There is a very strong and extremely logical connection between the way that we are currently feeding our obligate carnivores and many of the life-threatening diseases that afflict them.
1. Diabetes:
Diabetes is a very serious . and difficult
to manage . disease that is very common in cats. Why is it so common? The
species-inappropriate high level of carbohydrates in dry food wreaks havoc on
the blood sugar level of an obligate carnivore. The blood sugar level rises significantly
upon ingestion of dry food. With chronic hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) the
insulin producing cells in the pancreas down-regulate, or .burn out,. leading
to diabetes.
2. Kidney Failure:
Kidney disease is probably the leading
cause of mortality in the cat. It is troubling to think about the role that
chronic dehydration may play in feline kidney failure. And remember, cats are
chronically dehydrated when they are on a diet of dry food.
3. Cystitis (bladder inflammation) and Bladder/Kidney Stones:
Cystitis and stones are
extremely common in the cat. The concentration (specific gravity) of the urine
is a critical factor in contributing to, or preventing, these serious health
issues. Some cats have a higher tendency to form crystals in their urine. Cats
on dry food have more highly concentrated urine (higher specific gravity) which
means that a higher concentration of stone-forming crystals will be present in
the urine. This increases the chance of producing life-threatening stones.
Also, a very concentrated level of crystals acts like 60-grit sandpaper on the
delicate bladder wall, which can lead to painful cystitis. Cystitis can lead to
inappropriate urination (urinating outside of the litter box) and stones can
cause a fatal rupture of the bladder. (Any cat that is repeatedly entering the
litter box but not voiding any urine is in need of IMMEDIATE medical
attention!) Cats eating canned food are more appropriately hydrated, and
therefore, have more dilute urine (lower specific gravity). This greatly
decreases their chance for urinary tract problems.4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD):
IBD is thought to be a common cause of
vomiting and diarrhea in the cat. There are many unanswered questions with
respect to this disease process, but it seems logical to start to .treat. a
gastrointestinal problem in the cat with a species-appropriate diet. Too often
these cats are treated with a high level of steroids and a so-called .prescription.
grain-laden, dry food diet. I feel very strongly that this common therapeutic
regimen needs to be re-evaluated. There are an impressive number of anecdotal
reports of cats that were terribly ill with IBD exhibiting dramatic improvement
when ALL dry food was removed from their diet. Taking it even one step further,
there are many reports of cats with IBD
that improved tremendously on a balanced,
grainless, raw-meat diet.
5. Obesity:
Obesity is an extremely common and very
serious health problem in cats. For instance, overweight cats are four times
more likely to develop diabetes than cats that are at an optimal weight.
Obligate carnivores are designed to meet their energy needs with a high
protein, moderate fat diet. Carbohydrates are minimally used for energy and
those that are not used are converted to and stored as fat. The so-called
.light. diets that are on the market have targeted the fat content as the
nutrient to be decreased, but in doing so, the pet food manufacturers have
increased the grain fraction, leading to a higher level of
carbohydrates. Hence, many overweight cats eating these diets are still obese. These
"light" products are among the most species-inappropriate, unhealthy diets available to cat caretakers. Many
caretakers feed very small amounts of these diets hoping that their cat will
lose weight but feeding a small amount of a diet that is inappropriate for the
species is NOT the answer! The caretaker simply ends up with a crabby,
overweight cat.
6. Hepatic Lipidosis (Fatty Liver Disease):
This is the most common metabolic liver
disease of cats. Overweight cats that go longer than 48 hours without eating,
for any reason, are in danger of developing this serious, and often fatal,
disease. Feeding a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet helps keep cats at an
optimal, healthy body weight.
7. Dental Disease:
Long-standing claims that cats have less
dental disease when they are fed dry food versus canned food are grossly
overrated, inaccurate, and are not supported by recent studies. Many
veterinarians are coming to the realization that this is a myth that needs to
be dispelled. First, dry food is hard, but brittle, and merely shatters with
little to no abrasive effect on the teeth. Second, 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 it ends up between their teeth. There it ferments into sugar and
acid, thereby causing dental problems. Third, many cats swallow the majority of
their dry food whole and thus receive minimal benefit from chewing motion.
There are many factors that contribute to dental disease in the cat such as
genetics, viruses, and diet. There remain many unanswered questions concerning
the impact of diet on dental health, but feeding a high carbohydrate,
species-inappropriate dry kibble diet is a negative factor, not a
positive one. Perhaps a more effective way to promote dental health is to feed
large chunks of raw meat which is what cats. teeth are designed to chew. 
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