feline diabetes

[moonrambler]

I'm wondering if anyone here has any knowledge or suggestions about how to bring a cat out of diabetes. Last year in August my 15-year-old cat was diagnosed with diabetes. I read a ton of information about it and was determined to not have to put her on insulin. I changed her diet to all canned food, the main recommendation, along with some small amounts of cheese, fish, and egg. There are specific recommendations for what types of canned food are allowed, because there is not supposed to be any wheat gluten, rice, or other filler.

By October, I made the decision to start her on insulin because although there was significant improvement in her behavior, there was no improvement in her blood sugar readings. The vet put her on 1 unit of insulin twice a day.

Her blood sugar still runs higher than normal. There was improvement for awhile, but it dissipated. I've got her up to 3 units of insulin twice a day now before seeing some improvement. This has made her electrolytes a bit off. I had to put her on a potassium supplement, and she's getting cottage cheese for a calcium supplement.

This week the clinic ran out of the potassium supplement and I was all out. The vet told me to feed her some banana. I said I had assumed banana was bad for her because it's all starch (sugar).

Now with feeding her banana for potassium and cottage cheese for calcium, more natural solutions than supplements, I'm back to wondering what, if anything, I can possibly do to get her off the insulin and get her blood sugar regulated. I just don't know where to go from here since putting her on the high-protein diet didn't make any difference in the stats.

[HenriettaWill]

Have you tried putting her on raw food? You can buy frozen, raw cat/dog food (or make your own, if you're feeling brave). I don't know if it would make a difference but it might -- fewer additives and preservatives, plus probably easier to digest. I had my cat on Nature's Variety for a while and he did really well on it.

[moonrambler]

Thank you for responding, Henrietta. I haven't tried that. Sometimes I've kicked around the idea of buying meat and/or fish and feeding her that instead of the canned stuff, but it concerns me that maybe she won't get all the vitamins and nutrients she needs, and plus, I don't know anything about meat anymore. I don't know if it's ok to feed her raw meat that I buy from the store, or if I'd have to cook it, or what.

I'll look into the link you posted there.

Oh, and the bananas had unpleasant side effects

[HenriettaWill]

Yeah, that's always what stops me from trying to make my own pet food. I'd have to do a lot more research than I have time for to feel confident that I'm providing all the right nutrients. The frozen food is a little pricey (though maybe not more than long-term diabetes care), but it's a lot easier.

Wysong also makes a dehydrated raw food (and I *think* they might have one specifically for diabetic cats) that they'll ship to you, if you can get a vet's prescription. It's pretty expensive, but might be worth a try too. My cat had some urinary tract problems and was on a mix of Wysong dehydrated and canned food for about six months--it was more than I could afford long term, but it's really good, nutritious food.

[RRR]

What would cats eat in the wild? I'm fairly certain cats are carnavores. Their normal habits are to hunt and devour prey, not peel bananas and shuck wheat. Your cat might do well if you buy it mice

[moonrambler]

That's another reason I wasn't big on the fruit thing. I also don't like all those expensive canned cat foods with vegetables in them. That's not what a cat eats naturally.

I went to the best pet food store in the area today and found some canned food from EVO which is 95 percent meat, with no grains or vegetables. That looks like very good stuff. I picked up a couple cans of that to try out.

And, what Smokey does with mice is gross (blech!)

[funchy]

There are a few good books out there on raw or DIY diets for dogs and cats. I tried my cats & dog on raw foods for awhile.

If you decide to do this, be sure you consult a pet nutrition book. Cats have their own special nutritional needs. It's been awhile since I did the cat diet, but I believe they need Taurine added if you plan on giving them people-grade cuts of meat. I was able to locate it at my local natural foods co-op store. I'm vegetarian so it was really grossing me out having to handle & mix up the raw meat cuts, and with no health change in my cats, I abandoned the idea.

I can't be of any help with the diabetes, since I've never had a cat with it. Sorry.

[Peaceflmeadow]

I have fed my 3 cats raw for 6 plus years now. Will never go back. They do get canned food (like the evo mentioned above), probably one or two meals a week...but other then that, they are raw meat and bone and organs.

I feed chicken, rabbit, pheasant, quail, turkey, and cornish hens. They probably get more chicken and cornish hens then I would like...but all in all, they are all VERY healthy. I feed mostly whole meats and bones, and their teeth are great, and its amazing what they can get through. They are all perfect weights, very active, and the only reason they have been to the vet over the last 6 years is for self inclicted injuries (eye scratch, and a cut). I did have dentals on them 2 years ago, but since switching to whole prey versus pre-ground I was leaning on before, no build up at all. I don't supplement (outside of the once a week canned food), I aim towards lots of variety and plenty of organs. The Whole Foods near me now carries whole chicken hearts (taurine source), and pre ground organs that my crew loves.

My 13 year old female is the reason I will never go back to dry foods. She runs around like a kitten almost every day, zooming up and down the halls. And her green eyes are so bright and clear, and her personality now versus pre raw is just incredible....yup, no way I could go back now. It is scary to suddenly be 100% responsible for all their nutrients, but as long as you give variety, lean towards a diet similar to what they could scrounge up on their own (smaller prey), it really does all fall into place.

[RRR]

I suggest Red Bull as an excellent source of taurine. Red Bull, make your kitty kittywompus.