A vet has issued an urgent warning to cat owners who exclusively feed their pets dry food.
Dr. Drew, from Tampa, Florida, has warned of the dangers of not giving cats any wet food and how this can result in urinary tract issues in a viral TikTok.
The vet, who is known online as @thejunglevet, said: ‘Cats are meant to consume the majority of their moisture through their diet and they cannot do this with dry food because it only contains 10 per cent moisture compared to wet food which contains 75 per cent moisture.'
Dr. Drew continued: ‘A high moisture diet is critical in preventing a large amount of diseases that we see develop in cats, one of the main ones being urinary tract obstruction.
‘This is an extremely common disease. We see this occurring in veterinary medicine regularly, especially in an emergency.'
Dr. Drew, pictured, has urged people with cats to incorporate wet food into their cats diet to prevent them from developing dehydration related health conditions
While the vet described the issue as ‘extremely preventable', he said that some vets are hesitant to admit that dry food diets aren't healthy for cats.
Dr. Drew started the video saying he was ‘frankly exhausted' and frustrated' with veterinary experts not emphasising enough the important of hydration for cats.
He said: ‘Almost every time it's brought up, it's met with some lackadaisical response such as “oh my cat's on dry food and he's fine” or choosing to die on the hill that dry food is an appropriate diet for a cat when's there's plenty of studies showing this is not true.
‘Every cat is fine up until they develop a unitary tract obstruction and pass away suddenly.'
‘Or every cat is fine until they develop cystitis and associate their litter box with pain and start urinating everywhere else' added the concerned vet.
According to the pet food brand Purina, wet food is preferable as it better reflects what they would eat in the wild.
Their website reads: ‘In nature, cats derived most of the water their bodies needed from their prey.'
Cats benefit from wet food because it is much higher in water content so is easier to consume.
The US based vet, pictured, said dry food does not provide adequate hydration for felines
Cats benefit from wet food because it is much higher in water content so easier to consume
Purina claims felines tend to avoid drinking from a bowl because it makes them feel vulnerable and they associate standing in bodies of water as being full of insects and bacteria. As such, it is even more important that they get enough moisture from their food.
Purina added that since water makes up 60 per cent of a cats body, it is ‘essential for chemical reactions in the body, temperature regulation and joint health and mobility.'
Wet food is also beneficial for increasing protein intake and supporting muscle mass, which is especially important to older cats.
What's more, wet food contains more essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and biotin, all of which contribute to improved overall health.
Other negatives associated with only feeding cats dry food is that it's an inefficient way of controlling their weight since owners are unlikely to see exactly how much their pet is consuming.
Older cats may also struggle to chew on hard crunchy biscuits if they have problems with their teeth or joints, making it difficult for them to get the food and nutrition they need.
Alongside incorporating wet food into cats diets, Purina recommend buying a running faucet for cat owners since they are hesitant to drink from still water. A single lap from a water bowl is only around 3/100 of a teaspoon and therefore not efficient for getting the hydration they need.
