Raw diet

[run4life10]

I am curious what everyone's thoughts are on feeding a raw diet for diabetic cats. It seems to be a topic of debate, but most of the criticism on it seems to center around risks of parasites/bacteria. But if sourced and prepared correctly, can a raw diet be a healthy alternative? It just seems more natural to me, and it seems like even the healthiest brands of marketed food have unnecessary fillers and unnatural ingredients. The vet recommended any canned food, as she said that all are high in protein and low in carbs. So I was feeding Pumpkin a can of Friskies this morning, and there were giant chunks of rice in it. I checked the labels on all the varieties I had and sure enough, carbs are listed as the second or third ingredient. So I'm immediately getting rid of all the cans and exploring other alternatives. I had some meat in my freezer so I'll be using that for the rest of her meals this weekend until I figure something out. Does anyone have any suggestions/recipes for homemade foods healthy for diabetics, either raw or cooked?

 

[Jan Radar (GA)]

I see that you are relatively new to diabetes but as I'm sure you've noticed, there is an incredible amount of support and information on this website. I'm guessing that maybe you haven't yet found Dr. Lisa Pierson's cat food list. There are many many commercial foods that are cost effective and fine for diabetic cats. Here is the link. Dr. Pierson also has an awesome website where she explains feline nutrition among many other useful things including how to make your own cat food at home. Here is the link. I found Dr. Pierson's site to be very instructive. I hope you find it useful too.

My Radar has a very sensitive digestive system and I find that he does better in general when he eats more raw food. The one I'm feeding right now is called Small Batch. It comes frozen in little 1 oz size portions that you put in the fridge to thaw as you need them. They have a variety of flavors like chicken and rabbit which he really loves.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Yes I fed Sheba a homemade prepared diet to Sheba and she did really well on it. Great for diabetic cats. But you must make sure it is a balanced diet with all the necessary nutrients.....some via supplementation. The hardest part is getting it all sorted out in the beginning.. I feed my current cats a raw diet...
I give Harry bones for calcium, I don't grind the bones. Another alternative for calcium is egg shell powder.
I use only human grade meat and you have to make sure it is very fresh. The freezer is a must. I find the cost is less than feeding canned food.
Also check out the frankenprey diet for cats sites
Bron