Everything You Need to Know about Wet Cat Food

Meta Data: Wet cat food is a healthy diet for cats, though there are so many benefits that you need to know before adding it to your cat’s diet.

Cats are precious, though being carnivores in nature, they will always need some animal-based proteins to complete their nutrient requirements.

Wet cat food is one of those foods that offers many benefits and is among the most popular choices. It has more water content, and some of the nutrient-packed formulas help support the nutritional requirements of a cat.

However, if you are using wet food in your cat's diet for the first time, then you might have many questions in your mind.

Mainly because handling cat food may be challenging at some point, knowing how much wet food to feed a cat, how long I can leave wet cat food out, and many more about storage, feeding guidelines, and more.

All this information about cat wet food is important if you are planning to start wet cat food for your cat. This is a guide covering everything you need to know about wet cat food, including storage methods, benefits, and answers to some common questions.

How Much Wet Cat Food to Feed a Cat?

You will find feeding guidelines on wet food cans. However, it depends on age, weight, health status, and, in some cases, the activity level of your cat as well. Moreover, it is always recommended to consult your cat's vet before changing your cat's diet.

Some of the general guidelines about cat wet food include

For Kittens: If your kitten is up to 6 months old or less, you need to add around 3-4 small meals per day to its diet. If you total it, then it will be around 5.6 ounces.

For Adult Cats: If your cat is an adult or its age ranges from 1-7 years and your cat weighs around 10 pounds, then you need to add 3-5 ounces of wet food per day. Moreover, wet food is easier to digest than dry food, so be careful you don't overfeed your cat in a day.

For Senior Cats: It depends on the health status of a senior cat. It is important to consult a vet first before deciding on a meal size. Though frequent meals are more recommended for senior cats.

As I said, it is always best to consult your veterinarian to know their recommendation on feeding cats with wet food.

Benefits of wet cat food:

Before going ahead, you must know the benefits of wet cat food so at least you will have an idea why you should feed wet cat food to your cat.

High Moisture Food: 

There is around 70-80% of water content in wet cat food. Perhaps the reason it is the best food to feed cats is that it keeps the cats hydrated, especially reducing the risk of urinary tract infections and kidney diseases.

Animal protein contents:

Cat wet food is enriched with animal-based protein content, which is extremely essential for cats' health. If you want to increase protein intake for your cat, then adding wet food to the cat's diet is the best way to do it. It delivers a diet rich in proteins more than dry cat food.

Cats favorite food:

Wet cat food is probably a cat's favorite food; in fact, they like it more than they like dry food. One of the reasons they love to eat wet food is because its texture is very appealing, and cats like the strong aroma that makes it their favorite. If you have a picky cat in food or a picky eater at your home, then you should try wet food; they are best for them.

Better Weight Management:

Wet cat food is best for weight management. It consists of high water content with lower caloric density so your cat will not have any obesity problems. Moreover, if your cat is overweight, then you can start feeding wet food to control its weight.

Better Digestion:

Wet food is best for digestion. The food has a soft texture, so the cat can easily chew and digest it. In fact, it is an excellent choice for kittens, senior cats, and those cats having dental issues.

Wet cat food is better than dry food for cats. The reason is that wet food is always fresh, and it never creates any gut problems for cats. Though your cat may get hungry easily again because of the quick digestion of wet food, it is best for overall cat health.

Storing wet cat food after opening

It is important to properly store wet cat food. One of the reasons is open wet cat food can cause bacterial growth and spoilage, so to prevent these things, storing wet food is crucial.

Here is how you can store wet cat food after opening its can.

Refrigerate Immediately:

When you feed your cat wet food, before doing anything else, immediately store the food in the refrigerator. It should be in an airtight container. Moreover, it is recommended to keep the refrigerator at 4°C or lower depending on the climate of the region.

Finish within 24-48 hours:

Once an open can of wet food must be used within a 1-2 day time span. Mainly to ensure it is fresh enough to feed your cat, although if it is ahead of this timeframe, then it is not recommended to feed your cat with it.

Refrigerate but not freeze:

Some might freeze wet food to extend its shelf life, though it is not necessary to do that. It can change the taste of the food as well as the texture, so there is a chance your cat might not eat it again. So be aware of that and only refrigerate it to keep it fresh.

Leaving wet cat food out overnight

You cannot leave wet cat food out overnight because it spoils, especially when exposed to air for a longer time. So it is recommended to keep it away from heat and air and also make sure you refrigerate it as soon as possible.

Here is what you need to know more about leaving wet cat food out overnight.

• 1,First, refrigerate it immediately, though if there is some problem, then you cannot leave out wet food for more than 2-4 hours at maximum at room temperature.
• 2,Once wet cat food is exposed to room temperature for a longer time, it will slowly produce bacterial contamination, which is harmful to cats, especially to their digestive system.
• 3,There is an automatic wet food feeder that you can use to manage feeding times while keeping the food fresh. It will make it easy for you to feed your cat fresh food while not worrying about any contamination.

What is a cat wet food feeder?

To feed your cat easily with wet cat food, there is an automatic feeder that can help make sure your cat gets fresh food based on the timing you will set. It is a feeder specially made for wet food; you can easily get it from anywhere.

WOpet Heritage HV10DP

Some of the features of a cat wet food feeder include

There is a refrigerator or ice pack option, which is there to keep the wet food fresh for a longer time.

There are diverse compartments in the feeder that you can use for the entire day.

You can set a certain time of feeding in the device that makes sure your cat is fed on time without any manual requirements.

FAQs:

Is it OK to give cats wet food every day?

Yes, it is recommended to give cats wet food every day. In fact, it has many benefits, especially wet food that helps in better hydration, provides all the essential nutrients, especially protein levels, and more. Though before adding wet food to your cat's diet, make sure to balance everything to prevent obesity.

What should be in wet cat food?

There are many ingredients in wet cat food that complete almost all the nutritional requests of a cat. Wet cat food must include

• a,It includes animal protein, which is the primary ingredient.
• b,Fatty acids, which are best for skin and cat coat health.
• c,Taurine is another ingredient best for the heart and eye health of cats.
• d,All the vitamins and minerals are important for better well-being.
• e,Proper moisture, as it is called wet food, promotes better hydration.

How to know if wet cat food is healthy?

Most of the companies give nutritional facts about wet cat food on its packaging. Some basic ingredients in wet food include animal-based proteins, vitamins, minerals, moisture, and more to keep a good lifestyle for cats.

Conclusion

Wet cat food is one of the best choices for cats. One of its vital reasons is hydration and providing all the necessary nutrition with a better taste and benefits. Above is everything you need to know about wet cat food. If you are planning to add wet cat food to your cat's diet, then it is important to know everything about wet cat food.