Best low carb wet cat food for diabetic cats!

[beffrobinson]

Hello,

I have 3 cats (2yrs, 6yrs & 8yrs), one of which is being tested for diabetes (8yrs) , hes been poorly recently but is on the mend. I feed my cats a little dry food (go cat) in the morning, a little dry food after 4 and one wet pouch each at night (felix).

I've seen studies that show that dry cat food can cause diabetes, and that it is very high in carbohydrates, I'm wanting to switch my cats to wet cat food for all their meals (I know this will be more expensive especially having 3 cats) but I want what's best for them.

I just want to know if anyone has any suggests for low carbohydrate wet cat food, that is healthy, high in protein and suitable for cats with diabetes. My cats are different ages but I am willing to feed them different pouches if my diabetic cat is best going onto senior wet food.

It would be ideal if the wet food was available in uk stores, if not available to buy in bulk from sites such as zooplus.

I'm sorry for the long post and would really appreciate any suggestions you have, as if my cat turns out to be diabetic (which they believe he is due to glucose levels apart from the fact he isnt dropping weight and is a healthy weight) I would want to give him the best diet to not worsen the condition, as well as getting my other cats healthy.

Thanks in advance 

[booktigger]

Depending on his test results, you might find changing their dry food beneficial, Go Cat is very low quality. It is better for males to have more wet food than dry.

[Mollycat]

No experience with diabetes but Butchers tins are grain free, reasonable quality and a fair price. Unfortunately due to the nature of dry it will always have higher than ideal carbs so grain in grain free is usually replaced with potato, still carb.

That said you might want to look deeper because cats metabolise carbs and other nutrients differently than we do, so the best advice for human diabetics might be different to cats. But increasing wet and decreasing dry is probably a healthy shift for them regardless.

[beffrobinson]

No experience with diabetes but Butchers tins are grain free, reasonable quality and a fair price. Unfortunately due to the nature of dry it will always have higher than ideal carbs so grain in grain free is usually replaced with potato, still carb.

That said you might want to look deeper because cats metabolise carbs and other nutrients differently than we do, so the best advice for human diabetics might be different to cats. But increasing wet and decreasing dry is probably a healthy shift for them regardless.

Tha k you for your reply, definetly taking them off dry food after what I've read, going to be very expensive but worth it if it keeps them healthy

[beffrobinson]

Depending on his test results, you might find changing their dry food beneficial, Go Cat is very low quality. It is better for males to have more wet food than dry.

Dry food is going, scared after reading up about it! Thanks for the reply!

[Mollycat]

There are advantages and disadvantages in all foods and I don't think one answer fits all cats. I still put some kibble down even though Molly doesn't usually touch it, just because she can get quite panicky if she runs out of food, so there is always something there if I'm out later for any reason. Sure it's not the best ingredient wise but there are better ones and not so good ones but in the end it's also about what a cat is happy eating. Like many others here I've been through it all in the last 6 years with kidneys, bad tummies, obesity and hyperthyroidism, diet changes and most of all expense and stress, and in the end the best food for them is a compromise between what I want them to eat and what they are prepared to eat.

[Ruth B]

My parents had a diabetic cat who lived to over 16 years, I can't quite remember when she was diagnosed diabetic, but she was certainly on insulin for many years. There is special diabetic cat food available, but a it only seems to come in very limited flavours most cats tend to go off it very quickly. The one thing my parents learnt was that it isn't a matter of looking for low carb food for cats as they don't digest carbs very well anyway, you need to look for high protein levels instead, 14 -16% in a wet cat food, which can often mean looking at kitten food not adult food.

Felix As Good as it Looks Kitten food is about 15% protein and is a good easily available staple.
I have recently added Thrive Complete to my elderly cats menu as she was losing a lot of condition and muscle, some of those are up to 16% protein and actually look like what they claim to be, shredded chicken breast, or the tuna one looks very like what i would have for my self in a sandwich.

There are probably also others when you start reading the ingredients lists, but they are the two I can think of straight off.

Having some dry food available for him to snack on isn't actually a bad thing assuming he isn't the type to eat everything available in one sitting but will graze on it. If he is diabetic he will like start to realise when he needs to eat to maintain his blood sugar levels and a few pieces of dry food would not do any harm, but again, i would suggest going onto a higher quality dry food for him. Also make sure there is plenty of water available for him, if he is diabetic you may have already have noticed him drinking more.

Finally I will come to the hard part. You need to think seriously about going down the insulin option. My parents cat was taken ill suddenly, she slipped into a coma and was rushed to the vets, they weren't sure she would survive the night. The vets quickly ran tests and realised the problem and gave her the insulin, when my parents saw her the next morning it was like a miracle had happened and she was fully back to her normal self, they didn't feel they could condemn her then, however they didn't quite realise what they were getting into. Tufty had to have an insulin injection twice a day at the same time morning and evening, my parents started to arrange their lives around her injections, unlike a dog they couldn't take her with them when they went out. They had perhaps an hours leeway with the timings. If they knew they would be out in an evening they would start to plan a week in advance to slowly put her injections back so they could go out. When they went on holiday they had to make sure the cattery understood the need and were competent to do the injections. Things came to a head one time when my Father was ill and was on palliative care at home. I lived about 80 miles away, but my Sister and I were taking it in turns to visit every other weekend, I happened to be there, and was just about to leave when the nurses came to see him and realised that something had gone wrong and he need to go to hospital. We helped get everything ready for when the ambulance arrived, and them my Mother said she couldn't go with him as she had to stay and give Tufty her insulin, she suddenly felt she had to choose between letting her cat die, or going with her possibly dying husband to hospital. Of course we told her not to be silly we were staying until we knew what was happening and my husband could run her back to give the injection and then bring her back to the hospital while I stayed with Dad. He did come home a couple of days later, but died at home the following week.

You also need to be aware of the costs if he isn't insured. the insulin itself is expensive, then there are the needles and syringes, as well as the blood testing equipment, to start with before each injection they had to prick her ear to get a blood sample to work out how much insulin she needed, the testing machine and test strips added to the cost, and you are advised to use the vet provided ones not the ones available on line for human testing as the calibration is slightly different. If he is insured, is it a cover that will pay through out his lifetime, on insulin they can live for many years, or is it one that will only pay out for a year, and then you have to cover the costs.

One of the first cats I had as an adult was also diagnosed with diabetes, hers came on slowly, we realised something was wrong when we caught her drinking out of a pint of blackcurrant squash. We talked to the vets after the blood tests came back showing a high level of glucose and realised that timing the injections and the food would be very tricky as we both worked (it was quite a long time before my parents cat was diagnosed and the timings for injections and feeding were more strict). My husband was working a slightly odd shift with a late start and could give her the injection before he left, then when I came home she would just be ready for something to eat, but if the bus was late I was risking coming home to a cat in a coma. We decided we could not live with that stress, the vets understood and agreed that we would just treat her enough to keep her comfortable for how ever long she had left and not go down the insulin route. It was estimated she would have about 6 months, she lived for another 9 months with almost no sign of the condition apart from loss of weight and a need to drink, then almost over night she went downhill. It was early January, we had had Christmas, New Year and my birthday together, and it was almost as if she decided 'that's it, I can go now'. Heartbroken as I was to lose her, I have never regretted my decision, and my Mum even admitted that if they had know what they were getting into, and had more time to decide they may have made the same choice for Tufty.

Sorry it's turned into such a long reply, but I wanted to give you as much information as i could so you can make an informed decision about what is best for you and your cat.

[booktigger]

A lot of people do decide not to treat diabetes for that reason Ruth, me and my neighbour have had this discussion and neither of us would (mind you, between the 7 cats we have, only one is amenable, and even that isn't guaranteed). One of her previous cats needed blood pressure meds and if she was half an hour late she was violently sick, so the year she was on those was hard, we had to arrange schedules so one of us could be there to do it. The other thing is that cats don't deal with diabetes well and generally only have 18 months after diagnosis.

[Mollycat]

We need a post like button on this forum, Ruth, excellent post.

The reason I was in such a state about my Molly being as overweight as she got was because of the health conditions she was at increased risk of that we would not be able to treat - diabetes, heart problems and hyperthyroidism. Luckily it was the hyperthyroidism that she had and I learned that there was a one-off treatment option, all be it one that ruined us financially, but if God forbid she should have needed daily meds we would have been saying our goodbyes early. Just hoping we can get on top of her gastro/liver issues because I'd hate to lose her for something so easily treatable, but just because the problem is treatable doesn't mean the cat is.

From the little I've read it seems it may be possible for some diabetic cats to be diet controlled without insulin but that's something to discuss with the vet and not something a forum can really advise on. My guess would be regular blood testing would be essential too.

[Ruth B]

It did end up rather a longer post than intended, but it is a major decision to make and the more informed you are about it the better you can make it.

I have heard of cats going into remission after being diagnosed with diabetes and I do think it is probably due to a change in diet as much as anything else. Even in humans diabetes can be diet controlled if you are very careful about what you eat, and with Type 2 a loss of weigh as well can put you below the diabetic level when it comes to the blood tests. However there is always the risk of it coming back if you slip back into old habits. I see no reason why cats can't be similar.

[beffrobinson]

My parents had a diabetic cat who lived to over 16 years, I can't quite remember when she was diagnosed diabetic, but she was certainly on insulin for many years. There is special diabetic cat food available, but a it only seems to come in very limited flavours most cats tend to go off it very quickly. The one thing my parents learnt was that it isn't a matter of looking for low carb food for cats as they don't digest carbs very well anyway, you need to look for high protein levels instead, 14 -16% in a wet cat food, which can often mean looking at kitten food not adult food.

Felix As Good as it Looks Kitten food is about 15% protein and is a good easily available staple.
I have recently added Thrive Complete to my elderly cats menu as she was losing a lot of condition and muscle, some of those are up to 16% protein and actually look like what they claim to be, shredded chicken breast, or the tuna one looks very like what i would have for my self in a sandwich.

There are probably also others when you start reading the ingredients lists, but they are the two I can think of straight off.

Having some dry food available for him to snack on isn't actually a bad thing assuming he isn't the type to eat everything available in one sitting but will graze on it. If he is diabetic he will like start to realise when he needs to eat to maintain his blood sugar levels and a few pieces of dry food would not do any harm, but again, i would suggest going onto a higher quality dry food for him. Also make sure there is plenty of water available for him, if he is diabetic you may have already have noticed him drinking more.

Finally I will come to the hard part. You need to think seriously about going down the insulin option. My parents cat was taken ill suddenly, she slipped into a coma and was rushed to the vets, they weren't sure she would survive the night. The vets quickly ran tests and realised the problem and gave her the insulin, when my parents saw her the next morning it was like a miracle had happened and she was fully back to her normal self, they didn't feel they could condemn her then, however they didn't quite realise what they were getting into. Tufty had to have an insulin injection twice a day at the same time morning and evening, my parents started to arrange their lives around her injections, unlike a dog they couldn't take her with them when they went out. They had perhaps an hours leeway with the timings. If they knew they would be out in an evening they would start to plan a week in advance to slowly put her injections back so they could go out. When they went on holiday they had to make sure the cattery understood the need and were competent to do the injections. Things came to a head one time when my Father was ill and was on palliative care at home. I lived about 80 miles away, but my Sister and I were taking it in turns to visit every other weekend, I happened to be there, and was just about to leave when the nurses came to see him and realised that something had gone wrong and he need to go to hospital. We helped get everything ready for when the ambulance arrived, and them my Mother said she couldn't go with him as she had to stay and give Tufty her insulin, she suddenly felt she had to choose between letting her cat die, or going with her possibly dying husband to hospital. Of course we told her not to be silly we were staying until we knew what was happening and my husband could run her back to give the injection and then bring her back to the hospital while I stayed with Dad. He did come home a couple of days later, but died at home the following week.

You also need to be aware of the costs if he isn't insured. the insulin itself is expensive, then there are the needles and syringes, as well as the blood testing equipment, to start with before each injection they had to prick her ear to get a blood sample to work out how much insulin she needed, the testing machine and test strips added to the cost, and you are advised to use the vet provided ones not the ones available on line for human testing as the calibration is slightly different. If he is insured, is it a cover that will pay through out his lifetime, on insulin they can live for many years, or is it one that will only pay out for a year, and then you have to cover the costs.

One of the first cats I had as an adult was also diagnosed with diabetes, hers came on slowly, we realised something was wrong when we caught her drinking out of a pint of blackcurrant squash. We talked to the vets after the blood tests came back showing a high level of glucose and realised that timing the injections and the food would be very tricky as we both worked (it was quite a long time before my parents cat was diagnosed and the timings for injections and feeding were more strict). My husband was working a slightly odd shift with a late start and could give her the injection before he left, then when I came home she would just be ready for something to eat, but if the bus was late I was risking coming home to a cat in a coma. We decided we could not live with that stress, the vets understood and agreed that we would just treat her enough to keep her comfortable for how ever long she had left and not go down the insulin route. It was estimated she would have about 6 months, she lived for another 9 months with almost no sign of the condition apart from loss of weight and a need to drink, then almost over night she went downhill. It was early January, we had had Christmas, New Year and my birthday together, and it was almost as if she decided 'that's it, I can go now'. Heartbroken as I was to lose her, I have never regretted my decision, and my Mum even admitted that if they had know what they were getting into, and had more time to decide they may have made the same choice for Tufty.

Sorry it's turned into such a long reply, but I wanted to give you as much information as i could so you can make an informed decision about what is best for you and your cat.

Thank you so much for the reply, it really really means alot! Thanks for taking the time to write it, I appreciate it so much! We had a cat called Rodney who I had since I was 8, he was 13 and died a few weeks ago due to a cancer in his leg, he was diabetic too and was on insulin 2 times a day, i learnt how to inject him (I dont live with my parents but when they went on holiday I would inject him) so I have a lot of people around me who could do the injects if I'm never available, but I work days so will very rarely not be in!

Cat is my cats name a few weeks ago we noticed he was a bit off (really unnoticable to anyone else but as his parents we could tell) we took him the vets, "you can do a test or see how he gets on" they said as they gave him a shot of steroids for his ear hes had a problem with for years (not covered by insurnace as was a pre existing condition) I said to take the blood tests, luckily! Turns out he had an infection in his liver and white blood cells, we took him home with antibiotics, the second day of the injections he completely stopped eating, only a few dreamies a day with his tablets. On the sunday he deteriorated so much, I had to carry him, he didnt eat at all, I placed his water on dvd cases to make it easier for him to drink (as you said about drinking loads of water, he does this and always has since a kitten) he would look at me so peacefully it broke my heart. On the monday I rung the vets, I said I wasnt comfortable giving him the next dose, they said "see how he gets on or you can bring him in" I brought him in, which was the best decision of my life as when we got to the vets he was in such a bad way he wouldnt have made it through that night. He had low potassium, high glucose, anemia and his red blood cells where attacking themselves, I was so scared and the vet was to, they gave him insulin and he was kept on a drip for 5 days, we had him on the mend and now hes back to his normal self with regular check ups! The vet said his levels are still a bit high, but due to him keeping a healthy weight they arnt sure if hes diabetic or just stressed due to coming into the vets. Luckily all of this was covered by my insurnace (around £1000) but yesterday I was completely shocked and worried when I read that actually, as you've said, he is only covered for one year per illness, I had no idea! I baught through compare the market years ago and just didnt think, my mum has a bottle of £50 insulin as Rodney never got to use it, un opened and ready, along with suringes. Cats got an appointment on Monday, in at 8am full day of tests and they are seeing which insulin may suit him if he needs it, I've taken him off dry food completely, and hes onto wet ordered some feringa food as its low in carbs, he honestly seems so much more energetic (they used to be on mainly dry and one pouch of wet a night) I'm hoping and praying he wasnt diabetic, that it was the stress, and that changing his diet will help and for then to say hes not diabetic, it will be such a blessing, I am so worried, but going to do everything I can until then, if he isnt diabetic believe me all the cats insurnaces are going onto lifetime policies, I cant believe I didnt realise! Luckily I did.

Fingers crossed he will be ok, and that he gets the all clear, might need a miracle but due to them being unsure I'm hoping we can be lucky! I'm so sorry about your cat, it's so so sad when we loose them, but knowing we gave them the best life is what keeps us going! Thank you again for your reply, you've really helped, your very kind!

[beffrobinson]

It did end up rather a longer post than intended, but it is a major decision to make and the more informed you are about it the better you can make it.

I have heard of cats going into remission after being diagnosed with diabetes and I do think it is probably due to a change in diet as much as anything else. Even in humans diabetes can be diet controlled if you are very careful about what you eat, and with Type 2 a loss of weigh as well can put you below the diabetic level when it comes to the blood tests. However there is always the risk of it coming back if you slip back into old habits. I see no reason why cats can't be similar.

Very true, fingers crossed with a diet change he might not even be diabetic, and maybe Its all happened to open my eyes to my cats diet and also the level of insurnace cover I have, thank you again!

[beffrobinson]

We need a post like button on this forum, Ruth, excellent post.

The reason I was in such a state about my Molly being as overweight as she got was because of the health conditions she was at increased risk of that we would not be able to treat - diabetes, heart problems and hyperthyroidism. Luckily it was the hyperthyroidism that she had and I learned that there was a one-off treatment option, all be it one that ruined us financially, but if God forbid she should have needed daily meds we would have been saying our goodbyes early. Just hoping we can get on top of her gastro/liver issues because I'd hate to lose her for something so easily treatable, but just because the problem is treatable doesn't mean the cat is.

From the little I've read it seems it may be possible for some diabetic cats to be diet controlled without insulin but that's something to discuss with the vet and not something a forum can really advise on. My guess would be regular blood testing would be essential too.

Thank you! Yes, I'm confused at why my vet didnt suggest changing his diet, and when my mums cat who was diabetic, why they never suggested taking him on a low carb diet (he was only on go cat, really high in carbs) I suppose they maybe dont want to tell us to do things maybe we cant afford? But still, a change in diet must be better than paying for insulin every month, I've baught my first lot of low carb wet food, and fingers crossed he gets the all clear! Thanks again for your reply!

[beffrobinson]

Just to add we have a friend who is a vet who did regular home visits for free for my mums cat who was diabetic, all my family know how to do the injections and if he is diagnosed we have a years worth of insurnace before it is classed as pre existing, I'm lucky to have help around me and couldnt imagine being in a position without it, the hardest thing to do is to make the decision to let our cats go to heaven, but sometimes it's what's best for them, best we can do is give them good lives and we all do that! Fingers crossed hes ok and gets the all clear Thank you all so much, you are really helpful kind people and you have gave me a lot of useful information, will hopefully let you know how he gets on Monday for anyone interested <3

[LindaR]

I don't have any experience with diabetic cats, but it's pretty informative thread. Thanks guys for your input