The consensus is that dry food is generally less healthy than wet food, so it is important to know what to look for in a good dry cat food brand. The reason it is considered less healthy is because it doesn't have the moisture content that the wet food has. Over time, if the cat only eats dry, with no water readily available, serious health problems can occur. On top of that, the dry food just doesn't have the same amount of nutrients, and meat content that wet food has.
So how would you know what makes healthy dry food?
First and foremost, I'd recommend switching over to wet food. It is really that much better than dry cat food. If your cat really likes dry food, try mixing it in with wet cat food to ensure that your cat is getting the moisture content and quality nutrients from wet cat food.
When looking at the ingredient list, you are going to see grains. There is no escaping that. However, make sure that the grain ingredients are kept to a minimum. When you look at the ingredients list, stay away from grain sources such as corn gluten meal, wheat flour, powdered cellulose, rice, or ground yellow corn. One is fine but if you have multiple sources, that isn't a quality dry food. However, if the first couple of ingredients are Chicken Deboned, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Chicken Fat, etc. then, for a dry food, that is pretty good.
Another key component is to look at the bag itself and see if the cat food meets AAFCO standards. If it states this on the bag, then the food provides your cat with the minimum daily nutritional requirements. Cats need to have a certain amount of nutrients on a daily basis, much like a human. These foods ensure that the cat receives it. If you cannot see this statement anywhere on the bag, then consider switching food. This means that the cat isn't even getting the minimum nutrients it needs.
So if you want a healthy dry food, just make sure that the grains are kept to a minimum. Cats are carnivores, they eat meat. It doesn't make sense to feed grains and carbohydrates. Mixing the dry with wet is really an ideal situation to ensure that the nutritional value and moisture content are kept to an adequate level.
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