Food Treatments for Feline Diabetes

Diabetes can be a serious, and if your cat has been diagnosed with this illness you might be very worried about his future. Diabetes is incurable and will require management for the rest of your cat's life. If you leave it untreated, your cat will become very sick and eventually die. However, you can take steps to help your cat regain his health, and diet is an important factor.

  1. Meat

    • Many processed cat foods can contain high levels of carbohydrates, cereals, vegetables and fruit. A high-carbohydrate diet can be the cause of diabetes in the first place, so including these ingredients in your cat's food might aggravate its diabetes symptoms. Meat is a natural staple in a cat's diet and you can find it in wet cat food or, ideally, feed it to the cat raw or lightly cooked. That way, the cat will be able to get the full nutritional benefits of this food.

    Wet Food

    • Veterinarian Lisa A. Pierson warns owners against feeding their diabetic cats a diet of dry food as it contains high levels of carbohydrates. She says that once the level of carbohydrate in a cat's diet has been decreased, its need for insulin in turn decreases or even disappears altogether. Even dry food that claims to be suitable for diabetic cats still contains more carbohydrate than wet food that comes in cans or pouches, as it also contains very little water content.

    Fiber

    • Increasing the amount of fiber in your cat's diet might help regulate its blood sugar levels. According to cat information website Pawprints and Purrs, fiber slows down digestion and can help prevent blood sugar from peaking rapidly after meals. If the cat's diabetes is the result of obesity, fiber can also be useful in managing weight for the same reason. As it takes longer to digest than other foods, your cat will stay full longer.

    Portion Control

    • Owners of diabetic cats have to play a balancing act between feeding their cats regularly to regulate their blood sugar but not overfeeding them so that they become obese. This can be particularly challenging if your cat needs to lose weight in order to reduce its need for insulin. Pierson points out that diets that are high in fat will have more calories than diets that are high in protein. Therefore, it is important to check the labels of processed food carefully to ensure your cat is eating healthy, balanced food.