As an obligate carnivore, the cat is unique among mammals in its
insulin response to dietary carbohydrates, protein and fat. The cat is
exclusively adapted to a carnivorous diet and is not metabolically
adapted to ingestion of excess carbohydrate.

That cats have no dietary requirement for carbohydrate is no secret to
pet food manufacturers, although it seems to surprise many cat owners
and even some veterinarians.

Pet owners should not be shopping for foods that cats have difficulty
processing. Rather, they should be thinking about the nutrition found
in what cat would eat in the wild. If your cat gets out, he doesn't
bring back an ear of corn, he catches a mouse. This near perfect cat
food is only 3% carbohydrate, and has plenty of protein, healthy fats,
and moisture.

Since domestication, cats have been fed diets that are easy for the
food manufactures but not natural to cats. Many of the diseases that
we treat are a result of the foods owners feed.

Example is the epidemic of obesity; 35 to 40% of cats are obese. Obese
cats are four times more likely to develop diabetes mellitus and five
times as likely to develop lameness. Fat cats also have a higher
incidence of non-allergic skin disease, most likely caused by their
inability to clean themselves as effectively, due to their size.
Obesity is most likely caused by diets with too high a carbohydrate
content.

As strict carnivores, cats have a tremendous ability to produce
glucose from protein, but have difficulty processing carbohydrates.
The feline liver can't handle excess glucose. So that glucose hangs
around for a long period of time and it eventually becomes fat.

So what's the ideal cat food diet? Feed a wet food, high in protein,
high in fat, and low in carbohydrates. This diet, if fed in the right
quantities, is satisfying, will keep a cat slim, and help it avoid
diabetes.

A wet cat food mimics what a cat eats in the wild. Think of how much
water a mouse contains. Wet cat food is going to give you a pH that is
ideal and is the best way to prevent feline lower urinary tract
inflammation. In addition, a cat's jaws and teeth are designed for
shearing and tearing meat, and cats that eat dry food grind it in a
way that ends up between their teeth. It then ferments into sugar and
acid, thereby causing dental problems.

It all comes down to common sense. We must use a cat's natural diet as
a guideline.

(Check out My Fat Cat: Ten Simple Steps to Help Your Pet Lose Weight
for a Long and Happy Life. By Martha Garvey; forward by Deborah Greco,
DVM.)