| If you feed your kitty dry food, you may be setting | | | | Kidney disease is one of the leading causes of feline |
| him up for feline diabetes and urinary tract problems. | | | | death. A kitty who is chronically dehydrated is more |
| Your furry friend is an "obligate carnivore," which | | | | than likely headed for kidney problems. Any feline |
| means that he needs to be getting his protein | | | | with kidney trouble needs to be fed a high-quality |
| requirements from a meat-based diet, not a | | | | canned food, not dry food. |
| grain-based one. His body is not built to digest plant | | | | It's important to read pet food labels. This isn't as |
| proteins like corn, wheat, and rice efficiently. | | | | easy as you would think, since these labels don't |
| Guess what most commercial dry foods are made | | | | really have a lot of information on them. You can get |
| of? You've got it--corn, wheat, and rice. And this | | | | an idea of what's in the food, but not how much of |
| includes dry foods formulated especially for diabetic | | | | each ingredient. For example, if "rice" is mentioned, |
| cats. Feeding a kitty with this disease a diet high in | | | | you can't tell if the food contains a lot of rice or a |
| carbohydrates has been compared to pouring | | | | small amount. You may need to contact the pet food |
| gasoline on a fire and wondering why you can't put it | | | | company and ask for a breakdown of the number of |
| out. | | | | calories that come from protein, from fat, and from |
| A kitty in the wild eats birds, mice, rabbits, and | | | | carbohydrates. If more than ten percent of the |
| squirrels, not grains. This meat-based diet contains | | | | calories come from carbohydrates, avoid that food. |
| only three to five percent carbohydrates. Commercial | | | | Look for a muscle meat as the first ingredient, not |
| dry foods, on the other hand, contain between 35 to | | | | an organ meat like liver. Words like "chicken" or |
| 50% carbohydrates. These excess carbs are stored | | | | "turkey" are preferable to "by-products" or "broth" or |
| in your kitty's body as fat. And it's a known fact that | | | | "meal." "Meal" is a meat that has been cooked for a |
| fat cells secrete a substance that causes insulin | | | | long time at high temperatures, which lowers its |
| resistance, a factor in type 2 diabetes. | | | | quality. "By-products" includes yummy stuff like feet, |
| Water is another important nutrient. Most kitties don't | | | | intestines, feathers, and egg shells. |
| drink a lot of water. Why is this? Wild cats, large and | | | | There shouldn't be any grain listed, but since grains |
| small, get most of their water from the animals they | | | | are inexpensive, most pet food companies include |
| eat, so felines don't have a strong thirst drive. This | | | | them as fillers. Corn, wheat, and soy should not be |
| can lead to problems when we feed dry food, which | | | | among the first three ingredients, as they cause |
| only contains about 10 percent water. If your furball | | | | blood sugar to go up quickly. These ingredients are |
| eats mostly dry food, he's probably in a constant | | | | also common allergens, along with yeast. |
| state of low-level dehydration. | | | | Most of the "prescription" diets contain corn, wheat, |
| High-quality canned foods not only contain about 78 | | | | soy, and meat by-products, and they're also very |
| percent water, but their carbohydrate level is around | | | | high in carbohydrates. Be aware that words like |
| three to five percent. This is much closer to what a | | | | "natural," "premium," or "veterinarian recommended" |
| cat would eat in the wild, and provides the water he | | | | don't mean a lot. |
| needs. | | | | It's unfortunate, but many vets don't know a lot |
| A kitty who eats dry food exclusively may drink | | | | about nutrition. Do your own research to prevent |
| more water than one who eats canned food. But | | | | health problems for your kitty. |
| when you consider how much water he's getting | | | | Note: If your kitty has diabetes and is being treated |
| from both his food and what he drinks, the kitty on | | | | with insulin, be sure to check with your vet BEFORE |
| dry food is taking in only half the amount of water | | | | making any changes to his diet. Dietary changes can |
| the kitty on canned food is getting. This is probably | | | | change the amount of insulin your furry friend needs, |
| one reason why urinary tract infections are so | | | | and too much or too little insulin will cause serious |
| common in kitties. | | | | problems or death. |