As a cat owner, you have to take special care of what your cat eats when it has diabetes. Any ingredient in excess can result in several complications, so prevention is better than care. But you may require some experimentation to know which food is suitable for your cat. So if your cat is currently on Friskies, is it ideal for its diabetic condition? Let’s discuss how Friskies for diabetic cats affect them.
In this article, we will go over the things you need to look for in good diabetic food for your feline friend. We will also talk about specific Friskies foods that fit this criterion, and other alternatives to it.
Is Friskies good for diabetic cats?
It takes a lot of things for cat food to be good diabetic food. Unfortunately, there are a lot of options for regular cat food, but not much for diabetic cat food on the market.
Luckily, some cat food is still suitable if we look closely. For Friskies, we would say that not all foods are the best.
You know Friskies has many different flavors and types of food. Among them, there are also categories of dry, wet, and canned food.
For diabetic cats, dry cat food is not recommended. Dry food has many disadvantages. It has a large number of carbs, and this is very unhealthy for a cat with diabetes.
If we talk about wet food, there are some advantages, but the best food you can go for is canned Friskies.
Friskies turkey and giblets dinner is one good option, and it is also available in a canned version. Beef and liver dinner and Pate is another one that fits the criteria and is many cat owners’ first choice.
Since this article is about the Friskies brand, we are recommending the best one from it. There do exist other options if you are open to change.
Let’s look at the important things to look for in diabetic cat food.
What to look for in cat food for your diabetic cat
Besides the diabetic food problem, there are a number of things you need to look out for, for the sake of your cats’ health.
The cat food should be low in carbs and high in protein
Carbohydrates will fire up your cats’ blood sugar in no time. This is why, when you are choosing a cat food or even one among Friskies brands, you should choose one that is low in carbs.
Low carb foods will also keep your cat healthier, but only if it is paired with a high protein value
Proteins are what cats need to survive and live a healthy, carnivorous life. A good quality protein in their diet like chicken, turkey, beef, and duck will do wonders to their lifestyle.
This is the reason we recommend you use canned Friskies, they have the perfect combination of these ingredients.
The turkey and giblets dinner canned food is perfect. Low blood sugar, less chance of chronic diseases and other complications.
Control portions of your cats’ diet
No matter the food that you keep in your cat’s food bowl, you need to make sure that you control the portions.
Making your cat eat the right amount of food can help control its blood sugar. This is not easy to do though.
In order to ensure proper portioning, you need to see the nutritional value of food for your cat. You should contact a vet if you need help with this.
A diabetic cat has separate food requirements, so try and focus on incorporating these things in the diet.
Try making portions of foods that have low glucose levels, high protein (and also of good quality), and low carbs. Friskies Pate mostly fits this description.
So when you make small portions, even if the food is higher in one or two of these contents, it will balance itself out.
Your cat will get the best of everything, all while keeping its health under check.
Setting up a routine is important
It is important for cats to be consistent with their routines, just like us humans. This becomes all the more necessary when your cat is older and has some sort of disease.
When we talk about routines, most people assume we mean taking medications, but there is a lot more involved.
You need to make sure your cat eats and sleeps on time as well. Play times should be set to make the body get used to it.
This way, whether you give your cat friskies or any other food, it will get used to it and slowly the body will accept the food and adapt.
Friskies foods you can feed to your diabetic cat
We’ve talked about the Friskies foods that may be alright for your diabetic cat, but let’s look into a little more details of the contents of each.
This will help determine the nutritional value of each, and also help you in portioning meals for your feline friend.
Turkey and giblets dinner
Turkey and giblets dinner is really liked by cats, according to our research.
While it may contain some questionable ingredients like low quality turkey meat and artificial flavors, it may still be okay for your cat in smaller portions.
There is a good amount of protein present though, and it has less amounts of wheat and corn as carbs. Hence, it is better for your cat than other friskies cat foods.
Helps with heart health as well, and has just the right amount of water as canned food should. A good source of nutrients makes sure your cat lives well on small portions as well.
This food is also inexpensive, so it’s a win-win situation for you and your diabetic cat.
Turkey and chicken pate
This specific canned cat food has a lot of meat in it, so at first glance we can say that it is pretty high in protein.
It also contains good quality turkey and chicken, which is not very common in friskies food.
This meal also contains liver, which is good for your cat’s health especially if it is sick.
Low in carbs and fat both and high in protein, we approve this cat food as fit for your diabetic cat. Even some larger portions of this meal should not do your cat any harm here.
Do consult a vet before increasing portion size though.
Beef and liver canned meal
The beef and liver canned cat food is really inexpensive so it’s perfect if you are on a budget. It contains liver pieces and beef, which we are not sure is of great quality.
But if you give it to your cat in smaller portions, then this food works great. Cats seem to like the taste, and it has a balanced amount of fats and proteins, so it is healthy as well.
Before you switch to this meal from any other, we would advise you to talk to a vet about the ingredients and nutritional requirements of your cat.
But what if your cat does not like these foods? What if the vet does not declare them fit for its requirements?
There are alternatives available. Let’s look into some of them.
Alternatives to Friskies cat food for diabetic cats
Friskies are not going to be every diabetic cat’s cup of tea, so let’s see some alternatives.
Fancy Feast Salmon Pate
Fancy feast branches from the same brand as Friskeis, which is Purina. It is a canned food and is best for diabetic cats.
This food has a good amount of Salmon present, so the protein content is going to be good.
No grains in the mix, which is yet another benefit, in addition to a very low carb content of 10%.
This canned cat food is definitely something your diabetic cat could take a liking to as a substitute for friskies.
]Pro plan diabetic management wet cat food
Vet certified, this cat food can label says its made specifically for diabetic cats.
It shows that it helps blood sugar stay under control, has a low carbohydrate rate and a good protein content.
However, this is a prescription based food, meaning you will need to show a prescription to the cashier in order to purchase this food.
So do get a vet’s consultation beforehand.
Homemade diabetes-friendly cat food
Lastly, there are some homemade options for diabetic food as well. If you are not sure about feeding your cat food from the market, you can always go homemade and organic.
Some basic options that are good for all cat ages are boiled chicken with no spices, steamed fish or beef, and you can add some softened veggies or fruits if you like for different flavors.
Based on this, you can also do portioning of the food with ease, as you know the nutritional value of the food you are using.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, is Friskies suitable for diabetic cats?
There are many versions of friskies out there, but only a few of them are suitable for your diabetic feline friend.
You need to know that the food has little effect on their health, as the routines and portion size are equally important in diabetes.
But mostly, based on the ingredients and our analysis of carbohydrates and protein content, foods like turkey and giblets, beef and liver pate, and turkey and chicken pate are the best.
However, if you feel that friskies is not a good cat food for your kitty, then try other diabetic foods.
Some of these are Fancy feast salmon pate, Pro plan diabetic management food, and you can also go for homemade cat food if you like.
It is best to go for a canned version of cat food if you buy. It has a balanced mix of ingredients and is better for your cat.