Feline nutrition: What to know about feeding your cat prescription food

There are so many different cat foods on the market that it can be difficult to choose the best one for your cat. For cats who are infected and chronically ill, prescription food is a good choice to provide your cat with the nutrients it needs.

These products can be prescribed by veterinarians for conditions such as chronic kidney disease and diabetes, as well as other medical needs such as weight loss and dental care.

Meanwhile, food recipes are an important tool in meeting the medical needs of cats, according to dr. Debra Zoran, a professor at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, eats only under the guidance of a veterinarian.

"Products prescribed by a doctor should be taken as medicine and only given as directed," Zoran said. "This product has a specific purpose and should only be given to cats with certain medical conditions."

While some people think that eating cat-friendly food for a special purpose can help prevent disease, this is not the case. In fact, it can cause serious side effects that can lead to serious health problems.

For example, in chronic kidney disease (CKD), doctor-prescribed foods usually contain less than half the protein found in cat food because cats with CKD have a harder time clearing protein waste from the kidneys. However, feeding a cat without CCD does not provide enough protein, and a healthy cat will have an altered mineral balance of what is needed for a complete and balanced diet.

"Healthy cats fed the doctor-recommended CKD diet begin to lose muscle mass as their bodies use their own muscles to replace what is lacking in their diet," Zoran says. "They also often gain weight because fat and carbohydrates are added to the diet instead of protein."

Possible Consequences If multiple cats are on a doctor's diet, it may be important to consult each cat individually, or at least consult a veterinarian about your family's diet.

Luckily, you don't have to worry about one cat sniffing the other's food on a regular basis.

"It's okay for healthy cats to eat certain foods from time to time — just as cats with certain illnesses may sometimes not eat certain foods that aren't prescribed," Zoran says. “Finally, many special diets are not intended as maintenance diets for normal, healthy adult cats.

"However, this does not apply to all products ordered," he said. “For example, for cats with allergies or intestinal problems, the diet prescribed by the doctor is complete and balanced and can be eaten by normal and healthy cats. Problem.

If your vet decides that a prescription will help your cat, you can buy food directly from his clinic. Otherwise, your vet can issue a prescription card for food purchases at most pet stores and many online stores.

If your cat knows they have certain health problems, or just wants to lead a healthy lifestyle, veterinary supplements can be an added benefit to their routine health care. Sometimes something as simple as changing your diet can be the key to staying with your loved ones for years to come.

Pet Talk is a service of the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. Stories can be viewed online at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Recommendations for future articles can be sent to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.