Dry Food Advice for newly diagnosed diabetic cat

[Sarshsmom]

Hi, my cat was just diagnosed with diabetes. I have started her on insulin and I am trying to switch her to a low-carb diet. I know can food is definitely the way to go, but she unfortunately will not touch the stuff. Since I am a bit overwhelmed, I have decided to keep her on dry food, and slowly keep trying can food. Does anyone recommend a low carb dry food? I tried her on EVO, but it gave her diarrhea and she didn't like Hills MD. My pet store recommended Felidae and Pinnacle, but from the chart they don't look that low carb. THANKS for any advice!!!!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Another alternative is Wellness Core. It is not uncommon for cats to get diarrhea when changing food. Best way to change is to mix in some of the new food with the old food and increase the amount of new food mixed in gradually. My cats preferred The Evo to the Core.

 

[LynnLee + Mousie]

i think the only two fairly low carb dry is the Evo and Wellness Core. other than that, none of the others will come close to being low enough. understand though that as long as you are feeding one of these, you will most likely have to fight the numbers moreso than most.

i'd say try the Core while you read up on transitioning a cat from dry to wet on Dr. Lisa's website http://www.catinfo.org she's got some really good advice and tips/tricks there to convince the finicky kitty that wet is good

 

[Jean and Megan]

I use Wellness, the no-grain flavors, and Merrick (Cowboy Cookout, Turducken, and Grammie's Pot Pie). Wellness is available at PetCo, in little cans. If you determine that your cat likes it, you can get big cans (12.5 oz), which are more cost-effective. The Merrick foods come in 3.2(?) oz cans and 5.5 oz cans. I get both brands from a local pet store that will order what I want and not charge shipping.

 

[squeem3]

You can try Nature's Variety Instinct: http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct_cat

Go slow with the diet change to avoid an upset tummy. See this for tips on how to eventually slowly transition from dry to canned: http://catinfo.org/TipsforTransitioningPDF12-18-09.pdf

 

[Lisa dvm]

I tried her on EVO, but it gave her diarrhea

The following is an excerpt from my Tips for Transitioning paper. It also applies to your situation when you are trying to slowly transition to canned but need to use low carb dry during the transition:

Some cats may experience softer stools during the transition. I do not worry if this happens and tend to
'ride it out'. If diarrhea results from the diet change you will either need to experiment with different
canned foods or slow the transition down and do it over a period of several weeks.
When cats develop diarrhea during a diet change, many people run back to dry food and abandon the
transition. However, that this is not a good answer. I have never encountered a cat that ‘needed’ dry food
for intestinal health. There has always been a healthier dietary solution.

Another complaint that I often hear is that cats often regurgitate their canned food shortly after ingesting
it. I confess that in the otherwise-healthy cat, I do not understand why cats do this. However, it is not an
uncommon complaint and I urge people to stay the course if the cat seems to be healthy otherwise. One
of my own cats did this a few times per week for many weeks after the transition – and then she stopped
doing it. I tried to tell her how expensive the food was – and to please stop doing that, especially on
carpet - but she ignored me.

 

[Tara and Nick]

Another complaint that I often hear is that cats often regurgitate their canned food shortly after ingesting
it.

Mine does this because he eats the canned food much too fast. We call it the ol' nom-and-vom. So now when I give it to him, I put the bowl down until he's eaten about half, and then I march around the house with it (oh, and I sing too... very important) and put it back down about a minute later. The break seems to give him a chance to digest the first half. You can also try mashing the food thinly across a plate instead of having it a big heap in a bowl. This makes it take longer to eat. My vet also suggested putting a ball in the bowl so he has to work around the ball to slow him down. (Obviously all of this only helps for cats who vom b/c they're eating too fast, not if other issues are at play.)

 

[Lisa dvm]

Also google 'brakefast' for a bowl with 3 tall 'spikes' in it. Slows cats down nicely.

 

[Holly and Pablo]

Another tip for slowing down eating that I use for Pablo: mix the canned food in a good bit of water. Not only does he stay well hydrated, it's impossible for him to eat as quickly when he's slurping more than chewing! :lol: