Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins reminds us of what types of foods cats should and should not be fed:
Diabetes in the cat is a man-made disease, which is completely preventable by avoiding the “kitty junk-food” that is dry kibbled cat food. Without question, it is the continuous, day-in, day-out consumption of this poor-quality, highly processed, carbohydrate rich “breakfast cereal for cats” that causes so many felines to become diabetic.
Many cats also become obese from such a terrible diet, but obesity does not cause diabetes, as some experts would have cat owners think. Rather, obesity and diabetes simply have the same cause, non-nutritious, high carbohydrate commercial cat food. To prevent both obesity and diabetes, we need only avoid such junk food when we feed our cats. Instead, we must feed the cat what it evolved to eat: meat. Fortunately, there are many canned and pouched cat foods, as well as many recipes for raw meat diets, that provide good quality nutrition of the obligatory carnivore that is the cat.
In other words, high-carb dry cat food OUT, low-carb canned/pouched or home prepared diets consisting primarily of meat IN. A couple sample recipes for home prepared raw cat food can be found here.
Also, a good reminder not to kill your cat while attempting to get him to switch foods which, being a cat, he may resist:
Letting a cat go without food is dangerous.
When cats don’t eat, the fat in their bodies may start to accumulate in their liver. This is called feline hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver syndrome. Left untreated, the condition can be fatal.
Cats tolerate change poorly, which means stress and anxiety alone can trigger the onset of this problem. Household changes such as the absence of an owner or a move – or something as simple as a switch in food – can put a cat off.
Once the problem has developed, coaxing the ill cat to eat may not be simple. Fatty liver syndrome can lead to nausea and vomiting. Removing the stress may be too little, too late. Veterinary intervention is required.
So don’t try to out-stubborn your kitty and figure he’ll eat the new food when he gets hungry enough.
News Tidbit: A cat owner in Toronto started making her own cat food after the Menu recall in March 2007. Finding the results worthwhile but the task time consuming, she partnered with a personal chef! They now offer personal chef service for dogs and cats – oh and humans too.