I didn't take good care of Marshmallow

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

But I look on the labels of dry and wet cat food and go with the dry type. This is because the stated protein levels are much higher. The higher the protein level, the better it is for cats.

Yes, higher protein is better for cats, but dry food is not higher in protein. To compare protein and other percentages you have to convert both foods to a dry matter basis. (DMB)

Most canned foods are higher in protein than dry foods, and they contain better ingredients, and they are moisture rich which is very important for cats.

To find the dry matter of foods you divide the nutrient percentage by the dry percentage.

Let's say dry food A is listing 31% protein, with a moisture content of 7 %. This leaves 93% dry matter. .31 divided by .93 gives you a DMB protein of 33 %

Then look at canned food B, listed at 9 % protein and 78% moisture. This leaves 22% dry matter. .09 divided by .22 gives you 40 % protein.

The canned is significantly higher in protein, plus contains the moisture that cats absolutely need.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

But I look on the labels of dry and wet cat food and go with the dry type. This is because the stated protein levels are much higher. The higher the protein level, the better it is for cats.

You can't directly compare those percentages from the label, that's the issue. In order to compare the foods' real content directly you have to convert to dry matter basis, because a can of food is typically 75-80% water.