Poor eating habits can and do contribute to the cause of diabetes in
humans and this is also the case with dogs and cats that are fed high
carbohydrate dry or canned food diets.
Do commercial pet food companies cater to the optimal health of our
feline companions? Do they help us to nurture our cats with the best
products for vigor and longevity? Do they have the best of intentions to
honor and respect these animals? Does their mission adhere to the dignity
and love that these sentient beings deserve? Or do they simply bow to the
bottom line, to business as usual? And do these multinational
corporations threaten the very existence of our chosen pets? According to
Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM, "All pet food companies have enormous
investments in their current dry formulations and the long-term purchase
of ingredients that will make up those foods. All have huge dry cat food
plants and a customer base that they will not willingly convert to better
types of food with smaller profit margins. The ingredients and
macronutrients of the different forms of cat food are dictated by the
requirements of food technology, not the science of feline nutrition." It
is money, not ethics that determines the constituents of the dry
commercial cat kibble, that has been touted as a complete and healthy
'food'.
Consider the significant and growing population of cats that are faced
with debilitating chronic illness, due to the dry junk foods which they
are fed on a daily basis, for a lifetime. One case in point - feline
diabetes. The cat has developed over the millennia, as a meat eater. It
is not adapted to eating a diet that is high in carbohydrates, but rather
a diet that is mainly protein. Our domesticated feline has too often
become obese, due to the consumption of cereal based foods, very often
resulting in cat diabetes. Today, about one percent of cats will be
diagnosed with feline diabetes, and in most cases the diagnosis is
completely preventable. Some of the causes which have been determined by
the veterinary professionals include pancreatic disease, hormonal
imbalances, certain medications, and obesity. In actual fact it is
usually diet that is the culprit. Cats, in their wild environment, do not
contract this illness because they do not hunt a diet that is grain-
based! The cat has a unique metabolic machinery designed for high
production of energy from protein and near exclusion of carbohydrates as
energy source.
Obesity is not the culprit, but merely the result of incorrect diet.
Obesity is just a warning signal that the cat's diet is biologically
inappropriate. A fat cat is not a healthy cat.
The cat's satiety signals have evolved in an environment of wild prey
consumption, and are prompted through the eating of meat. These signals
are prompted only when the cat has consumed enough of a protein/fat-based
diet. These satiety signals have not evolved through the consumption of
carbohydrate intake. This results in the cat exceeding its nutrient
requirements. Energy requirements are met with the consumption of
carbohydrates, but these energy requirements can be readily exceeded. The
result is that the consumption of these inappropriate nutrients creates
glucose overload, and makes insulin levels spike repeatedly, which puts a
strain on the pancreas. The pancreas will ultimately become exhausted,
because it was not designed to produce the quantity of insulin needed to
handle a high glucose diet, and diabetes will result.
There is good news!
According to the information that we have gleaned from the holistic
veterinary community, there is light at the end of the diabetic tunnel,
particularly in the case of the feline form of this disease. Most cats
can recover from this ailment, insulin shots can usually be reduced and
ultimately eliminated, and the diabetic cat can be returned to a balanced
state of health. The exhausted feline pancreas has the ability to recover
remarkably well to the point of once again, making its own insulin, once
the high carbohydrate diet has been eliminated, and replaced with a high
protein/fat intake. This is very exciting news! Diabetic cats can be
cured of this illness.
One important note here: It is very important to monitor glucose levels
when making any kind of diet change, for the diabetic cat. An overdose of
insulin can be life-threatening, therefore, insulin levels must be
lowered in accordance with glucose levels, and this can be accomplished,
using a standard glucometer at home.
If your veterinarian is recommending that you feed a dry kibble, diabetic
diet, perhaps it is time to take matters into your own hands, inform your
vet about the dangers of feeding this inappropriate food, and if you
must, go your own way for the sake of your companion animal.
Diabetes in our feline population can be blamed almost exclusively on dry
commercial pet foods.