Diet for pre-diabetic cat

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Barbara and kitty Sam

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Hi everyone,

My cat was diagnosed pre-diabetic. Right now the problem is being managed with diet alone, specifically Purina DM. I'm not happy with this product--and neither is my cat! I'd like to switch him to a product that would be more palatable, yet still control his glucose level.

I have used Wellness canned food in the past, and from what I read, some of the Wellness products are alternatives to the DM diet. Has anyone successfully used canned Wellness in pre-diabetic cats? I'm open to considering other products as well; please feel free to make suggestions. Thank you...and Sam thanks you, too.

Barbara
 
Here's my blurb on food/nutrition:

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.



Personally, I like EVO 95% - it's comparative to Wellness as far as quality and cost. If you need something less costly, fancy feast, friskies, etc offer low carb options. I've also been trying out raw foods and 2 of my 3 eat it. So, I keep it in the buffet lineup.

the goal is low carb. And depending on whether there are other health issues, you may need to look at fat, phosphorus, etc. content. Janet's charts break this down nicely.

Go have a read at the link.
 
bmortenson said:
Hi everyone,

My cat was diagnosed pre-diabetic. Right now the problem is being managed with diet alone, specifically Purina DM. I'm not happy with this product--and neither is my cat! I'd like to switch him to a product that would be more palatable, yet still control his glucose level.

I have used Wellness canned food in the past, and from what I read, some of the Wellness products are alternatives to the DM diet. Has anyone successfully used canned Wellness in pre-diabetic cats? I'm open to considering other products as well; please feel free to make suggestions. Thank you...and Sam thanks you, too.

Barbara
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Any commercial brand of canned food is better than the prescription junk and less costly. Wellness is a good brand if your cat likes that. Fancy Feast, Friskies, and many other brands are also good.

Try to stick with canned foods that have no more than 10% carbs. Use the food charts to find that out: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html Look for a number 10 or less in the carb column. The Wellness varieties with the little yellow grain-free triangle on the label are low carb. The Wellness CORE varieties are also low carb.

Keep treats low carb, too. An occasional treat of something like Pounce won't hurt but the high carb ingredients can temporarily increase blood glucose levels. Freeze dried meat treats are good. Here is a list of popular low carb treats: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=445
 
My cat isn't pre-diabetic but had a transient diabetic episode about a year and a half ago. I gather that this means she will be more prone than the usual cat to develop high blood sugar in response to an infection or other malady, which her vet and I think was what happened when she had her brief brush with diabetes.

I feed her Merrick (several flavors are good - check the food charts for the low-carb ones) and test her BG about every week or two weeks, plus any time she seems "off." So far she is doing just beautifully.

My other cat gets Wellness Chicken, and Megan's BG is fine with it, too. She seems to do better with a lower-fat food, though, so she doesn't get more than "lick the spoon" amounts of Wellness.
 
Hi,
Welcome to the Family.

You have already received some terrific advice, so I'm just going to add a quick story.

Life before full blown diabetes. I had a cat named Mishap, who about 2 years ago had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. She has since passed from heart disease, but to keep her off of any diabetic medication, my vet recommended switching her food to Wellness Core (dry) and advocated exercise. Luckily, for Mishap this worked, her numbers remained below 200 at the vet. At the time, I had never considered home testing, had never heard of FDMB, and knew nothing specific about feline nutrition. You are ahead of the game, by finding support as quickly as you did, switching to a species specific diet, and adding exercise you may be able to keep you furry friend off of meds and maybe even reverse the condition.

Best of Luck
Terri & Tananda
 
A big thank-you to all who have posted replies here to my question; your advice has been so helpful. I'm going to try my best to keep Sam off medication. It's very reassuring to know that I can receive support, encouragement and answers on this forum. So glad I discovered it!

Barbara
 
Glad you found your way to us. You have already recieve excellent advice and links, so I will just add my story to the bunch here already. After my first diabetic kitty passed away (not from diabetes) I adopted Max from this board. When he was dxed he was at 485, within a week of a small dose of Lantus and a diet shift away from dry food and on to canned he started giving lower and lower numbers, then in about 2 weeks he went OTJ (in remission or Off the Juice).

Now I feed 11 cats, only 1 Max is a diabetic but we switched all of them from dry to canned wet. The changes in all of them has been amazing. Their overall health has improved, their coats are sleek and glossy, and they have more energy. But not one out of the 11 would touch the prescription DM they thought it was nasty. So now I feed the whole herd Friskies or 9-lives off Binky's list that are below 8% carbs. On this diet not only are my other kitties in better health, my diabetic is OTJ and in reality it runs us just about the same as it did when we were feeding them all dry with canned in the mornings and evenings.

Mel & Max
 
What is your vet calling pre diabetic? that is, how was this diagnosed? How are you determining whether diet change is sufficient?

Jen
 
I don't think I've ever heard the term pre-diabetic when talking about cats. Does your cat have elevated Blood Glucose numbers? Can you give us a little more info on what your cat's symptoms are?
 
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