When facing a FD diagnosis, or any ailment with our kitties, its often a wake-up call to think about things we could do a little better at.  Lots of folks jump in with both feet and try a food change right away - without a whole lot of success ;)  Pat et al pulled together some great information to consider before getting into a food change.  Ultimate nutrition is everyone's goal - but sometimes too many changes at the same time are too many changes at the same time...so enjoy these tips from a pro!

10 Good Reasons NOT to change that diet Just Yet!

1) If you’re newly diagnosed you’ve got enough of a job ahead of you as it is. Learn what feline diabetes IS. Get comfortable with giving insulin shots. See if you can get hometesting to a comfortable stage for both you and your cat. Read the FAQ’s and get an idea of "the big picture". If you aren’t relaxed with it all, you’re asking your cat to be the one to calm YOU down – that’s not fair.

2) The most important thing from this day on is always going to be your cat’s appetite. ‘No appetite’ stops everything in it’s tracks and opens up a Pandora’s box of problems much more serious and complicated than this relatively easy diabetes situation. Don’t open up that box until you have a really good idea of what to offer to avoid the ‘no appetite’ scenario.

3) Low carbohydrate foods, which equates to higher protein and fat content, are more like the natural prey cats evolved to eat. All cats, diabetic or otherwise, do best on this type food but not ALL cats do well without some limitations. If a cat has additional complications like Advanced CRF, a liver condition, or pancreatitis, for example, it’s important to consider other nutrients such as phosphorus or sodium as well. Be sure that tests have defined your cat’s condition clearly before you sit down to choose any diet.

4) Treating Feline Diabetes centers around inter-related needs of insulin matching glucose. The digestive system breaks food down so that nutrients such as glucose can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Insulin is a natural hormone that allows the cells to take up that glucose and use it for energy needs throughout the body. If the insulin lasts long enough to be available for the amount of glucose involved – and – there is enough glucose there for the insulin to draw on, the glucose level in the bloodstream becomes what we call "regulated".

Different insulins last different time durations. Learn about that first — it's key to understanding regulation. The type of food can influence duration, but regulation can be reached with any food and any insulin as long as they work together in your cat.

5) Cats are carnivores with different metabolisms than humans. They have naturally acidic stomach PH levels and shorter intestines where both enzymes and beneficial bacteria play a big role in digestion. Some cats have ‘iron clad stomachs’ and could easily feast in Mexico without getting ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’. However, your cat’s already stressed out with this pancreas condition.

Any new food that you introduce, no matter how ‘good’ it is, is a considerable change for your cat. If enzymes are lacking or there is a bacterial imbalance, incomplete digestion can occur. The results can be gas, vomiting, diarrhea, smelly stools or constipation – all of which require the cat to expend energy to rid the body of what it can’t find a way to use. Along with this upset stomach comes – you guessed it – loss of appetite.

It’s not natural to do an about-face food change for cats. In the wild a cat takes very tiny tastes of ‘new smelling’ foods and only eats more once its stomach has had a ‘safe’ reaction to it. That’s nature’s way of preventing food poisioning. The best way to change foods is to introduce the new food s-l-o-w-l-y, one teaspoon at a time into the ‘old’ food, gradually increasing it over a week or even two, using your cat’s reactions as your guideline. It’s not a race – it’s a big change. Easy does it, so your cat does not suffer any consequences or label that food as ‘poison’. You may want to learn about probiotics before starting that food switch.

6) Glucose is only one of many products of digestion, but for diabetics it’s a main concern. The composition of any food affects the amount of glucose available AS WELL AS all other nutrients needed for the body to function. The more digestible the food - the more available its nutrients are. The higher the quality of the nutrients, the less waste is left for the liver or kidneys to filter or the colon to further break down. All of this nutrition is what’s addressing the cat’s *whole body* needs, not simply one aspect of her/his health.

A healthy cat secretes insulin in amounts, and on demand, to specifically meet each glucose need. You, however, are giving ‘set’ amounts of insulin at ‘set’ times. While you can’t control for random snacks, exercise demands or infection drains on energy, etc. , primary food intake is one aspect where you ‘can’ reasonably control that glucose/insulin match. High carb foods release higher glucose loads, faster, because carbs are digested more quickly than protein or fats. Lower the carbs – and you generally have a lower insulin need and/or may need to change the type of insulin.

Cat food comes in every possible combination of ingredients at every level of quality. Food is not just about numbers or ratios and there’s much more to it than just blood glucose levels.

7) Since low carb diets can drop your cat’s insulin needs quickly and drastically, hometesting is your best tool to prevent hypoglycemia. Be prepared to hometest before you change a diet. Know your cat’s reaction to the insulin and know it well. If you aren’t hometesting it’s best to change foods VERY slowly and work closely with a vet or someone experienced in visual only monitoring. You should have the guidelines for hypoglycemia all but memorized, no matter what.

8) Food is the best medicine in the world, and just as powerful. The vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in food give your cat the building blocks to help heal itself where possible. But just like you have a favorite meal, so does your cat. When your cat’s stressed out getting used to this whole new routine it is hardly the best time to pull the plug on their one comfort. Let it wait if it’s not critical.

9) There are NO dry foods on the market that are really low carb. The easiest food to digest is quality raw meat food (but giving human grade meat alone is incomplete, so choose from a prepared, balanced feline diet unless you are prepared to delve into feline nutrition fully yourself.) Cats need meat based diets; they have no requirements for carbs. Canned foods offer much variety from poor to excellent. The only ‘perfect’ diet is if you plan to catch field mice and birds daily, but you don’t need to commit to that one – there are several good alternatives for sale.

Take the time to compare what’s out there. Decide for yourself what fits your nutritional standards as well as your budget, and make a list of what YOU think is best for your cat’s needs and your situation. Don’t play games with your cat’s body – take the time you need to make an informed choice so you’ll have less changes to make in the long run. Learn to read that ingredient list – it won’t take long to become unbelievably knowledgeable and impress the daylights out of anyone willing to listen to you (don’t fret – we’ll always be here to provide you with an audience.)

10) You are about to step up to a whole new level of discovering that food changes have a domino effect on your cat’s body. As you learn, keep in mind that the most important player in this game is your cat. You can intelligently choose the most nutritious catfood on earth, a brand with an ideal carb/protein/fat/fiber/phosphorus ratio, introduce it ever so slowly, offer it at the best possible times for your cat’s insulin match – only to have your cat say "BLECH!!!!!!!!"

Go slow. Try variety. Be willing to lose a battle graciously because remember that bottom line your cat must eat! Start with the top choice on your list and go down it – slowly – until you reach an agreement with your cat. Ultimatums are not part of this deal; only patience is. You aren’t doing anyone any favors by forcing the issue. Be willing to work with your cat (emotions included) and you CAN make this a win-win situation for you both.

When you’ve covered all 10 points, you’re ready to give it a try  Good luck!

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