Cat Food for Feline Diabetes

Feline diabetes is a common disease among cats, particularly older and obese felines. A feline is diabetic when its body cannot "produce or...properly use insulin," according to Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Insulin is critical in regulating glucose derived during the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. If the cat's body cannot regulate glucose effectively, it will begin to feed off of itself, consuming stored protein and fat tissue. Diabetic diets can help.

  1. Diet Types

    • Veterinarians often prescribe either a diet high in fiber, or a diet high in protein and fat yet low in carbohydrates, for diabetic cats. High-fiber diets regulate blood glucose levels at feeding time by slowing down the glucose absorption rate. High-fiber diets aid in weight loss and are ideal for overweight diabetic cats, but are not good for underweight diabetic felines.

      Diets high in protein and fat, yet low in carbohydrates, are also effective. Carbohydrates exacerbate the diabetic condition, cautions VetInfo, and a diabetic cat should avoid them. PetEducation reports on a study demonstrating that 58 percent of diabetic cats that ate wet food formulated to be high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrates no longer needed insulin therapy.

    Raw Cat Food

    • Domesticated cats are carnivorous. Lisa A Pierson, DVM, recommends raw food for diabetic cats. Raw food best meets a cat's nutritional needs, is what it eats when in the wild and is low in carbohydrates and fillers. Several premade raw cat foods are available for purchase, or you can make raw cat food from scratch under your vet's guidance. Making the food yourself ensures it is made with the highest quality ingredients.

    Prescription Cat Food

    • Prescription diets are another option in diabetic cat food and many manufacturers distribute them directly to veterinary offices for purchase. Most prescription diets come in a wet food formula. Transitioning a feline to a prescription diabetic food may be a challenge at first, as these foods tend to have a bland taste. However, prescription diets have been shown to effectively reduce the need for insulin.

    Considerations

    • Whether you take the raw cat food or prescription diet route, remember that if your cat is insulin-dependent, it must receive as least half of its daily dietary intake at injection time. This means no more free feeding, leaving food out all day and night. In some cases, you can leave the remaining half of your cat's food out for the taking; however, this is not recommended for raw or canned cat food.

    Warning

    • Keep your diabetic cat away from unnecessary sugars and carbohydrates. PetEducation warns that diabetic felines should not eat semi-moist foods, which are high in sugar. Table scraps are also a no-no, because the unmonitored food might affect your cat's daily insulin needs. In fact, once you determine the best diabetic cat food option for your pet, changes are out of the question. The dosage of insulin is dependent upon the blood glucose profile that results from your cat's prescribed diet.