Diet for Cats With Diabetes and Kidney Disease

Diabetes mellitus is a devastating disease in cats that prevents them from properly producing insulin. Diabetic cats have a high level of glucose that builds up in the bloodstream which forces the kidneys to begin working overtime in an effort to reduce this buildup. This process is called glucose dumping and, if left untreated, will cause kidney disease. Cats that are diabetic and have kidney disease need to eat a specialized diet aimed at helping regulate blood glucose and reducing stress on the kidneys.

  1. High Fiber Diets

    • Veterinarians often recommend high fiber diets for cats with diabetes. The reason for this is two-fold. The first reason is because most cats that are diabetic are overweight. Obesity is a major contributor to insulin resistance in cats, which leads to the development of type II diabetes. You should encourage cats that are overweight to lose weight slowly to reverse this condition. High fiber diets allow cats to eat as much or more than usual while reducing the overall caloric consumption, encouraging weight loss. The second reason is that high fiber diets that include plenty of complex carbohydrates have been shown to be beneficial in controlling blood sugar levels.

    High Protein/ Low Carb Diets

    • Another choice for diabetic cats when it comes to helping control blood sugar levels is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. However, in cats with kidney disease, high protein diets will aggravate the kidneys, causing additional damage and speeding up the progression of the disease. You should not feed diabetic cats with concurrent kidney disease a high protein/low carbohydrate diet.

    Kidney Disease Requirements

    • Cats with kidney disease have specific nutritional requirements that must be met in order to slow the progression of the disease by reducing the workload of the kidneys. Generally speaking, cats with kidney disease require a diet that is low in protein, sodium and phosphorus. The main concern here is that since cats are carnivores by nature, reducing protein levels too much can actually be counterproductive. In most cases, you would feed cats a diet that is moderate in protein content and is also supplemented with additional nutrients such as taurine and vitamins E and C, since these are lost through excess urination.

    Prescription Diets

    • Commercially prepared prescription diets such as Hills Science Diet and Iams are available specifically for the management of diabetes and kidney disease. Your veterinarian will recommend that you change your cat's diet from his normal fare to a prescription diet to aid in the management of his conditions. There are two main drawbacks to this approach. First, these diets can be expensive and second, many cats won't eat them. It is extremely dangerous for a diabetic cat, especially those receiving insulin injections to regulate blood sugar, to go for extended periods of time without eating, as low blood sugar or hypoglycemia can occur. Hypoglycemia can be fatal to cats if not properly treated. Also, many commercially prepared diets contain preservatives that can be harmful to your cat.

    Homemade Diets

    • You can create diets that can help manage both kidney disease and diabetes at home by following a few basic principles. Use only high quality ingredients and steer clear of ingredients that contain preservatives. Chicken and turkey are good sources of protein and you should use brown rice in place of white rice in order to facilitate slower digestion and better blood sugar control. Vitamin supplements are necessary to ensure that your cat is receiving good nutritional support.