Expert: KC - 1/16/2008

Question
hi there ive got 3 cats two cornish rex one male and female and one devon rex male we were told not to feed them dry food but we find that it cost to much and my one male rex got a bladder infection but hes eatin dry for a long time hes 3 now he got the infection hes better now so we wanted to know what is a good dry food to feed them the other cats are good and fine please can you help us thanks

Answer
Hi Dwayne,

First off, please read some of my past answers here:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Cat-Food-3490/indexExp_83830.htm
You'll find a lot of information about brands, feeding schedules, diet, portions to feed, etc.  

It's common to see cats who eat solely dry food to have urinary problems, even FUS and the blockage of the urethra which has to be treated by a vet immedietely.  The reason this occurs is due to the high quantity of ash that many foods contain as well as many other cheap fillers.  These should NOT be in a truly premium food.  This is one of the many reasons that I seem to endlessly preach about pet foods...stay away from the big name commercial foods, even foods like Science Diet and Eukanuba.  Look for foods that state they are made from human-grade, by product free, and grain free ingredients.  I personally prefer feeding the Wellness and Nature's Variety Prarie brands in addition to raw.  Fortunately I have never experienced urinary problems in any of my animals...nor has anyone I know who uses the premium foods.  Wellness and Nature's Variety both made an excellent grain-free dry.  Their canned and raw formulas are also excellent.  Canned is better for a cat with urinary problems due to the increased moisture content.  So, if you do choose to feed only dry make sure you freshen up his water bowl multiple times a day and encourage him to drink.  Also, stick to the twice a day feeding schedule.  He will drink more water througout the day rather than constantly grazing on dry and only drinking enough water to wash it down.  Cats who are allowed to graze all day usually end up with dental problems, obesity, possible diabetes, etc.  You can also offer raw foods, as raw chicken, beef, etc. have a high moisture content and would be perfectly fine for him to eat if he'll try it.

If you have further questions please feel free to ask.
Hope this info helps :-)