Vet suggesting RX foods.

I'm searching for food options. Both of my kitties, diabetic and not, did not care for the Tiki Cat or the Above the Grain cans I got. I tried it a few days, first few days they seemed okay, but the third day they had barely eaten a single 3oz can between the two of them. I have Fancy Feast classic in various flavors to get us through the weekend as I'm browsing Chewy and Dr Pierson's list for more ideas.

My vet suggests Hill's DM, Royal Canin Glycobalance, Eukanuba and Purina DM. The Purina has the lowest carb count, so maybe I'll try that out. But two dollars a can is ... eek. I'm fortunate enough that money isn't a terrible issue, but will this rx food really make THAT much of a difference? Will it make his diabetes four times easier to manage, because it costs four times as much.

 

The 'prescription' foods are not necessary at all. The Purina DM wet is the only one that even falls under 10% carbs; most are way too high. They tend to have less than ideal ingredients, too. They are heavily marketed to the vets (and usually the vets sell them and profit from them), so most vets do act like they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Don't believe the hype. Here is what Dr P has to say about them: https://catinfo.org/#Prescription/Therapeutic_Diets

Just filter Dr P's list and try some of the other ones that have the appropriate nutrition specs (Dr P suggests, " start with protein minimum of 40, fat maximum of 50, carb max of 10, and for cats with kidney issues....phos less than 300"). I have a link in my signature to the version of the cat food list that you can filter. My girls were not into Tiki Cat either, but they like Weruva Chicken Frick A' Zee, so maybe check out some Weruva options. It also helps if you add a little water to the wet food and even microwave it a few seconds to warm it up. Sometimes, putting something on top like some freeze dried meat treats will help encourage them to start eating on days when they are not that into their food.

 

OH.. I want to mention this... just this week I got a Tiki Cat Velvet Mousse variety pack and have been trying it out with my girls. (Mia's eating has been off a few days, and I am always looking for ways to get Willow to eat even more than she does because she is older and small.) So far, Willow has LOVED the Chicken with Egg and also liked the Chicken and Tuna and Chicken (though I rarely feed any kind of fish). Mia has eaten a little, but it's hard to judge how she really feels about it right now. Anyway... it's an other option. It has a different texture than other wet foods, so if texture is a problem, it might help. I still added some heated bone broth/water to it and stirred it up because I always put as much moisture as I can into any food I give them, but it already has a pretty moist, smooth texture, so that would not be necessary.

 

I do add some hot water every meal time to both bowls, anything for that extra hydration. This morning when Tiger didn't seem interested in his food, I did add some of the Halo freeze dried chicken on top to try to entice him. He picked off one piece and ate it and left the rest.

Thank you so much for the response. That is what I thought about the prescription food. If it would actually make a difference I'd be more than happy to pay the difference, but at this point I'll just keep sampling stuff until we find something he likes. Tiger put on three ounces between his last two vet visits, so I've been trying to take heart in that. He's never been a picky eater, I think he's just feeling so bad right now. I really hope he pulls out of this.

 

I think the problem I'm facing right now is that the pet stores near me don't have the same variety to compare to Chewy, but I'm not seeing a whole heck of a lot of small batch options on Chewy. Bleh.

 

You could try Petco.com. PetSmart.com also, if you're looking for small-batch, they sell by the can. Sometimes you can find bargains at Amazon and, believe it or not, eBay!

My older gentleman will sometimes eat Nutro soft pate, but they discontinued his fave flavors. He also likes Pro Plan True Nature (sometimes - he's gotten very picky, lol!).

 

@Squid if you order from Chewy and your cats hate the food or it doesn't agree with them or whatever call Chewy and tell them and they will nearly always refund your money.

I usually do that when trying a new food and then, once I know my cats like and will eat it, I order from Amazon or elsewhere.