Dr. Ernie Ward
As a veterinarian who has an interest in pet nutrition and, more specifically, pet obesity, the question I’m most often asked by cat lovers is, “What should I feed my cat?” I’d like to focus in this column not on what brand you should feed, but on what type of food is better for cats: dry or canned food?
The first thing you need to know about cats is they are obligate carnivores. True meat eaters. Cats must eat meat protein or they will miss out on essential nutrients that can’t be found anywhere else. And then they die. Not good. At least not for the cat. My dogs have a different opinion.
Humans and dogs are omnivores. That means we can get our essential nutrients from plants and animal tissue. What we don’t eat we make from stuff we do eat. This is perfect for scavenging species such as my terrier that seems to find forgotten food in the oddest places. Yes, I’m talking to you, underneath the couch. Dogs can do fine on dry or canned food, with only a few exceptions and personal opinion.
Back to cats. Canned food wins, hands down. Why? The answer is simple: canned foods almost always contain less carbohydrates and more protein. High-protein, low-carb diets have been shown both experimentally and in my experience to provide the most health benefits, help prevent and even treat type 2 diabetes, and reduce the risk of obesity. All good.
The time to think about feeding a canned or dry food is when you get a new kitten. That’s not to say older cats can’t be transitioned to a wet food; they can. It’s just that I’ve seen cats addicted to dry foods. This food addiction, at least in my opinion and personal understanding of the current science, largely stems from the “sugar high” associated with high-carb foods. Research proves that lab rats fed high-carb foods release the same brain chemicals those given drugs such as cocaine produce. This is why you feel certain feelings when you eat certain foods, assuming you’re also not high on cocaine. Now I’m talking to you, ice cream.
My best advice is to feed your cat a low-carb, high-protein canned food. If your cat is a little pudgy, it’s even more important. If your cat is diabetic or pre-diabetic (blood sugar around 130 to 200 mg/dl), the sooner you start a low-carb diet, the better.
By “low-carb” I typically mean less than 10% carbohydrate. Some cats will do better on a slightly higher-carb diet (12 to 14%) while more do well on a diet less than 7% carbohydrate, in my experience.
Another plus for low-carb, hi-protein is that if I diagnose and begin treatment for a cat with relatively early diabetes, usually less than 6 months after the diabetes started, I’ll have an excellent chance of forcing diabetes into remission by feeding a low-carb canned diet and administering glargine insulin. This is why we always strongly recommend all cats over age 7 or over 13 pounds have their blood glucose checked once or twice a year. Early diagnosis and treatment is critical to remission. Diabetes can be insidious in onset and as weeks tick by, so do the chances of inducing diabetic remission. Get those blood tests. And consider a low-carb canned food for your cat.