Feline Diabetes Success Stories

Feline Diabetes Homemade Raw Meat Diet Testimonials

Feline Instincts does not claim our supplements cure any feline or canine diseases.

The following stories are about nutritionally balanced raw meat diets for cats.

Feline Instincts receives many success stories every week.

We can only post some of them.

We have found with our diabetic cats – They come diabetic and generally the diet alone will heal them, but if the dis-ease is deeper – then homeopathy will complete the cure. We have not had a cat on insulin for some years now.

Gail Pope

President and Founder

www.brighthaven.org

2008

Feral Smokey first started coming to my home during the winter about 7 ½ years ago. I fed him and provided places for him to sleep safely and warmly under my side deck and talked with him when I saw him.

Smokey Kitman is a large, long haired grey cat with tabby markings on his handsome face. He is quite vocal, even now that he is inside, with a hoarse meow. Until the middle of last summer his long fur always looked healthy and immaculate. Then it started getting matted, a situation which became worse as time went on. He started eating more and drinking a lot of water and had less energy.

When I asked about him drinking so much water, the vet suggested more blood tests, which were done. He is diabetic. The vet recommended feeding him a prescription diet made for diabetic cats and starting him on insulin shots. I decided to try natural methods, since I am feeding all of my indoor cats a healthy, raw diet made with Feline Instincts No Bones About it supplements, salmon oil, ground beef and turkey and a few other added goodies. He is given no dry food since that has grains in it which convert to sugar. Shots would not be possible as Smokey is still feral.

His health seems to be getting better. His fur is growing back well and he is eating and drinking less than he was when he first came in.

I am very glad that Smokey decided to join our household and live inside with me and my other cats, and that I have raw diet to feed him. His energy is very sweet, even though he’s still nervous about people.

Nancy,AZ

Smokey

2008

My cat was diagnose with diabetes about 6 month ago.. some friends of mine here in Friday harbor have a couple of cats one with kidneys problems.... They said your product was designed to help with feline diabetes so they gave me some to try out...My cat has been on the raw food diet and your product for the 4 months now..He still has to take a small amount of medication for his diabetes ,but it is a very low dosage...The vet check him out a few weeks back and was very pleased with his glucose count... it was 600 -800 when we started and now it is 185 ...normal is 95- 165 so he is doing great...He is 17yrs. and was left to me after my girlfriend passed away last year..I would like to keep him around for some time to come.. And your product seems to be doing the trick!!! thank you!!! Have a super 4th of July...Jack , WA

2008

Sassy our 8 yr old kitty got off her insulin within 1 month of being fed a balanced raw diet!!.

Janet, LA

10/2007

Less than a month ago, our 13-year-old cat Dexter was in terrible shape, listless and barely eating. He is diabetic and it turned out his blood-level count was extraordinarily high, the medication we'd been putting in his food was not working. The vet wanted us to start him on insulin shots. Instead, I went to the Internet and discovered Feline Instincts. After communicating by Email, my wife and I put Dexter on a raw meat diet and I ordered "My Natural Cat" supplement. He loved it! On his new diet, his energy has returned, his coat looks wonderful , and he's doing great. In fact, we've cut his Glipizide medication down to one pill a day. So, our gratitude goes out to Feline Instincts!

12/18/2007 Update... Dexter is doing great still. He is down to one diabetes pill a day (from two), which he happily devours with a "liver patty" that Alice makes for him special at night. He's not as crazy about the raw hamburger anymore, but does still eat it.

Dick Russell, author of "Eye of the Whale"

Dexter

10/2007

My boy Spaz is 8 years old and had serious diabeties. His vet said that he may have to be put down . 1 week on the raw diet and he didn't need insulin anymore. Thank you Feline Instincts!

Luanne, Des Moines, IA

9/2007

Vern called today to let us know that his kitty Pats' blood work came back perfect after being on the raw diet and some insulin for 5 weeks.

Vern had lowered the insulin dose from 5 to 4 when he started Pat on the raw diet and before he had the blood work done. Vern feels strongly that the raw diet has made all the difference in Pat's diabetes, energy, coat and eyes. He also expects to see less insulin does's in the future and hoping to stop them altogether one day.

Vern and Pat, TX

7/2007

I've been using your product with great success for 2 months now. I have a diabetic cat who for 12 years would eat nothing but dry food. When that was no longer an option, she turned her nose up at all the canned foods that were approved for diabetic cats. I found the only thing she would eat was raw chicken. So I began to do research on the web and found your web site. It seemed like such a simple recipe, and I could use the chicken that she liked. At first she balked at it, and I knew it was because of the liver. I had tried to give her liver before, and she would not eat it. So I used your liver powder a couple of times, then gradually added in chicken liver. Now she eats her food regularly. All symptoms of diabetes have disappeared, her coat is healthy and shiny, and she acts like a kitten again! I have put all my cats on a raw diet. Thank you for your product.

Full Story:

My 13 year old cat Shelby was diagnosed with Diabetes on March 24th. At the height of her illness, she weighed over 16 pounds, her coat was dull, her skin dry, she had terrible dandruff and shedded constantly. She was throwing up every time she ate, and wanting to eat constantly because her blood sugar was out of control. When she wasn't eating and throwing up, she was drinking up to 4 bowls of water a day. She'd have sometimes 8-10 large clumps of pee in her box a day.
The vet wanted to put her on insulin right away, but my cat fought it so vehemently, that I knew I could never get to the point where I was testing her blood and giving her shots several times a day.

So I did some research on the web to find alternative treatments. I learned that about 70% of diabetic cats can be treated by diet alone. I also learned that dry food is like poison to a diabetic cat, so I immediately switched her to the Science diet DM that my vet recommended. She wouldn't eat it. I then tried the Purina MD which is also for diabetic cats. She wouldn't eat that one either. This is a cat that ate nothing but dry her entire life, and she was stubborn. For 3 months I tried getting her to eat some of the commercial canned brands that were okay for diabetic cats, but she turned her nose up at every brand and flavor.

Within 3 months she had lost 7 pounds and was getting weaker every day. I began to think about putting her down. But by accident I discovered she would eat raw chicken, but I knew plain chicken was not nutritionally sound. So I did some more research on raw food diets, and found Feline Instincts. She did not like it at first because she did not like the way I made it with real liver. So I made a second batch using the liver powder, and she took to it right away! Eventually I was able to mix a little liver in at a time until now she eats it made the way the recipe calls for. She has put back on 2 pounds, and has stabilized.

Eventually all of her symptoms of diabetes disappeared. Her coat is now shiny and fluffy, the dandruff is gone, and surprisingly, most of the gray has been replaced by brown and black! She is playful, affectionate and has the energy of a kitten again.

Shelby

My kitty Lexie:

Well the kitty has been on your recipe for 3 days now. She has dramatically reduced how much she is eating. If you remember, on the canned food she was eating 3 cans a day and was still hungry all the time. With the raw diet, I started at 3/4 cup twice a day, but she only ate that one time. For 2 days, she ate 1/2 cup twice a day, now today, she only ate about 1/4 cup in the morning, and a little less than that tonight. She seems very satisfied, she doesn't run to the bowl like she's ravenous, and it feels like she's starting to gain a little weight. She's stopped drinking water as far as I can tell, and her urine output has gone from 9 piles a day to 4.

Thank you,

Mary, Scottsdale, AZ

4/2007

3 years ago Woody was diabetic and I bought your regular formula. Took a whole lot of coaxing to get any of it (raw diet) in Woody, he was not so keen. Woody seems to have completely recovered from the diabetes, has not needed insulin for over 1 and 1/2 years.

Praise the Lord!

Denise - NC

2/28/06

Wow! Thank you for making such an amazing product! My diabetic cat's life is probably saved thanks to you. He's never looked more beautiful! I'm switching his sister next! A thousand thanks!

Jill. CA

5/2005

I have a success story. It can be confirmed by my vet who was SHOCKED when my cat went into full remission from her feline diabetes after eating a balanced raw meat diet for 3 months. He asked about the diet and I directed him to your web site.

NO MORE SHOTS (we were giving her three units twice a day) thanks.

Jenny, Houston, TX

3/2005

I have two feline fur kids. A well-bred, show quality male Devon Rex and Catelin a female genuine kitty. I came within minutes of losing my Catelin about five years. (long story that I will not go into except to say I was out of state, she had to go to a vet I had never seen and he over prescribed meds that almost killed her) When I got her to the emergency vet, she had almost no blood pressure and they had to go through a vein in her neck to get a blood sample. Thanks to a different vet, she lived. My "free to a good home kitty" had now cost in excess of $1000 in vet bills. And she was never the same. Her blood work, etc. was always great, but there was no life to her and depression seemed be her name of the game.

Three years ago, my Devon began to be a grump. Even biting at me if I touched him. Off to the vet, bit the vet! This is not a Devon; especially not my Devon who thought the world was there to stroke him and fuss over him. Blood work - severe diabetes. I began to take a blood sample every few hours for the next week. His numbers were everyplace. So high the reader could not read it and an hour later, so low he should have been in a coma. I reported daily and sometimes hourly to the vet. I began to realize his mood swings were directly related to his numbers. We could not stabilize him enough to figure out what to give him or how to treat it. Being a retired Professional Dog Handler, the first thing I looked at was the food. I had heard of BARF for years, but was never brave enough to handle it. Research, research and more research. Protein seemed to be the proper way to handle it. I talked to by vet about BARF and he agreed, it could help at least stabilize him so he could be treated without fear of over treating. Once I started the change over to raw meat foods, his numbers began to stabilize. Six months into it, I stopped doing blood tests completely and we have never looked back. And he is not treated for diabetes at all. I do watch for his mood swings, but they have become non-existent over the last 18 months.

Cate? She has become her little kitten self again. She put weight on and I finally do not see her ribs. She can jump on the frig and she plays and greets people.

I can honestly say, a balanced raw diet saved the Devon's life and it gave Cate's life back to her. Based on my past experience, I am thinking I have these kitties for another 8 to ten years. Two years ago, I was not sure I'd have them around until 2005.

Sandra, Florida

Cat, Tikki and Fury are doing fantastic on their raw diet. Cat, my 12 yr old, has not had a single insulin shot in nearly a year, and no glipizide or other diabetes medication for the last 4-6 months. He hasn't had a fructosamine test in 6 months, but I don't feel a need to even test him since I've never detected high blood sugar levels or any ketones in his now normal amounts of urine. He hasn't had any symptoms of FUS since being on a raw diet, nearly a year. He's energetic, getting slimmer and more properly distributed as the months go on, and his fur is beautiful. The young abbys are frisky and bright-eyed--no upper respiratory ailments (the kitty flus) since I put them consistently on the diet.
Feel free to use my story for your web site. I'm sure it will help the cat mommas and poppas.

Sophia , New York , NY

I lost one of my cats to diabetes 1 1/2 years ago. I Talked to my holistic vet and he said in so many words..."of course many cats are getting diabetes these days!...due to their diets...they are being fed by their loving owners what they have been led to believe is a well-balanced diet, but in essence is largely carbohydrates. Cats are "carnivores"- totally - unlike dogs that are herbivores & carnivores...cat's systems were never meant to digest carbohydrates...yet we are hopelessly addicting them to kibbles(even the good brands) that they often eat on demand & are largely made up of sugar(carbs)." He suggested feeding them a home-made diet--very high in protein (the highest ratio of protein in 'pre made' I found is FELIDAE which I will use in a pinch, but is still only around 30% protein). I started doing research, to give my overweight, temperamental & s/w straggly-looking surviving cat a better quality of life and food and make it easy on my busy schedule. My vet who has my dog on Usana nutritional supplements did not recommend using them on my cat, but a raw diet is the food I started feeding him after researching the situation. Prep time is about 30 to 45 minutes every 2 weeks. After about 4-6 months he was already at his ideal weight, and there were other noticeable differences in my cat... he now eats only twice a day, & is sleek slim loveable soft & fluffy. His fur is as beautiful as is his disposition! I could not believe the difference. People actually don't recognize him that haven't seen him for more than a year, he's changed that much! Even my vet noted the difference! It is easy to make a raw diet, makes sense, and it works. What more can you ask for. Have a great day!

Gayle
Greenbay, WI

I rescued a 2 year old cat that turned out to be seriously diabetic. After having him on a balanced raw meat and giving him homeopathic and vitamin supplements, I was able to get him off insulin completely (he had been on 38 units per day!) and that was 2 years ago and he has been fine ever since. My cats have beautiful coats and are happy, healthy kitties and that's what matters the most. Cosmo is my cat's name He's my kitty that is teaching me about leaps of faith and trusting my instincts. Our teachers come in all forms!

I guess you could say I was referred by a vet. I am a veterinarian practicing in Plymouth , MI . I have been slowly switching over to a Holistic practice for a few years now and my main focus is nutritional. I still have a long way to go but I enjoy learning and researching a more natural way to care for our furry family members. (And some that are not so furry!) I regularly discuss raw, natural diets with my clients and would appreciate a supply of the brochures you mentioned. Let me tell you a little about my feline friends. Skeeter is an 8 yr old DSH who lost his home when his owner passed away. I've had him for 1 month and blood and urine tests showed he was borderline diabetic with a blood glucose close to 300. After less than a week on a raw diet Skeeter's blood glucose has been under 100 for 2 days straight. I am hopeful I will be able to control Skeeter's diabetes through biologically appropriate nutrition and holistic therapy and avoid the use of insulin, something that is rare in feline diabetes. (But then again most feline diabetic patients are placed on high fiber/carbohydrate prescription diets) I will keep you updated on his progress if you like. Skeeter lives at my Hospital with my other kitty, Dory, an adorable 6 mo old Exotic Shorthair. Dory is by far the tiniest member of my family at 5.1# but she still rules the roost. (And she loves her Raw diet!

Sincerely,
Karla, DVM, Skeeter and (adorable)Dory! (and K9s Taryn,Belle,Molly,Ashley,KC&Levi)

A raw diet saved my cats life. When he was diagnosed he was immediately put on insulin and a special commercial dry food. His insulin kept getting increased to no avail. Then he was switched to PZI insulin and there was a little improvement, but it didn't last. Finally we were up to 12 units twice a day and he was still extremely sick...high bg's and peeing all over the place with no control. Well, both the vet and I heard about the high protein, low carb diet at the same time, but he had heard of your diet and put Shim on it....swell, thank goodness I discovered about raw diets on the internet... His insulin was cut in half in about 10 days and his bladder control returned almost immediately!! He was a very sick kitty.

Thanks....Helen, Shim & Shebee Ambridge, PA