What soft food is safe for my picky senior cat with kidney & diabetes?

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.

We always say that it doesn't matter how good a food is if the pet won't eat it. This is especially true with cats. Your goal with a diet for a kidney patient is to avoid foods that are too high in protein, so you will want to avoid any kitten foods. Most non-prescription diets are very similar in their protein levels because they are made for the needs of an average adult cat. If Cricket was previously on a dry food, I found the best way to get my cat to eat canned food was to grind up dry food, then sprinkle it on the top of his canned food to get him eating. I am attaching a link to a handout below with tips to transition a cat onto canned food. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3041 Since Cricket has been a fussy eater, the most important thing will be to find a food that she likes. I have found that cats tend to like Fancy Feast the best, so that might be an option if you can't find something else that she will eat. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Wow, 23 is very old. You must take very good care of him. I am sorry to hear about his diagnosis. Renal disease as you probably already know is a chronic condition. Dietary change can be a major factor in extending the length and quality of cat's live who have it. However, in a 23 year old cat I would usually recommend just feeding whatever makes him happy. Nutritional intake in general is very important right now, so having to fight with him to get him to eat will end up being quite stressful and maybe counterproductive. If you are dedicated to a kidney friendly diet and the commercial stuff isn't working, you can certainly start thinking about home made diets. This is a link to a website that will guide you into making diets that are good for patients with kidney disease. I believe it is free for the first 14 days. Most of the diets they suggest do require supplementation with certain vitamins and minerals, however, and without them other problems may arise. Hope this helps and best of luck with PJ.

Hi and thanks for posting. A brand that comes to mind that may be what you are looking for is Sojos which is freeze dried food. You add a small amount of water to it and the food pieces are on the softer side but not mushy. I hope this helps!

Good Afternoon...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I empathize with your struggle and Munchkin's picky diet. I certainly do not want to cause alarm, but many times cats will become "picky eaters" for many other reasons other than their teeth. As a veterinarian, this symptom always give me pause. Cats with dental issues still usually have a normal appetite, even with a bad tooth - they will still eat. There are many other conditions which can cause an older kitty to change their eating habits and influenced "what tastes good to them" - conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (even with no other GI symptoms), kidney disease, liver disease, and many types of cancers (that can be within any organ of the body...) can cause an older kitty to change their appetite preferences. I would want to know if Munchkin is maintaining her weight, or has she lost weight? If she has lost weight, this is also more concerning. I would recommend you monitor her weight very closely - if she is maintaining (and has not lost weight within the past 6-12 months...). You may want to consider a visit to your veterinarian for additional diagnostics including a full senior bloodwork/urine profile, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs to ensure nothing more sinister may be going on. I hope this helps, good luck!

John, I'm sorry to hear of the mild kidney problem with Dusty and Stitch. There are several excellent prescription cat foods that are for kidney support. I would start with the brand your veterinarian recommends. If they don't like it try another until you find what they like. Your veterinarian will recommend periodic blood tests to monitor their kidney function and will add medication or fluids if that becomes necessary. Many cats live long active lives even with some kidney issues so with good care they should be fine for several years or more.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Lady Patches is losing weight, it can definitely be due to her dental disease. However, other causes for weight loss include underlying medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, IBD, and cancer - all of these and others can be ruled out by your vet. You can definitely encourage Lady Patches to eat more by moistening her dry food or getting a food that is in smaller pieces. There are multivitamins available for senior cats, but they do not provide many calories. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you have!