Homemade High Fiber Cat Diet

When a cat is suffering from a health condition, changing the pet's diet and nutrition can have a profoundly positive effect on its health. A homemade high fiber cat diet can be beneficial for cats that are suffering from feline diabetes. By feeding a diet that is high in fiber, weight can be managed to prevent feline diabetes from becoming a more serious problem. The right diet can sometimes have a profound enough effect that veterinary intervention may not be needed.

  1. Premise

    • A high fiber cat diet is one that is low in carbohydrates, and by reducing carbohydrates in the cat's nutrition plan, diabetes can be more effectively managed. Such a diet should contain less than 10 percent of its calories from carbohydrates. Switching a cat with diabetes to a homemade high fiber and low carbohydrate diet can reduce the amount of required insulin intervention immediately. According to the Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats, these diets resulted in a reduction of more than 50 percent of the amount of required insulin or the complete cessation of any insulin administration for as many as a third of the cats involved in a number of studies.

    Practice

    • Promote a high fiber diet by reducing carbohydrates and seeking nutrition in other forms. A high fiber diet in cats is also going to be higher in fat and protein to make up for the missing carbohydrates. Striking a balance between these nutrients while reducing carbohydrates is the way to reduce diabetes and return a cat to its healthy weight. This is achieved through the feeding of wet canned foods or raw foods in place of kibble. Commercial kibbles are high in carbohydrates and are not ideal for a cat suffering from diabetes.

    Characteristics of High Fiber Diet

    • A high fiber cat diet should be high in meat protein and fresh vegetables and fruits and low in grains, as grains tend to be high in carbohydrates. A raw diet might consist of deboned beef or chicken, liver, turkey, meat broth, vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, cranberries, alfalfa, blueberries, yellow zucchini, squash, etc. These natural ingredients offer a higher fiber content in place of a high carbohydrate content, which can have profound effect on the health of a cat suffering from diabetes.