Sounds good to me. I feed my cat ~5oz of Wellness canned and 1/2 oz of hi quality kibble every day.
Hint about Wellness: The large (12.5)cans are much more economical than the smaller sizes. They also have more gelled 'gravy' that Odie absolutely loves...you have to scoop it off the side of the can with a spatula. I divide each large can into (7) 1.75oz servings and put them into little individual custard cups, cover them with a baggie, and refrigerate. I take them out of the fridge to get them to room temp (about and hour). I feed Odie 3 times a day...but most cats are fine with being fed twice. I give her the kibble as snacks.

Thank you. You have been so reliable about answering my questions. Odie is such a cute name. I plan to feed her canned once per day. I will let you know. I'm expecting bowel changes but I know that is normal.

Carla

Wellness is a very good food. You don't have to feed kitty any dry food. Canned is much better for cats. But if it is necessary for your budget to feed also dry, Solid Gold is good too.

Meghane, thank you. I remember reading here that canned is better and wondering if it is the dehydrating methods they use to "dry it out" that makes kibble inferior to canned. Please tell me why you know it is better.

Thanks,
Carla

Carla...dried cat foods are not simply dried out meat like Beef Jerky. They are made with an inappropriately (for felines) hi level of carbohydrate. And the kind of carbs used can be problematic as well: soy and grains. The kibble I use has green peas as its carb.

Once Puss gets used to wet food, you can wean him off the kibble except for snacks and 'emergencies'. Hint: If Puss turns up his nose when offered canned food, crush up 1/2 of a moist treat and sprinkle it over the wet food.

The biggest issue is that it is dry. Cats don't drink much; in the wild they get their water requirements from tasty rodents and such which are about 75% water. Cats who eat only dry food rarely make up that lost water by drinking, and their kidneys suffer in the long run. Also as lfnyc mentioned, it is easier for pet food manufacturers to throw in a whole bunch of corn, soy, and other vegetable based items into dry food than into wet food. Cats can ONLY digest animal protein, they are True Carnivores. So the higher the meat content (note I said MEAT content, not PROTEIN content; soy based protein is useless to a cat) the more evolutionarily correct the diet. Most canned foods have more meat than dry foods, once you account for the water in the canned food. You want your cat to eat the closest thing to ground up critter as you can give to him. This is how cats were made to eat, and feeding them grains and veggies does them absolutely no good and may even harm them, causing metabolic problems.

Meghane, thank you for the great explanation.
Why are cats reluctant to eat canned, based on the carnivore behavior?

Carla

Probably the same reason we'd eat fries over salad if given the choice - I like to think my tabby considers them like a big plate of nachos. LOL

Meghane, what do you recommend for me? I have one very 'fluffy' cat who needs to lose weight, and one that needs to gain weight after her recent health issues.

I think cats go by smell and taste, so if something smells and tastes like animal protein (only better: ei,a McDonalds Big Mac vs a real burger), they get used to, and acquire a preference for that taste and texture, just like people do with processed food vs real food.

That's why I devised a way to trick Odessa into eating canned food by crumbling 1/2 a soft Friskies treat onto her meals. I know its junk, but the portion is insignificant, and it got her into the habit of eating good stuff.

It must appeal more to their taste.

Innova EVO, Ziwi peak,Orijen, and instincts are also really good.

My cat eats one can (5oz) of wet per day (half in am, half in pm) -- I also free feed Nutro dry. He does not eat much of the dry -- more of a snack. I also add about 1 T of water to each canned meal for extra liquid.

My problem is he won't eat anything but Friskees. He only likes their shredded version of food -- he won't touch pate style food. Most of the more quality brands I've tried are always pate. Most frustrating is they do not describe the texture (ie pate, shredded) on the can.

Anyhow I wasted too much money on canned food he will not eat.
Our cat we had growing up lived to 19 on a diet of canned 9-Lives. I do wish he'd eat better food though. Is lower quality canned better than no canned food at all??

Stir: "Is lower quality canned better than no canned food at all??"

I'm not an expert, but I would tend to think so. Perfect should not be made the enemy of good. The issue of ingredients aside, the Friskies canned offers the most important aspect of a wet diet, and that is sufficient hydration...especially with the water you add (I do the same thing). If your cat doesn't seem to have allergy problems, you are doing well by him, IMO.

Our cats get dry food supplemented by anything they can catch and eat outdoors. Since they are indoor/outdoor cats, it is much easier to always have dry food available. They eat much more of it in the winter than the summer when they can choose their buffet.

As far as water goes, I never figured out who decided cats don't drink much. Ours always have from both fresh water always available indoors and the water on the heater outdoors. Sometimes it amazes me how long they sit and lap up water but that is probably because of the dry food. BTW, I have had indoor/outdoor cats on this sort of diet who live to be in their teens. They are always lean and muscular as opposed to the fat and out of shape cats I see in so many commercials.