Food Therapy for Cats

Many illnesses and chronic conditions in cats, such as skin allergies, liver and urinary tract problems, are treated through diet, either alone or with medication. Two of the most common illnesses seen in cats, particularly as they age, are diabetes and chronic renal failure (CRF). Both are often preceded by weight issues, which can be avoided or corrected with proper food therapy.

  1. Weight Management

    • Maintaining a cat's optimal weight is the first step because obesity can lead to diabetes in cats as well as humans. In both species, fat cells increase the body's resistance to insulin.

      Cats are obligate carnivores, so carbohydrates are unnatural to their diet. Birds and mice are only about three to eight percent carbs, but dry commercial cat foods can be 35 to 50 percent carbohydrate or more. Cats' digestive systems aren't built to metabolize carbs as efficiently as protein and fats, so the carbs turn to body fat.

      There is no truly low-carb dry food, marketing claims notwithstanding. Dry food must contain fillers, and those fillers are usually loaded with carbs. Effectively managing weight through food means feeding a cat a high-quality, high-protein diet with little to no carbs; this is best achieved through high-quality canned foods with few fillers or fresh, cooked meat such as chicken or beef.

    Diabetes

    • A high-protein diet that maintains a cat's optimal weight (your veterinarian should determine the "magic number" based on your cat's body type) can be effective in controlling diabetes and even eliminate the need for insulin.

      Diabetic cats need high-protein, low-carb foods. Canned food is best. Fancy Feast offers flavors such as Tender Beef Feast, Chopped Grill Feast and others that are less than 10 percent carbs. But if dry food must be fed as the next best thing, the most well-known makers of prescription-only diabetes diets are Purina and Hills.

    Chronic Renal Failure

    • Chronic renal failure (CRF) is incurable. The cat's kidneys become increasingly unable to filter out waste until toxin levels reach a lethal level. But many CRF cats can live several years beyond initial diagnosis with the right food and medication.

      But there's a Catch-22. Veterinarians usually prescribe a low-protein, low-salt, low-phosphorus diet for CRF cats to reduce the amount of waste the kidneys must handle, but that means eating lots of carbohydrates.

      This practice is under debate, because it does go against a cat's basic anatomy, and low protein may contribute to a common symptoms in CRF cats---loss of muscle mass and weakness.

      Owners must find the food their CRF cat tolerates best. Some prescription diets available in both canned and dry versions are made by Eukanuba, Hills, Iams, Purina and Royal Canin.