A vet has issued an urgent warning to cat owners who exclusively feed their pets dry food.
Dr. Drew, from Tampa, Florida, warned about the dangers of not giving cats wet food and how this can lead to urinary tract problems in a tiktok viral.
The vet, known online as @thejunglevet, said: “Cats must consume most of their moisture through their diet and cannot do so with dry food because it only contains 10 per cent moisture compared to wet food. which contains 75 percent”. percent humidity.’
Dr Drew continued: ‘A moisture-rich diet is essential for preventing a lot of diseases we see developing in cats, one of the main ones being urinary tract obstruction.
‘This is an extremely common disease. We see this happen regularly in veterinary medicine, especially in emergencies.’
Dr Drew, pictured, has urged cat people to incorporate wet food into their cats’ diet to prevent them from developing health conditions related to dehydration.
While the veterinarian described the problem as “extremely preventable,” he said some veterinarians are hesitant to admit that dry food diets are unhealthy for cats.
Dr. Drew began the video by saying he was “frankly exhausted” and frustrated that veterinary experts weren’t emphasizing the importance of hydration for cats enough.
He said: “Almost every time the topic is brought up, you are met with some indifferent response, such as ‘oh, my cat eats dry food and is fine’ or chooses to die on the hill that dry food is an appropriate diet for a cat. when there are enough studies to show that this is not true.
“All cats are fine until they develop a unitary obstruction of the tract and die suddenly.”
“Or all cats are fine until they develop cystitis and associate their litter box with pain and start urinating elsewhere,” the concerned vet added.
Depending on the pet food brand. PurineWet food is preferable as it better reflects what they would eat in the wild.
Their website says: “In the wild, cats got most of the water their bodies needed from their prey.”
Cats benefit from wet food because it has a much higher water content, making it easier to consume.
The US veterinarian, pictured, said dry food does not provide adequate hydration to felines.
Cats benefit from wet food because it has a much higher water content, making it easier to consume.
Purina states that felines tend to avoid drinking from a container because it makes them feel vulnerable and they associate being in bodies of water as being full of insects and bacteria. Therefore, it is even more important that they get enough moisture from their food.
Purina added that since water makes up 60 percent of a cat’s body, it is “essential for chemical reactions in the body, temperature regulation, and joint health and mobility.”
Wet food is also beneficial for increasing protein intake and promoting muscle mass, which is especially important for older cats.
What’s more, wet food contains more essential vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc and biotin, all of which contribute to improved overall health.
Other Negatives Associated with Feeding Only Cats dry food is that it is an inefficient way to monitor their weight, as owners are unlikely to see exactly how much their pet is consuming.
Older cats may also have difficulty chewing hard, crunchy biscuits if they have problems with their teeth or joints, making it difficult for them to get the food and nutrition they need.
In addition to incorporating wet food into cats’ diets, Purina recommends purchasing a running tap for cat owners since they are hesitant to drink still water. A single turn of a container of water is only about 3/100 of a teaspoon and is therefore not effective in getting the hydration they need.
