# "Best" wet food for CKD + Diabetic Cat



## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

So, my sister has finally bitten the bullet and asked me to pick up some higher quality foods for her to feed her cat, Cheshire. Her cat is old and has many problems. I tried to go through Tanya's page but there's a lot of information there and I'm not really sure where to start.

Cheshire is:
- At _least_ 19 years old (we don't know exactly)
- 26lbs
- Diabetic, gets insulin 2x a day and has for the last 2-3 years or so.
- CKD (stage 3, I think).
- Has had 2 seizures in the last 2 years, of unknown cause.

For the first 8-9 years he was free-fed grocery store dry food, then he blocked and needed the emergency surgery. After that he ate the Science Diet kidney food (also dry), always free-fed. Shortly after his diabetes diagnosis (so about 2 years ago) he had all his teeth removed and was switched to an all-wet diet, of Friskies and Iams "premium." Just today, my sister offered to try some of the higher-quality foods, I think because she sees the positive impact they have on my cat.

What I'm looking for:
- A high-quality wet food that will, at the very least, not exacerbate his existing conditions.
- Not too expensive (Evo is good, cheaper than Evo is great, Wellness is probably not good, Weruva or Almo is too expensive).

What I don't have:
- His bloodwork/results/anything like that. (My sister will not provide them, I suspect because they're not up to date).
- Any info about his likes/dislikes.
- Desire to discuss weight management or anything remotely close to an "I told you so."

What I DO have:
- A true desire to help this cat. Tanya's page says that it's more important that they eat, than what they eat. I get that he's old, so if its better to keep him on the Friskies than I'm cool with that.
- Some pictures of him:


















TLDR; I'm looking for a mid-high quality brand (or brands) of wet food that is good for a cat with CKD and diabetes. The needs of diabetic and CKD diets seem to be at cross-purposes and I'm drowning in formation.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I'd go with EVO. It's good for diabetic cats as it has the lowest carbs in the industry, and is wet so good for renal health. Good on her for wanting to do better for this old guy!


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Thank you. I was leaning towards the Evo, but I thought it was too high in something that made it less good for CKD (Phosphorus? Manganese? Some trace mineral like that...)

I'm really excited my sister's finally making the overtures to feed this cat something better, but worried that if he takes a nose dive because of a "bad" good food it will be all over. I also don't want to hurt the fatty lumpus by giving him something innapropriate.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm no help in what food would be better, I just wanted to tell you how gorgeous he is!!! I mean it!! So pretty! I love his big fluffy coat, I have a big fluffball cat like this too. 

I hope you do figure something out for him. I wonder if our cats know how much we fret and worry about their health.


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## MB70 (Apr 1, 2012)

The regular EVO canned (purple can) is higher in Phosphorous than the 95% Chicken and Turkey. Check out the nutrient analysis' on their page.

Meat- and Poultry-Based Pet Food ? Premium Dog Food, Cat Food, Ferret Food, Dog Treats ? EVO Pet Products

Evo 95%.... Meat- and Poultry-Based Pet Food ? Premium Dog Food, Cat Food, Ferret Food, Dog Treats ? EVO Pet Products

The 95% varieties are high in fat, like most 95-96% varieties. Not sure about fat and a CKD kitty. Cheshire is a handsome guy!


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I would still say EVO is more appropriate than friskies or iams. I dunno about the maganese level or what it should be for a ckd cat, the mineral issue is usually a problem for cats that are.prone to blocking and.crystals. The only thing I've heard many vets recommend a diet low in protein for cats with renal disease. That usually causes weight loss and quickens death in cats. So I still stand by my EVO recommendation


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## westfayetteville (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi Jacq

Could you tell us what foods he 's on now, I know you said Friskies and Iams premium, but what flavors ? The reason I ask is because of the carb content 
Iams Premium Pate with Tender Beef is 24.4% carbs dry matter which is way to high in carbs for a diabetic cat, and if thats what he is use to eating 2units of insulin may be to much if you switch to a lower carb food. I'm not saying that the switch is not needed, but just keep an eye on him when you switch him to the lower carb food.( I don't want him to have a hypo) I don't know much about CRF kittys, but I do know a good bit about diabetic cats.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Thank you all for the replies. I was thinking I will get a few of the larger cans of EVO, and a few of the brands that I like (The Wild Calling, and maybe Merrick).

Hi Westfayetteville, thanks very much for the info. Cheshire gets the Iams premium wet variety pack (that comes with chicken and beef flavours), as well as the Friskies indoor pate variety pack (chicken and salmon varieties)... At least, I think so. I'm going by my memory of the colour and packaging, as I didn't look too closely at them.

Is it possible they may be able to lower his insulin amounts on a higher quality food? They have the meter, and the insulin is quite expensive, so that might be a good incentive for my sister. On the other hand, maybe it would be better not to "rock the boat" since his condition is relatively good right now (he caught and killed a rabbit in the back garden a few days ago). 

I'll let her know to watch him when she tries the new foods, and monitor his blood-sugar levels. She is, uhm, she has really good intentions but is not the most conscientious owner there is.


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## westfayetteville (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi Jacq

Yes you can lower the dosage of insulin, however you need to test first to know what this B/G's are and ( not to sound rude) you need to know what you are doing or have guidance ( which is what I had). With a low carb. food, it could lower his B/g's by 100 points (could, it dose not always) 

I feed my cats Fancy Feast classic( most varieties are under 10% carbs dry matter), I tried the EVO 95% and they would not eat it, I tried Raw and they would not eat it( bought a 150 dollar grinder, and the cats just look at the raw food like, you eat it)

I am going to tell you a little about the forum I belong to, if you or your sister would like to join I know we could help Cheshire, however at first it is a lot of info to take in and a lot of testing, and I know its not your cat, but your sisters cat.

If a Dr. would tell a diabetic human to just give them self a set shot of insulin everyday with out testing, that Dr. would lose his license, so why do we let vets tell us to blindly shot insulin into a cat with out testing. 

(TR) Tight Regulation is what the protocol is called, where we give the right amount on insulin for what the B/G's are, we also feed food that is 10% or lower in carbs to protect them from Hypos( which is what could have cause Cheshire's to have seizures) 
we test about 30 mins. before time to give insulin and again when it is time to give insulin to make sure that there B/G's are not dropping if they are on the rise and it's over 150 then we give a shot of insulin from a scale we use ( If I were needing to give my cat a shot, and his B/G's were 160 I would give him 0.2 units of insulin, if his B/G's were 300, I would give 1.4 units of insulin (I used prozinc))) and it had to be at least 6 hours from his last shot ( I went with 8 because of work) It is a little tough at first but my cat went off insulin after 2 months and it almost been 2 years sense his last insulin shot.

The forum is called Diabetic Cat Care Diabetic Cat Care • Index page

We also have a section in our forum I am going to copy and paste about CRF 


Food and the CRD Cat

Many vets are stuck in old thinking that a cat with CRD requires a reduced protein diet (usually recommending a switch to a prescription wet food loaded with high carb fillers or a switch to dry food). A reduced protein diet is NOT recommended!!! 

Dr. H, DVM, July 2006

“Please understand that the whole concept of protein restriction for CRD cats is a fallacy, or at the very least a completely unproven hypothesis. at most, the problem with high protein diets is NOT the protein but the phosphorous, which can be controlled without removing the protein. It is my view, supported by dozens of successfully managed cats with CRD on high protein diets, that it is protein restriction that is the most direct cause of the deterioration and death of CRD cats in most cases, not excessive dietary protein.”


Dr. H, DVM, September 2006

“Please be aware than many sites with general information about managing CRD in cats still recommend low-protein diets for cats. This "dogma" has become controversial at this time, and has no true science behind it. I do NOT put my CRD cats on protein restricted diets. While this approach may be appropriate for dogs (omnivores) it is not appropriate for cats with their ongoing high protein requirements. It is best to feed low carb, high protein diets with as low phosphorus as possible and/or a phosphorus binder to reduce the amount of this mineral in the CRD cat's diet.”


Your cat should remain on the species appropriate high protein/low carb diet that it is intended to eat. If you are giving canned food, it is recommended to select one with the lowest amount of phosphorous.

Cooked egg whites are an excellent source of low-phosphorous high quality protein, as is full fat cottage cheese; adding some to a CRD cat’s food is recommended to help reduce phosphorous levels. 

Adding extra water to your cat’s food is also highly recommended to help flush toxins from the kidneys and kept them well hydrated.


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## westfayetteville (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi Jacq

I was looking around and MB70 hit the nail on the head The EVO 95% Chicken and Turkey is about your best bet. It is 4% carbs ( good for diabetics cats) and 0.88% phosphorus ( which is lower than most food's again I do not know what is recommended for CRF cats. one other food I found is _Instinctive Choice_…3 oz. cans Available online only 
Chicken, Turkey & Shrimp Feast……..Protein-51……Fat-37……Carbohydrates-0 ……Phos/DM-.29

Again when your sister changes food tell her to be care full his B/G's may go lower than they should.


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

My friend's cat has diabetes, and her vet recommended Natural Balance Chicken and Pea. I guess this particular flavor helps keep blood sugar in check. I don't know anything about CKD. I hope kitty's health will improve on better food


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## Mar (Jun 22, 2013)

i think natural balance is a good food


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Thank you again for all the help and info. My sister stopped by today unexpectedly, so I gave her one of my own cans of the Evo 95% (Chicken and Turkey) to try.

I told her that she needs to monitor his B/Gs when she feeds it (if he even likes it) and she said she was planning to do a full day check anyways (where they poke his ear every few hours?) and then do it again the next day with the Evo. If he hates the Evo, we'll try the Natural balance, or some other kinds. Fingers crossed we can find something he likes that's also good for him. 

I guess they had a bit of a scare yesterday. I mentioned that he caught a rabbit in the back garden... well, he caught three more in the last few days, and ate more of them than he should have before they got it away from him. My sister said he was kind of staggering around and being really strange, so they rubbed corn syrup on his lips and mixed some in his food and it seemed to stabilize him. 

This is scary stuff. I said he was at least 19 because that's how old he was when my sister got him, but he was probably around 1 or 2 years old at that point anyways. I'm impressed he can still hunt, to be honest.

Here's a few more snaps of him, since you've all been so kind. Most of my pictures of him are about 4 years old or more, since they're from when I was taking care of him while my sister was overseas:


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