Cat Food Myths

We polled our Facebook fans to see whether #wetcatfood or #drycatfood would be the winner...the question was "which food is better for cats - wet or dry"

Our poll ended with about 3/4 saying #wetcatfood and about 1/4 saying #drycatfood...

The correct answer to what your cat should be eating is.....

#WETcatfood

Here are some reasons why:

1)  There is more moisture:  helps to flush kidneys, cats are natural desert animals so they don't drink very much, you can even put chicken broth on food for added moisture as a treat! Bob loves this.

2)  There is more protein:  cats use protein for their quick energy, not glucose. Cats can't digest glucose and they use up all their insulin when they get too many carbs (dry food) and they become diabetic.  Yes, dry food makes cats diabetic.  Some cats have their diabetes cured just by switching from dry food to wet food.  Its that good.

3) The public embraces dry food because it makes poop firm, it doesn't smell, its convenient to leave out for the cat all day, etc. Since 1960, dry food has become more popular and the instance of diabetes in cats has skyrocketed.  They have even changed the "normal" values for what is considered diabetic because of the increase in instances of diabetes.  

4)  To make dry food, companies have to put in a certain number of carbs - it is what makes the "kibble".  Carbs for cats= bad!    

5)  Cats don't chew their food, they shovel, so dry food does nothing to keep their teeth clean.  In fact, cats have a tongue that acts as a natural toothbrush, so they are actually brushing their teeth all the time.  

Dr. Hurley wanted to add that "Cats are awesome" and Bob agrees.    

Cats and Diabetes - Three Things YOU Can Do to Make a Difference for Your Diabetic Cat

If your cat is a diabetic, there are a few very important aspects of his/her care that could make a big difference in how their disease progresses.

One - most diabetics need to be on a CANNED food. Diabetes incidence in cats parallels the success of dry cat foods in the pet food market. Dry foods are easy to use, don't smell and even make the cats' stool less smelly. BUT to make a dry food, you have to add a carbohydrate. If you are going to make a cookie, you add a carb. Diabetics need very low carbs to successfully manage their disease and many (but not all) canned foods provide this.

Two - If fed a canned food low in carbs, and given a long acting insulin like glargine (Lantus) many cats can, and will, go into remission. While the cost of this insulin is higher than others, if remission is achieved and the patient doesn't need insulin injections at all, the initial cost becomes irrelevant.

We can also offer cost saving tips to our patients at local pharmacies that can help affordability.

Three - at home monitoring with pet glucometers is easy and valuable to clients and their veterinarians. While we rarely recommend adjusting your cats insulin dose daily like people often do, this can add to other information such as patient weight, drinking and urinating frequency to allow for tighter regulation for many cats thus increasing chance for remission.

It's amazing to us, the number of second opinions (after googling their pets condition) that don't have these three basics covered. The first published use of glargine in cats dates to 2004!! There is no way every condition in dogs and cats can be "cutting edge" in every practice everywhere, especially given that some newly proposed changes turn out to be inaccurate or misguided. But this is now accepted dogma for feline diabetes - seeking a second opinion or having a serious discussion with your veterinarian is warranted if these basics haven't been explored for your cat.

Kim Downes, DVM
Animal Hospital of Rowlett Veterinary Clinic and Animal Hospital of Heath


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