Nutrition for Cats
With Diabetes

Healthy Food Choices

Diet is an important part of good diabetes control. Healthy food provides nutrients while minimizing fluctuations in glucose. Good nutrition can come in various ways:

Prescription Diets – These are specially formulated for the management of cats with diabetes. They can be particularly useful for helping with weight loss. Ask your veterinarian about the best choices for your cat.

Nonprescription Diets – Diabetes can be managed on a carefully controlled program using their normal diet. It is much easier to manage these plans if a canned food with complete nutrition and correct protein source is used.

Water Consumption – Clean drinking water should be available at all times. A reduction in excessive water consumption is an indicator of successful management of diabetes.

Tips for a Healthy Diet

No matter which diet option you choose, these are the basics for diabetes control:

Consistently feed your cat the same amount of food at the same times each day to avoid unnecessary fluctuations in blood glucose. Discuss with your veterinarian if your cat prefers grazing to meal feeding.

Time feedings and insulin treatments so that glucose absorption coincides with peak action of given insulin. In general, feed half of your cat’s total daily food right before or with injections. If your cat tends to graze throughout the day, or for other specific questions regarding type, volume, timing and frequency of feedings, please consult your veterinarian.

Choose foods with a high-quality protein source that is also highly digestible (e.g., meat or eggs rather than soybean or corn gluten).

Work with your veterinarian to find the correct caloric value to help your cat achieve optimal weight.

Choose a diet that is fat-restricted and low in carbohydrates to help avoid further complications.

Importance of an Ideal Body Weight

Achieving your cat’s ideal body weight is best for diabetes management. Underweight cats should avoid high carbohydrates to best manage diabetes.

Overweight cats can have insulin resistance, which may lead to higher doses being required. With weight loss, you cat may develop lower insulin requirements. Your veterinarian can help you calculate the ideal body weight and food requirements if your cat needs to lose weight, as well as advise on future adjustments in insulin dosage.

Tracking Results

Recording your cat’s results is important to properly manage care.

Tracking Tools & Resources

1. Pet Diabetes Tracker app
   Review and keep important information to manage care.
2. Blood Glucose Curve Tool
   Easily record blood glucose readings to generate a blood glucose curve.
3. Helpful Downloads
   Additional resources to understand and manage canine diabetes.

Next Article: Emergencies and Cats with Diabetes

Further Reading

Monitoring Urine Glucose & Ketones

What is Feline Diabetes?

Managing Diabetes