SINDI, My senior cat, Lacey, has diabetes. Do you have suggestions that might help me to take a more natural route and possibly eliminate the need for insulin? — Tanya and her feline companion, Lacey, of Pacific Beach ______________ DEAR TANYA, Since I am not a veterinarian and don’t know the specifics of Lacey’s condition, I recommend you continue to educate yourself about natural remedies and work with your veterinarian for solutions. If your veterinarian is not open to discussing alternatives, you may want to try a holistic veterinarian. There are many in San Diego County including, Dr. Keith Weingardt, DVM of The Animal Healing Center, which is online at www.animalhealingcenter.net. It is important to evaluate each situation independently. However, a common starting point is to examine Lacey’s diet. If you are feeding dry kibble; stop. Cats instinctively get their moisture from food. Dry foods dehydrate the system and since cats don’t naturally migrate to the water bowl they are unlikely to drink adequate amounts. This is my suggestion for all cats, not just those suffering from diabetes. I am a supporter of raw food diets for pets. If you are able to make the transition to a raw meat based diet you may find this helps Lacey. Cats are carnivores and in general, feeding a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is what works for them. This is more crucial when treating diabetes because you want to keep the blood sugar level within a healthy range. Carbohydrates are not all created equal, so use caution when including them in Lacey’s meals. In my opinion there is no need for cats to eat grain. Their systems are not designed to digest it. Most grain will also raise blood sugar levels because of their high glycemic index. Potatoes also have a high glycemic index and should be avoided. According to cat and certified dog trainer Roma Robbins of Santee (www.pawsitivepaw.com), “Switching to a raw diet seemed to help stabilize my cat Clyde’s blood sugar.” Clyde previously ate high quality canned food and occasional dry kibble. By the time his diabetes was discovered, Clyde had developed complicating side effects, including an expanded colon and difficulty eliminating. Because of the advanced stages it was necessary to keep Clyde on insulin, as well as monitor his diet and glucose levels through daily home blood sugar testing. You can purchase pre-made raw diets from independently owned pet stores or you can prepare them yourself. Nutritionist Kymythy Schultze has written several books, including, “Natural Nutrition for Cats” to help transition to raw in a beneficial manner, and she can be found online at www.kymythy.com. Although raw is my first choice, home cooking is another option. If you choose this alternative, there are well researched pet cookbooks to help insure that the meals you are feeding are complete and nutritionally balanced. You might also wish to try San Diego based Honest Kitchen. They make a dehydrated raw meal for cats called “Prowl.” Wisconsin company Stella and Chewy’s makes freeze dried raw patties for cats. Both products need to be sufficiently re-hydrated with water before feeding to prevent harmful dehydration. Another consideration is low carbohydrate, high meat protein canned food. Tiki Cat is made in Thailand in a human grade meat canning facility. Some Tiki Cat varieties contain rice, which can raise blood sugar levels. Merrick is made in the USA and also has low carbohydrate options, including Cowboy Cookout. Always read the list of ingredients to avoid starchy carbohydrates, such as grain and potatoes. Feeding Cowboy Cookout is one of the changes that has helped San Diego resident, yoga instructor and pet parent, Linda Morreale successfully transition her cat Guinness off of insulin. She found support and helpful information from an online message board at www.felinediabetes.com. “One thing that someone on the board told me was that Guinness needs the help of the insulin to get his pancreas working again. The combination of using the insulin and changing my cat’s food is what ultimately got his diabetes under control to where I could wean him off of the insulin,” Linda said. “I don’t think it would have gotten under control without using the insulin. The diabetes website is also a big proponent of home testing your cat’s blood sugar on a regular basis. This is critical if you are trying to normalize insulin levels and if you are giving insulin.” In addition to diet and veterinary care increasing Lacey’s physical activity can help, especially if she is overweight. Encourage her to play, chase objects, follow you around, climb a cat tree or jump to higher locations. Some senior kitties aren’t as playful and are more sedentary. Gentle massage can help increase circulation and further aid pets that are not getting adequate exercise. E-mail your pet questions to [email protected] and visit Sindi online at www.wildtame.com.