Food Clarification

[acw1]

I was looking over the food chart given and I don't often hear Friskies or 9 Lives recommended much for diabetic cats, even on these forums. Yet, it looks like they are some of the better options according to the nutrition charts. High protein, moderate fat, and low carbs, right? They look like a better option than some of the brands I see recommended more often. I also hear people say not to do too much seafood, but again, the seafood options seems the most high fiber, moderate fat, and low carb. What am I missing? My vet sent my kitty home from a hospital stay on some Royal Canin food that has a way higher carb level than the Friskies I HAD been feeding for the past 1.5 years. He told me to stop with the Friskies. Yet, when he checked her glucose after a few days on the Royal Canin her levels were over 400, and he's talking about putting her on insulin, which she haven't done in 1.5 years and she's done OK.

I'm open to new diet options for my cat (she was hospitalized for dehydration and a little bit of a UTI), but tell me why Friskies is bad and something else is better. I feel like I'm a dummy that's not understanding something here.

 

[acw1]

Bump.

Help!

 

[Dusty Bones]

I hear Friskies mentioned a lot, there's nothing wrong with the pate style foods. It may not be the best quality regarding the ingredients but if your cat doesn't have kidney issues where phosphorus is an issue it's perfectly fine. I've tried to get my cats on Friskies because of the better value compared to Fancy Feast and others but they just don't like it. The seafood issue is mainly due to mercury that can build up in their little systems more quickly than a human. Vets are always trying to push one food or another for whatever reason even though they may not be the best choice. Follow the recommendations from the experts on this message board, you can't go wrong! :razz:

 

[KPassa]

I feed my cats the Friskies Special Diet Turkey & Giblets (which is low carb, higher protein, and low phosphorus). As to the 9 Lives, I think it's just because most people forget about it being an option since the nutritional information was only just recently added to the list.

As to fish, here's why I only feed it to my guys once a week (if even that).

 

[BJM]

And cats don't generally need fiber. That's reserved for omnivores like humans, not carnivores like cats.

That said, if a cat is having issues with constipation, a small amount of psyllium fiber or plain pumpkin may help.