Our cat is diabetic. This is a fairly recent diagnosis. In this article I talk about what the best diet has been for our diabetic cat.
This diet was set in consultation with our veterinarian. Your veterinarian will always be the first place to go, concerning a diet for your diabetic cat. You will probably encounter similar issues that we have had and an expert opinion is what is needed.
If your cat has just been diagnosed with diabetes you probably have lots of questions to ask. There are some good resources which are listed at the bottom of this post.
This is the feeding regime that is working well with our cat and that we stick to 100% of the time.
This strict feeding regime has meant being more organized around dinner time, to ensure that there is always someone at home who knows how to give the cat his insulin injection.
Our Diabetic Cat
Our cat has had no problems health wise his entire life. The only trip to the vet was for yearly injections, the odd isolated complaint and to buy supplies. Now that he is a senior we are seeing more age related issues pop up.
Tom, (I know, not a very original name) was diagnosed with diabetes over 14 months ago.
As he is diabetic, he needs twice daily insulin injections.
That’s fine if the thought of giving an injection is okay with you, but it really was not fine with me. Anyway, I did eventually have to man up and get used to giving the injections. If you are like me, just know that it soon becomes routine.
Amazing how we can overcome these phobias when we have to.
Just as I have overcome my phobia of giving the cat an injection, the cat now associates the injection with getting fed.
He succumbs meekly to the advancing needle knowing that there is a big reward coming. In fact he doesn’t so much as flinch when having the injection.
I don’t know about old dogs learning new tricks but the cat and I have certainly adapted.
He has the insulin injections before breakfast and before dinner. He is fairly large cat, lengthwise not necessarily girth. He came from a local shelter.
He wasn’t overweight, which is often a factor in diabetes in cats, although he always did put a few extra pounds in winter (don’t we all). He is pretty svelte now.
Is your cat a senior? Often senior cats can have bad teeth. You may be surprised to know that older cats can still manage to eat, even with bad teeth.
What Does Our Diabetic Cat Eat?
This is what our diabetic cat eats on a daily basis, in consultation with our vet.
AM
Insulin injection followed by:
- One 3oz can of Fancy Feast or the equivalent in raw chicken or beef or fish.
- He also has a small handful of biscuits. That’s it nothing more till the evening.
PM
Insulin injection followed by:
- One 3oz can of Fancy Feast or the equivalent in raw chicken or beef or fish.
- He also has a small handful of biscuits. See cautionary note below.
This is working well because his diabetes is stable and apart from aging and some dementia he looks as though he will go on forever.
Periodically he does return to the vet and stays for the day to have his levels monitored.
Sometimes cats can have the insulin reduced. This hasn’t happened to us yet but maybe it will in the future.
The Fancy Feast isn’t something that we started feeding him because of the diabetes. He had always had Fancy Feast as part of his diet.
By the way, I do prefer buying Fancy Feast by the box as we go through so many small cans.
I stack the boxes and know that I don’t need to think about restocking again for a while.
He always had Fancy Feast plus raw meat, fresh fish occasionally and dry food purchased from the vet. He had been dining in style.
Research
Research does indicate that that the right diet can help to improve a cat’s response to treatment.
Some cats go into remission, alas our cat did not.
Food that is high in protein and low in starch will help to maintain muscle mass and control blood glucose levels after eating.
Not Too Many Biscuits
To be perfectly honest, before he was diagnosed we probably gave him too many biscuits.
In the past, he always had a bowl of biscuits at his disposal so that if he got peckish during the day there was always a little snack.
That no longer happens and is not advisable.
As too many carbohydrates are not recommended for a diabetic cat, we do VERY strictly limit the number of biscuits he has now.
He only has about 10 very small biscuits but he enjoys them and we can keep his levels okay even with this added carbohydrate.
He isn’t very happy about that as he would like more and who can blame him but it is a routine we have to stick to for his health.
As cats are obligate carnivores, protein should always form the major part of their diet.
Update
We are almost 12 months into this regime now and it must be working well, as health wise he is fine, apart from getting older.
He will be 17 at the end of the year – actual birth date unknown, so age has always been an estimate (that’s an idea I could run with).
Giving the injections before meals is now a well entrenched habit and it has not been a problem.
We leave this note on the kitchen bench to indicate that the cat has been fed for those times when whoever has fed the cat, has then gone out.
It eliminated text messages and it’s plain and simple to know what has happened.
Wet Food Suitable For Diabetic Cats
- (24) 3 Cans Purina Fancy Feast Gravy Wet Cat Food Variety Pack, Seafood Grilled Collection
- Tender cuts of fish and seafood for a taste cats love. Moisture content maximum is 80%
- 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats
- Delicate gravies for added flavor
- Essential vitamins and minerals to support her overall health
Dry Food Suitable For Diabetic Cats
- (1) 10 pounds bag - Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets DM Dietetic Management Cat Food
- High protein and low carbohydrate to help support the unique nutritional needs of diabetic cats
- St/Ox Defense: This diet promotes a urinary environment unfavorable to the development of both struvite and calcium oxalate crystals
- Antioxidant-rich nutrition
- Available in dry and canned (loaf and Savory Selects) to meet your cats prefere
This food is formulated as high protein, low carbohydrate to assist with weight management as weight is often a contributing factor to diabetes in cats.
This is not a cheap product however if your cat has diabetes and you are paying for insulin injections, it is part and parcel of caring for the cat.
The dry food is often supplemented with canned food.
This product is often recommended by vets, however check with your own vet for quantities.
Medical Alert ID Tag For Cat
- Strong and durable double sided pet ID tags. This product comes with up to 4 lines of personalized text on the back with a max of 20 characters on each line (name and phone number works the best, but we can also accommodate addresses and medical information). Each pet tag also comes with a brushed nickel split ring to attach your tag to your pet’s collar. Please follow the instructions below to place your order
- CLICK CUSTOMIZE NOW to choose the color of your pet tag and font
- Choose Size: Large (1.25 diameter) or Small (1 diameter) - small is for small dogs/cats)
- Enter 4 lines of text on the back of the tag
- Need multiple tags? We have 100s of designs to choose f
The tag gives peace of mind. Others can see at a glance that your cat has a medical condition.
On the back of the tag, there are four lines to put the information that you want, for example name of the pet, contact details, phone number or vet’s phone number. You decide.
Resources – Cats With Diabetes
Feline Diabetes – Cat Health Articles
