What to feed - in UK

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beckyandwinston

Member Since 2012
What do other members in the UK feed their diabetic kitties? Mine has been on felix what good looks like since he was diagnosed for over a year and a half and was wondering if that was still the best or what else there is? Any suggestions?
 
There is a topic, right at the beginning of the Feline Health forum. Called "Canned Cat Food For Europeans and International Buyers. Look there for some of the most recent suggestions. Member Dr. Schroedinger (AKA Juliet), did some recent work and posted a link there.
 
Hiya Becky,

Which Felix are you feeding? Is it the 'as good as it looks' version? If so this is not ideal because in some cats it can elevate the blood glucose enormously. I think this is because of the 'vegetable protein extract' it contains. Not all cats are affected in this way. My diabetic cat is one of those that is affected and the only reason I keep this in the house is in case of dire emergency - ie, if Bert's blood glucose drops too low. There are a few other foods on the market that also contain 'vegetable protein extract'.

However, if you are feeding a food that contains this ingredient I would only advise changing the food if you are testing Winston's blood glucose at home. This is because Winston's blood glucose level may drop if you switch foods, and if you're not 'hometesting' you won't be able to ascertain if this is the case. If his blood glucose does drop then his current dose of insulin could be too much...

Are you testing Winston's blood glucose at home? If you are then you could monitor during the food switch to see if there are any changes in his blood glucose, and reduce the insulin dose if necessary.

For a diabetic cat it is recommended that the food has less than 10% of calories from carbohydrates.

As Deb said above, another UK member, Juliet, has just put together a spreadsheet listing cat food varieties, their approximate carb values, and where they are obtainable from. There is a very wide range of foods available now. Many of these are not available from supermarkets though and need to be bought online. The link to Juliet's post (giving link to her spreadsheet) is here:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=64843#p1059149

Current popular brands include (listing from cheapest to most expensive); Butcher's Classic (available from supermarkets); Bozita (available online from Zooplus, and also at some independent pet stores); Macs, Ropocat and Granatapet (available online from The Happy Kitty Company); Catz Fine Foods and Grau 'grain free' (available from Zooplus); and Lily's kitchen (available online and in some supermarkets).

What you choose to feed will depend on your budget, how many cats you have, and what they will agree to eat! ;-)
Is there a particular reason why you want to change the food?
How is Winston getting on?

Eliz
 
Hi again, Becky,

If you are not yet testing Winston's blood glucose at home, but are willing to try it then I will gladly send you a free meter and a tub of test strips to get you started. You would be able to buy more test strips ongoingly on Ebay.

Just PM me your address if you'd like me to do this.

Eliz
 
Hi Becky from another UKer! I can't add anything to what Elizabeth has said, she really is an expert, just wanted to add my support and say well done for at least feeding wet food, whatever brand it is it will be better than dry food which vets will try to tell you is good. Sometimes the 'best' food for a particular cat is trial and error though, so it may not do any harm to try some different brands/varieties and see if that helps BG levels.

Wishing you the very best of luck
Diana

PS I hope this will post ok, it is my very first post here using my new iPad and my little cat Sapphire is very interested...
 
Diana&Tom said:
... I can't add anything to what Elizabeth has said, she really is an expert...
Click to expand...
Ha-ha, Diana; I am NO expert! :lol:

Diana&Tom said:
... I hope this will post ok, it is my very first post here using my new iPad and my little cat Sapphire is very interested...
Click to expand...
The post is just fine. I'm sure Sapphire really helped... ;-)

Eliz
 
Thank you for all your responses. Winston is doing ok, but about 3 months ago we had to up his caninsulin to 6 units twice a day. He had lost some weight (he is a big boy though normally weighing in at 7kg as he is very tall) so the vet did a fructosamine test to check his kidney's and thyroid as he thought he may have a thyroid problem as well, but thankfully all that came back ok, except his glucose levels had risen to 453, so we then upped his units to 6 a day. He is also having a bit of a runny poo problem, some days he is ok (or as OK as he has been since being diagnosed in february last year) and then other days he is quite runny. I thought may be it was the felix what good looks like which is why I asked for suggestions on what everyone else was feeding their fur babies. I also have never got his fur back to normal and he is still quite dandruffy, so the vet suggested evening primrose oil 500mg once a day, so we are trying that at the moment. Although with the heat at the moment both my cats seem to be very lethargic. His water intake had declined alot since we upped his insulin, although he still wee's quite a lot. I don't think he would let me test his blood and to be honest am really nervous about doing it. He is the size of dog with very sharp claws to match!
 
Hi Becky,

It may well be that Winston does need a higher dose of insulin (some cats do), but...it is hard to know this for sure without knowing how low his blood glucose goes during the insulin cycle (the lowest blood glucose level with Caninsulin would probably happen around 4.5 to 5 hours after the shot).

Sometimes, when a cat's blood glucose drops too low, or too fast (or both) the body can respond by putting glucose out into the system and raising the blood glucose level. It can also release substances that cause the blood glucose to remain high temporarily. So, if readings are only taken occasionally it can sometimes seem like not enough insulin is being given, when in fact the reverse could be true. Also cats' blood glucose readings done at the vets are often higher than they would be at home because the stress of the vet visit can increase the blood glucose levels.

I was incredibly reluctant to hometest. I was totally convinced that my cat could not be tested. He weighs around 6.5kg and is a very powerful animal with 'attitude' whose paws and claws look almost bear-like. If he doesn't want to do something, we can't do it. And he will not be held or restrained in any way. But because of ongoing encouragement from people on this forum I did try to hometest, and, to my amazement, succeeded! It didn't happen overnight though...

I started by just getting the test kit out, and letting him get used to the sight, sounds and smell of it, and then I'd give him a treat. Then I'd click the lancet pen (skin pricking device) next to his ear, and give him a treat. Or I'd massage his ear or gently hold onto it for a couple of seconds, and give him a treat. Then I did a 'dummy test' where I went though the whole process (stopping short of actually pricking his ear), and gave him a few treats to eat while I did that. Then I tried it for real and....it worked!!! And the test didn't hurt him at all. Now, I can rattle the test strip vial and Bertie comes running for his test because he associates it with getting treats (the only time he ever gets treats is when he is tested.) And I can also test him now while he's dozing in his basket. Something I would never have thought possible....

I fully understand that the idea of hometesting sounds scary. (Believe me, I've been there.) But if you could manage to 'feel the fear but try it anyway' you might just find yourself with an amazing tool to help you manage Winston's diabetes. Here is a link to some basic info on hometesting:
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

Eliz
 
Oh, forgot to say...

Regarding the food; it may be that Winston is sensitive to one or more of the ingredients in the Felix that you're feeding. Quite a few cats can't tolerate soya, for example.

And some are sensitive or allergic to certain animal proteins (beef is one of the more common ones))

So, it could well be worth trying other foods.
Given that Winston has been on one type of food for a long time you may want to introduce any new food gradually.
(But do be aware that if the Felix you're currently feeding contains 'vegetable protein extract' then Winston's blood glucose might drop as a result of the food change.)

Eliz
 
And if the Caninsulin has not worked for all these months to control Winston's BG levels, it may be time to try one of the other insulins that work much better for cats. LIke Lantus or PZI.

I know you have to try the caninsulin first in the UK, but it really does not work well in cats as it was developed for dogs. Even though Winston may be dog size, he's still a feline and needs an insulin that works for felines. ;-)
 
When my cats blood sugar was uncontrolled, he had dandruff too. I think he just wasn't cleaning himself well enough cos he wasn't feeling well.

Give home testing a try. What do you have to lose? We have seen lots of members with difficult through to wild and feral cats manage it, you might be surprised! Plus you can return the kit to Elizabeth if you just can't do it. But if you can, the benefits are huge!

I would also try a food change .. And ask your vet about another Insulin. It will likely make a big difference.

Wend
 
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