Food questions

I'm sorry for flooding you guys with questions but your all so helpful!
I was wondering...I know this is going to sound stupid...BUT why can't my cat live off of chicken? What else does he need that this brown stinky Fancy Feast is giving him to survive? He's always starving in between meals because he's not regulated yet. So today I bought some organic chicken breast and boiled it. He just ate a bowl of it. He is so content and happy! He's actually humping his favorite blanket LOL! Sounds funny but whenever he's happy he has always humped his blankey. But recently he's been so down and miserable. I give him some nice warm chicken breast and he's a new Kitty!
So, I'm wondering why his big meals at shot time can't be the chicken? I don't know. I'm so confused. I know he's always running high and I feel like I can really control this with food. There's SO many different things on the internet about making your own cat food but none specialize in diabetes.

 

Because chicken along does not include all the necessary nutrients. This lists the required nutrients:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1 2244&aid=657

 

Ok thanks. Is there a better canned food that I should switch him to? Or add along with his Fancy feast?

 

Have you seen the list at catinfo.org? It lists the carbs, among other things, of lots of readily available cat foods. I am using Purina Pro Plan True Nature Classics, they are a little lower in carbs and phosphorus than Fancy Feast for not too much more cost. Lots of people feed Friskies, or Wellness, Merrick...there are a lot to pick from! And the boiled chicken is fine for an occasional treat, like after an ear-poke!

 

Great thank you. I was reading your signature. Did Vetsulin not work for your cat?

 

Unless he eats the WHOLE chicken (including organs like the heart, brain, etc) as well as bones, he's going to miss key nutrients a cat needs to live.

There are lots of other low carb cat foods you can pick from if you don't like the ingredients in the FF or you can learn to make your own food at home!!

There's an additive called EZ Complete you can order online and then you can make your own food at home....this lets you control exactly what type of protein source as well as the quality of that protein

 

He did okay on Vetsulin. I changed to Lantus because I thought he might do better with a depot insulin, and one that didn't have that fast, hard drop early in the cycle, so typical of Vetsulin. I know some people say it doesn't last a full 12 hours for their cat, but I never had any problems with it's endurance.

 

One big thing chicken is missing is Taurine. Cats need taurine for the heart health. Taurine deficiency can damage the heart.

One of the better foods I found is Weruva brand. It is a little pricey but it is really a good choice.

 

Do you happen to have the phosphorus and (just if you have) magnesium numbers for the canned True Natures? The two I feed are:
1) Chicken and Turkey classic entree
2) Beef and Giblets classic entree

Also looking for the same numbers for the following: (see if these match with your latest info please because I just got these from googling not sure how accurate)
1) Hound and Gatos Lamb-I have 244 mg/100 kcal, 0.25% as fed min
2) Hound and Gatos Chicken-I have 241 mg/ 100 kcal, 0.25% as fed min
3) Hound and Gatos Lamb/Chicken/Salmon- I have 225 mg/ 100 kcal, 0.25% as fed min
4) Lotus Just Juicy Turkey Stew-I have 0.94% dry matter
5) Lotus Just Juicy Pork Stew - I have 1.08% dry matter
6) Fussie Cat Super Premium Shredded Chicken and Beef-don't have any info

Two of my six cats have fought crystals and are neutered males so I feed 4 wet meals a day to stay flushed and watch the phosphorus (and magnesium and ash) Shredded and chunks in a lower carb gravy or broth tend to always be lower in phosphorous and magnesium than the pates because they grind the gristle and or bone with many or most of the cat canned pates. The bone is what makes the mineral count way too high so watch it with raw if you have neutered crystal cat males...I use boneless raw if I do raw.

I mainly feed::
1) Tiki Cat Gourmet Carnivore shredded (chicken/turkey and chicken/duck)
2) Weruva multiple varieties (try to use fish ones as little as possible)
3) Koha Foods Guineafowl Stew
4) Merrick Backcountry Pouches chunks in gravy (no whitefish, chicken or rabbit ones though as there p and m are too high)...I feed mainly the Duck and Turkey ones.
5)Lotus Just Juicy shredded-but boy did they raise the price of this on chewy!!!
6) Soulistic Autumn Bounty pouch and Chicken Pate and Shreds canned
7) Rad Cat raw boneless-all varieties
....and going to try the new Bravo Beef Fricassee, Chicken Fricassee and Beef Turkey and Liver Dinner to see if my cats like as well as trying to make homemade to cut costs down. Boy the food dance is a lot of work

Nature's Variety, Wild Calling and Ziwi Peak are all too high (over 1.2% dry matter phosphorus and 0..10% dry matter magnesium) for urinary crystal cats right? The only one I might possibly try is the Beef Wild Calling which sits right at the above mentioned limit-1.2%/0.10%)
Any other low carb/low phosphorus & mag suggestions I should try for my crystal boys I missed? I should also mention one of the two is super picky and tends to only like Shredded and chunks and not pate...though does like the True Nature pates.

 

I don't know the exact amounts of phosphorus in these foods, I just know they're included in the ash content. For more specific information you would need to contact the company that manufactures them.

 

Ok thanks. So you mean the listed ash percentage on the True Nature canned is less than the listed ash on the fancy feast classic? I did contact them they didn't reply. I have heard from others on here they (Purina) don't tend to reply? I thought you were one of the people working on the food list so that's why I thought you maybe had updated Hound and Gatos, Lotus,etc info. These two companies H&G and Lotus also won't reply to my emails. So frustrating.

Edit: If that's what you mean on the True Nature I'm not so sure. Just checked my fancy feast and True Nature cans and it says:
1) Fancy Feast Chicken- Ash Max is listed as 3.2%
2) True Nature Turkey and Chicken-Ash Max is listed as 3.5%

And also if you're going by guaranteed analysis that unfortunately doesn't tell you much/isn't very accurate.

 

I know, but it's all I have to go on, except for the fact that Squallie's bg dropped significantly when I changed him from FF to True Nature, and he's doing quite well on it.

 

This question has surely been asked and answered several times but I'm unable to find it even with a search.

Is there a stickied post or something that talks about the effect of the phosphorus content?

Thanks.