Homemade diabetic cat diet

Make up daily food in the following proportions (by weight):

• 60 % meat or animal product
• 25 % starch (complex carbohydrate)
• 15 % raw or semi raw vegetables

An eight to ten pound cat would eat approximately the following (per day):

• 5 tbsp meat or animal product (about 2-3 tbsp if an egg is fed)
• 2 tbsp starch (complex carb)
• 2-4 tsp raw or semi-raw vegetables/fruit
• 1 raw egg
• 2-4 tbsp low fat cottage cheese, ricotta, or yogurt (plain)

This can be presented in any way you like you can mix it all together or feed ingredients separately. Feed 3 to 5 times daily, at the same time every day, followed by exercise or activity about 1-2 hrs. afterwards

Meat & Animal Products:
cooked pork, shrimp, chicken, fish, turkey
raw liver, pancreas, heart, or spleen (veal,beef, chicken, turkey)
raw eggs (1 daily max.)

Starches (complex carbohydrates)*
yams, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, red potato, carrots, tapioca, pumpkin, string beans

Raw**
sprouts, beet greens, broccoli, snow peas, string beans, lettuce
(cantaloupe, pears, tomato, melons)

* Often cats will like melted butter or cheese on their starches.
**You may need to grind the raw veggies with either raw or cooked protein (meat) or starch.

Prescription foods appropriate for diabetic cats (canned better than dry)

Medi-Cal:  Reducing, Diabetic DS

Hill's Prescription Diet  m/d

Purina Veterinary Diet Diabetes mellitus

Low carbohydrate commercial foods (canned)

*All of these foods have 10% or less of their calories from carbohydrates

*Diabetic cats should be fed canned foods as they are much lower in carbohydrates than their dried counterparts.

Iams: Chicken & Rice Active Maturity, Fish & Rice Active Maturity, Turkey & Giblets, Chicken formula, Ocean fish, Catfish, Land & Rice

Fancy Feast: Chunky Chicken, Chunky Turkey, Beef & Liver Feast, Chopped Grill Feast, Beef & ChickenFeast, Cod, Sole & Shrimp Feast, Cod, Sole & Shrimp Feast, Flaked Tuna & Mackerel Feast, Flaked Trout Feast, Flaked Salmon & Ocean Whitefish Feast and others

Nutro: Max Cat Chicken & Lamb, Max Kitten Chicken & Ocean Fish, Natural Choice Turkey & Liver Platter, most of the "Gourmet"  line, such as Gourmet Lamb & Turkey Cutlets

Wellness: All are 14% or less. All are 10% or less if you avoid the salmon-containing flavors.

Whiskas: All of the "Ground with" foods (eg Ground with Lamb & Rice) are good, as well as Chicken Dinner, Chicken and Tuna Dinner.

9-Lives: avoid the flavors with "Plus Care" in the name; they are higher in carbohydrates. Likewise "Shredded" and "Tender Carvings".  All of the "Ground" and "Prime Grill" are low in carbs, as long as you avoid Plus Care.

Wysong: the "All Meat" line has few or no carbs, with the exception of Duck.

Natura: Innova Feline (avoid the Light)

Active Life: all flavors are less than 10% carbs as of this writing.