Looking for help feeding Senior Diabetic Cat

[zoehesed]

My cat has been having some diabetic issues and I have had to increase his insulin levels over the past few weeks to try to get things under control. I would like to get away from feeding him commercial cat food because I think some of the added ingredients are part of his problem. It is also really hard to find quality cat food that doesn’t keep going out of stock when I need it… I have been trying to research a natural diet but I keep seeing things like recipes adding things like peas and sweet potatos…? I don’t think these things will be good for my diabetic cat so… are they necessary??

Can I get away with JUST feeding him a meal of beef/chicken? I’d like to try to keep things as simple as possible

[barngirl77]

I recommend a high protein, low carbohydrate canned diet for diabetic cats. A lot of OTC pate canned foods such as Fancy Feast and Friskies are appropriate. I do not recommend feeding just beef or chicken because it will be unbalanced diet and will cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

[Gainer]

I agree with barngirl. Having had a couple of diabetic cats, the best food I found was Science Diet W/D. Both really liked the dry food, so they were fed that and a can of Fancy Feast each day. Both lived to see old age. One did so well that we were able to discontinue her insulin after awhile.

I believe Royal Canin also makes a good one.

Feeding just chicken won’t be good. Cats need a lot more than protein to do well.

[zoehesed]

I appreciate the suggestions. My cat has not been eating the commercial foods very well and he’s being picky. I have had a hard time finding something he will eat readily AND I can keep getting it. It seems the stores stop carrying things when I find something he likes

Most home-made recipes I am finding online say to add veggies and starches but I am wary of this because of his diabetes. He has been happy eating the cooked meat I have been giving him this week while I am trying to figure out what to continue feeding him so I was thinking of going the home-made route for him. If I can make his food myself, I won’t have to worry about things going out of stock. I was hoping to hear about some of the home-made cat foods.

[avjudge]

When I made my own raw cat food I didn’t add veggies or starch (except some psyllium, which was listed as optional in the recipe) but I did grind Cornish game hens, bones and all. (I did remove the skin because of fat levels in commercially-raised food animals vs. a natural diet.) I got a heavy-duty meat grinder for the use. It’s important to have the calcium, though I believe the same source for my recipe had an alternate recipe that used eggshells and gelatin and maybe other ingredients to substitute for the bone. You also need to add at a minimum taurine and I think organ meat (my recipe had liver), and there may be other requirements. I know I added other vitamins & supplements though it’s been long enough that I don’t remember all the details.

Straight meat will not provide a complete diet.

[Gesaffelstein]

Have you checked out Stella & Chewy I use the frozen and freeze dried. Not sure if it exactly best for diabetics but it is all meat no fillers. No carbs.

[Go_Fish]

I feed Tiki Cat canned food to all my cats, but my diabetic cat did very well on it and lived a lot longer than expected. All their food is protein sourced and some recipes have no carbs at all. Stay away food made from fish, particularly tuna. Tiki Cat is not cheap, but my cats have never been healthier and I don’t have to prepare food from a source that mimics a cat’s natural diet.

[rubygirl1968]

https://catinfo.org/

When I fed raw, I used her recipe. I used chicken thighs, tried turkey but they wouldn’t eat it.

I believe it calls for vit b, vit e, taurine is a must, and vit a if you don’t use liver.

[avjudge]

@rubygirl1968

https://catinfo.org/

When I fed raw, I used her recipe. . .

I’m pretty sure this is the one I used, too.

(I used Cornish game hen because its smaller bones went through my grinder most easily. A local supermarket always carried it for not that much more than chicken.)

I did stop making food after a few years, and I’m feeding my current cats (2 young healthy ones, one FIV+ of unknown age) Fancy Feast pates at supper and Tiki Cat chicken for breakfast.

[rubygirl1968]

I quit doing it too. I got really paranoid of salmonella and other stuff and when one of mine had ibd and was vomiting regularly, got tired of the mess.

I did see that vet is now parcooking the chicken thighs. For now I’ll just stick with the canned food. Two are hyperthyroid, one has cancer.

It always amazed me how little smell their poop had when on it.

@avjudge

did stop making food after a few years, and I’m feeding my current cats (2 young healthy ones, one FIV+ of unknown age) Fancy Feast pates at supper and Tiki Cat chicken for breakfast.