Last year our 8-year-old cat, Nym, developed diabetes. I did hours and hours of research over months of time. We talked to the vet, did blood tests, spent thousands of dollars, tried multiple different foods, gave daily insulin injections, and in the end... he still passed away. We aren't sure if he had cancer or what it may have been, but when I read that high carbs and low protein may be a cause for diabetes in cats and I saw that his Purina Cat Chow had 36% carbs and only 34% protein I realized just how many dry foods weren't adequate for diabetic cats. In fact, diabetic cats should have 50% or more protein and below 5% carbs ideally.
That's when I started a long series of food trials with my own kitties and the kitties of my clients. I pet-sit and they gave me permission to see if their cats liked the foods I tried. They always had their own food available as well and the new foods weren't introduced in a way that caused an upset stomach (it was more like a treat or snack). I would weigh the food before and after to see how much they ate.
That being said... it wasn't exactly scientific as the initial weights varied, the time they had the food varied (from an hour to two or more days), the number of cats that could eat the food at a time ranged from just one to over 20, and sometimes the scale glitched sometimes. But I still learned so much from it!!
First off, wet food (canned, raw, fresh, re-moistened freeze-dried, etc) is probably the best diet for any cat, but especially diabetic cats prone to dehydration. But dry foods can be very useful for picky cats, as treats, during traveling, at night if your cat wants to graze, or while you are away at work. Cats want multiple small meals, and dry food lasts out in a bowl far longer than wet food and MUCH longer than raw food.
I chose to study foods above 38% protein as-fed (generally), including extruded kibbles, baked kibbles, air-dried, freeze-dried, and cold-pressed. Unfortunately I couldn't find any cold-pressed foods in the United States, but there are some good options in Europe. I worked with over 40 cats so I got a chance to trial kitties of various backgrounds, ages, and health statuses including up to 20 years old! Genny, Nym, and Nocturne (our own kitties) helped out. Genny has CKD and hyperthyroidism, Nocturne has IBD, and Nym had diabetes.
I'll post links to the files I made that showed the percents the cats ate and the nutritional comparisons of the foods as well as their price and other useful information.
I tried to use poultry-based foods so they compared more easily, but some of them had fish, pork, beef, rabbit, etc.
Its important to note that freeze-dried food has far lower moisture content in general than dry kibble (5% instead of 10%) and often far higher fat and protein content. Comparing freeze-dried, air-dried, and kibbled foods on a dry-matter basis (without water) allows you to see them on a one-to-one basis. The guaranteed analysis alone can't be compared usually.
I haven't finished my trials, but I wanted to post my initial results after so many months of weighing cat food : )
In the end the cats generally chose Crave, Diamond Naturals, Dr. Elsey's, Farmina N&D, Go!, Orijen, Solid Gold, Tiki Cat, and TimberWolf as their favorite kibbles. They also liked Essence, Instinct Ultimate Protein, and Wellness Core.
I didn't get to complete my Earthborn test, despite Genny really liking it, because she got so sick on it that I didn't want to keep using that bag for other cats in case it had gone bad. She did really like the flavor though (ate 100% of it in one night).
They chose Fresh is Best, Furry Wonder, Instinct Freeze-dried Raw, McLovin's, Northwest Naturals, Pet-ever, Redford Naturals, Smallbatch, Steve's Real Food, and Wysong Archetype were favorite freeze-dried foods. Some also enjoyed Stella & Chewy's.
They chose Smack as a favorite air-dried, though Nym did like Catit for awhile before his nausea made him stop.
Some I accidentally got that weren't what I wanted included Hound & Gatos, Made by Nacho, and Lotus which was lower protein than the others (it was early on, before I had laid out the rules I wanted). Also, I and Love and You Chicken + Duck is much lower in protein than the Digestive Support and Love, Nala Beef is much lower than Love, Nala Chicken (which I didn't expect). Finally, Only Natural Pet Rawnibs turned out not to be a complete and balanced food (can only be used as a treat or supplement).
And the Instinct Raw Beef was actually a dog food, though many of the cats loved it : )
Cat Food Trial Data
About the Foods Trialed
Initial Results
Feel free to share your cats favorite dry foods! Or least favorite!
That's when I started a long series of food trials with my own kitties and the kitties of my clients. I pet-sit and they gave me permission to see if their cats liked the foods I tried. They always had their own food available as well and the new foods weren't introduced in a way that caused an upset stomach (it was more like a treat or snack). I would weigh the food before and after to see how much they ate.
That being said... it wasn't exactly scientific as the initial weights varied, the time they had the food varied (from an hour to two or more days), the number of cats that could eat the food at a time ranged from just one to over 20, and sometimes the scale glitched sometimes. But I still learned so much from it!!
First off, wet food (canned, raw, fresh, re-moistened freeze-dried, etc) is probably the best diet for any cat, but especially diabetic cats prone to dehydration. But dry foods can be very useful for picky cats, as treats, during traveling, at night if your cat wants to graze, or while you are away at work. Cats want multiple small meals, and dry food lasts out in a bowl far longer than wet food and MUCH longer than raw food.
I chose to study foods above 38% protein as-fed (generally), including extruded kibbles, baked kibbles, air-dried, freeze-dried, and cold-pressed. Unfortunately I couldn't find any cold-pressed foods in the United States, but there are some good options in Europe. I worked with over 40 cats so I got a chance to trial kitties of various backgrounds, ages, and health statuses including up to 20 years old! Genny, Nym, and Nocturne (our own kitties) helped out. Genny has CKD and hyperthyroidism, Nocturne has IBD, and Nym had diabetes.
I'll post links to the files I made that showed the percents the cats ate and the nutritional comparisons of the foods as well as their price and other useful information.
I tried to use poultry-based foods so they compared more easily, but some of them had fish, pork, beef, rabbit, etc.
Its important to note that freeze-dried food has far lower moisture content in general than dry kibble (5% instead of 10%) and often far higher fat and protein content. Comparing freeze-dried, air-dried, and kibbled foods on a dry-matter basis (without water) allows you to see them on a one-to-one basis. The guaranteed analysis alone can't be compared usually.
I haven't finished my trials, but I wanted to post my initial results after so many months of weighing cat food : )
In the end the cats generally chose Crave, Diamond Naturals, Dr. Elsey's, Farmina N&D, Go!, Orijen, Solid Gold, Tiki Cat, and TimberWolf as their favorite kibbles. They also liked Essence, Instinct Ultimate Protein, and Wellness Core.
I didn't get to complete my Earthborn test, despite Genny really liking it, because she got so sick on it that I didn't want to keep using that bag for other cats in case it had gone bad. She did really like the flavor though (ate 100% of it in one night).
They chose Fresh is Best, Furry Wonder, Instinct Freeze-dried Raw, McLovin's, Northwest Naturals, Pet-ever, Redford Naturals, Smallbatch, Steve's Real Food, and Wysong Archetype were favorite freeze-dried foods. Some also enjoyed Stella & Chewy's.
They chose Smack as a favorite air-dried, though Nym did like Catit for awhile before his nausea made him stop.
Some I accidentally got that weren't what I wanted included Hound & Gatos, Made by Nacho, and Lotus which was lower protein than the others (it was early on, before I had laid out the rules I wanted). Also, I and Love and You Chicken + Duck is much lower in protein than the Digestive Support and Love, Nala Beef is much lower than Love, Nala Chicken (which I didn't expect). Finally, Only Natural Pet Rawnibs turned out not to be a complete and balanced food (can only be used as a treat or supplement).
And the Instinct Raw Beef was actually a dog food, though many of the cats loved it : )
Cat Food Trial Data
About the Foods Trialed
Initial Results
Feel free to share your cats favorite dry foods! Or least favorite!
