# My cat is constantly hungry



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Hello everyone,

I would appreciate your advice on my cat’s behaviour and how to combat it. Patsy is a tabby rescue cat, we got her when she was a kitten and is now almost 2 years old.
She was neutered when she was 4 months old. And I think this is when the problem started. She is always hangry and begging for food... when she was a kitten we were feeding her 300 g wet food and biscuits in between until we took her to vet (she was 1 y 3 m old then and her weight was 6kg) and were told she needs to lose some weight. So we reduced her diet gradually to 100g wet and the recommended amount of Royal Cane biscuits for sterilised overeating cats. She was still begging but not so much.

Then I read on here that dry food is not good for cats and I replaced it with 93% meat content wet food I buy on Zooplus. We try not to give her more that the recommended 250 g of this food in two main portions plus another 3 small portions which we give her to stop her from begging. So in total she gets about 300g.

She loves this food and constantly begs for more. She will eat her breakfast in no time and comes back to her bowl to check if there is anymore there. She seems to have absolutely no control over her eating. She will eat her dinner and then sit with us begging for our dinner. Every time we walk towards the kitchen she leads us to her bowl stretching her back legs as she walks, which is comical, to give her food... When her feeding time comes she will be mewing and leading us to the kitchen from at least 30 mins before... She is not interested in going outdoor much now when it’s cold or wet. In summer she loved it though. We don’t have a cat flap but we let her out regularly when we are in and we also play with her as much as she wishes to move around. I should also mention that she developed a saggy belly which I believe is a result of the procedure she had.

Any help or advice you can offer will be appreciated as it makes us really sad to think that our cat may be constantly hungry or that we harm her by giving her too much food 

Thank you!


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @Bea_B. and welcome 

A saggy belly is quite common in cats (it's called the primordial pouch) and can become more noticeable if the cat has lost weight off her belly.

I am pleased you replaced the dry food with a good quality wet food.  300 grams a day sounds, in theory, like a good amount of food, but so much depends on the individual cat and their own metabolism. e.g. one of my girls (aged 6) eats between 300 to 350 grams of wet food a day and is slim and lithe. Her sister is only fed 160g of wet food a day (no dry food at all) and is tending to be overweight. Both my girls go outdoors into my large garden, but the one who eats less and is tending to be overweight is far more active and busy than her sister. (i..e. she has a much slower metabolism)

How much does your cat weigh now? The best plan is to weigh her weekly with digital scales and keep a record. Baby-weighing scales are good for this purpose and can be bought for about £20 from ebay.

Also to judge if she is a healthy weight/size, it can be helpful to use a body condition scoring chart:

https://petobesityprevention.org/pet-weight-check/

Which wet foods are you feeding your cat? From experience with my own cat, I'd say choose wet foods that are low in carbs, and feed her a variety of about 4 or 5 different makes. I have found with my own cat that she finds some foods so delicious she wants to keep eating more of them. So I don't feed her those foods now. Instead I feed her foods that she likes and will eat, and seems to find more satiating than her favourite foods.

Also I really do think that cats sometimes eat because they are a bit bored and it's something to do. Your cat is only 2 yrs old and plenty young enough to be very active. I would persuade your cat to go out more often by going out in the garden with her, and getting her running around chasing after a rod toy for example. Or if the weather is cold and wet, get her running around in the house chasing toys you operate for her.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PurrSuit-Feather-Spinning-Cat-UKmade/dp/B01H463R2U/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb_sspa?crid=UTHQG8OQSP31&keywords=purrsuit+feather+cat+toy&qid=1570281899&sprefix=purrsuit,aps,135&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySDZQS0xRRlYzMTZRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTc3OTU1M0FQSzNWMEQyR0xBWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDM0NzYyR01HUFBQOURYSFhRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

If you have stairs in your home, get her running after ping pong balls you throw up the stairs.

The advantages of getting her to play with you more are : - it will occupy her, give her some exercise and help keep her trim; and it will take her mind off wanting food all the time. If you make an hour of daily playtime a regular part of her schedule you may find she can safely be allowed a bit more to eat, as she will be using the extra energy in playtime.

In case you haven't seen the pinned thread on carb levels in the Zooplus wet foods, here is a link:

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads...-just-the-good-stuff-work-in-progress.440844/


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Hello @chillminx!

Thank you so much for taking your time to get back to me.

Yes, the pinned list is the very list I chose her food from. Atm we feed her Animinda Carny Adult food, Bozita chunks in jelly and Miamor Royal Ragout in jelly. The first two are very low in carbs, the last one not so. I seem to remember when she was a kitten I bought her Smilla and she wasn't that keen on it so I will try that next, plus it has 0% carbs so I presume that's will be good for her?

You are right, she probably doesn't get enough exercise and we will improve on that. We only play with her for about 15 mins per day. As I find that after that time she can no longer be bothered to run around, instead she takes a hunting position and stays in one place. We use fishing rod type toys, balls and also a laser pen and gets her running up and down stairs.

We don't weight Patsy that regularly but when we recently weight her she was still 6kg although looked trimmer than 6 months ago. Even our friends commented she looked like she lost a bit weight. It must have been the effect of summer when she had more exercise in the garden. We also have a large garden and she rarely ventured outside of it.

I tried taking some pictures of her just now (which was challenging) to see how she compares to those in the leaflet. I guess she is between 5 and 7 on the scale but with saggy belly which is not due to her weigh...

Thanks a lot again. I will post an update once I put her on Smilla and exercised her more!


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Patsy (great name for a cat ) is very pretty! She doesn't look fat, but 6 kg is quite big for a domestic short haired cat. Unfortunately, as I have found in the past, it can be difficult to get weight off some cats, so I really sympathise.

As you say, Bozita chunks and Animonda Carny are both low in carbs. I find with Miamor Ragout Royale it's a food that my cats always want more of, they never seem satisfied. So nowadays I reserve it for times when their appetites are not good and I want to get them eating again.

I think Smilla may be better for Patsy than the Ragout Royale. I will be interested to hear if she seems more satiated when you start the Smilla,

Another thing I would suggest is, if Patsy has been fed but is still crying for food, you could give her a freeze dried protein treat. They are made by Thrive or Cosma and are available from Zooplus. They're popular with my cats and I find that being given a treat or two, when they ask between meals, seems to keep them happy.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_treats_catnip/thrive_cat_snacks

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_treats_catnip/cosma_cat_snacks


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Thank you! We adopted her on St Patrick’s Day hence the name  
She is very heavy indeed! I can feel the pain of it when she walks on me at 4am demanding food :Wideyed

I shall try those snacks together with Smilla and more play time for Patsy. I will post an update soon.

All the best,
Bea


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I like the connection with St Patrick's Day.  I thought she might have been named after "Patsy" (the wonderful Joanna Lumley) from Ab Fab!


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Some cats do seem to have a condition where they are missing the hormone that tells them they are full (humans can have this too) My Jennie (Angel) was never satisfied, but in her case I think it was from being a stray and raising a family on her own. It wasn't until I switched to raw feeding that she finally really started to become satisfied. The longer a meal took her the more she was content. A big half frozen chunk of meat or a chicken wing, for instance, something that would take her 5 minutes to eat.

I agree with ensuring Patsy (I, too, love her name) gets more exercise and attention. An adult cat needs more challenging mentally stimulating Games than a kitten, I've only recently read an article on this I wonder if I can find it again. Anyway, the point being, an adult cat takes more effort on the human's part to get the cat moving, because they like to hunt and plot and scheme more.

If you pay very close attention when you engage her in play, she will tell you what she likes. Try different set ups. Put a paper bag on the floor (cut any handles). Toss a toy in. Or see if she gets in it. Then toss the toy along the front, or on top.

Try a newspaper fort or a brown paper fort. A Box Fort. Pull the wand toy under a rug, or behind a box. Try throwing toys (like crumpled paper balls). Throw them different places. You'll see by her body stance (if she likes that Game) where she wants you to throw the toy. Watch her eyes and posture with any Game you are playing. She'll be telling you where she wants you to put the wand toy or throw the toy, and so on.

Drag it up her tower. Many cats, when they become adults want things hidden, they want mystery and challenge, they want to use their brains.

They more you do and try, the more you will find out what she likes. I've found many of my adult cats (not all) are wonderful inventors of New Games. My Tolly (Angel) was all his life. Mazy cat, now 16, is still pretty good at it. Queen Eva, 9, also is able to invent New Games on a regular basis. The more time you devote to it, the better they get at it.


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

One more thing. I agree with the wet (or raw) diet, but get some freeze dried pure protein treats, for Chase the Meal Games. My cats love this Game, it was the 16 year old who invented it when she was a kitten. I sit on the floor with the jar of freeze dried chicken breast and call out the cat's name and toss a chunk across the room. Which cat is chasing is what determines how I throw. 

They mostly respect whoever's name I was calling and wait their turns

The inventor of this Game used to like to run full tilt across the apartment after it. She would run so fast when she stopped over it her hind feet with pop off the floor. It was hilarious! She now prefers the sudden grab, she sits under the kitchen table and I toss it gently so it skitters across the floor and she stops it flat with a thump of her paw.

The 9 year old still enjoys a full out chase but she wants it hiding somewhere so I toss it in a way it will land in her toy box or tunnel or paper bag fort, for instance.

My Jennie (Angel) used to prefer a hunt, too.

Tolly (Angel) didn't like competition so he preferred me to pretend to toss it but he wanted it to land right at his feet.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Hello @lorilu!

Thank you for your response. Wow, I love the different games you and your Cats invent and play  we shall try them out too :Happy
I wonder if we should consider getting another cat to keep her company and play. She seem to get on really well with the male cats from the neighbourhood, not so much with females... although I heard that introducing two adult cats to each other can be very tricky, I wonder if it's easier to bring a new kitten in? Both you and @chillminx have more than one, although in Chillminx's case I think they are siblings...

I now remember reading about this hormone deficiency which can be caused by neutering. So I'm pretty sure that's the case with Patsy, we just need to learn how to manage it. I think chicken wings are a good idea. As you say it will take her time to get through them, so that will keep her busy and they are also good for cleaning the teeth I believe. My partner is not so keen on her eating raw food, he seems to forget she is not a human  
I also remember that when she wasn't well I cooked chicken breast and rice for her and she wasn't that keen on it so it might be a good test to see whether she is actually hungry or greedy :Hungry

Many thanks!
Bea


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

You're welcome!



Bea_B. said:


> I also remember that when she wasn't well I cooked chicken breast and rice for her and she wasn't that keen on it so it might be a good test to see whether she is actually hungry or greedy


Don't give cats rice. 

I don't think neutering has anything to do with it. If they have this deficiency, they are born with it. My mother had a cat like that too, sadly she didn't try to control his diet and he was enormous and died of complications related to diabetes when he was only about 8.

If you decide to offer a wing, just give the wing tip to start to see how she does with it. Once she is used to eating bone and skin along with meat you can give her the middles too. I wouldn't give the drummette.

Have fun with the Games! Just remember it may require some patience, adult cats often like to think things through.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Thanks for the advice @lorilu! It was a vet that told us to feed her boiled chicken breast and rice when she wasn't well. She never really ate any rice and wasn't that keen on the chicken either... She likes her meat with jelly :Joyful​


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Bea_B. said:


> Thanks for the advice @lorilu! It was a vet that told us to feed her boiled chicken breast and rice when she wasn't well. She never really ate any rice and wasn't that keen on the chicken either... She likes her meat with jelly :Joyful​


Yeah well, most vets are pretty much clueless about feline nutrition. Rice is not good for cats.

You might find, if you need to feed a cat cooked chicken to help reset an upset tummy, simmering a chicken thigh in water for a little while will be more appealing. Once the meat is falling off the bone, remove it and shred it up into fine slivers. Continue to simmer the bones for a while longer it will make a lovely nutritious broth. You can feed each separately or blend the broth and meat together, whichever is her preference. Leftovers can be frozen in ice cube trays to make individual servings for future use. Once frozen store them in a freezer bag. They can make nice treats, as well as for therapeutic meals.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Hello again everyone,

We’ve been to the vets yesterday and unfortunately Patsy has put more weight on. She is now 2.5 yo and weights 6.5 kg. We are feeding her appx 300 g of Bozita wet food in jelly and occasional biscuits. We also give her freezer dried tune snacks when she begs too much. The vet recommended Purina OM - obesity management dry food. She is convinced that dry food is better for her. But I’m cautious having read multiple comments on this forum about dry food. Perhaps we could use it to get Patsys weight down and the switch her back onto wet food? 
I should also say that she spends all day outside but rarely leaves the garden so I’m sure she is not supplementing her diet. 

Any advice would be appreciated... 

Bea


----------



## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

Dry food is not good for cats.

I've got a fat so and so too. I keep trying to cut his food down but he keeps stealing from the others. I think it's time for chip feeders.

For Patsy, I guess the only thing to do is cut down her portions further. Or try a different food perhaps? My lot tend to prefer the jelly in Bozita and that is probably a lot of calories with not much nourishment.

As always, playing with her will burn some calories and take her mind off food.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Thanks MillieD. I looked at alternatives to Bozita but I could not find a similar one with fewer calories and low in fat. I agree that playing is best but she hardly wants to move and it’s a lot of effort... when life is busy. We cut her position size to 260 g wet food now plus occasional biscuits and dry protein snacks. It’s hot atm so she doesn’t seem to have her usual appetite, which helps with the transition.

I will try to switch to Bozita in sauce as well. 
So should I resist the vets suggestions to put her on Purina obesity management even temporarily, in your view?


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Bea_B. said:


> We are feeding her appx 300 g of Bozita wet food in jelly and occasional biscuits.


Stop the kibble. Kibble is so bad for them and can cause obesity.. That OM food is a horrible quality kibble filed with garbage ingredients. You wil regret putting your cat on it.

Look at the ingredients. There is NO MEAT in this "food". Cats are obligate carnivores they cannot thrive without meat. In addition it is a "reduced fat". Cats need fat, sourced from meat. She will be hungrier than ever on this diet and never lose with on it because she will constantly want to eat it trying to get a decent level of nutrition into her body.

* My gosh. This "food" supposedly meant for cats contains no meat. Is only 28 g protein Dry Matter Basis (DMB) and is a whopping 41% carbs DMB. *They fill it with fiber to make the cat think he's not hungry, so the cat will be pooping constantly besides.

_Whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, soybean hulls, soybean germ meal, soybean meal, pea fiber, wheat gluten, poultry by-product meal, animal liver flavor, powdered cellulose, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols, tricalcium phosphate, salt, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, L-Carnitine, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin (Vitamin B-3), Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, soybean oil, calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), garlic oil, folic acid (Vitamin B-9), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (Vitamin K), Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin (Vitamin B-7), sodium selenite. D263018
_
Disgusting.

https://www.proplanvetdirect.com/pr...anagement/canine-dry-om-overweight-management

Feed your cat a good quality high meat content canned food, or a raw diet or both.


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Bea_B. said:


> Thanks MillieD. I looked at alternatives to Bozita but I could not find a similar one with fewer calories and low in fat. I agree that playing is best but she hardly wants to move and it's a lot of effort... when life is busy. We cut her position size to 260 g wet food now plus occasional biscuits and dry protein snacks. It's hot atm so she doesn't seem to have her usual appetite, which helps with the transition.
> 
> I will try to switch to Bozita in sauce as well.
> So should I resist the vets suggestions to put her on Purina obesity management even temporarily, in your view?


As I said above, cats do not need "low in fat". Cats use fat for energy, not carbs. Restricting fat and not feeding a good quality high in MEAT protein product is what makes a cat hungry.

She probably has no energy because she isn't getting the right things in her diet. She needs high moisture (no kibble), protein and fat, sourced from meat. Though of course when it's hot she won't want to play much.


----------



## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

Bea_B. said:


> Thanks MillieD. I looked at alternatives to Bozita but I could not find a similar one with fewer calories and low in fat. I agree that playing is best but she hardly wants to move and it's a lot of effort... when life is busy. We cut her position size to 260 g wet food now plus occasional biscuits and dry protein snacks. It's hot atm so she doesn't seem to have her usual appetite, which helps with the transition.
> 
> I will try to switch to Bozita in sauce as well.
> So should I resist the vets suggestions to put her on Purina obesity management even temporarily, in your view?


I wouldn't personally. She may suffer nutritionally on it, and you might find it difficult to revert her back to wet once she is addicted to the carbs in it.

Have you tried any of the pate type foods? I find it difficult to get mine to eat those, but you might have more luck.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Hi MilleD. Yes this reminds me that I read it somewhere that pate type food is best consistency type food for cats. So I will try that. If she doesn’t want to eat it at least I will know she isn’t actually hungry


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Hi lorilu, Bozita’s fat content is about 5% so shall I will look for something slightly higher? I will get her food in pate consistency as suggested above.

The vet said that she needs dry food for teeth hygiene so I will keep giving her a very small portion of it.

Thanks
Bea


----------



## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

Bea_B. said:


> Hi lorilu, Bozita's fat content is about 4% so I will look for something slightly higher and also in pate consistency as suggested above.
> The vet said that she needs dry food for teeth hygiene so I will keep giving her a very small portion of it.
> 
> Thanks
> Bea


She'd be better off with something like a raw chicken wing for her teeth.

I'm not sure why vets insist that dry food is good for teeth.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

MilleD said:


> I'm not sure why vets insist that dry food is good for teeth.


 Call me a cynic, but sometimes it's because they just happen to sell it.


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Bea_B. said:


> The vet said that she needs dry food for teeth hygiene so I will keep giving her a very small portion of it.


This is a fallacy invented by pet food manufactures to sell product. Kibble does NOT clean teeth. In fact, it is high in carbs and turns to crumbs that stick to the teeth and turn to sugar, which can cause tooth decay. Cats have sharp pointy teeth, made to rip and tear meat and crush bone. Kibble provides absolutely no benefit to dental health and it astounds me that vets are still spouting this nonsense.

Dental health is largely genetic, but a healthy wet food low carb diet can go a way toward keeping the cat over all healthy including the mouth. Some people use dental additives or learn to brush the cat's teeth. The only diet that actually benefits dental health is a raw diet.

Your cat absolutely does not need kibble.

Pate foods are, in general, usually lower in carbohydrates, because they don't need the thickeners contained in gravy or jellied foods.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Thank you everyone! I feel very much reassured that I did the right thing by refusing to buy some OM food for Patsy despite my partner saying that the vet must know best! ☺


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Bea_B. said:


> Thank you everyone! I feel very much reassured that I did the right thing by refusing to buy some OM food for Patsy despite my partner saying that the vet must know best! ☺


Sadly, the only nutritional training vets get in school is provided by Big Pet Food. And they are flooded with free samples, ads in their textbooks, on and on, it's a real racket. And then in practice they are bombarded with more pet food representatives selling their "science". Many vets look no further and become stubborn when asked to think about what they are pushing.

Not all vets have become so brain washed though. Here's a site you might like to do some browsing in. Dr Pierson is an American vet who specializes in feline nutrition. She is very wordy so take it in small doses. She has a section on these "prescription diets" too.

www.catinfo.org


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Bea_B. - I agree with the others, to get your cat to lose weight you really do need to drop all the dry food, because all makes are high in carbs and fattening. And as lorilu has said, dry food does nothing for dental hygiene, because it is either crunched with the tops of the cat's teeth or it is swallowed whole. It goes nowhere near the gum line which is where the plaque forms and it is plaque that is the major dental problem for cats..

There have been no scientific studies done that I know about, to prove conclusively that dry food is of help with preventing dental decay and gingivitis in cats. But if your vet can find such a study I would be pleased to read it. 

Bozita in jelly is low in carbs as you say, but it is also quite low in protein (at only 7.5%) and quite low in fats (at 5%). And this may be why she is hungry constantly. I would choose foods that are higher in protein and a bit higher in fats, as they will keep her satisfied for longer.

e.g. Feringa Classic [10.2% meat protein and 6.4% fats)

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/feringa_wet_cat_food/feringa_duo/437329

or Catz Finefood (11% meat protein and 5.9% fats)

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/catz_finefood/catz_finefood_cans/364511

or MACS (meat protein 10.8% and 7% fats)

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/macs/cans/680964

These are all pate type foods, which are more nutritious than food in chunks. But you can imitate chunks by cutting the pate types into small bite size pieces instead of mashing it up.

If she likes jelly with her food you can make some at home by pot roasting a few chicken drumsticks.
Method : in an oven pan put drumsticks or thighs, and add about 5 - 6 cms of water. Cover tightly with baking foil and cook in the top of the oven gas mark 5 for one hour. When cooked drain off the juices into a bowl and when cooled refrigerate juices over night. Next day skim the fat off the surface (and save it for other recipes)

You'll be left with a nutritious jelly which can be added by the spoonful to her food. The jelly will keep for a week or more in the fridge. [The chicken you can feed to your cat].

Are you weighing her food and keeping a daily record of how much she is eating? And are you weighing your cat once a week and keeping a record. Cats must lose weight very slowly, especially if they are overweight. This is so as to avoid a serious disease called liver lipidosis.


----------



## Bea_B. (Oct 5, 2019)

Thank you Chillminx and lorilu, that’s very kind of you to take your time and provide me with this very helpful source of information. 
Yes we do weight Patsy’s food, every portion, but not so much Patsy herself. We will do that more regularly from now on. 

All the best 
Bea & Patsy


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Bea_B. said:


> Thank you everyone! I feel very much reassured that I did the right thing by refusing to buy some OM food for Patsy despite my partner saying that the vet must know best! ☺


 I have twice had vets try to sell me dry food for a _diabetic_ cat. When I said no, they said, oh, it's fine, it's dry _but it's specially formulated for diabetic cats_. You feel like replying, no, if it's dry, it isn't. It was Hills too, so not cheap.


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Calvine said:


> I have twice had vets try to sell me dry food for a _diabetic_ cat. When I said no, they said, oh, it's fine, it's dry _but it's specially formulated for diabetic cats_. You feel like replying, no, if it's dry, it isn't. It was Hills too, so not cheap.


I know a diabetic cat on one of those horrible "diets". Coworker's cat. They are really high in carbs! When he first started working there and told me about his cat, I did give him some information about why this was so inappropriate for her. They seemed receptive, but I don't think it went any further. Stuff the cat full of high carb dry kibble and then keep her insulin dependent. Not to mention constipated from the chronic dehydration of the kibble diet and now she's on miralax too. And vets wonder why they get a bad rap.


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

lorilu said:


> I know a diabetic cat on one of those horrible "diets". Coworker's cat. They are really high in carbs! When he first started working there and told me about his cat, I did give him some information about why this was so inappropriate for her. They seemed receptive, but I don't think it went any further. Stuff the cat full of high carb dry kibble and then keep her insulin dependent. Not to mention constipated from the chronic dehydration of the kibble diet and now she's on miralax too. And vets wonder why they get a bad rap.


Absolutely - I am not doubting that some of the 'diet' foods are helpful . . . but a dry diet for diabetes is not actually not helpful, it's harmful. Eat carbohydrates and you have a sugar ''spike'' (whether you are a cat or a human). I have one of mine on Hills y/d as she has a thyroid problem. It is iodine/sodium reduced, but was never recommended by a vet, I looked it up myself and buy from Zooplus; when I mentioned it they just sniffed and said it was very expensive. So are the thyroid meds, actually.


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Calvine said:


> Absolutely - I am not doubting that some of the 'diet' foods are helpful . . . but a dry diet for diabetes is not actually not helpful, it's harmful. Eat carbohydrates and you have a sugar ''spike'' (whether you are a cat or a human). I have one of mine on Hills y/d as she has a thyroid problem. It is iodine/sodium reduced, but was never recommended by a vet, I looked it up myself and buy from Zooplus; when I mentioned it they just sniffed and said it was very expensive. So are the thyroid meds, actually.


I wouldn't recommend that y/t product. It 'works' by restricting iodine, which is an essential nutrient. Not only that, there is no meat in it at all, well maybe a little if you are feeding the canned version, but none in the kibble. The diet is not only very poor quality, it is dangerous fed long term. These pet feed manufactures have absolutely no ethics when it comes to pet feed and very little regulation.

Here's the chapter on these diets in Dr Pierson's website

https://catinfo.org/#Prescription/Therapeutic_Diets


----------



## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Actually @Calvine this was the section I wanted to share regarding y/d:

(scroll down to find the part addressing y/d)

https://catinfo.org/feline-hyperthyroidism/


----------

