I am assuming when you say your cat has been renal, that your cat has some degree of kidney failure? Or is it something else renal-related? 7 years is a long time to survive with renal failure, so either you cat is not that ill, or you have an amazing cat. What are his blood values (if your vet has told you that sort of thing)? What diet has be been on? Unfortunately there is no diet that is good for both renal failure AND diabetes as their protein levels are exactly the opposite (low protein renal failure and very high protein for diabetes). Canned would be by far the best, whatever diet your cat is on now, as both diseases severely dehydrate kitties. And canned is WAY better for controlling diabetes than ANY dry food is (lower carbs).

Getting diabetes after having renal failure for a number of years is a peculiar and rare set of circumstances... usually it is the other way around. Your cat must have been a really good eat as a renal failure pet, as I almost never see diabetes in skinny cats (most are fat cats on dry food).

You say 'when you speak with the vet... you haven't discussed this already? How was he diagnosed with diabetes?

Keep us up to date when you find out more what exactly is going on.

Yes, he has kidney failure. His former vet was always surprised that he was still around. I know "k/d" has been the answer - and maybe "good genes" Vet said yesterday the same: food for renal is different than food for diabetes. I'll ask about blood values. Said that Fancy Feast would be good for the diabetes part and maybe dry "w/d" for the renal. He diagnoses was with a blood draw and one of those meters like people use.

David

It's very easy to misdiagnose diabetes in cats, since the stress of being in a vet's office (and the car ride to the vet's office) can temporarily send blood glucose sky high in some cats. If the cat was feeling particularly ill or in pain when blood was drawn for the diabetes test, that may have spiked his BG, as well. BEFORE you start treating him for diabetes, I recommend you take him back to your vet for a fructosamine test. The fructosamine test averages his BG over a period of time, so it is not significantly impacted by temporary stress, illness, or pain. That test will clarify the diabetes diagnosis.

Laurie

I was told by someone when it comes to food selection for a cat w/ both renal and diabetes: continue feeding the renal (kidneys) food and allow the insulin to be his only "treatment" for the diabetes. I will ask my vet about this next visit, but didn't know again if anyone can comment.

David

I, personally, would treat both diseases simultaneously by feeding a high protein, low phosphorus, low or no-carb canned food diet. Many diabetic cats go into permanent remission when carbs are cut entirely out of their diet. As far as a renal diet is concerned, low phos is much more important than low protein. If I were you, I'd use the following food tables to choose low phos, low carb canned foods to manage both diseases simultaneously:

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

I also strongly recommend you read through the following website written by a veterinarian who specializes in treating diabetic cats. Her information on managing diabetes with diet is invaluable:

http://yourdiabeticcat.com

Laurie

I am treating a diabetic cat (in remission) that recently developed kidney failure. I decided to keep him on his diabetes diet (high protein, hi fat, low carb) even though a renal diet is totally different from a diabetes diet, but I also put him on a product called Renavast. That supplement seemed to turn him around, and he's now doing well. Not a scientific test, for sure, but I was concerned that with the high protein diet, he would continue to go downhill. So far, so good.

Dr. Bob Turrou
http://practicalveterinarytips.com