I am wondering what we are doing to our cat

regarding food. I have had 2 diabetics, 2 hyperthyroid cats, and now I have my Beeba with more crystals.

Food was never an issue in years gone by. I used to feed the cheapest food and had cats live forever (22 years). I blame the catfood makers. They are just putting garbage in the food. You won't see a feral cat with diabetes. It seems alot of these illness are traceable to the food.

Sorry for the rant, but I am just soooo discouraged. I had been giving my guys all wet, but I just could not afford it anymore. So they get wet 4-5 times a week now. I researched and found Natural Balance dry and thought it was the best of the worst. So they get that as their primary food. I just bought water fountains and they all are drinking so much more.

Then I get up this am, and Beeba is again straining in the box. I think I am fighting a loosing battle.

Anyway, he is going to the vet in 1 hour. I sure hope he does not recommend surgery that opens up the urinary tract. But I will do what I have to....I love my little guy!

I understand your frustration. That is precisely the reason I was determined to switch to raw. I believe the risk of developing the ailments you are now facing can be minimized by feeding raw.

Others will post that they do not agree with our view. I ask them to please be respectful of a view that differs from theirs. Disagreement is constructive, but only if done in a respectful manner.

I am not here long enough to say anything. I would say quality of food has a lot to do with cat's healthy. And buy the best quality cat food you can afford.

Addressing this part.

Originally Posted by farleyv

You won't see a feral cat with diabetes.

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Of course you don't. True unaltered uncared for ferals who aren't getting a regular diet of commercial cat food have very short lives anyways. They may not get food related issues, but they're more likely to starve to death or to die from eating/drinking something poisonous in garbage. A cat with a 4-5 year life span that dies from FeLV/FIV , serious infection, other predators, humans/cars never reaches old age to get those more typical senior cat issues. One could argue that we're keeping them alive passed their natural (wild) type lifespan and that's a contributing cause.


I've never had cats that didn't get wet food daily. Feeding just dry isn't normal to me. I've also not had to deal with the possible food related health problems aside from ingredient intolerance (one has a chicken problem - a meat).

Regular NB is ok, but doesn't look any better than other cheaper foods. You might be able to do wet and find another decent (but slightly cheaper) dry or go all wet for that price. Talk to your vet, Beeba may very well need to be on prescription food and that's something that your vet needs to be looking over.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Addressing this part. Of course you don't. True unaltered uncared for ferals who aren't getting a regular diet of commercial cat food have very short lives anyways. They may not get food related issues, but they're more likely to starve to death or to die from eating/drinking something poisonous in garbage. A cat with a 4-5 year life span that dies from FeLV/FIV , serious infection, other predators, humans/cars never reaches old age to get those more typical senior cat issues.

One could argue that we're keeping them alive passed their natural (wild) type lifespan and that's a contributing cause.


I've never had cats that didn't get wet food daily. Feeding just dry isn't normal to me.

I've also not had to deal with the possible food related health problems aside from ingredient intolerance (one has a chicken problem - a meat).

Regular NB is ok, but doesn't look any better than other cheaper foods. You might be able to do wet and find another decent (but slightly cheaper) dry or go all wet for that price. Talk to your vet, Beeba may very well need to be on prescription food and that's something that your vet needs to be looking over.

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I learned that by products in wet food are not mainly bone as they can be in dry meals .They are mainly organs and meat that may not appeal to humans much but is perfectly edible to a cat .. Look at many different brands , take ingredients/ and percentages to the vet ....
Raw for some is a viable option but for most it is not ... if you want to try it DISCUSS it with a VET prior since you have Numerous issues under your roof .One of which I have been told by various vet s ( holistic and conventional) it is not wise to do raw with.


I can tell you the quality of grocery level food went way down for about 20 year s but it appears some manufacturers are bringing it up . Of course the opposite seems to be happening in "premium" foods ..

Okay. You've got a very hard situation, no doubt about it. I know expense is an issue, but it is amazing what a change in diet can do for ALL of the issues your babies have. The expense will most likely even out when you aren't having so many vet visits for UTI's/insulin control/constant adjustment of T4. Now finding one food that will address each issue is going to be next to impossible. But as stated above, work with your vet. Just go in knowing they most likely don't know as much about nutrition as you expect them to. It is absolutely amazing the amount (or lack thereof) of nutritional education they get in vet school. So you have to go in knowing as much as possible knowing they'll be able to advice on the percentages/is A, B, C, or D better. You're going to have to do the foot work though if you're really serious about this. Most vets only know about the brand they carry and will defend it to the grave, even if it isn't what your cat needs.

First off, the hyperthyroid babies. Are they on medication? What dose? What does their T4's look like? Really, a high quality food (wet/dry/combo) will help immensely with their coats and general health. Think about it. You spend $10-$20 more a month. That's $120-$240 more a year. That's probably 6 months worth of medication and 4 blood panels right there. If it helps regulate them and cuts down on your bloodwork costs or even your medication costs, there you go.

Diabetic babies. Are they on insulin? How much? A lot of times a diabetic cat CAN be controlled with diet alone. Or at least diet and a lower dosage of insulin. I know there is a lot of controversy against veterinary lines of food, but I have truly seen the Royal Canin diabetic line do WONDERS. We had a cat come in on a dosage of 8U of insulin a day. With the diet change, that's been cut in half. Others that were on low doses of insulin are now well controlled with no insulin.

Finally the UTIs/crystals. Wet is best. That's all there is to it. It's so hard (almost impossible) finding a dry food, no matter how expensive, that gives them the right percentages. Grain free or not. They need to be at least on a mostly wet diet. Talk to your vet about your cat's ideal food percentages and get as close as possible.

It's possible you'll only need two different types of food. One diabetic, one geared more towards urinary health. I know how scary the food expense can get. But if you figure it out and get everybody regulated, I promise you will end up saving money. So do your research. Come up with several different foods you think would work, both for your cats and for your wallet. And go and see your vet and have a long discussion. Do not implement any changes without your vets okay. They are your animals' advocate. It is their job to help you keep all of your babies, no matter how different their needs are, healthy as possible.

Sorry that was so long! Best of luck to you and your babies!!!

EDIT: Just saw you said you HAD 2 hyperthyroid and 2 diabetics. If it's no longer an issue just ignore all of that and look at the urinary stuff, lol.

Originally Posted by farleyv

regarding food. I have had 2 diabetics, 2 hyperthyroid cats, and now I have my Beeba with more crystals.

Food was never an issue in years gone by. I used to feed the cheapest food and had cats live forever (22 years). I blame the catfood makers. They are just putting garbage in the food. You won't see a feral cat with diabetes. It seems alot of these illness are traceable to the food.

Sorry for the rant, but I am just soooo discouraged. I had been giving my guys all wet, but I just could not afford it anymore. So they get wet 4-5 times a week now. I researched and found Natural Balance dry and thought it was the best of the worst. So they get that as their primary food. I just bought water fountains and they all are drinking so much more.

Then I get up this am, and Beeba is again straining in the box. I think I am fighting a loosing battle.

Anyway, he is going to the vet in 1 hour. I sure hope he does not recommend surgery that opens up the urinary tract. But I will do what I have to....I love my little guy!

Click to expand...

Well what wet are you feeding? We feed fancy feast plus raw meat twice a week and Sprinkles does amazingly well.

Originally Posted by farleyv

regarding food. I have had 2 diabetics, 2 hyperthyroid cats, and now I have my Beeba with more crystals.

Food was never an issue in years gone by. I used to feed the cheapest food and had cats live forever (22 years). I blame the catfood makers. They are just putting garbage in the food. You won't see a feral cat with diabetes. It seems alot of these illness are traceable to the food.

Click to expand...

And you would be right. Processed dog food evolved out of a World War II food shortage, a need to give pet owners the convenience they wanted and an excess of agricultural by-products. As companies found cheaper ingredients for their pet food, they flavored the kibble — often with animal digest — so dogs would actually eat it. When the increasing popularity of cats made it profitable to create a kibble for cat owners, the pet food industry simply tweaked their canine formulas without either understanding or acknowledging the fundamental difference between a canine's digestive and biological system and that of a feline.

And they've been "testing" these products on our cats ever since, learning, through their suffering, just how far they can push the envelope. In their constant effort to lower prices, they continue to increase the amount of unpalatable and indigestible ingredients, and today, IBD, kidney issues, obesity, diabetis, and more are all at or near epidemic proportions in the US.

Read Ann Martin's book, "Foods Pets Die For", or review any of these websites: Catinfo.org, Yourdiabeticcat.com, Rawfedcats.org/toxic, Bornfreeusa.org/facts, or google the dangers of dry foods.

That our cats so often die of diabetics, renal failure, etc., is not so much a factor of "typical" old age maladies as it is the ubiquitous belief that a lifetime of feeding obligate carnivores such a species-inappropriate food as kibble will not have consequences. As unbelievable as it may seem, our cats should be living 30 years or more and, yet, their lifespans have steadily been shrinking over the last decade.

Ok, I'm done for now. *whew*

Auntie I ?? the shrinking. As when I was old enough to research lifespans ( about age 9 ) a cat was expected to see ten on average , about ten yrs later that was 12 and now it is teetering on 15 for ave... I know where you got the proverbial 25-30 yr lifespan which would be in an Ideal world ( but ours is not ideal)

Originally Posted by sharky

Auntie I ?? the shrinking. As when I was old enough to research lifespans ( about age 9 ) a cat was expected to see ten on average , about ten yrs later that was 12 and now it is teetering on 15 for ave... I know where you got the proverbial 25-30 yr lifespan which would be in an Ideal world ( but ours is not ideal)

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Let me go look for the source of those numbers. If I can post a link, I will...

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So I've spent the last hour looking. I came across the info so long ago I hadn't yet created my library of citations so it's taking time to find it. If I recall correctly, the source was a vet (not a study) and I do believe it mentioned the same numbers you reference Sharky, with the added note that lifespans are sliding back down from their high of 15-16 years. When I find it, I'll let you know.