My cat is diabetic. What protein, fiber, carb percentages should his food have?

A high protein/moderate fat/low carbohydrate diet is recommended for many cats with diabetes (such as hills m/d or royal canin diabetic). A meat only diet however is not suficiently balanced and would be lacking in many trace elements, vitamins, minerals and fiber. If you wish to prepare a home cooked diet which is safe and effective in any pet, and especially a diabetic such as Tiger, I recommend scheduling a consult with clinical nutrition service at Tufts (http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/) - this can be done in person or by phone as far as I am aware and will help to tailor a safe and effective diet recipe for his condition and takes into account what is likely to be available to you

The best food for a cat with diabetes and urinary issues will always be a canned food diet. For diabetics, we try to keep their carbohydrates low. This is only possible with a canned food. I am attaching a link below to a list of canned foods which lists the carbohydrates (which are often not on the label). In general, I try to keep my diabetic patients in the 10-15% carbohydrate range if possible. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It is very important for diabetics to eat a consistent diet each day in order to match insulin prescription to energy intake and demand. You should discuss your concerns with your vet as a new diet may require adjustment of her insulin requirement but if they will not eat the diabetic food then an acceptable, tasty alternative (preferably high protein and low carbohydrate) should be found as soon as possible!

I would recommend to cut them very gradually over two or three weeks time and do the same with food. This will allow his organism to adapt and maintain appetite (so you can give insulin).In the long term Metabolic food (Hills) (low carbohydrates and higher protein content) should be preferred. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Most cats do well when fed 1/2 to 1 can of high quality canned food twice daily. That is a 5.5oz can. You may need to adjust the amount based on your cat's activity level.

I would recommend finding a limited ingredient diet that doesn't contain any of those ingredients, and feeding that. If you can find one that's fairly high in fiber and relatively low in carbohydrates, that would be ideal - but if not, you should still be able to get his glucose regulated as long as you're following your veterinarian's instructions. For diabetic dogs, the specific diet you choose to feed doesn't matter all that much, as long as you keep it consistent and control the amount of calories he's getting each day. I would definitely recommend talking to the veterinarian who is treating his diabetes about what he/she suggests, and make sure to inform your vet about any planned diet changes, since changing the diet can affect the amount of insulin he needs.

Unregulated or poorly regulated diabetics cats often seem ravenous. This includes the newly diagnosed feline diabetic. As her diabetes becomes more regulated, her appetite will normalize. Feed a high quality canned food. Food that comes from the can looking like a hockey puck. No minced or diced food and no sauces or gravies. All those tend to have high carb content. Cats have no dietary requirement for carbs and excess carbs can complicate the diabetes. Most cats require about 6-8 oz of food daily.