat or meat by-product as the first ingredient

You should pick a wet food where the first or second ingredient is meat or “meat by product.” “Meat by product” means that the entire animal is being used in making the food, including skin, organs, fat etc. “Meat by product” is actually good for your cat, because it ensures your cat is getting the vitamins, nutrients, and nourishment of the entire animal, and not just one cut of meat.

Water as one of the primary ingredients

Water as a top ingredients in wet cat food is fine. Water is necessary in processing the food. More importantly, this water content will help ensure that your cat takes in enough water. However, you still want to ensure that your cat has fresh water to drink separately.

Different flavors

Wet food is sold in many different flavors, including fish, beef, chicken, turkey, tuna and shrimp. You should experiment with different flavors for your cat. However, at the same time, you should not allow your cat to become too dependent on just one flavor. Feeding your cat a variety of flavors will help ensure that your cat has the benefit of the different vitamins and minerals available in the different flavors.

Different textures

Perhaps more important than flavors are textures. Cats tend to like many flavors of wet food. However, they often have definite preferences for textures. Wet food is sold in a variety of textures. Common textures including

  • “pate” – a thick meaty paste
  • “shreds” – long narrow strips of meat in gravy
  • “flaked” – thin flakes of meat in gravy
  • “chunky” – large chunks of meat in gravy
  • “bits” – small bits of meat in gravy

A good sign that your cat likes a particular texture is that he or she eats all of their food. Some cats will lick the gravy out of their food, but leave the meat. This is not ideal, because while the gravy is tasty for your cat, the meat is crucial for their health and well being. If your cat eats only the gravy, try switching to a different texture, such as the pate, which dollar-for-dollar probably has the highest meat content of the above flavors.

Tips for picking the best wet food (Summary)

  • “Meat by product” as first or second ingredient
  • Water as a top ingredient is fine
  • Experiment with different textures
  • If your cat just eats the gravy, try other textures
  • Consider “pate” texture

The Best Dry Food For Your Cat

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Individual preferences

All cats are different. Some prefer certain flavors over others. The only way to know what flavor your cat prefers is to try different flavors. However, aside from flavors, you should also ensure the best ingredients for your cat. Here are some tips for picking the best dry food for your cat.

Meat or chicken “by-product” as first ingredient

Regardless of flavor, you should ensure your dry food has “chicken by-product” or “meat by-product” as the first ingredient. Cat food manufacturers are sometimes tempted to include corn or wheat as the first ingredient of their cat food. Corn and wheat are cheaper than meat. However, your cat needs as close as possible to a natural diet as possible. A “natural” diet for a cat is meat. Try to ensure that the first ingredient of your dry food is meat in the form of chicken by-product or meat by-product.

Try different flavors

Many cats enjoy seafood flavors, including shrimp, whitefish and tuna. However, a balanced diet of meat flavors is best for your cats. Try to include a variety of meat flavors, including chicken, turkey, and beef, into your cat’s diet. Otherwise, he or she may become picky and only want to eat one flavor. Eating only one flavor of food is not best for your cat, because it may deprive him or her of the vitamins and minerals found in other flavors.

Graduate up to “grain free”

If possible, try to graduate up to “grain free” dry food. “Grain free” food is food without corn or wheat. Grain free food costs more than cat food containing corn or wheat. However, grain free food will help ensure your cat is getting the nutrition that he or she needs.

The importance of water

Fresh, clean water is crucially important for your cat. A cat can live a week or longer without food, but only a few days without water.

See our article, “Getting your cat to drink more water” for helpful tips.

Tips for picking the best dry food (Summary)

  • “chicken by product” or “meat by product” as first or second ingredient
  • Test with a smaller bag of food before buying a large bag
  • Switch it up with different flavors
  • Consider grain free

Dry Food vs Wet Food

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“Dry food” and “wet food” are common foods available for your cat.

“Dry food” refers to small, dry, and crunchy food sold in large bags. Dry food is sold in several flavors, including turkey, salmon, chicken, and beef. Most dry food is made by mixing chicken meal and corn or wheat. Dry food is marketed under names that include “Purina,” “Friskies,” “Hills” and “Iams.”

“Wet food” refers to canned food. It is called “wet food” because it is made with water and often sold in a wet gravy. It is sold in small cans containing between three and six ounces of food. Wet food is sold in different flavors and textures. Common flavors include chicken, turkey, fish and tuna. Typical textures of wet canned food include “pate,” “shreds,” “filets,” and “flaked.” Regardless of texture or flavor, wet food is typically made of meat by-products, including chicken, fish, or turkey. Wet food is marketed under names that include “Cesar,” “9-Lives” and “Friskies.”

Advantages of Dry Cat Food

Dry food is popular for several reasons. Dry cat food is cheap. It is also very convenient. As much or as little can be poured out and fed to your cat. Many people will fill up a bowl and leave it out for their cat to eat throughout the day. That way, your cat can eat when it wants to. Dry food also has a long shelf life. If properly stored, a large bag of dry food can last months. Most cats like dry food and will eat it as their daily meal.

Advantages of Dry Cat Food (Summary)

  • Cheap
  • Long shelf life
  • Convenient to feed
  • Cats like it
  • Pour as little or as much as you want
  • Good for weekend getaways

Disadvantages of Dry Cat Food

Although cheap and convenient, there are some disadvantages to dry food. When people feed their cats dry food, they tend to pour out a large amount, rather than keep strict meal times. As a result, your cat may eat continuously throughout the day. This may lead to obesity in cats. Dry cat food also commonly contains corn or wheat. Corn and wheat are not natural food sources for cats, who are meat eaters. As a result, dry food may not be the most natural or healthiest food option for cats. Dry food also increases the water needs of your cat. Dry food contains very little moisture content. If your cat eats dry food, it must drink enough water separately to digest the food and stay healthy.

Disadvantages of Dry Cat Food (Summary)

  • May lead to obesity
  • May not be the most natural or healthiest option
  • Requires lots of separate water

Advantages of Wet Cat Food

Wet food is a very common cat food. There are several advantages to wet food. As its name indicates, wet, or canned food, has significantly more water content than dry food. This water content helps ensure the health of your cat. Many of your cat’s basic functions, including digestion, movement, and thinking requires water. Wet food helps ensure that your cat is taking in enough water. Wet food is also a more natural food for your cat. It usually does not contain corn or wheat like dry food. Lastly, wet food may offer more variety for your cat. A large bag of dry cat food, with a single flavor, may become boring for your cat. With wet food, you can choose different daily flavors for your cat.

Advantages of Wet Cat Food (Summary)

  • Lots of water content
  • More natural
  • More daily flavor options

Disadvantages of Wet Cat Food

Most of the disadvantages of wet food are from cost and convenience. Wet food is more expense than dry food. Wet food is also not as convenient to feed as dry food. Once opened, wet food will go bad and dry out. As a result, wet food requires specific feeding times. Also, it may be harder to take a weekend getaway. A caretaker will need to visit at feeding times to open cans and feed your cat.

Disadvantages of Wet Cat Food (Summary)

  • more expensive
  • requires specific meal times
  • once opened, short shelf life

Recommendations

In my personal experience, I always have dry and canned food on hand. I will normally feed my cats wet food. It is more natural and has a higher water content.

However, I always keep a bag of dry cat food on hand. The dry cat food is convenient when I need to be away for the day, or even a weekend. I can pour out plenty of dry food for the day or the weekend.

Water is very important. Cats can survive without food for a week more. However, cats can only survive without water for a few days. Make sure your cat has plenty of fresh water at all times. I will normally leave a few bowls of fresh water out if I am away for the weekend.

See our article, “Getting your cat to drink more water” for more helpful tips.