Even if you know what to look for nutritionally in cat food, that doesn’t answer all of your questions about it. As he looks at all the selections at the pet food or grocery store, he considers the various pros and cons of the different ways cat food is presented.
Dry food, also called kibble, comes in a box or bag and is usually less expensive than other types. It also gives you the most options for feeding your cat. You can fill your cat’s bowl and leave it outside, and it won’t go bad. Dry cat food allows you to ensure that your cat has food when you are going to be gone for more than a few hours. However, cats are generally not as crazy about dry food as they are about freshly opened canned food.
Cats love canned food, but it’s expensive because you’re paying for a lot of water that’s in the food. Canned food lasts a long time as long as the can remains unopened. Once you open it, canned food lasts about an hour before your cat decides it’s not fresh enough for her anymore.
You can refrigerate leftover food, but bring it to room temperature before feeding it again. You can also buy the smallest cans available, but they are even more expensive. Canned food can be good to feed older cats, where dry food can be too hard on their teeth. You should try to feed your cat many different flavors so that she does not become obsessed with any one brand and flavor. That particular flavor could disappear from the market and your cat might decide to stop eating for a while.
Semi-moist cat foods are something of a middle ground between dry and canned, and are often criticized for being more for humans, due to the clever shapes and artificial colors, than for cats.
So what kind of food should you use? A basic diet of dry food, with a small daily serving of preserves to keep her interested, is a good combination to feed your cat. And it will also be easier financially, since dry food will be the majority of your cat’s meals.