Diabetic cat won't eat for insulin. How to change food and treats?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 10 years and 2 months old | 11 lbs
Hello, My cat Tigger was just diagnosed w diabetes. I made the huge error of letting all my cats eat temptations treats and they are addicted. Plus Tigger is addicted to Fancy Feast cheap food. I need to give him insulin but he wont eat good stuff. Do I just cut off the treats at once because they are looking at me like what did we do wrong and its breaking my heart. How do I get Tigger to eat for insulin???
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 12th, 2018
I would recommend to cut them very gradually over two or three weeks time and do the same with food. This will allow his organism to adapt and maintain appetite (so you can give insulin).In the long term Metabolic food (Hills) (low carbohydrates and higher protein content) should be preferred. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on September 24th, 2017
I'm sorry that Garfield was diagnosed with diabetes. Here is a great article about feeding diabetic cats. http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/feeding-the-diabetic-cat How much to feed is completely dependent on the diet you are feeding (specific brand, ingredients, calorie count, etc). Without that information it is hard for me to comment. What I will tell you though is that dry food is not recommended and the urinary tract diet is not recommended. He needs canned food only and one that is high in protein and low in carbs. Check this list and find ones that have the lowest carbs and try one of those. You need to find one he likes and that keeps him regulated. You may have to try a few before you find the right one. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html Here are some feeding instructions from Vetsulin: http://www.vetsulin.com/vet/Cats_DosingFeeding.aspx Hope this helps. After this information if you have more questions please feel free to post again.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on May 22nd, 2018
There is no one "best" food. Being carnivorous, a cat requires a high protein, low carb diet to maintain good health. For a diabetic cat, you need to limit calories from carbs to no more than 10% of each meal. Increased fiber may also be beneficial, helping to regulate insulin levels. There are many high quality canned diets that meet the criteria. Brands include Orijen, Merrick, Taste of the Wild, Royal Canin and a few prescription diets from Hill's. These you will need to get from your veterinarian.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on May 3rd, 2018
There is no set time before they need insulin again. Some cats never need insulin again, some others go in and out of remission. You should feed a diet for diabetic cats, preferably not dry food. The best food I found for diabetic cats with the least carbohydrates is Fancy Feast, all flavors except the tuna!! These have even less carbs than prescription diabetic diet feeds. Slowly transition her to complete canned food. dry food unfortunately does contain a lot of carbs which is not good for a diabetic cat. She can have up to 5 1/2 oz of wet food /day split up into 2-3 feeds.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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