# Best Cat food choice



## *Nettie (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi all,I have 4 cats...Max,Sparky,Munch and Jewel... Munch has Diabetes,Sparky has Irritable Bowel syndrome,Max has had Urniary tract issues and ALL are a bit overweight.My Veterinarian suggests a High Protien diet would be best espically for Munch to help control his Diabetes and I have to use a cat food that adresses the urniary care issue.My question to all is ...What cat food do you use and why? I am trying to figure out what would be the best food for my little buddies and what better way to do that than ask other Cat owners.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

First off I want to give praise to your vet. It is seldom and far between that vets actually give good advice on what to feed your pet.

For Munch, I recommend first reading this article: Feline Diabetes by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM :: cat diabetes, cat sugar diabetes
For Sparky, I recommend waiting for advice from another member here.
For Max, I recommend canned food only.

For all of your cats, I recommend no grain cat food. Grains are full of carbs, and not only are they no good for kitties, but they contribute to weight gain.

Evo, Before Grain, Natural Balance, Spot's Stew, Wellness, by Nature, and Weruva are all great brands.
I personally feed 75% canned Before Grain and 25% dry Before Grain.


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## Magicats (Apr 21, 2011)

If you go to the websIte provided by Minka and thoroughly read everything on it, Dr. Pierson recommends a raw diet for cats. She's an amazing and I've contacted her myself regarding issues which she responded within two hours. It can be very tough to transition older cats but if you give yours the raw diet it can manage IBS and diabetes wonderfully and eliminate urinary issues. It's also more economical than the high end grain free foods. 

For right now, the main thing is getting them all on canned. My favorites are Blue Wilderness and Natural Balance Limited Ingredient ( great for sensitive stomachs.) Wellness Core I think has the highest protein content but there have been some recalls lately. The company is great for taking responsibility though and I still like Wellness Core canned as a food. 

I have a friend who has a website dedicated to kitties with IBD and other ailments. You'll find complete lists of good foods and no no foods. There's also a raw feeding guide of sorts. IBD Kitties - Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

I second the vote for something grain-free with a good moisture content (canned or raw). Moisture should help with the UTI issues, and grain-free (and low-carb in general) is the best idea for a cat with diabetes. Grains are processed into sugars by the body, which provides a source of energy, but in cats, it isn't the preferable choice because their bodies sometimes just cannot handle that kind of sugar load, thus grain-free is a good idea for a cat with diabetes (and even for those without, to help prevent diabetes). They're better off getting their energy from the proteins and fats found in meat.

All the canned brands mentioned above are excellent ones (I think there's another member here who has a kitty with IBD who feeds Natural Balance LI and has spoken highly of that). I've fed my cats Evo, Merrick Before Grain, Blue Wilderness, and Wellness at varying points in time and have been very happy with them all.

I don't know if my Athena has IBD as I've never had her tested, but she has an _extremely_ sensitive stomach (soft stools, bloating, and gas in response to the wrong foods) and so far grain-free canned and raw are the only things that have helped her, with raw showing the best results. Any kind of kibble (including just a single meal of a quality grain-free kibble) or any food containing grain produce the worst reactions in her, so I'd recommend avoiding those with a sensitive-stomach kitty.

I currently have my cats on a regular schedule of Primal raw with some occasional grain-free canned (rotating the above mentioned brands) and Athena's been doing very well on this diet. No more digestive issues at all.


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