Young Again Zero Carb Cat Food

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I started feeding Young Again Zero Carb Mature to my two Norwegian Forest Cat littermates in the summer of 2015 when I read about it on this forum. One cat was diabetic and had been skinny her whole life, while the other was not diabetic and was somewhat overweight. They were both 12 years old.

My diabetic cat Chestnut was able to go off insulin in about a month. We had been giving 7 to 9 units of ProZinc twice a day for a few months prior on the dry prescription diabetes food, but she wasn't well controlled. She loved the YA food and finally started gaining weight. I think she had been moving towards diabetes for a few years prior to her diagnosis, as she was hungry all the time and ate a lot but never really gained weight. The vet had blamed her slightly higher blood sugar readings at her twice a year checkups on being "nervous due to being at the vet's office," although the other cat always had normal readings and was even more shy (and therefore, nervous at the vet).

Chestnut did well on YA until a few months ago when she stopped eating it. She gradually showed less and less interest in food and went from 16 pounds to 11 pounds very quickly. I said goodbye last week when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had metastasized. I don't think it was the YA food, although she still showed an interest in people food (like milk and chicken) up until her last day.

My non-diabetic cat did not do well on the YA food at all. She lost most of the fur on her nose and some on her chin and ears. She developed runny eyes and sneezed more. She also lost some weight (from 16 pounds to about 13), but she isn't diabetic and was overweight. I wrote the company about a possible allergy, but I didn't get a very satisfactory response. In August I took her to my vet because she couldn't walk without falling over, and she was diagnosed with two inner ear infections. I think she is finally on the mend after several weeks of antibiotics, and her fur that she lost is growing back since I've switched her to a limited ingredient food by Nature's Variety. I don't know if the ear infections were caused by allergies that resulted from the YA food, but she got down to under 10 pounds, which is small for a big breed cat.

So in sum, the YA food gave my Chestnut one more year OTJ where she was able to eat all she wanted and gain weight. I never was able to get her to eat wet food. I think I would buy it again for a diabetic cat who won't eat something better, but then again, I won't ever feed another cat dry food if I can help it. I wouldn't personally recommend it to non-diabetic cats if there is an alternative, but I know in multiple cat households, it's so difficult to keep one out of the other's food bowls and therefore is easier to feed them all the same food. My case might be unique; my non-diabetic cat had never shown evidence of food allergies before, and it may have been something that developed with age. She will be 14 in a few months, and she is a purebred cat.
 
I started feeding Young Again Zero Carb Mature to my two Norwegian Forest Cat littermates in the summer of 2015 when I read about it on this forum. One cat was diabetic and had been skinny her whole life, while the other was not diabetic and was somewhat overweight. They were both 12 years old.

My diabetic cat Chestnut was able to go off insulin in about a month. We had been giving 7 to 9 units of ProZinc twice a day for a few months prior on the dry prescription diabetes food, but she wasn't well controlled. She loved the YA food and finally started gaining weight. I think she had been moving towards diabetes for a few years prior to her diagnosis, as she was hungry all the time and ate a lot but never really gained weight. The vet had blamed her slightly higher blood sugar readings at her twice a year checkups on being "nervous due to being at the vet's office," although the other cat always had normal readings and was even more shy (and therefore, nervous at the vet).

Chestnut did well on YA until a few months ago when she stopped eating it. She gradually showed less and less interest in food and went from 16 pounds to 11 pounds very quickly. I said goodbye last week when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had metastasized. I don't think it was the YA food, although she still showed an interest in people food (like milk and chicken) up until her last day.

My non-diabetic cat did not do well on the YA food at all. She lost most of the fur on her nose and some on her chin and ears. She developed runny eyes and sneezed more. She also lost some weight (from 16 pounds to about 13), but she isn't diabetic and was overweight. I wrote the company about a possible allergy, but I didn't get a very satisfactory response. In August I took her to my vet because she couldn't walk without falling over, and she was diagnosed with two inner ear infections. I think she is finally on the mend after several weeks of antibiotics, and her fur that she lost is growing back since I've switched her to a limited ingredient food by Nature's Variety. I don't know if the ear infections were caused by allergies that resulted from the YA food, but she got down to under 10 pounds, which is small for a big breed cat.

So in sum, the YA food gave my Chestnut one more year OTJ where she was able to eat all she wanted and gain weight. I never was able to get her to eat wet food. I think I would buy it again for a diabetic cat who won't eat something better, but then again, I won't ever feed another cat dry food if I can help it. I wouldn't personally recommend it to non-diabetic cats if there is an alternative, but I know in multiple cat households, it's so difficult to keep one out of the other's food bowls and therefore is easier to feed them all the same food. My case might be unique; my non-diabetic cat had never shown evidence of food allergies before, and it may have been something that developed with age. She will be 14 in a few months, and she is a purebred cat.
She probably had a pork allergy. Obviously if there's an allergy it would not be a good choice. I don't feed it exclusively but it is available to all 7 of my cats in addition to wet food and non have had a problem.
 
HeLLLLP dear friends!!!! I am literally losing my mind over this. My boy takes a couple bites of moist food (I had the Instinctive Choice-what appears to be a good food) for him, then tries to bury it. Only thing I can get him to eat is the EVO turkey/chicken dry. He drinks sooooo much water, peeees alot. I give him shots of B-12 and I noticed the next day he is walking better. I will be talking to the vet tomorrow. Its been too frigid cold to take him out. He is overweight. Not skinny. Once he got the steroid shots from his chemo treatments the boy blew up within two weeks. I do not know what to do. Should I try the Fancy Feast? I think I saw on the list that the turkey was the lowest, and I have always fed my kits poultry, as the beef always seems to be too rich. I am so upset, he is my best little friend, and I feel I am losing him. That purina DM has more carbs in it than the EVO. Should I get some Fancy Feast or keep the Instinctive Choice and put the dry EVO kibbles in there to transition? I don't know. How could I have gotten him through mast cell tumor cancer only to have this happen! I don't want to lose my baby, I keep thinking this will be his last Christmas with me and I love him so very much.

He can't take pork, so that may be why he got so extremely sick for over a week, and prob. would still be had I not taken it up.

Any suggestions, please let me know, I am staying out of the hospital as I am afraid to leave my boy. Thank you all, will check in the morning. Gonna cry myself to sleep.
 
Also, I have the huge bag of Young Again, I contacted the company to send it back, however if someone would like to buy it cheaper than buying it new (I think only 2-3 cups taken out of there-that was enough to make them so sick) but for those of you that it works, if you are willing to pay shipping and 3/4 of the large bag cost, I'd rather help you all out as you have us. XOXO let me know ok?
 
for what its worth-1 of mine likes to "bury" his food before and/or after he eats it....also many cats like to graze, mine eat a few bites and nibble throughout the day. There is a pretty good list of wet food under 10% carb-
 
Should I get some Fancy Feast or keep the Instinctive Choice and put the dry EVO kibbles in there to transition?

The most important thing is that he'll eat....All the Fancy Feast Classics are low carb enough for our kitties.....it's not necessarily any better to have the lowest carb percentage....as long as it's below 10%, that's what's important unless your cat is really carb sensitive. A lot of us feed Friskies pates too, so just find foods that your kitty likes and don't cause him any problems!

The steroids he had to have during the cancer treatment were probably very important at the time....yes, they can cause diabetes, but with the help of the wonderful people here, you'll be able to help your extra sweet kitty live as long as possible!

Diabetes isn't a death sentence.....unfortunately, too often, cancer is
 
Peyton died on Friday, January 13th, with my arms wrapped around him, his vet was so gentle.

Over the night, the neuropathy got worse and his back end was completely not working and he was trying to use his little front legs to pull himself around. He could not make it to the box, he ended up just urinating where he lay. That was just too much pain for him, if I tried to touch his back leg, he yowled in pain. We knew it was time. I am so upset, I cannot live without him. So depressed all i am doing is sleeping as much as I can. As I am rather new here, can someone tell me where to find the info. on how the neuropathy from diabetes causes this, perhaps it may make me feel a bit better if I understand. I am SICK. I lost my best friend, the cat who knew when it was 8 pm as he would go to the edge of the bedroom door, sit down and yowl until I came and then he spent the night on my lap. Now that lap is cold and I wish I could be with him as he made me so happy.

If I posted this is the wrong place, please excuse me, I do not know if I am coming or going. All I know is that I feel like I am dead inside right now too. Thank you dear friends
 
Oh Terri, I am so very sorry. Your love for sweet Peyton showed through in your posts, and you proved that love by giving him the last, most loving, unselfish gift you could. I hope that you will find peace. Fly Free Sweet Peyton, Land Softly:rb_icon:
 
I'm so sorry. That was incredibly selfless to let him go peacefully. I know all too well the pain of losing a fur baby.
 
I knew that eventually I will lose my cats due to age, illness, etc, but had NO idea how much this would effect me. I have just been sitting my my room with the door closed, crying nonstop, sick to my stomach. I do have 3 other cats, but Peyton was a very unique cat, very smart. I could not believe when I got the letter that he was clear of cancer, then the diabetes comes. Are they connected? Is there someone out there I can speak to so I can help to understand WHY this happened. Why does the neuropathy come along with the diabetes? How does it cause the paralysis? My head is spinning, I feel like I am never going to get over this never never never!!!!!! I loved him like a son, I have no human kids so he is my smart human kid. He even slightly head bumped me when he was on the vets table, but I could tell he did not feel good.

Has anyone used or know of a pet loss grief place? I have tried 2, and one called me back, and he only had a few minutes to speak, nice guy but all he told me to do is go see my doctor. MY doctor won't give a rat's behind about losing my pet. I need the PET grief ones. I am alone, family gone, and I just cannot take this any longer.

xOXOXO to you all
 
I also feel so guilty. Like I did not do enough for him. He did not like moist food; would give him the runs. I have the biggest bag of YA food sitting here that I have to send back to them soon for a refund. Its the biggest sized bag, and there was only about a cup of it taken out. I think it was $136 Don't know how much the shipping will be, as it is a huge bag, but if any of you are interested in it, please let us know. Its been sealed up the whole time. Peyton ate it but the next day it gave him the worst diarrhea ever and had to take him to get fluids. Then I found out it had pork in it and he never did well on pork. Let me know if anyone is interested ok? from Peyton and Terri
 
if I tried to touch his back leg, he yowled in pain

So sorry to hear it was Peyton's time to leave you Terri :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

No matter how long we have them, it's never long enough

It sounds like it's possible that he threw a blood clot and if that's what happened, there was really nothing you could do to prevent or change it. We've had a few kitties here that have passed from saddle thrombosis ....there's usually no warning signs either (and being cats, they're really good at hiding any signs of sickness anyway)

There are some Pet Grief support groups you could join....maybe that will help you through the pain you're feeling right now
Fly free sweet Peyton and land softly....there are many at the Bridge to welcome you until the one you love most comes to be with you forever cat_wings>o
 
I am so upset I totally forgot I put this info on here already. I just posted a thread for my beloved Patie in another area. Please excuse. I have been a zombie, not gone outside, not eating, sitting in my chair that Peyton and I would sit and sleep in together, now staring at the container that contains his ashes on the shelf directly across from me. How do you even get over this.....
 
Hi Sharon, thanks for the reply, beauty kitty you have! I spoke with the Young Again person and she blamed me completely saying that all my cats are sick (I have 4) because I gave them some kibbles to try (from the sample bag) before I bought the huge bag that I just had opened yet. I felt like I was/am killing my cat. Just spoke with my vet and she said take them down to the EVO, as they have been on that before, and it has even been improved since I had an overweight issue with them all a few years back. The carb content of the Chicken/Turkey EVO dry is 8.4%, then I am to bring him in next week for a full blood workup/levels, etc.

Is the beginning of kitty diabetes this hard? Or am I totally losing my mind... I love my kits so much, I get them anything they need, but I feel like I am failing horribly here. :'( thank you again
So sorry to hear this, Terri. I just joined this forum, hence my late response. You sound like a wonderful mom -- don't blame yourself. How are your babies doing now?
 
Thank you all for your feedback. I was about to order YA, but am glad I saw the caution about the ingredients being changed with the result several folk seem to be having trouble with diarrhea. Also the attitude of the customer service person does not sound helpful. I did not order -- for now anyway.
 
Thank you all for your feedback. I was about to order YA, but am glad I saw the caution about the ingredients being changed with the result several folk seem to be having trouble with diarrhea. Also the attitude of the customer service person does not sound helpful. I did not order -- for now anyway.
Only one of my 7 can't eat it, and one doesn't like dry. I also put out evo.
 
:'( My precious baby Peyton with the big round eyes pictured at left, had to be sent to the Bridge on Jan. 13th, 2017. I am miserable without him. I cry daily for him. He was my best friend who slept on my lap every night, now I can't sleep at all. I have 3 other boys, that I do love alot, but they are their own selves, sometimes so aloof, just being cats. My Peyton was a loving person who literally took my hands each night in his paws and we slept that way. I don't know if this grief is ever going to get better, its been a couple months and I don't feel any better. This boy went through so much, the chemo, then the diabetes. The vet said he "threw a clot" whatever that means. Can someone let me know what that means if you know? I do know my boy on his last day was in terrible pain that I could not control, and the vet promised me she would tell me when it was time. She did. I want him back, only healthy. That won't happen. I am so depressed, I can't eat, don't want to go out and do anything etc. since I lost my best friend. I have medical issues to the point that I had home health care come to the house and they did an EKG. It showed sometime in the past 3 months I had a moderate heart attack. Obviously not super bad or I'd be dead and hopefully with my Peyton in Heaven, but I told the doctor it is a heart attack from a broken heart of losing him.
 
:'( My precious baby Peyton with the big round eyes pictured at left, had to be sent to the Bridge on Jan. 13th, 2017. I am miserable without him. I cry daily for him. He was my best friend who slept on my lap every night, now I can't sleep at all. I have 3 other boys, that I do love alot, but they are their own selves, sometimes so aloof, just being cats. My Peyton was a loving person who literally took my hands each night in his paws and we slept that way. I don't know if this grief is ever going to get better, its been a couple months and I don't feel any better. This boy went through so much, the chemo, then the diabetes. The vet said he "threw a clot" whatever that means. Can someone let me know what that means if you know? I do know my boy on his last day was in terrible pain that I could not control, and the vet promised me she would tell me when it was time. She did. I want him back, only healthy. That won't happen. I am so depressed, I can't eat, don't want to go out and do anything etc. since I lost my best friend. I have medical issues to the point that I had home health care come to the house and they did an EKG. It showed sometime in the past 3 months I had a moderate heart attack. Obviously not super bad or I'd be dead and hopefully with my Peyton in Heaven, but I told the doctor it is a heart attack from a broken heart of losing him.

Oh Terri Drennen, I am so so so so sorry to hear about your baby Peyton and about how much pain you're in. My heart goes out to you, crying as I read you, as I -- and so many others on this board I'm sure -- completely understand and empathize with your heartache as this is so much a part of our lives. Nothing we can say can quite make the pain go away. I found it helped a teeny weeny bit when my Socks died (my baby that I brought to the US all the way from India) to try and focus on how lucky she and I had been, both of us, to be able to share our lives for so many years, and love and enjoy each other unconditionally for so long. What a rare treasure that is, that darling Peyton and you got to be with each other at the same moment of space and time :)! It also helps to know you gave him the best possible life you could, that you were the best mommie he could ever have -- I know you were, your grief is testament to that. What a lucky baby he was to win you in the mommie lottery, you who tried to make his life the happiest you possibly could. I wish I could meet you just to hear stories about Peyton and smile at his sweetness and silliness and to give you many hugs. Are you anywhere near Burbank? Sending so much love to you. I'll check in again later. Please do take care of yourself, dear Terri, both for yourself and all who love you -- and for another baby out there who may need you to light and love up his life too someday.
 
Only one of my 7 can't eat it, and one doesn't like dry. I also put out evo.
Thank you, JanetNJ. You are a rich woman indeed, with 7 little ones! I'm being extra careful as the reason my Angel came out of remission was his very delicate stomach/IBD issues for which he had to go on steroids which brought the diabetes back. Still. Might consider buying one of these days.
 
I wish I were near you, but I am in very far NE Illinois, right on Lake Michigan. I would do anything, ANYthing, to bring him back to me. I feel like: did I do this right? or wrong? I was having problems with the at home testing, so the vet was down the street, and she did it for me. I can't bend down, as I have had 54 surgeries and at the moment am one of the patients that have the abdominal mesh disasters. My belly is huge & I can barely breathe. Makes me mad I was in the hospital for so long last year and missed that time with my boy, perhaps I could have noticed this earlier, done something sooner. Now I am just crying and depressed without my little boy. He was my kid, I do not have human kids, a blessing as my chronic health issues would not let me take care of them anyway. Peyton had, as you can see, the biggest round eyes, and a "dished" little nose. Never saw one like that before. I know that he had medical issues from the onset, he would always get the feline 'colds' all the time, the vet said not sure if it was the feline herpes or not. Then he got the mast cell tumor cancer, and I spent all I had to get him thru chemo, and I learned so much about feline nutrition, holistic stuff, etc. He came thru it great, I thought we were in for a long life together yet. Then the damn diabetes got him, prob. from all the steroids as a part of the cancer treatment. I am just sick about this, can't stop crying over him. I never will ever. Right now I just hate waking up every day and realizing he is not here with me.
 
Thank you, JanetNJ. You are a rich woman indeed, with 7 little ones! I'm being extra careful as the reason my Angel came out of remission was his very delicate stomach/IBD issues for which he had to go on steroids which brought the diabetes back. Still. Might consider buying one of these days.
7 inside and a TNR'ed colony of about 6-10 any given day outside. Lots of kitties around here.
 
I wish I were near you, but I am in very far NE Illinois, right on Lake Michigan. I would do anything, ANYthing, to bring him back to me. I feel like: did I do this right? or wrong? I was having problems with the at home testing, so the vet was down the street, and she did it for me. I can't bend down, as I have had 54 surgeries and at the moment am one of the patients that have the abdominal mesh disasters. My belly is huge & I can barely breathe. Makes me mad I was in the hospital for so long last year and missed that time with my boy, perhaps I could have noticed this earlier, done something sooner. Now I am just crying and depressed without my little boy. He was my kid, I do not have human kids, a blessing as my chronic health issues would not let me take care of them anyway. Peyton had, as you can see, the biggest round eyes, and a "dished" little nose. Never saw one like that before. I know that he had medical issues from the onset, he would always get the feline 'colds' all the time, the vet said not sure if it was the feline herpes or not. Then he got the mast cell tumor cancer, and I spent all I had to get him thru chemo, and I learned so much about feline nutrition, holistic stuff, etc. He came thru it great, I thought we were in for a long life together yet. Then the damn diabetes got him, prob. from all the steroids as a part of the cancer treatment. I am just sick about this, can't stop crying over him. I never will ever. Right now I just hate waking up every day and realizing he is not here with me.

Many hugs, Terri. I'm so very sorry. Don't feel guilty, we all do what we can within the physical, financial, work etc. limitations that we have. You did all you could, and were the best mommie he could ever have. So many hugs.
 
see I think it is those steroids that cause this, because Patie did not have this problem until the steroids were given. If only I had known

That's almost certainly true, Terri. Steroids often cause or bring back diabetes, as happened with my Angel (the diabetes came back). The vet had warned me this would happen, but we really did not have a choice as the steroids were the only way we could save his life -- the other vet had basically said he was dying and pretty much written Angel off. I'm guessing this might have been true of your situation too -- your baby had a lot of other health issues, at which point your choices are very very narrow. Don't beat yourself up over this. You did the best in the circumstances. Things might have been as bad or worse without the steroids.
 
That's almost certainly true, Terri. Steroids often cause or bring back diabetes, as happened with my Angel (the diabetes came back). The vet had warned me this would happen, but we really did not have a choice as the steroids were the only way we could save his life -- the other vet had basically said he was dying and pretty much written Angel off. I'm guessing this might have been true of your situation too -- your baby had a lot of other health issues, at which point your choices are very very narrow. Don't beat yourself up over this. You did the best in the circumstances. Things might have been as bad or worse without the steroids.
Phoebe had IBD for awhile. Only after putting her on steroids for pancreatitis did she develop FD. She was on them for 8 days. Now 3 months later still trying to get it under control. I just got my sample of YA. Will use as treats for shots. Love and healing light to all your furbabies.
 
Phoebe had IBD for awhile. Only after putting her on steroids for pancreatitis did she develop FD. She was on them for 8 days. Now 3 months later still trying to get it under control. I just got my sample of YA. Will use as treats for shots. Love and healing light to all your furbabies.
Wish Phoebe and you the same :bighug:. Thank you.
 
Oh Terri Drennen, I am so so so so sorry to hear about your baby Peyton and about how much pain you're in. My heart goes out to you, crying as I read you, as I -- and so many others on this board I'm sure -- completely understand and empathize with your heartache as this is so much a part of our lives. Nothing we can say can quite make the pain go away. I found it helped a teeny weeny bit when my Socks died (my baby that I brought to the US all the way from India) to try and focus on how lucky she and I had been, both of us, to be able to share our lives for so many years, and love and enjoy each other unconditionally for so long. What a rare treasure that is, that darling Peyton and you got to be with each other at the same moment of space and time :)! It also helps to know you gave him the best possible life you could, that you were the best mommie he could ever have -- I know you were, your grief is testament to that. What a lucky baby he was to win you in the mommie lottery, you who tried to make his life the happiest you possibly could. I wish I could meet you just to hear stories about Peyton and smile at his sweetness and silliness and to give you many hugs. Are you anywhere near Burbank? Sending so much love to you. I'll check in again later. Please do take care of yourself, dear Terri, both for yourself and all who love you -- and for another baby out there who may need you to light and love up his life too someday.

How are you doing, Terri Drennen. Was thinking about you and hoping you're doing a tiny bit better. Sending many hugs. Your baby Peyton :bighug::bighug: is watching over you at this very moment :rb_icon:.
 
I'm so so sorry to read about your kitty and all you've gone through. Sending you my wishes for peace and healing. I think we've all gone through something like this and it is never easy. I lost my previous kitty of 18 years a couple years back and the pain was very real and I was so very heartbroken. There's a special bond that forms when we have been care takers of kitties with chronic illnesses that makes it so very hard afterward. My previous cat had intestinal lymphoma and was on pred. She didn't develop diabetes but I was warned that it was possible. No one knows a head of time which ones will and which ones won't. We make the best decisions we can at the time and with the information we have. I never thought I would heal from her passing but I did, and time takes care of the intense pain we feel in the beginning. I participated in the Pet Loss grief forum and it was very helpful to me. It is a good forum with very nice people.
 
My cat has been diabetic for nearly a year and through this website and forum, I have learned SO much about diet, insulin, testing and the like. I cannot believe what an amazing resource this is.

Long story short...I have switched him to a nearly all wet food diet consisting of Fancy Feast Classic (Chicken/Turkey varieties only) and Rad Cat raw food. The thing is he is still obsessed with wanting dry food. I have two other cats, who can jump up high, (my diabetic cat has never regained enough strength in his back legs to try to jump on things now), so I keep some dry food on top of the dog's crate for my one cat that tolerates dry food. The thing is, my diabetic cat can smell it and will just sit in the office begging for some. I bought what I thought was a good dry to give him a few kibbles as a treat. Thing is, it is high in carbs and when I test his BG levels, I can literally see the spike from this dry food.

Tonight, I came across Young Again Zero Carb dry cat food and it is very expensive. I have no problem buying this if it can satisfy my cat and keep his blood sugar down, but before I do, I was hopefully for any opinions on this food.

Thank you!
I have been using it for a few months. My cats levels have went from the 300s to 60s. Its great stuff however he was a 16 lb cat and is limited to 1/3 cup a day. He is always hungry and has diarreha (a problem with this food if he eats to much) its an on going problem.
, the young again people keep telling me to reduce the food...he is now 14 lbs, but still has the loose bowels and acts like hes starving all the time..so if ya dont mind stinky, runny stools it works. I am considering trying something else
 
I have been using it for a few months. My cats levels have went from the 300s to 60s. Its great stuff however he was a 16 lb cat and is limited to 1/3 cup a day. He is always hungry and has diarreha (a problem with this food if he eats to much) its an on going problem.
, the young again people keep telling me to reduce the food...he is now 14 lbs, but still has the loose bowels and acts like hes starving all the time..so if ya dont mind stinky, runny stools it works. I am considering trying something else
I’d add some ff to the diet as well.
 
My cat has been diabetic for nearly a year and through this website and forum, I have learned SO much about diet, insulin, testing and the like. I cannot believe what an amazing resource this is.

Long story short...I have switched him to a nearly all wet food diet consisting of Fancy Feast Classic (Chicken/Turkey varieties only) and Rad Cat raw food. The thing is he is still obsessed with wanting dry food. I have two other cats, who can jump up high, (my diabetic cat has never regained enough strength in his back legs to try to jump on things now), so I keep some dry food on top of the dog's crate for my one cat that tolerates dry food. The thing is, my diabetic cat can smell it and will just sit in the office begging for some. I bought what I thought was a good dry to give him a few kibbles as a treat. Thing is, it is high in carbs and when I test his BG levels, I can literally see the spike from this dry food.

Tonight, I came across Young Again Zero Carb dry cat food and it is very expensive. I have no problem buying this if it can satisfy my cat and keep his blood sugar down, but before I do, I was hopefully for any opinions on this food.

Thank you!
I just received some young again Zero, for my new diagnosed cat. Maybe good if he would eat it! He was on dry food (Iams) all his life until this diagnosis, but easily transitioned to the l0w-carb canned food. We'll see what happens when we're on vacation and the cat-sitter cannot be here to keep up our canned feeding schedule. (long story ... sometimes dry seems like the best of not great options)
 
Why the fancy feast?

I'm not sure why Janet suggested you adding FF other than the fact that the Fancy Feast Classics canned food is low carb and what a lot of us feed our diabetic cats because it's affordable and most cats love it!!

With diabetic cats, you want to get as much water into them as possible and canned food is much higher in water than any dry food is. Kidneys are the weakest organs in ANY cat....more so with diabetics, so the more water you can get into them, the better.

YA is a low carb dry, but there are good reasons not to use it either. Here's a good thread on "Dry Food...Please consider more than just carb content" written by the vet that posts here occasionally

I thought about putting some of the dry Hills prescript. M/D he was on before YA mixed in bcause it had a higher fiber content and thought that might help.

Dry M/D is high carb so you don't want to do that. (it's also still dry)...I've seen several cats who had horrible diarrhea from the Young Again....it's very rich and some cats just can't tolerate it.

Is there a reason you are feeding the dry? If you can get your cat onto low carb canned, it's better all around.
 
I starting using the YA zero mature because he has always eaten dry food and it has caused him to go into remission. He had just been diagnosed in june with diabetes...and i found YA online a few months ago, after having him on the Hills prescript. With no success. He has never had to use insulin. What wet food would do that? as far as the richness of YA, he has always had a steel gut, in fact last year we had to have the vet give him an enema...he has gained back aafew pounds from when he started dropping pre-diagnosed wt. He is happy and more playful...he just has that darn soft stool. YA claims cats should have only 1 bm a day or every other day, he goes 2xs a day...poor Frank!
 
I suggested the first because it may be more filling and add necessary water to the diet. I do fancy feast twice a day (she eats about 1-1.5 ounces each time) with added water and then free feed ya
 
I feed my cat FF and free feeding YA mature, she liked it but not too much like other dry food , but as she asking always for dry food YA is an excellent choice. I just hate how small the kibble is. They should make it little bigger so the cat can chew it.
 
I feed my cat FF and free feeding YA mature, she liked it but not too much like other dry food , but as she asking always for dry food YA is an excellent choice. I just hate how small the kibble is. They should make it little bigger so the cat can chew it.
I like the small kibble... my cat with missing back teeth can eat it. I figure when it's big kibble and they bite it it probably breaks down to about the size of these kibble.
 
I like the small kibble... my cat with missing back teeth can eat it. I figure when it's big kibble and they bite it it probably breaks down to about the size of these kibble.
So is it ok to swallow the kibble without break it:cat:, she is trying to chew and when she gave up she just swallow it:D
 
A few questions. My kitties have been asking for their kibble ever since I took them off. I used to feed NVI 25% carb grain free. Then after Oreo became diabetic I took them off all dry and used only FF Classic. So I gave in and ordered YA because of it's claims of 0 carbs. Have I been fooled? The guaranteed analysis says 54% crude protein, 25% crude fat and 1.5% crude fiber and on and on. It never lists carbs. Shouldn't it? Even if the content is 0 shouldn't it say that? A few of the ingredients worry me too. Brewers yeast flavoring and Brewers yeast. What are your thoughts about guar gum?
 
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