Best wet food toppers for cats on dry kibble

Adding wet food toppers to dry kibble is one of the smartest moves you can make for a cat's long-term health — and it's worth knowing why it matters so much. Cats evolved in arid environments and have a naturally low thirst drive, which means most cats on dry food are chronically underhydrated without their owners realising it. Over time, that low moisture intake is directly linked to kidney disease, which is the leading cause of death in older cats. Wet toppers and water fountains are the two most effective ways to change that. To point you to the right product — is your Tonkinese on dry food only right now, does she have any kidney or urinary history, and have you experimented with any wet food or broths before?

Fussy cats are really common with wet food, especially if they've been on dry kibble their whole life — the texture and smell are just very different to what they're used to. What tends to work well for reluctant cats is starting with a broth or gravy rather than a full pâté or chunk-style wet food. The liquid soaks into the kibble so it still feels familiar, but she gets a meaningful moisture boost. Can you tell me roughly how much she weighs, and does she tend to reject foods based on smell, texture, or both? That'll help me narrow down the right starting point.

That's really helpful — texture-averse cats do much better with a light broth drizzled over kibble than with a spoonable wet food sitting alongside it. My recommendation would be Encore Cat Broth Pouches, specifically the chicken or tuna varieties. They're thin, clear broths with no thickeners or gels — so there's no sliminess whatsoever — and you just pour one pouch over her dry kibble once or twice a day. Each pouch adds around 40ml of moisture to her meal, which makes a genuinely significant difference to her daily intake. They're grain-free, the ingredients list is very clean, and most fussy cats accept them because the kibble texture underneath stays largely the same. For a 4kg Tonkinese with no current kidney issues, one pouch per meal is a solid starting point. You'll find them on Amazon UK easily — multipack boxes work out much better value per pouch than buying singles.

Yes, a fountain is absolutely worth adding — cats are instinctively more attracted to moving water than still water, and many cats who ignore a bowl will drink readily from a fountain. The broth toppers and a fountain together will get her hydration to a much healthier level. That said, start with just the toppers first so she adjusts to one change at a time. Once she's happily eating the broth-topped kibble — usually within a week or two — introduce the fountain. Keep her existing water bowl in place initially so she doesn't feel like her familiar option has been taken away. You're doing the right things at the right age; catching this before any kidney issues appear is exactly when it makes the most difference.

Perfect plan. The chicken variety tends to be the most universally accepted if you're not sure which flavour to start with — worth getting a mixed pack so you can see which she prefers. Good luck with the fussy one; most cats come around faster than their owners expect once the right format clicks.