Deciding not to follow vet's instructions?

[Musiaka]

Due to high blood glucose, our vet said that Musiaka has to be on a glucose-lowering veterinary cat food from now on, RC Diabetic in particular, otherwise he might develop diabetes in the future. But RC Diabetic kibble seems to be crap for a cat with decreased GI motility (hairballs 2-3 times a week on a shedding season). It has wheat high up in the ingredient list!
Can I just ignore this recommendation? Shouldn't his blood glucose go down naturally on a low carb food? I want to try a commercial raw diet instead and ordered Stella and Chewy's for a trial (there's a chance he won't eat it).
Also, any tips on how to make Musiaka eat it, in case he refuses? Last time I offered him raw, he sniffed it, smacked his lips and ran away - when I brought him to the bowl again, he looked offended as hell. Then I mixed it up with some Sheba's wet food and he still wouldn't even come near it. Raw sounds good for an ibd cat, but it what if a cat is finnicky. Has anyone had problems introducing Stella and Chewy's to their kibble loving cat?

 

[Maurey]

Generally, vets don't learn much about nutrition unless they specialise -- they just recommend what they know, which is usually x brand vet food marketed for y condition. If you have doubts, don't switch your cats diet over to the vet food. I know several people who manage their cat's diabetes, now without insulin, by feeding high protein, low carb wet diets and one who does the same with raw food. If you're in doubt, consult with either a holistic vet (not to be confused w/ homeopathy) or a vet nutritionist.

If you want to transition to raw, I'd recommend something other than Stella's. They're extremely expensive for the quality, imo, and have a lot of filler -- you may be best off buying frozen to thaw -- generally more cost effective, and better composition. Depending on where you are, good brands include Kiwi Kitchens and Vital Essentials for stuff that tends to be in pet stores, and Hare Today for online orders.

For transitioning, several of my friends with picky cats found this guide helpful: Slow Transition To Raw For Picky Cats

 

[Musiaka]

There are no frozen raw foods available here in my city unfortunately and I cannot find any that is possible to order. No vets specialised in nutrition... We have limited options here in Eastern Europe. Back in Sweden, where we used to live before, raw food options were far better and some brands were available at the local supermarket. Here the choice is poor. Brands like RC, Hills, Specific and Virbac seems to be taken as the epitome of quality foods.
I would like to try and make raw food by myself, have been checking all kinds of recepies. If we manage to transition... I checked the guide, it was a good one

 

[fionasmom]

I have had two diabetic cats and both took insulin, which I understand you rightfully want to avoid. Neither ate prescription food, and for that matter, no other animal I have ever owned had eaten it, mostly because they simply refused. You can definitely control the diet with research. You might want to join the Feline Diabetic Message Boards for advice.

Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

 

[Beholder]

There are no frozen raw foods available here in my city unfortunately and I cannot find any that is possible to order. No vets specialised in nutrition... We have limited options here in Eastern Europe. Back in Sweden, where we used to live before, raw food options were far better and some brands were available at the local supermarket. Here the choice is poor. Brands like RC, Hills, Specific and Virbac seems to be taken as the epitome of quality foods.
I would like to try and make raw food by myself, have been checking all kinds of recepies. If we manage to transition... I checked the guide, it was a good one

You most definitely do not have to follow your vet's recommendations if you're not comfortable with the ingredients.

IMO Stella and Chewy's is better than RC or Hills, even if it's not as good as homemade raw. If you're able to afford it then I think you should go for it. If you're thinking about homemade raw felinenutrition.org has a lot of great articles that you may find helpful. I personally make homemade food for my cats from frozen pre-grounds and alnutrin + fish oil. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy, just make sure you do your research before attempting it. An improperly balanced raw food diet is much worse that RC or Hills.

In introducing raw food to especially finicky cats, the slower you do it the better. Often starting with just a little bit during each meal (even if he doesn't touch it) is a good way to start. Sometimes it may take weeks for them to even touch it, but usually they will come arround eventually. If you're currently feeding kibble I would suggest you make the transition to wet food before raw; it's an easier adjustment for a lot of cats.

 

[Musiaka]

I have had two diabetic cats and both took insulin, which I understand you rightfully want to avoid. Neither ate prescription food, and for that matter, no other animal I have ever owned had eaten it, mostly because they simply refused. You can definitely control the diet with research. You might want to join the Feline Diabetic Message Boards for advice.

Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Thanks, I will definitely have some reading to do! can already see a thread calling out dry food on there, yikes...

 

[Musiaka]

You most definitely do not have to follow your vet's recommendations if you're not comfortable with the ingredients.

IMO Stella and Chewy's is better than RC or Hills, even if it's not as good as homemade raw. If you're able to afford it then I think you should go for it. If you're thinking about homemade raw felinenutrition.org has a lot of great articles that you may find helpful. I personally make homemade food for my cats from frozen pre-grounds and alnutrin + fish oil. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy, just make sure you do your research before attempting it. An improperly balanced raw food diet is much worse that RC or Hills.

In introducing raw food to especially finicky cats, the slower you do it the better. Often starting with just a little bit during each meal (even if he doesn't touch it) is a good way to start. Sometimes it may take weeks for them to even touch it, but usually they will come arround eventually. If you're currently feeding kibble I would suggest you make the transition to wet food before raw; it's an easier adjustment for a lot of cats.

Thank you, another great site for me to dig into. Yes, I understand that not doing the research before transitioning to raw can be fatal, as store bought fresh meat won't have all the necessary components. Musiaka actually loves both dry and wet, but our vet told us to stick to kibble as, according to her, hair and canned food make a clump that's even harder to pass... Don't know if that's even true. He is really bored of the RC kibble though, so I'm hoping he will be more opened to trying at least a tiny bit of raw. Will try to take baby steps in the beginning

 

[Beholder]

Thank you, another great site for me to dig into. Yes, I understand that not doing the research before transitioning to raw can be fatal, as store bought fresh meat won't have all the necessary components. Musiaka actually loves both dry and wet, but our vet told us to stick to kibble as, according to her, hair and canned food make a clump that's even harder to pass... Don't know if that's even true. He is really bored of the RC kibble though, so I'm hoping he will be more opened to trying at least a tiny bit of raw. Will try to take baby steps in the beginning

Okay, I was just making sure. I'm glad that you know all about the required nutrients. I've come across many people in the past that don't (and just feed any old meat plain) so I'm always a tad hesitant when recommending raw for that reason.

I have never heard that dry food could be better for hairballs...but I guess it's possible? IMO even if it does help with hairballs it's been known to cause so many other problems in diabetic and IBD cats so I don't really see why they would recommend that. I saw above that you briefly mentioned IBD. Does your cat have IBD? My Morty likely has IBD as well and egg yolk powder has helped greatly with his hairballs. I have also heard that fish oil can help move things along as well, so I would try either of those before a dry food. This is anecdotal, but Morty cannot stomach any type of dry food anymore in any amount because of his IBD.

Here are two more really helpful sites that mention raw for you to explore that really helped me.

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Feline IBD

 

[IndyJones]

...but our vet told us to stick to kibble as, according to her, hair and canned food make a clump that's even harder to pass... Don't know if that's even true.

Never heard of this sounds kinda like an anecdotal incident or possibly BS. My vet actually says that canned is better especially for seniors. It has more moisture so it helps hydrate them. And helps keep kidney functions strong.

If anything canned food helps digestion and is less calorie dense.

 

[Musiaka]

In introducing raw food to especially finicky cats, the slower you do it the better. Often starting with just a little bit during each meal (even if he doesn't touch it) is a good way to start. Sometimes it may take weeks for them to even touch it, but usually they will come arround eventually. If you're currently feeding kibble I would suggest you make the transition to wet food before raw; it's an easier adjustment for a lot of cats.

I found some frozen cat food in my city, from an independant brand which seems to be good.
But Musiaka won't try a tinniest bit! He loves wet food however and has eaten a kibble-only diet for a few months, so jumping back to wet food isn't an issue for him. I tried mixing in a tiny bit of raw in it - he ate the wet food and spat out the raw (

 

[di and bob]

They have many good, grain-free dry foods out there too. As long as he drinks enough it will be fine. Set several small bowls of water around for him to check out, or try a fountain.

 

[Musiaka]

They have many good, grain-free dry foods out there too. As long as he drinks enough it will be fine. Set several small bowls of water around for him to check out, or try a fountain.

He actually drinks loads of water when on dry food. He'll drink from any water source he finds, but I have a couple of spots where I place a glass of water and he goes there to drink multiple times a day. On wet food he doesn't drink at all

 

[di and bob]

That sounds right, wet food gives him enough.

 

[Beholder]

I found some frozen cat food in my city, from an independant brand which seems to be good.
But Musiaka won't try a tinniest bit! He loves wet food however and has eaten a kibble-only diet for a few months, so jumping back to wet food isn't an issue for him. I tried mixing in a tiny bit of raw in it - he ate the wet food and spat out the raw (

I suggest instead of mixing them together, put a small amount raw on the side of the plate. Even if he doesn't eat any of it for a couple weeks, he will start to get used to seeing it and more than likely he will eventually try (and swallow) a little bit. There's a pretty helpful Jackson Galaxy video that might explain it a little better. I also enjoyed his series on dry/wet/raw as well.



It's also possible that your cat doesn't like the independent brand so keep that in mind too. My cats didn't care much for commercial raw, but homemade was what they really enjoyed. Every cat is different. Morty, for example, hates rabbit and loves pork, which is quite strange. Po loves rabbit and not so much red meats. Goose vomits anything with beef immediately and hates chicken. My point is, sometimes it can be a bit of trial and error, and in my experience it can be a little trickier with commercial brands if they're adding additional things other than protein/nutrients. That doesn't mean they aren't good or you shouldn't try them; I think commercial brands are great and very convenient, it may just take a bit longer to find one your cat likes. But for the time being keep trying with the one you already bought...food changes can take a lot of time.