Do Cats Need Wet Food? Benefits of Including it in Their Diets

Do you ever think about your cat’s daily nutrition and think about what they would really need in terms of food to promote a better and healthier lifestyle? Tuckers Pet & Produce stores encourages the use of wet and raw feeding for cats to increase their natural abilities to get the most from life.

Below is a great article from Purina to discuss if cats need wet food and the benefits of including it in their diets.

3 Reasons Your Cat Benefits from More Wet Food

1. Better Overall Hydration

Many cats don’t like still or standing water. In nature, cats tend to avoid standing water because it’s often a breeding ground for bacteria and insects. As a result, they may dislike drinking from a cat bowl or dish.

Despite this, water is essential for chemical reactions in the body, temperature regulation and joint health and mobility. It makes up about 60 percent of your cat’s body, so it’s vital to maintain proper hydration through adequate water intake.

How do you get cats to drink more water? Providing plenty of fresh water or even purchasing a cat water fountain can help. Another way to up her water intake is by feeding wet cat food. While it can’t replace water altogether, it does help improve her overall hydration.

2. Promotes Lean Body Mass

Wet food is high in protein, which supports strong muscles. It also helps maintain that muscle mass through adulthood and into a cat’s senior years.

A cat’s total body weight is comprised of lean body mass (LBM) and fat mass. Muscles, ligaments, bones, organs and more are all considered LBM. Organs and muscles are the main source of metabolic activity, helping to support many vital functions, like immunity, mobility and more.

As cats age, they naturally lose LBM. Feeding wet cat food with high protein content can help maintain LBM as cats age.

3. Adds More Variety

By including more wet food in your cat’s diet, you can satisfy her desire for new and exciting flavours and textures. Because cans of wet food are small, it’s easy to buy a variety to see what your cat loves.

Other Benefits of Wet Cat Food

Wet food is highly digestible. Plus, it contains all the same essential nutrients as dry food, including vitamins and minerals such as:

• Iron, which supports healthy blood and tissue
• Zinc, to help support the development of the immune system and to help maintain the skin, eyes and bones
• Biotin, which helps regulate the release of energy from food and also promotes healthy skin by helping to maintain skin integrity

Whether it’s to add more variety to your cats daily feeding, promoting lean muscle mass or providing hydration within your cat, it seems to be essential to include some sort of wet or raw feeding into your cats daily nutrition. Tuckers Pet & Produce stores stock a large range of wet cat food products and are happy to help you find the perfect brand and flavoured wet food that will make your puss content!

Shop at your local Tuckers store today or online at www.tuckersstore.com.au