Diet for non sugar kitties

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Gwen and Morris

Gwen and Morris

Member Since 2009
We are looking at getting a new kitty at our house! We are hoping to find a cute little guy/gal around 8 weeks old.

This site taught me a lot about feline nutrition when Morris was diagnosed with diabetes & p~itis - I was wondering if anyone here had any information about feeding guidelines for non sugar kitties. Of course, I do plan on feeding mostly wet food, but I am also considering having some dry food as well to help keep his/her teeth in good shape.
 
Dry food doesn't really help all that much with their teeth, despite what we've all been "taught" by the pet food industry. I found a good site (besides Dr. Lisa's site) that has good info on diet, and on why cat's aren't really designed to eat "crunchy" food...

http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Teeth
As is typical of carnivores, the teeth of the cat are appropriately
modified for grasping, puncturing, and tearing (cutting), rather
than for true mastication. With the exception of "crunching" dry
food, cats do little, if any, actual chewing. The hinging of the
lower jaw can only be moved up and down and possesses no
ability for a lateral chewing motion.
The cat has no first premolars and no lower (inferior) first or second
premolars; the molars consist of a single upper and lower tooth on
each side. When the mouth is closed, the upper sectorial tooth
slides across the vestibular surface of the lower sectorial tooth,
producing an effective scissor-like cutting action, rather than a
chewing action. Thus the dental benefits of feeding dry food are
grossly overrated. The arrangement and spacing of the cat's teeth
will more likely trap small, slaiva-moistened pieces of dry food.
Carbohydrate based dry cat foods also leaves a starchy coating
which promotes plaque.
Click to expand...

So really, if you can raise a kitty on just wet food, it's much better in the long run than he or she ever getting dry food.

Carl
 
Dry food for teeth health is a myth. It's like humans eating potato chips instead of brushing their teeth. Instead, some raw, sinewy meat is better for their teeth and their health. It's also great if you can start acclimating the new kitty to having his/her teeth brushed while he/she is still young.

You can basically feed them the same food as for diabetics, although they can have higher carbs, up to as much as 12%. My non-diabetic, Henry, gets fed the same food as Mikey and does just fine on 5% carbs or less. That's the cool thing about cats being obligate carnivores: they don't need carbs, even if they're not diabetic. ;-)

Kittens do require higher calories and higher protein, so that is something to watch for. I stick with anything over 50% protein/fat ratio and created this sorted version of the catinfo.org food list so I could easily spot the low carb and high protein foods since Michelangelo was diagnosed diabetic at 6 months old. For calories, I simply doubled the amount of food needed.
 
Tartar solidifies into plaque within 3 days; then you need dental cleaning to get it off.

Try slightly cooked gizzards for teeth aid - they're fibrous and help scrape off tartar.

Also, get a pet toothbrush and toothpaste, and teach the cat to allow tooth brushing. It'll save on dental problems down the pike.

And no, the spray stuff doesn't really help, plus it is pricey.
 
Thank you all for your input!!! I will go with a canned food diet. For treats, I will purchase some dental treats as well as some raw food treats.

We have found a cute little guy that will be going up for adoption tomorrow - they have taken our name & will let us know as soon as he arrives from his foster home!!! I am extremely excited now!!!!!
 
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