Switching from expensive food question...

[Bojeca]

Hi there,

It's my first time posting. I'm planning on switching my 9 year old diabetic cat from Purina DM to Friskies Pate. He's been in remission for 2 years and I'm very nervous about making the switch, but the DM food is ridiculously expensive. We spend more than $100 a month on it. We've just bought a home and we now have a baby, so I'm looking to trim our budget where we can. I saw on the catinfo.org chart that Friskies Classic Pate Chicken Platter was quite low in carbs with a similar calorie content as Purina DM. With this in mind I have a few questions...

1) Could someone verify the food I purchased is the same as the chart? It doesn't say "classic pate" on it anywhere, just "poultry platter".

2) Is this brand/ flavour popular for cats that are in remission? Again VERY nervous about upsetting the balance and giving my guy diabetes again…He's actually been in remission twice now.

3) Also, is there any reason why you can't switch between flavours? I know switching food can be shocking so we are planning on doing it very slowly, but is switching flavours the same? I'm not sure if I can always find this flavour in store.

4) How do I know how much to feed him? According to the chart it is similar carbs/calories as DM but lower protein content. Does this mean I should feed him a bit more? He's a big cat and is ALWAYS acting hungry.

This is the chart that I was recently shown for reference:
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Sorry for the many questions! Thank you in advance!! Nervous cat mom here…

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

It doesn't say "classic pate" on it anywhere, just "poultry platter".

It says "pate" to the right of where it says "Poultry platter".....that's Friskies new label and yes, it's fine

Is this brand/ flavour popular for cats that are in remission?

As long as the food is in the same ball park (carb wise), the brand/flavor is up to your cat and what he'll eat!!

Also, is there any reason why you can't switch between flavours?

Nope, no reason at all .....the important thing is finding something he'll eat and that's under 10% carbs

How do I know how much to feed him? According to the chart it is similar carbs/calories as DM but lower protein content. Does this mean I should feed him a bit more?

If you look all the way to the right on the chart, you'll see the DM is 191 calories and the poultry platter is 189......that's equal so I'd start out with the same amount of food....if he starts to lose weight, increase

 

[Ann and Murphy and Tom]

I use all the Friskies pate foods and my diabetic cat loves them...my civies do too. I switch flavors all the time without any problems. You might want to look at the Fancy Feast pates...all of mine love them too, but slightly more expensive.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I feed Friskies to my guy too.

 

[Bojeca]

Thank you for the responses!! This was very helpful. We've started slowly adding it to his old food, so fingers crossed it all goes well