If your cat has feline diabetes you need to be careful in what you feed it.
Just as you would with humans.
And it is essential that you are able to easily test your cat's blood glucose levels at home.
Speak to your vet about a home testing kit.
It is not feasible for you to have to bring your cat into the vet's office each time it needs testing.
If your vet suggests this, I'd start looking for one who supports home testing.
Many cat foods on the market vary considerably in the nutritional value they contain, and in the information you find on the label.
And constant improvements in pet foods means you are faced with an almost bewildering choice.
This does not mean you have to go and purchase the most expensive food for your cat.
However, it does mean that you need to learn to read the labels and understand what they mean.
And if you can't find the information on the label, you need to investigate further online.
Diabetic cats must have a diet that has fewer carbohydrates and more protein than normal cat foods.
This is probably the single most important thing you must do.
This is for 'wet food', canned or pouches.
You will have to stop feeding your cat dry biscuits as the carbohydrate percentage is too high.
Some studies have shown that up to 50% of cats with feline diabetes who are fed a high protein, low carbohydrate diet are able to be taken off insulin.
I strongly suggest changing your cat's diet over a minimum of a week to get it used to the new food.
You will need to mix a little of the new food in with what your cat normally eats and slowly increase this.
Once your cat is happily eating a mix of majority new food, you can stop adding in the old food.
Of course you can feed your cat a homemade diet but speak to your vet about the best way to do this.
If your cat is used to a dry biscuit diet or having them available during the day to graze on, you will have to reduce this over a period as well.
I suggest taking the biscuits away after breakfast and only putting them down for an hour or so during the afternoon.
Some cats may have diarrhoea when there is a change in diet.
This should settle within a week.
Of course if you are worried about this or any other behaviors your cat is exhibiting, contact your vet.
It is essential for you to closely monitor your cat's blood sugar levels when you make any changes to any part of your cat's life.
This includes changing the diet or amount of exercise.
I am diabetic and every time my doctor changes my medication I test before and after meals for at least a week until I'm happy that my body has stabilized.
When first learning to administer insulin, don't vary the dosage without consulting your vet.
Exercise is also crucial for diabetic cats.
Start playing with your cat every day, either before or after food.
This will help bring the blood sugars down to acceptable levels and will also help prevent your cat becoming overweight or obese.
If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes, you will need to make sure it stays as healthy as possible.
This could mean confining it more to indoor life so it has less chance of picking up infections, worms, fleas etc from other cats.
Feline diabetes can be manageable with the correct diet and exercise.
There are specific diabetic cat foods on the supermarket shelves these days.
You do not have to buy the most expensive brand, but better quality food usually means a healthier cat and less visits to the vet.
Speak to your vet about what is best for your diabetic cat.
Just as you would with humans.
And it is essential that you are able to easily test your cat's blood glucose levels at home.
Speak to your vet about a home testing kit.
It is not feasible for you to have to bring your cat into the vet's office each time it needs testing.
If your vet suggests this, I'd start looking for one who supports home testing.
Many cat foods on the market vary considerably in the nutritional value they contain, and in the information you find on the label.
And constant improvements in pet foods means you are faced with an almost bewildering choice.
This does not mean you have to go and purchase the most expensive food for your cat.
However, it does mean that you need to learn to read the labels and understand what they mean.
And if you can't find the information on the label, you need to investigate further online.
Diabetic cats must have a diet that has fewer carbohydrates and more protein than normal cat foods.
This is probably the single most important thing you must do.
This is for 'wet food', canned or pouches.
You will have to stop feeding your cat dry biscuits as the carbohydrate percentage is too high.
Some studies have shown that up to 50% of cats with feline diabetes who are fed a high protein, low carbohydrate diet are able to be taken off insulin.
I strongly suggest changing your cat's diet over a minimum of a week to get it used to the new food.
You will need to mix a little of the new food in with what your cat normally eats and slowly increase this.
Once your cat is happily eating a mix of majority new food, you can stop adding in the old food.
Of course you can feed your cat a homemade diet but speak to your vet about the best way to do this.
If your cat is used to a dry biscuit diet or having them available during the day to graze on, you will have to reduce this over a period as well.
I suggest taking the biscuits away after breakfast and only putting them down for an hour or so during the afternoon.
Some cats may have diarrhoea when there is a change in diet.
This should settle within a week.
Of course if you are worried about this or any other behaviors your cat is exhibiting, contact your vet.
It is essential for you to closely monitor your cat's blood sugar levels when you make any changes to any part of your cat's life.
This includes changing the diet or amount of exercise.
I am diabetic and every time my doctor changes my medication I test before and after meals for at least a week until I'm happy that my body has stabilized.
When first learning to administer insulin, don't vary the dosage without consulting your vet.
Exercise is also crucial for diabetic cats.
Start playing with your cat every day, either before or after food.
This will help bring the blood sugars down to acceptable levels and will also help prevent your cat becoming overweight or obese.
If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes, you will need to make sure it stays as healthy as possible.
This could mean confining it more to indoor life so it has less chance of picking up infections, worms, fleas etc from other cats.
Feline diabetes can be manageable with the correct diet and exercise.
There are specific diabetic cat foods on the supermarket shelves these days.
You do not have to buy the most expensive brand, but better quality food usually means a healthier cat and less visits to the vet.
Speak to your vet about what is best for your diabetic cat.
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