LUTD
This is the most common urinary problem affecting cats. While cats are less likely to have bacertial infections, they are at risk of developing alkaline urine. You can use these recommendations as a preventative for healthy cats as well as for cats prone to LUTD.
1. Don't feed your cat fish, or feed it in very small quantities.
2. Instead of bone meal, use calcium lactate, calcium carbonate, or eggshell powder to balance phosphorous levels in meat.
3. Use winter squash as the vegetable source because, unlike most vegetables, it has an acidic effect on urine.
4. If available, feed your cat guinea fowl - type of wild poultry from Africa that can often be found on small family farms around the world - as a meat source.
5. Add gizzards to the raw mix, or let your cats chew on gizzards. As an added benefit, it will give your cat's teeth a workout. Gizzards are high in l-methionine, an amino acid that's a natural urine acidifier, which will help keep your cat's urinary pH within the healthy range (a pH of 6 to 6.5).
Chronic Renal Failure
Traditionally, treatment for kidney failure in volved placing cats on a low-protein diet in the belief that this would place less strain on their kidneys. But low-protein diets can harm any cat, in cluding one with declining kidney function. Recent practice has shown that keeping phosphorous level in check slows down the progression of kidney failure, but lower protein foods don't help and can, in fact, exacerbate muscle meat, which is naturally high in phosphorous. Here are some ways to get around this problem.
1. Feed meats lower in phosphorous, sush as chicken and turkey rather than beef.
2. Substitute cooked egg whites for a portion of the meat; do this slowly, or your little carnivore will protest.
3. Use eggshell powder rather than carbonate powder or bone meal to balance phosphorous levels in meat; the Japanese have successfully used eggshell powder as an oral phosphate binder, so you might want to discuss this with your veterinarian as your cat's disease progresses.
4. Add soluble fiber sich as cooked peas and cooked mushrooms to satisfy the vegetable portion of the diet.
5. Include small amounts of celery, which has a mild diuretic action, to the diet.
6. Add fermentable fiber, such as beet pulp or psyllium and cooked pumpkin, so the food to help your cat's body trap and excrete excess nitrogen from stool instead of urine; keep in mind that too much fermentable fiber can lead to gas and abdominal bloating. so introduce it and increase the amount slowly, giving no more than a pinch of psyllium each day, which comes out to about one-eighth teaspoon mixed with two tablespoons of water.
Diabetes
Feeding high carbohydrate foods causes the pancreas to churn out more insulin. The body digests foods with a low glycemic index (under 55) and glycemic load (less than 10) more slowly. These foods produce a gradual increase in blood sugar and insulin levels, reducing the load on a cat's pancreas. Cats with diabetes do best on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet because protein is converted more slowly into glucose than carbohydrates, keeping blood glucose levels stable.
1. To keep blood glucose levels in check, never feed a diabetic cat potatoes or grains; in general, you shouldn't give these foods to any cat.
2. Choose grasses; leafy, green vegetables; and other nonstarchy veggies low on the glycemic index (55 or less), such as peas, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and celery; don't give carrots, which have a high sugar content.
3. If your can can tolerate it, add soluble fiber such as psyllium husk, which human studies demonstrate binds with blood sugar and reduces the need for insulin; for each 1/8 teaspoon (0.6) of psyllium, add 2 tablespoons (28g) of water.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Although we don't know the cause of IBD at this time, we do know the crucial roles diet and the immune system play. Whether your cat has food allergies or problems with her colon or small intestine, the right diet will help keep her on an even keep. Keep the following in mind if your cat sufferes from chronic digestive tissues:
1. Don't even give your cat with IBD grains because they can irritate the digestive tract or, at the very least, lead to carbohydrate malaabsorption.
2. Stick to one protein source at a time, you might need to switch to a "novel" protein, such as venison or duck, from time to time.
3. Keep in mind that IBD cats with constipation problems tend to do better with insoluble fiber such as canned pumpkin, whereas cats prone to diarrhea benefit more from psyllium fiber (with lots of water) added to their food.
4. You can add supplemental L-glutamine, probiotics (acidophilus), prebiotics (fruco-oligosaccharides), and digestive enzymes to each meal, which will improve your cat's nutrient absorption; you can find these three supplements at health food stores or online at various e-retailers.
Liver Disease
Cats have rather sensitive livers, which drugs and chemicals can damage. They're also prone to several rather serious liver diseases, most commonly cholangiohepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver and bile duct, and fatty liver disease known as hepatic lipidosis.
A cat with liver problems can benefit from additional taurine and celery because animal studies have shown that they increase bile secretion. Avoid fish of any sortin your cat's food. If your cat has cholangiohepatitis, feed her frequent, small meals of extremely bioavailable protein, such as mice and rabbit. If you can't do this, feed her the best organic meat you can get. If your cat has fatty liver disease, give her a high protein diet because she'll use the extra protein, rather than fat as an energy source.
Cancer
Regardless of the type of cancer your cat has, diet will do a long way toward keeping her strong. Research suggests that cats with cancer should be fed:
1. a high-quality protein from meat sources
2. a low carbohydrate diet, with no grains and with vegetables making up no more than 5 percent of the diet
3. a moderate fat amount
4. soluble and insoluble fiber; a mix of psyllium
5. omega-3 essential fatty acids in the form of wild salmon oil
Heart Problems
Heart disease affects both young and old cats and occur alongside or as a result of other conditions, such as hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and hypertension. If your cat has been diagnosed with a heart condition, take the following steps:
1. Keep her sodium levels as low as possible; inspect treats and supplement labels carefully for sodium amounts.
2. Feed her celery because animal studies have shown that its active compound, phthalide, relaxes the muscles of the arteries that regulate blood pressure, allowing these vessels to dilate; it also as a mild diuretic action.
3. Add an extra 500 mg per day of the amino acid taurine.
4. Add 10 mg per three pounds (1.4 kg) of body weight of the antioxidant coenzyme Q10.
From Whole Health for Happy Cats by Sandy Arora
BACK