Diabetic Cats

[Ellyn Renken]

I read on internet yesterday that more and more cats are getting diabetes. Well, of course they are, what do we expect when we keep them from their normal habitat of running freely outside and getting plenty of exercise. We keep our kitties cooped up in an apt. or a house and never allow them to run free so they just sit and sit and sit - and grow fat. The result is diabetes. I'm as guilty as the next person as I live in an apt. When I lived in a house my kitty was fine. In two years of being cooped up in an apt. diabetes is the result.

 

[Sharon14]

Hi Ellyn, you're right, exercise is important, but I think more important is what we are feeding our cats. They are carnivores, but the pet food companies have us feeding them corn and other empty calories that do nothing but make them fat and lazy. Many cats here are allowed to go out but still developed diabetes because of their diet. And I have many friends with indoor only cats that are fine and have lived into their 20's.

 

[Rachel]

I definitely think our cats need exercise, but I do think that food plays a large part too. Not only do we feed that food that is inappropriate for cats, but a lot of us overfeed. I'm guilty of that! I fed dry food and just kept their bowl full. We had a large feeder that you could pour a bunch of food in and it would just keep putting more out when the bowl got eaten out of. I'm surprised it took so long for my cats to get sick! Now I try to spend time playing with them (they love the fishing pole toy!) and I've also bought them catnip toys they like to bat around in hopes they'll get some running around time.