If your cat has been diagnosed with feline diabetes, your vet will outline a protocol for the care of your cat, including diet, insulin administration and a blood glucose monitoring strategy. While attention to each of these is essential for maintaining the health of your diabetic cat, understanding the subtleties of "proper diet" can be paramount to the diabetic cat's well being.
Managing Glucose With Insulin
Diabetes is one of the more common endocrine diseases seen recently among cats. It affects the ability of the cat's pancreas to produce insulin, which is needed to process glucose from food into a form of energy the cat's body can use. Insulin must be provided to the cat in the form of injections. Diet can make a huge difference in how your diabetic cat responds to its insulin regimen.
Evolution of Cat's Digestive System
In her article "Protocol for Success in Managing, Even Curing, Feline Diabetes," Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM, points out that domestic cats are, by nature, carnivores. They evolved from small wildcats that developed in an environment where there was little vegetation and much small animal prey available for consumption. In the wild, cats may consume the minute amounts of grains or vegetables found in their prey's stomachs, but they do not seek these nutrients naturally. The digestive system of today's housecat is very much like that of their ancestors: they are predator mammals dependent upon meat and protein and fat for sustenance.
Low-Carborhydrate Food Benefits
A low-carbohydrate food will reduce the wide blood glucose swings seen in feline diabetics. When purchasing food for your diabetic cat, look for foods with a low percentage of calories from carbohydrates as stated on the "Guaranteed Analysis" percents that appear on the can. It might seem overwhelming at first, but once you familiarize yourself with the foods that are best for your cat, it will be an easy task to pick them up at the grocery or pet supply store in the future.
Dry Food vs. Canned Food
Dry foods are, by nature, high in carbohydrates. This is due to added grains, which are necessary in the processing of dry food. The diabetic cat is particularly sensitive to grains. Dr. Hodgkins suggests that a feline diabetic should not eat any type or brand of dry food, including the ones that claim to be made for diabetic cats; these often contain corn carbohydrate and increased fiber. Many commercial canned foods contain grains. Look at the labels to ascertain the food contains little or no cereals, vegetables or fruits of any kind.
Dietary Change Pacing
Dr. Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, warns, in her article "Feline Diabetes and Diet: The High Carbohydrate Culprit," that if you switch your cat to a low-carb canned food diet, you "must be aware of the probable immediate and significant impact on your cat's insulin needs." Alter your cat's diet gradually, changing the ratio of new to old food until you are feeding only the new, and be sure to monitor your cat's blood glucose levels and symptoms closely to prevent the risk of hypoglycemic episodes.
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