Nutrition for Diabetic Cats
All
cats need a nutritious diet to thrive. For diabetic cats, the
diet that you feed them is even more important.
You should work closely with your vet to develop a proper diet and feeding schedule for your cat. If you have free fed your cat in the past, you might want to develop a schedule so that you can make sure that your cat eats the right amount of food at the right time. Be careful if you decide to change the cat's food. Make any changes gradual. If the cat doesn't like the new food and eats less, the consequences can be dire.
That doesn't mean that you should give up if your cat dislikes the new, healthier food. Many cats will adjust to food changes as long as the change is gradual enough. Be sure that the cat is eating enough food during this period. Don't think that the cat will eat if she is hungry enough.
For all cats, but especially diabetic ones, you want to feed wet food. Since a cat is an obligate carnivore, she needs meat, not grains to survive. In the wild, the cat's diet would be around 2-5% carbohydrates. Looking at commercial dry food, the percentage of carbohydrates is around 25%.
With a low carbohydrate diet it is possible to reduce the insulin needs of your cat. In some cases the diabetes even goes into remission. You will need to monitor your cat's blood glucose level throughout this process and work closely with your vet. You can use a glucometer on your cat, just as you would for a human diabetic.
Just because a food is canned, does not mean that it is nutritious. There are other factors to consider. One of the most important ones is the source of the meat. Cheaper canned foods will rely on meat byproducts instead of muscle meat. The ideal food contains no meat byproducts. If there are byproducts in the food, it should not be listed as the primary ingredient.
Another thing to look for in choosing food for your diabetic cat is the amount of grains in the canned food. Although wet food traditionally has less grains than canned food, some food still contains grains that are not good for cats. You can choose grain free food. If you do choose a food that contains grains, make sure that it is wheat, soy, and corn free.