I told you so

[rbrumbaugh82]

I know most of you will give me the I told you so routine because life is about taking risks and so I took a risk and unfortunately it was another bad risk. If I don't take a risk then I would never know if it would pay off or not. With that said, I have been trying to get Pooper's to eat the new batch of YAZC and he just sniffs it and turns away. So I sent my GF up to Krogers to get me cans of Turkey and Giblets FF classic. I will be feeding him that from now until whenever but I know before as he was on it for a while I never seen his numbers drop into 100s at all. Now maybe with a slightly higher dosage of 5.5 units that maybe it will take shape now and drop to healthier range. I will stay persistent with the 5.5 units and see what happens. Yes, it will be spaced at 12 hours or so apart and the only tricky part with feeding him wet is that I give him a can in the morning and whether he eats all of it then or not remains to be seen but most of the time he eats half of the 3.3oz can and then eats more a few hours later. Based that he is 21 pounds, I plan to leave the can out all day for him to eat and so do I just give him 2 cans a day? I'm sorry if I went my own path but I truly believe YA is a great dry food and probably the best out there but unfortunately I have some very finicky cats and out of my 10 cats 3 or 4 don't care for it and one of them being Pooper's. I want to be a success story but I guess I'll just have to settle with the FF now and hope he is getting enough nutrition. I am sort of brain washed now with the whole carb story because I believe true that no cat should have any ounce of carbs in their diet. I believe in YA with the whole carb story and giving him a no carb diet. I guess the whole thing that makes me scratch my head is that any FF classic and friskies contain atleast 4% carbs and so what makes them so great to begin with?

Each food contains carbs and so how would that get a cat into remission with having carbs in them regardless if it is 4% or more? You'd think any cat with diabetes would go into remission or drop their glucose quickly if given 0% carbs or very low carbs. That is why I was wonder how come Pooper's numbers werent going down while eating FF Turkey and Giblets? Look, I'm not out for any of you to back me into a corner and start giving me a lecture on who was right or wrong and yeah many of you probably have years of experience working with diabetic cats. Not sure on how many are actually licensed for this but if you got your training from doing things on your own and don't actually carry a license then just know that we are all on the same boat but most of you just have a bit more knowledge to this than me. So from now, lets drop the previous post comments on making me look like I screwed up or was going to kill my cat and lets start fresh and work on his wet food now and the 5.5 units of insulin and see if it can eventually get his numbers down into the 100s here within a few weeks hopefully.

 

[Karen & Rudy]

good luck with the ff- mine liked the classic chicken flavor. we have now swtiched to friskies special diet turkey due to his kidney issues as well. I've been treating him since September and still no where near a success story, but I guess patience is worth a ton when dealing with this. I feed Rudy twice a day- leaving it out right after his morning shot and then picking it up an hour or two before his next shot- so it is out for about 10 hours at a time with no issues.

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

Right now all I am concerned about is him eating enough to feel good and to get his numbers regulated instead of constant numbers in the 300's and 400's.

 

[Jill & Alex (GA)]

I will stay persistent with the 5.5 units and see what happens.

Good plan!

Yes, it will be spaced at 12 hours or so apart and the only tricky part with feeding him wet is that I give him a can in the morning and whether he eats all of it then or not remains to be seen but most of the time he eats half of the 3.3oz can and then eats more a few hours later. Based that he is 21 pounds, I plan to leave the can out all day for him to eat and so do I just give him 2 cans a day?

Well, I used to feed my 12 pound diabetic cat 5oz - 6oz a day. A lot depends on the activity level of the cat. Alex played, but I wouldn't say she was overly active. Despite being a big cat, at one time she was obese at 20 pounds. She was able to maintain her 12 pound figure on that 5 -6 oz daily.

From Dr. Lisa of CatInfo.org:

"The average cat should eat ~180 - 220 calories per day which will be found in 5-6 ounces of the average canned food.

However, note that high protein/low fat/low carb foods like Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken and some Tiki Cat varieties are very low in calories (see the Cat Food Composition chart - far right column) so you will need to feed much more than 5-6 ounces which can get quite expensive.

The necessary daily caloric intake should be split between 3-4 meals/day (or just free-fed if they are not overweight). When determining how much you should be feeding your cat once transitioned to canned food, keep it simple. Too fat? Feed less. Too thin? Feed more."

Each food contains carbs and so how would that get a cat into remission with having carbs in them regardless if it is 4% or more?

I'm not smart enough to give you some awesome scientific answer, but I'm sure others can and will.

Honestly, I've never particularly cared "why". I don't spend much time re-inventing the wheel. My theory is usually, "If it ain't broke... don't fix it." However, what I can tell you is what works for most cats. Many of our cats seem to do well with a wet diet consisting of 4% - 5% carbs from calories. There are other that do better with a wet diet diet consisting of 8% - 10% carbs from calories.... and everything in-between. ECID.

Look, I'm not out for any of you to back me into a corner and start giving me a lecture on who was right or wrong and yeah many of you probably have years of experience working with diabetic cats. Not sure on how many are actually licensed for this but if you got your training from doing things on your own and don't actually carry a license then just know that we are all on the same boat but most of you just have a bit more knowledge to this than me. So from now, lets drop the previous post comments on making me look like I screwed up or was going to kill my cat and lets start fresh and work on his wet food now and the 5.5 units of insulin and see if it can eventually get his numbers down into the 100s here within a few weeks hopefully.

Many members of this board spend hours of their free time everyday helping caregivers with their diabetic cats. Some of us have been doing it for years. I can't imagine you changing that practice. We help because we care.

Generally speaking, dropping passive-aggressive attitudes and uttering a few "thank yous" here and there goes a long way when the desired outcome is to forget the past in an effort to start fresh and new.

Hope to see you posting often...

 

[Nancey]

You might want to try what I did in the beginning, Frodo was free fed hard food so when I switched him to total can I had the same problem/issue. I fed him one can in the morning and then before going to work I put out 1/2 a can in a timed feeder to open around lunch, then one can at dinner and 1/2 can at bedtime in the feeder to open at midnight. (He weighed 22 pounds at the time). If I had to throw some out so be it, I just wanted to be sure he had enough food until he got used to eating canned and I could get his BGs under control. The boy drove me crazy for a while in the beginning, every time I went in the kitchen he would follow me meowing like he wanted food. Depending on what time it was I would give him a little extra if he had eaten everything he had out. Now he eats a little over 6ozs a day, I can't give you an exact amount as I am feeding 6 cats total can food. I don't feed FF any longer, I started there went to Wellness and now feed Merrick. His numbers seemed to do better on the Merrick Pates than the Wellness or FF, and they all seem to eat it better.

Just my experience with feeding my kitty, I have been dealing with his diabetes for several years now and still struggle and get frustrated with how his BGs fluctuate. But hopefully it will give you some ideas for feeding your Poopers.

Wish you luck!

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

You might want to try what I did in the beginning, Frodo was free fed hard food so when I switched him to total can I had the same problem/issue. I fed him one can in the morning and then before going to work I put out 1/2 a can in a timed feeder to open around lunch, then one can at dinner and 1/2 can at bedtime in the feeder to open at midnight. (He weighed 22 pounds at the time). If I had to throw some out so be it, I just wanted to be sure he had enough food until he got used to eating canned and I could get his BGs under control. The boy drove me crazy for a while in the beginning, every time I went in the kitchen he would follow me meowing like he wanted food. Depending on what time it was I would give him a little extra if he had eaten everything he had out. Now he eats a little over 6ozs a day, I can't give you an exact amount as I am feeding 6 cats total can food. I don't feed FF any longer, I started there went to Wellness and now feed Merrick. His numbers seemed to do better on the Merrick Pates than the Wellness or FF, and they all seem to eat it better.

Just my experience with feeding my kitty, I have been dealing with his diabetes for several years now and still struggle and get frustrated with how his BGs fluctuate. But hopefully it will give you some ideas for feeding your Poopers.

Wish you luck!

Yeah tough part is finding what they will all enjoy eating. Poopers does enjoy eating FF Turkey and Giblets but for some reason it just doesn't seem to drop his numbers. Makes me wonder if I will have to get him higher dose and that along with the wet diet will help get his numbers into healthy range. Though I haven't tried Merrick before but seems like a food like Soulistic.

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

You might want to try what I did in the beginning, Frodo was free fed hard food so when I switched him to total can I had the same problem/issue. I fed him one can in the morning and then before going to work I put out 1/2 a can in a timed feeder to open around lunch, then one can at dinner and 1/2 can at bedtime in the feeder to open at midnight. (He weighed 22 pounds at the time). If I had to throw some out so be it, I just wanted to be sure he had enough food until he got used to eating canned and I could get his BGs under control. The boy drove me crazy for a while in the beginning, every time I went in the kitchen he would follow me meowing like he wanted food. Depending on what time it was I would give him a little extra if he had eaten everything he had out. Now he eats a little over 6ozs a day, I can't give you an exact amount as I am feeding 6 cats total can food. I don't feed FF any longer, I started there went to Wellness and now feed Merrick. His numbers seemed to do better on the Merrick Pates than the Wellness or FF, and they all seem to eat it better.

Just my experience with feeding my kitty, I have been dealing with his diabetes for several years now and still struggle and get frustrated with how his BGs fluctuate. But hopefully it will give you some ideas for feeding your Poopers.

Wish you luck!

What brand of Merrick do you feed?

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

From what I can see with the Merrick chicken pate, the wet matter carbs are 3.9% and 14% carbs from calories. The dry matter is much higher. Don't know if I believe Merrick would be a low carb wet food?

 

[billysmom (GA)]

I think all the soulistic varieties have fish in them but they are very low carb. I believe they are low calorie so you need to feed more. They are made by Weruva so you could also check out their cats in the kitchen varieties. If you're concerned about fish check the ingredient list because some of those have fish even if not in the name. Again low calorie and spendy especially in the small cans.

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

I think all the soulistic varieties have fish in them but they are very low carb. I believe they are low calorie so you need to feed more. They are made by Weruva so you could also check out their cats in the kitchen varieties. If you're concerned about fish check the ingredient list because some of those have fish even if not in the name. Again low calorie and spendy especially in the small cans.

Yeah I want to avoid fish and just don't agree on any wet food that has fruits and veggies in it like Wellness and how that is considered low carb. lol

 

[BJM]

Per Dr Pierson's Cat Info site, you can add 1 ounce plain meat/poultry/fish to 5 ounces of cat food, mix well, and portion out meals. It boosts the protein, and reduces the carb and fat percentage.

And an info bit - cats (and humans) can break down protein and fat then re-assemble the molecules into glucose if needed for energy.

For the Wellness, it has to do with the overall quantity in the mix. If it is towards the end of the ingredient list, there may be very little of it in there.

As far as the breakdowns by source go, there are
3.5 calories per gram of protein
8.5 calories per gram of fat
3.5 calories per gram of carbohydrate

 

[billysmom (GA)]

Yeah I want to avoid fish and just don't agree on any wet food that has fruits and veggies in it like Wellness and how that is considered low carb. lol

Actaully cats in the wild do get small amounts of fruits and veggies from food in the stomachs of their prey. It helps feed the good bacteria in the cat's gut. So a little bit in catfood is ok. But just a little.

 

[Mogmom and Goofus]

Cats also eat grass quite regularly, which would also be carbs, and just for the record, I've had several cats over the years that ate only dry food all of their lives with no health problems whatsoever. So I guess there is really no one thing that's going to work for everyone, some of us have to do what we can when we can, and call it good.

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

Cats also eat grass quite regularly, which would also be carbs, and just for the record, I've had several cats over the years that ate only dry food all of their lives with no health problems whatsoever. So I guess there is really no one thing that's going to work for everyone, some of us have to do what we can when we can, and call it good.

Yeah I heard someone from some site tell me that she fed her cats strictly Friskies Seafood Medley dry food and no health problems. I swallow my pride and try to fully understand how that could be. Nothing healthy in those foods at all unless you want your cat to eat a plant protein diet. Must be miracle cats to not have any health problems by eating plant protein.

 

[Dusty Bones]

Yeah I heard someone from some site tell me that she fed her cats strictly Friskies Seafood Medley dry food and no health problems. I swallow my pride and try to fully understand how that could be. Nothing healthy in those foods at all unless you want your cat to eat a plant protein diet. Must be miracle cats to not have any health problems by eating plant protein.

I have two cats, Beni and Dusty. Beni is 11 and Dusty is 10, they both ate the same food (Nutro Indoor Dry) and Beni stayed skinny as could be at 11 lbs but well toned and healthy. Dusty slowly started gaining weight until he weighed in at 20lbs. I switched them both Science Diet Lite which unbeknownst to me was actually higher in carbs, something like 25% . I knew nothing about carbs and cats back then. Well that was enough to push Dusty into full blown diabetes and yet Beni stayed slim trim and healthy. Just goes to show no two cats are alike.

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

I've had in the neighborhood of 30 cats in my lifetime. Before Bob became diabetic, none of them ate "good food". They mostly were free fed dry cheap food, and canned food was a special treat. And it wasn't pate style, it was goopy gravy high carb junk food. Bob was the only one who ever became diabetic, and I only remember one other cat that could be considered overweight or obese.

So obviously, in my experiences, carb content really didn't matter with respect to diabetes, or to weight issues. Until Bob. It wasn't the food. It was Bob with the food. For whatever reason, for him the equation was crappy diet + his genetic makeup = feline diabetes.

It wasn't until after his diagnosis that I discovered anything about feline nutrition. Armed with that knowledge, and a vial of insulin, Bob was able to go into remission for 2 1/2 years. His diabetes returned, but it was most definitely NOT related to his diet. The same food that enabled him to go into remission (low-carb FF classics) was what he ate for the rest of his life. The change in diet absolutely helped him go OTJ. Over that 30 month period, his weight remained around 14 pounds. Before he became diabetic, he topped out at 22 pounds. At diagnosis he weighed 12 pounds and looked like a skeleton. What kept him at 14 pounds was "calorie control". I don't remember exactly but I think it was 250 calories a day that I aimed for.

Why am I babbling? It isn't " food" that is going to bring down Poopers numbers. What is going to control his numbers is a logical dose of insulin. Nobody knows what that dose might be yet. Only time will tell, providing you follow "a" protocol. SLGS, TR, whatever.
You find a low carb food choice, you control daily calorie intake, and you follow a set of dosing guidelines that has been proven to work with countless other cats.

It really isn't rocket science, and it doesn't happen overnight. It requires patience, and it requires being diligent. It requires collecting data, and being able to figure out what all those numbers are trying to tell you.

The hardest part of this, for me, was admitting to myself that I didn't have all the answers. Hell, I didn't have many answers at all. Which is especially hard for a guy to admit in a "room full of women". Yeah, that's basically what we have here. Us " guys" are outnumbered about 50-1. That's awesome if your in a singles' bar, but not so much when your trying to deal with keeping a dear friend alive when that friend is depending on you to do just that.

I will tell you this. There is no feeling better in the world than 14 straight days of green numbers on a meter, and being able to type "OTJ" after your cat's name in your signature. If the "cost" of that was putting aside my ego and welcoming the help and advice of a group of crazy cat ladies who actually really do know what they are talking about?
I'd pay it again in a heartbeat. I came out of it with a sugar free cat, and a ton of people I'm proud to think of as friends.

 

[Mogmom and Goofus]

Carl, the last 2 paragraphs of your post really made me chuckle! I think maybe too many men are too proud to admit their feelings for a pet. My husband has a kitty that has traveled with him in his semi for 7 years, he totally loves that cat and isn't afraid to tell anyone!

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

I have two cats, Beni and Dusty. Beni is 11 and Dusty is 10, they both ate the same food (Nutro Indoor Dry) and Beni stayed skinny as could be at 11 lbs but well toned and healthy. Dusty slowly started gaining weight until he weighed in at 20lbs. I switched them both Science Diet Lite which unbeknownst to me was actually higher in carbs, something like 25% . I knew nothing about carbs and cats back then. Well that was enough to push Dusty into full blown diabetes and yet Beni stayed slim trim and healthy. Just goes to show no two cats are alike.

Honestly, most people buy what is on sale or what they can afford without any knowledge on nutrition. They don't realize corn gluten meal is bad because they see "meal" on it. Or they see chicken listed first so they automatically assume it is good for them. That is why my Poopers got overweight along with some of my other cats. They were fed 15-30% carb foods and kept eating and eating when I assumed at the time it was normal. Then over time they gained the weight and then I had to rush to figure out how to get them to lose weight because I didn't' realize the carb count in these foods until the past few years. It breaks me each time I am going down the cat isle in stores and seeing people buy Meow Mix, 9 lives or Purina Cat show in big bags. I just want to go over to these people and say you do realize that you are feeding your cats junk. Then they'd probably just look at me and tell me that they have been healthy all their lives so why change their diet now. lol

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

I agr

I've had in the neighborhood of 30 cats in my lifetime. Before Bob became diabetic, none of them ate "good food". They mostly were free fed dry cheap food, and canned food was a special treat. And it wasn't pate style, it was goopy gravy high carb junk food. Bob was the only one who ever became diabetic, and I only remember one other cat that could be considered overweight or obese.

So obviously, in my experiences, carb content really didn't matter with respect to diabetes, or to weight issues. Until Bob. It wasn't the food. It was Bob with the food. For whatever reason, for him the equation was crappy diet + his genetic makeup = feline diabetes.

It wasn't until after his diagnosis that I discovered anything about feline nutrition. Armed with that knowledge, and a vial of insulin, Bob was able to go into remission for 2 1/2 years. His diabetes returned, but it was most definitely NOT related to his diet. The same food that enabled him to go into remission (low-carb FF classics) was what he ate for the rest of his life. The change in diet absolutely helped him go OTJ. Over that 30 month period, his weight remained around 14 pounds. Before he became diabetic, he topped out at 22 pounds. At diagnosis he weighed 12 pounds and looked like a skeleton. What kept him at 14 pounds was "calorie control". I don't remember exactly but I think it was 250 calories a day that I aimed for.

Why am I babbling? It isn't " food" that is going to bring down Poopers numbers. What is going to control his numbers is a logical dose of insulin. Nobody knows what that dose might be yet. Only time will tell, providing you follow "a" protocol. SLGS, TR, whatever.
You find a low carb food choice, you control daily calorie intake, and you follow a set of dosing guidelines that has been proven to work with countless other cats.

It really isn't rocket science, and it doesn't happen overnight. It requires patience, and it requires being diligent. It requires collecting data, and being able to figure out what all those numbers are trying to tell you.

The hardest part of this, for me, was admitting to myself that I didn't have all the answers. Hell, I didn't have many answers at all. Which is especially hard for a guy to admit in a "room full of women". Yeah, that's basically what we have here. Us " guys" are outnumbered about 50-1. That's awesome if your in a singles' bar, but not so much when your trying to deal with keeping a dear friend alive when that friend is depending on you to do just that.

I will tell you this. There is no feeling better in the world than 14 straight days of green numbers on a meter, and being able to type "OTJ" after your cat's name in your signature. If the "cost" of that was putting aside my ego and welcoming the help and advice of a group of crazy cat ladies who actually really do know what they are talking about?
I'd pay it again in a heartbeat. I came out of it with a sugar free cat, and a ton of people I'm proud to think of as friends.

I agree with you Carl. That is what I am doing now. I realize that the lower dose isn't for him. He is responding better now with the 5.5 units of insulin. This morning he woke up to 325 almost 200 points less then this time yesterday. So hopefully he'll reach the mid 100s or something when I test him in a few hours and keep it that way throughout the day. He is eating both wet( mostly wet now) and the YAZC is also out if he wants a few crunchy pieces. I know that if he does eat the dry food it won't harm him compared to putting something more carb filled out. I hope eventually whenever that time frame is that he starts giving me more blue numbers and less of the reds and blacks. I just know he won't go less than 5 units again until his numbers start to really drop to the point that he will require less and less insulin. Right now all I care about is for him to eat throughout the day at small meals and to get his 5.5 units of insulin at 8am and 8pm and hope to get him stable and numbers much lower than he has been having.

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

Carl, the last 2 paragraphs of your post really made me chuckle! I think maybe too many men are too proud to admit their feelings for a pet. My husband has a kitty that has traveled with him in his semi for 7 years, he totally loves that cat and isn't afraid to tell anyone!

I admit that I am cat guy and I love my babies! I'd be lost without them. Some people who are dog lovers and don't really care for cats can learn a thing or two from them. They don't do much to impress but when they find someone to love and care for them they then become your best friend. They will never leave your sight and they know when you are down and not feeling well. They do the little things in life to brighten my day and most days they don't realize it. Yeah I may be outnumbered here 100-1 but atleast I am a man enough to admit that I love cats and there is nothing wrong with that! In fact, my girlfriend and one day wife when I find the right time to propose to her tells me that it brings more of a man out in me and shows that I am a very caring, loving man with a big heart. Just when you have been a cat lover for over 15 years it kind of gels into you.

 

[Nancey]

From what I can see with the Merrick chicken pate, the wet matter carbs are 3.9% and 14% carbs from calories. The dry matter is much higher. Don't know if I believe Merrick would be a low carb wet food?

I am feeding Frodo the Merrick Purrfect Bistro Pates (Chicken, Duck & Turkey flavors). How did you come up with the numbers on the chicken pates as what I saw on Dr Pierson's list shows it at 2%? Is something calculated wrong? I would hate to think I have been feeding Frodo 14% from carbs, but then that could explain a lot as for his numbers and I need to find him another food.

I would love to be able to feed them Tiki Cat but that gets a little pricey with 7 cats. Right now they get it a couple times a week as a treat. You might want to look into the Tiki Cat, it is very good food and very low carb.

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

I am feeding Frodo the Merrick Purrfect Bistro Pates (Chicken, Duck & Turkey flavors). How did you come up with the numbers on the chicken pates as what I saw on Dr Pierson's list shows it at 2%? Is something calculated wrong? I would hate to think I have been feeding Frodo 14% from carbs, but then that could explain a lot as for his numbers and I need to find him another food.

I would love to be able to feed them Tiki Cat but that gets a little pricey with 7 cats. Right now they get it a couple times a week as a treat. You might want to look into the Tiki Cat, it is very good food and very low carb.

http://scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html That is what I used as what many others told me to use to calculate carbs. I know the protein and fat are max/min so maybe the protein and fat is higher to lower the carb in the food. IDK, maybe others can help.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

@Nancey The Merrick Purrfect Bistro Chicken pate is 2.59%

The Merrick Purrfect Bistro Duck pate is 7.42% and the Turkey pate is 7.46%

The difference is in how the carbs are calculated....Dry Matter Basis versus As Fed versus Guaranteed Analysis....seems like there's a 1000 ways to calculate carbs

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

I've always trusted the numbers from Janet & Binky and Dr. Lisa (I believe they both use the same formula). I guess because when people here talk about what is "low carb" under 8%, it is based on those charts' values. You can devise all sorts of formulas and calculators, but if your methods don't duplicate the values in the charts you are linking people to, the numbers are kind of useless.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

The chart I got those off of was from Tanya's Comprensive Guide to Feline Kidney Disease

She's kept it updated a little more and since we send so many people to her site when they're dealing with kidney problems, I have her list included in my "toolchest" of handy dandy places to look for information

 

[Nancey]

@Chris & China, Thanks I need to find something lower than the Merrick Turkey & Duck. I will go out and look at Tanya's site to see what her guide is showing. It is ALL so confusing, Frodo's numbers come in nice when he gets the Tiki Cat, but honestly I cannot afford to feed 7 cats that brand, as a treat a couple of times a week is not so bad, if I could put him in the room with his older sister (17) it would work, but the boy is not happy locked up in a small room. She has either IBD or intestinal Lymphoma (not sure which as she is not at a point of under going anesthesia to test) and both treat/use the same meds. I guess I just need to adjust his insulin based on the the food and his body. That I think is the best we can all do.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

http://scheyderweb.com/cats/catfood.html That is what I used as what many others told me to use to calculate carbs. I know the protein and fat are max/min so maybe the protein and fat is higher to lower the carb in the food. IDK, maybe others can help.

Ryan: that is not a reliable or good conversion to use. There is no reliable way to calculate % fat, protein, carbs from guaranteed analysis numbers. You have to have the "as feds" or "DMB".

I appreciate your comments today. I've done a lot of experimentation with food with Gracie. I started her on Wellness beef/chicken, chicken, turkey flavors as they were all 4%. But there started to be some issues with the quality so I moved her to Merrick. Several of the pates are acceptable but the thing that worried me about Merrick (and WN) was the carrageenan. Currently, I am feeding her Ziwipeak lamb/rabbit, venison, and lamb which are 3%, 3%, and 6% calories from carbs respectively. And it does not have carrageenan. Many members also have good quality canned or raw foods they feed.

What I did find early on was that a 0% carb food did not work for Gracie. While cats are obligate carnivores, in the wild, they consume prey which contain carbs based on what they eat. In a canned or raw food, the three macronutrients cats get (as people do from their diets) are protein, fats, and carbs. The pet food companies tend to go higher on the fat or carbs and less on the high quality protein because of the expense. For those of us looking for low carb foods, most of the foods, even the high quality ones, are higher on the fat and lower on the protein than they should be.

The reason I believe that some carbs are helpful for diabetic cats is because we are giving them insulin. When they are not diabetic, their pancreas releases the amount of insulin they need to work with the carbs they eat. When we give insulin, we aren't necessarily giving it at a time their bodies would normally use it or even the exact amount they might need based on what they eat. And so the carbs in the foods "work" with the insulin. Sometimes, we have to give alot higher %carbs for a cycle if the insulin is too much. And how many carbs we give can vary during the cycle and what the action of the insulin is at a particular time in the cycle.

It becomes an art to know the % carbs your cat will do best with. Some cats do better with 3-4% and some with 10%. I find Gracie stays a little flatter with 10% carbs.

It's experimentation and it varies by the cat. But numbers can improve when you find the %carbs that works best for your kitty.