Question:
I have four adult cats, all of which have been neutered or spayed. They range in age from 2 to 6 years. I feed them dry Purina Cat Chow and plenty of water. Recently, I've heard of so many cats getting diabetes from their diets. What causes diabetes in cats? Can I avoid it, and what kind of food is better for cats? My own mother had diabetes, and it's no fun.
S.K., St. Louis, Mo Feb 06, 2005
Answer:
Diet does play an important role in the development of diabetes mellitus in cats (and humans). A high-carbohydrate diet is a major culprit. Most dry cat foods are too high in starches and low in quality protein and fat. This, coupled with cats not having a strong thirst mechanism to compensate for a water-deficient, all-dry cat food diet, can set off a string of health problems from cystitis to obesity. Encourage your felines to drink milk- or fish-flavored spring water, and eat moist canned cat food (not from flip-top cans) or home-prepared cat food. The homemade cat food recipe on my web site at can be given as a supplement with dry food, or make up a cat's entire daily ration.
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