4 High Moisture Dry Cat Foods to Hydrate Kibble-Loving Felines

High-moisture dry cat foods are easily digestible compared to low-moisture dry cat foods. High-moisture foods also help to hydrate your cat.

Cats usually don’t like to drink much water. Even when they are dehydrated, they are not keen to drink water. If your cat doesn’t like wet food and you think s/he is not drinking enough water, high-moisture dry cat food may be the perfect solution.

The importance of moisture in the cat diet:

Moisture is crucial in a cat’s diet, as water makes up almost 80% of a cat’s body. Water is the second natural element after oxygen, without which no animal (and human) can survive. Water makes up most portions of tissues, cell walls, and body fluids of animals and humans. Since, like humans, most animals don’t produce water in their bodies, it’s very important to consume enough water in order for the body to function correctly and stay healthy.

When a cat eats dry food, his/her body needs to provide moisture to soften it so that digestion can start. The body provides moisture by extracting fluids from other body areas, such as the liver, kidneys, and skin if the cat food doesn’t have enough moisture to aid the digestion process.

Think about a car with low fluid levels. If a car has low fluid levels, it will surely fall into some mechanical complications. The same goes for your cat.

Cats are naturally carnivorous animals, and they’ve lived on raw meats from their prey for millenniums in the wild. The raw meats provided them with all the necessary nutrition, along with water. A large portion of fresh meat is water (60-75%). So, you can see even if cats aren’t keen to drink much water. They used to fulfill that requirement from their natural foods.

The dry, kibble food we feed our pets was created about 150 years ago. In America, cats and dogs primarily stayed outside and lived on raw meats up until the mid-1800s. And it was around that time that commercial pet foods first appeared. Back then, most of the commercial pet foods were dry, kibble foods with very low amounts of moisture. It was an enormous change in how dogs and cats eat, and it led to some complications back then because the owners and manufacturers were not as conscious as they are today.

Most cat species evolved in desert climates, where finding water is really hard; therefore, cats have developed a habit of not drinking much water. They acquired the necessary water from the flesh of their prey. Although modern-day cats live among humans, and most of the time, they live in places with plenty of water, they still carry the habit of their desert-dwelling ancestors in their genes. They naturally don’t drink much water, even when they’re dehydrated.

So, it’s really important for you as a cat owner to make sure your pet has the necessary water from his/her everyday meal. Feeding your cat foods that are too dry can cause some health problems, such as dehydration, inflammation, and diabetes. Also, the felines that eat excessively dry foods tend to have a higher risk of urinary crystals, urinary infections, or stone formation.

However, many cats today prefer dry foods, not to mention many cat owners prefer those because dry foods have more shelf life than wet cat foods and can be handled easily. So, what can you do to continue feeding your cat with dry food and ensure a bit more hydration than the regular dry cat foods provide? – The answer is high-moisture dry cat foods.

While most of the dry cat foods contain 5 to 10% moisture, you will find some that have comparatively higher moisture. These are relatively soft, and they digest more easily.

We spent days researching and going through many different brands and cat foods to come up with a roster of dry cat foods with higher percentages of moisture in them.

Take a look at our list of four of the best dry cat foods with high moisture percentages:

Four high-moisture dry cat foods:

1. Ziwi peak air-dried cat food (14% moisture)

This is an all-natural product that helps support your whole body with its superfoods and its 10% inclusion of cold-washed green tripe, New Zealand green mussels, and organic kelp.

ZIWI sources only 100% free-range, grass-fed, wild-caught seafood and grass-finished meats – all from New Zealand farms and pristine oceans. Farmed without added hormones, antibiotics, or growth promotants.

Ingredients:

Lamb meat, Lamb kidney, Lamb bone, Lamb tripe, Lamb heart, Lamb lung, Makerel, New Zeland green mussel, Inulin from chicory, Dried kelp, Lecithin, Minerals (magnesium sulfate, Iron amino acid complex, Zinc amino acid complex, Manganese amino acid complex, Dipotassium phosphate, Sodium selenite, Copper amino acid complex), Salt, Preservative (mixed tocopherols, and citric acid), Vitamins (pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 supplement, Choline chloride, Folic acid, Thiamine mononitrate), Taurine, and DL-methionine.

Per kg of this cat food contains 4800 kcals and per scoop contains 273 kcals. According to the guaranteed analysis, the Ziwi peak air-dried mackerel & lamb recipe cat food contains 43.0% crude protein, 25.0% crude fat, 2.0% crude fiber, 14.0% moisture, 12.0% ash, and minimum 1300 mg chondroitin sulfate.

The Ziwi peak air-dried mackerel & lamb recipe cat food is a pure source of high-quality nutrition for your feline friend. Thanks to the twin-stage air-drying process, all the necessary nutrients are perfectly preserved, and, on top of that, this process annihilates all the pathogenic bacteria. Since there is no need for sugars, preservatives, and glycerine, the cat food is really clean and safe to feed.

Actually, it’s just as nutritious and digestible as a completely raw diet ideal for carnivorous animals, thanks to the perfect air-dry process. This can be an ideal dry cat food with a high-moisture percentage that will help to keep your cat healthy and hydrated.

2. Dr. Elsey’s clean protein chicken formula grain-free dry cat food (12% moisture)

One of the most recommended dry cat foods out there, and it comes with a good portion of moisture and a fantastic amount of protein percentage your feline friend crucially needs. The protein level is similar to that of natural prey, which will well optimize your cat’s appetite and help to keep a healthy body mass. It’s a tasty and healthy food for kibble-loving pets of all ages.

Ingredients:

Chicken, Salmon oil, Dried egg product, Salt, Rosemary, Fructooligosaccharide, Minerals (copper amino acid chelate, Iron amino acid chelate, Sodium selenite, Zinc oxide, Cobalt carbonate, Ferrous sulfate, Manganese amino acid chelate, Ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, Zinc amino acid chelate, Calcium carbonate, Copper sulfate, Manganous oxide), Gelatin, Potassium citrate, Taurine, Chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Vitamins (vitamin D3 supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, D-calcium pantothenate, Vitamin B12 supplement, Folic acid, Niacin supplement, Riboflavin supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin A acetate), Calcium carbonate, Extract, Choline chloride, Flaxseed, Natural flavor, Potassium chloride, Pork protein isolate, Calcium carbonate.

Animal proteins are vital for cats as they contain a lot of high-quality nutrition that’s easily absorbed. This particular cat food contains 90% animal-based protein, which will help your cat to have a satisfied appetite and healthy body mass. The main ingredients of this cat food are of the best biological value proteins available out there, and it uses a lower glycemic formula that requires only 4% of energy delivered from carbohydrates. This formula is also 100% grain, Giller, and gluten-free, filled with minerals and vitamins like omega-3 fatty acids and taurine. The 12% moisture will ensure good hydration and digestion.

3. Ziwi peak air-dried beef recipe cat food (14% moisture)

Feed your little furry friend with food that is simple, nutrition-filled, and amazingly tasty! This ready-to-serve, safely air-dried food is known for taking care of your cat’s health and taste buds at the same time!
This protein-rich recipe features the highest ratio of meat, bone, and organs (96%) and only includes green mussels (no toxins or fish). Thanks to the advanced air-drying process.

This recipe provides all the nutrition in the raw food diet without the fat and cholesterol. Plus, it’s made without added carbs or fillers. We’re talking real food here: organic, unprocessed, nutritious, and delicious. Another amazing specialty of this food is that it packs more power into a smaller serving size. It will satisfy the appetite and fulfill the health-related need of cats of all sizes and breeds with a relatively small amount, saving you feeding time and a few bucks on the side. The 14% moisture will help the hydration compared to regular dry cat diets.

This is a naturally delicious new food for cats that is low in fat, high in protein, and includes a mix of cold-washed green tripe, New Zealand green mussels, and organic kelp, promoting vitality, better mobility, and overall good health.

4. Lazy Kitty chicken recipe air-dried grain-free cat treats (16% moisture)

If you are looking for a treat that has a good amount of moisture, the Lazy Kitty Chicken Treat can be a great option. It’s time to say goodbye to artificial treats! The super-fresh, locally-sourced air-dried chicken recipe from Lazy Kitty will provide your beloved pet with great taste and all the nutrition it needs, thanks to the air-drying method, which keeps the original taste and nutrients intact.

Air-drying your kitty’s treats may be old-fashioned, but it helps to retain the grain’s natural nutrients while also keeping all of the essential flavors intact. The end result is a treat that your cat will love and can actually benefit from. This is because air drying is better for the grain’s nutrients than, say, a high-heat oven or food dehydrator, which can degrade those nutrients, like Vitamin E and B vitamins.

This method also helps to preserve all of the grain’s essential oils and other compounds that cats need for good health, such as lysine, arginine, tryptophan, and calcium. Most importantly, letting it sit out to dry rather than cooking it in an oven allows more of its flavor to remain so that your kitty gets the most out of the treat. This also helps the food do maintain the high 16% moisture, which will help your furry friend with hydration.

The Lazy Kitty Chicken Recipe cat treat is a truly wholesome treat. It’s made without fillers, grains, antibiotics, or other ‘not so good additives. You’ll love serving my cats treats that are healthy for them—not only because they’ll appreciate the variety of flavors but also because you’ll feel good about knowing they’re eating something ethically sourced and free of additives.

Wrapping it up:

The benefits of high-moisture cat food are many. For one, it helps to maintain a healthy cat by keeping them hydrated. It also helps to relieve their urinary tract and bladder problems which sometimes happen when cats are fed on dry food alone. Moreover, their fur and skin will be soft and smooth because of the moisture. If your little cutie likes to eat kibbles or dry food but needs a bit more moisture in his/her diet – high-moisture dry cat foods are perhaps the way to go.