FOOD AND NUTRITION
“What do you mean I might become diabetic eating this?”
To better control your cat’s blood sugar you want a wet canned food with its % calories from carbohydrates as fed under 10%. (This means no cupcakes and icing!) Many people on FDMB find under 8% is better.
Basics of feline nutrition - why wet low carb canned is key to feline optimal nutrition.
North American
Comprehensive lists can be found at the links below:
- Dr Lisa Pierson DVM http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf
- Janet and Binky canned http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html
- Janet and Binky dry http://binkyspage.tripod.com/dryfood.html
- Low carb dry:
- Innova Evo Cat & Kitten 8%
- Nature's Variety Raw Instinct chicken 7%
- Young Again Zero Carb 0%.
WorldWide
- Janet and Binky http://binkyspage.tripod.com/nonusfd.html
- FDMB Thread - many suggestions including stores that ship throughout the EU
- Australian/ NZ : http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=64843#p1045885
- UK/ Europeans
- A-Z food list
- Cat wet food list “Katzen Nassfutterliste Stand” (in German)
- UK food lists
- Purina DM canned
Enticing your cat to eat
Here are some things you can do do entice your cat to eat:
- sometimes in order to get a cat to eat you even have to resort to dry it is more important that they eat. there are a couple low carb dry foods -- Innova Evo Cat & Kitten 8%, Nature's Variety Raw Instinct chicken 7%, and Young Again zero Carb 0%.
- making a buffet to give him choices
- heating food
Sprinkle food with :
- FortiFlora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
- parmesan cheese, other cheeses
- smashed crumbles of dry food
- bonito/tuna flakes (Asian markets or Asian food section in grocery stores)
- Freeze dried treats (Halo, pure bites) -- crumble into dust over food. Chicken or liver flavours.
- pour a little water from tuna in water over food (I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats and it shouldn't contain soy -- check labels)
- powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.
- Small amounts of buttery cookies, white cake, butter, mayonnaise, cheesy poof chips (any forbidden food that they love)
- Olives/olives juice
Other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
- trader joe tuna for cats
- baby food -- beechnut or Gerber Stage 2 -- you want a baby food that is only a protein + broth (although the Gerber contains cornstarch). It should have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
- kentucky fried chicken KFC
- deli meats ie turkey /chicken
- plain cooked (boiled or baked) chicken breast (or beef, ham, turkey, pork, steak, bacon)
- Raw - whole meats, rinsed well or partially baked
- canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
- chicken broth -- low sodium
- olive oil/ warm milk (sparingly), kitty milk, cream, ice cream
- Selection of canned foods (buy a can of everything!)
If enticements don't work, you should consider:
- assist feeding ( syringe or make little meatballs and place in mouth)
- and/or talking to your vet about appetite stimulants ( mirtazapine or cyproheptidine)