High Protein Dry for Diabetic Kitty

[Kristophersteel]

Long story short, I have 1 cat who is diabetic and getting shots twice a day. He's trending down. He and his other cat family (9 total) were switched to high protein wet food. However, some kitties like to eat through the day and didn't like a twice a day feeding. So I supplemented with Blue Carnivora. The highest protein dry I could find. They have discontinued that from what I now see. Dr Elseys is OOS everywhere.

What are my options in the meantime? Really appreciate any help. Orijen seems good but only 45% protein.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! NOTE - the diabetic kitty doesn't eat a lot of dry but when/if he does, I just want to make sure he gets the best protein and not just filler/cabs

Thanks

 

[Maurey]

Personally, I'd suggest not allowing a diabetic kitty to free-feed at all, as the fluctuation of blood sugar throughout the day whenever he decides to eat isn't the best thing for a diabetic cat, as it's not particularly species-appropriate, imo. Cats will eat several times a day, but they hardly have 24/7 food access :> Set mealtimes are what I've heard recommended by vets, but worth making sure with yours, ofc.

That said, best option protein-wise for dry food is going to be air dried, like Ziwi Peak, as it's basically just protein without any faff. Second best is going to be something like Epigen 90, which is protein-forward, and starch-free. Basically meat, some fats, flavourings, and necessary vitamins. IIRC they had an issue with including too many pre- and pro- biotics in their batches at some point, though I believe that's been resolved for a while now.

 

[Kristophersteel]

Personally, I'd suggest not allowing a diabetic kitty to free-feed at all, as the fluctuation of blood sugar throughout the day whenever he decides to eat isn't the best thing for a diabetic cat, as it's not particularly species-appropriate, imo. Cats will eat several times a day, but they hardly have 24/7 food access :> Set mealtimes are what I've heard recommended by vets, but worth making sure with yours, ofc.

That said, best option protein-wise for dry food is going to be air dried, like Ziwi Peak, as it's basically just protein without any faff. Second best is going to be something like Epigen 90, which is protein-forward, and starch-free. Basically meat, some fats, flavourings, and necessary vitamins. IIRC they had an issue with including too many pre- and pro- biotics in their batches at some point, though I believe that's been resolved for a while now.

Thanks, I checked Ziwi Peak but the highest protein food they have is 43%? Blue was 58% - granted its not available anymore. Lol

 

[Maurey]

Thanks, I checked Ziwi Peak but the highest protein food they have is 43%? Blue was 58% - granted its not available anymore. Lol

That's because the 43% isn't DMB. It's 45% protein, 23% fat, 2% fibre, 14% moisture, and 12% ash for their Air dried venison recipe AIR-DRIED 'Daily-Cat' Food, Venison recipe | Ziwipeak Meaning no excess carbs, and it has the necessary fats in there, which most dry foods don't. DMB, it's 52% protein, which is more than most proparly-balanced dry foods, ime. You can definitely go lower fat, higher protein, but IMO, that isn't advisable if your other cat grazes a lot, as cats do need that fat.

 

[Kristophersteel]

That's because the 43% isn't DMB. It's 45% protein, 23% fat, 2% fibre, 14% moisture, and 12% ash for their Air dried venison recipe AIR-DRIED 'Daily-Cat' Food, Venison recipe | Ziwipeak Meaning no excess carbs, and it has the necessary fats in there, which most dry foods don't. DMB, it's 52% protein, which is more than most proparly-balanced dry foods, ime. You can definitely go lower fat, higher protein, but IMO, that isn't advisable if your other cat grazes a lot, as cats do need that fat.

Interesting. How did you calculate that? I was reading about DMB but my brain can't figure it out lol.

 

[Tobermory]

A couple of things.

Thing One:
If you haven’t already, check out catfooddb.com. It had hundreds of dry and canned food varieties with ingredients listed for each—including percentages for DMB. Very helpful to have everything all in one place! One of the Tiki Cat dry varieties I checked is 51%.

Thing Two:
From reading the Dr. Elsey’s site, it should start showing up soon. It doesn’t help in the short term, but there’s hope for the the future! And at chewy.com you can set a notification for when it’s back in stock. Here’s what the Dr. Elsey’s website says:

 

[Maurey]

Interesting. How did you calculate that? I was reading about DMB but my brain can't figure it out lol.

I'm guessing you know already, but just in case -- DMB is dry matter basis, so the nutritional value without the moisture. It's a simple formulae with x to figure out the %'s, though honestly, I usually just use a DMB calculator :> This is the one I usually use as it comes up first on google ahah Dry Matter Basis Calculator For Pet Food | PawDiet

 

[LTS3]

You should join the FelineDiabetes.com message board and ask for suggested suitable low carb dry foods to feed. Young Again's zero carb dry food may be an option. It's expensive, though.

Freeze dried raw or air dried raw would be better for snacking on.