10 Best Diabetic Cat Foods in Canada – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

If you’ve just found out your beloved cat has diabetes, you might be feeling overwhelmed. A significant part of treating diabetes is through diet. In fact, there are cases of some cats going into remission when they lose weight shortly after becoming diabetic. Either way, diet is vital! You need the right kind of cat food to ensure that your cat’s blood sugar stays at a healthy level.

These reviews of diabetic cat foods in Canada should help. These foods are predominantly canned, have high levels of protein, and are low in carbs, which are all important features for diabetic cats. Hopefully, one of these foods will be suitable for your feline friend.

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The 10 Best Diabetic Cat Foods in Canada

1. Purina Fancy Feast Canned Cat Food — Best Overall

The best overall food for cats with diabetes is Purina Fancy Feast Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Canned Food. This is quite an affordable option and not typically considered to be a high-end food. Nonetheless, many vets recommend Fancy Feast to control a cat’s diabetes. If your cat isn’t a fan of fish flavours, you can try other Fancy Feast recipes—just ensure that they are pâté. This food is high in protein at 12% and has only 2.8% carbs.

There’s one issue with this pâté, which is that it does contain artificial flavours and colours.

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2. Purina Friskies Pâté Greatest Hits Canned Cat Food — Best Value

The best diabetic cat food in Canada for the money is Purina Friskies Pâté Greatest Hits Canned Cat Food. It’s affordable and has four different flavours: salmon dinner, chef’s dinner, turkey and giblets, and seafood supreme. Friskies has a reputation for appealing to many cats, so if your cat is a picky eater, this food might do the trick! It has 10% protein and 2.7% carbohydrates.

The issue is that it does contain artificial colours and flavours. Also, while having a variety pack might work for some cats (especially if you’re trying to figure out what flavours your cat enjoys), there’s a chance that your cat might be picky about a few of the flavours. This makes the uneaten cans a waste of money.

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3. Tiki Cat Grill Variety Pack Wet Cat Food — Premium Choice

The Tiki Cat Grill King Kam Variety Pack Wet Food is a variety pack, but all cans are fish or seafood-based in some way. Tiki Cat is quite high in protein, ranging from 11% to 17%, and the carbs range from no carbs to 1.5%, depending on the recipe. It’s grain-free, which is part of what helps with the low-carb amount, and it has high moisture content. Tiki Cat doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients, and real meat is the main ingredient. You can see chunks of fish in the food!

The cons are that it’s expensive and that small pieces of fish bone are sometimes found in the food. While the bones are soft and shouldn’t harm your cat, just be aware and double-check the food before feeding it to your cat.

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4. Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets DM Wet Cat Food

The Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Dietetic Wet Food is specifically formulated for cats with diabetes. This food is designed to support the needs of diabetic cats by increasing the cat’s sensitivity to insulin so you might be able to reduce the need for external sources of insulin. It might also help with lowering glucose levels after eating. Additionally, if your cat has any urinary issues, Pro Plan’s Dietetic can also help prevent crystal formation.

Unfortunately, this food is expensive, and you do need your vet’s authorization to purchase it. It also has gravy, making it a little high in carbohydrates at 6%.

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5. Purina Pro Plan Prime Plus Senior Wet Cat Food

Purina Pro Plan Prime Plus Senior Wet Cat Food is a tasty tuna-and-salmon recipe designed for cats 7 years old and up. One of the amazing things about this food is that it has 0 carbs and 10% protein. So, if you have a senior cat with diabetes who loves fish, this might be the perfect food for them! It also contains the right balance of nutrients that promote a healthy immune system, as well as a balanced digestive system and healthy skin.

It is rather expensive, however, and contains artificial flavours.

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6. Purina Beyond Variety Pack Canned Cat Food

The Beyond Grain-Free Variety Pack Canned Cat Food offers three different flavours: trout and whitefish, chicken and sweet potato, and wild-caught salmon. It has about 2.2% carbs and 10% protein, is grain-free, and has no soy, corn, or wheat. It also doesn’t include any by-products or artificial preservatives, flavours, or colours. But it does have inulin¹, which can help control blood sugar levels.

However, there seem to be many cats that don’t like this food. But with three different recipe options, it might be okay for yours.

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7. Nulo Freestyle Adult Trim Dry Cat Food

Nulo Freestyle Adult Trim Dry Cat Food has the honour of being the only dry cat food on this list. Most dry cat foods are high in carbohydrates, but this one isn’t quite as high as many others at 22%, and it has 42% protein. Nulo hasn’t added any grains or other glutens or starches to keep it low-carb; instead, it uses lentils and chickpeas as low-glycemic ingredients. It also doesn’t include any artificial flavourings, colours, or preservatives. There’s the addition of unique probiotics for healthy gut flora, and it also supports weight management.

However, this is a relatively expensive food, and the kibble is quite small, so some cats might not always bother with chewing it.

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8. IAMS Perfect Portions Wet Cat Food

IAMS Perfect Portions Wet Cat Food is grain-free and consequently, has 2.5% carbohydrates and 9.5% protein. It’s quite a convenient way to feed your cat because each tray can be one meal, so there aren’t any leftovers to worry about. It contains added vitamin E for immune system support, as well as natural fibre and prebiotics for healthy digestion. It also includes omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat and no artificial ingredients.

While this food doesn’t seem too expensive, it is pricey when you take into account how much pâté that you actually get. Also, peeling off the tops might be difficult for some people.

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9. Wellness Complete Health Canned Cat Food

Wellness Complete Health Canned Cat Food is grain-free and has a low 1% carbohydrate level and 10.5% protein. It has chicken as the main ingredient for lean muscles. It has loads of antioxidants from cranberries, as well as the right balance of minerals and vitamins, omega fatty acids, and taurine for overall body health. It contains real broth for moisture content, which can also support urinary health. There are no artificial preservatives, flavours, or colours.

The cons here are that it is expensive and that picky cats out there might not like it. It’s also high in fat, which isn’t for every cat unless yours happens to need it.

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10. Whiskas Perfect Portions Seafood Selections Wet Food

Whiskas Perfect Portions Seafood Selections Wet Food has low carbohydrates at .5% and 1.5%, depending on the recipe, both of which are fish-flavoured. Each tray can be peeled and gives you one serving, so you don’t have any leftovers to worry about, which also means your cat’s food is never cold. This food is reasonably priced.

The issues are that it can be challenging to open for some people, and the packaging does seem a bit excessive, particularly if you’re environmentally conscious.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Diabetic Cat Food in Canada

Since diet plays such a vital role in managing your cat’s diabetes, it is essential that you choose the right food for your cat. Here are a few factors for you to consider so you can make your purchase with confidence.

Protein and Carbs

It’s important to get a diabetic cat food that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The higher the carbs, the higher one’s blood sugar levels tend to go. The carbs should typically be lower than 10%, but you might have also noticed that many pet food companies don’t put the carb levels on the nutritional analysis portion of the label. You can figure this out for yourself by using this simple formula: Start with 100 and subtract the protein, fat, fibre, moisture, and ash, and the resulting number is the carbohydrates.

Wet Food

All but one of the cat foods on this list are wet foods. It takes many starches to create dry food, which makes it much higher in carbohydrates. For the most part, wet food tends to be much lower in carbohydrates because it has more moisture and not as many starches.

Wet food is also helpful in keeping your cat hydrated, as most canned food is 70% to 80% water. It’s also beneficial for cats with weight issues or who are picky eaters because most cats love wet food.

Pâté vs. Gravy

Most of the wet foods on this list were pâtés. To thicken a sauce, like gravy, means using some kind of starch for thickening, which also increases the carbohydrates. So, when shopping for wet food, stick with pâté.

Grain Free

Since you need to keep down the carbohydrates in your cat’s food, you’ll probably end up with a grain-free recipe. Remember to always check with your vet before you change your cat’s diet, particularly to a grain-free diet. Ask for guidance about what kind of food is best for your cat.

Conclusion

Our favourite food for diabetic cats is Fancy Feast’s Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Canned Food. It’s quite affordable, and many vets have recommended Fancy Feast as an effective way to control a cat’s diabetes. Purina Friskies Pâté Greatest Hits Canned Food is an appealing food for many cats and has a great price!

Our premium choice goes to Tiki Cat Grill King Kam Variety Pack Wet Food, which is high in protein, and you can actually see bits of fish in the food! Finally, Purina Pro Plan’s Veterinary Diets Dietetic Wet Food is specifically formulated for cats with diabetes.

We hope that these reviews of 10 different cat foods will help you and your cat through this health journey.

See also:

• 10 Best Cat Foods for Allergies in Canada
• 10 Best High-Fibre Cat Foods in Canada

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Featured Image Credit: Irina Kozorog, Shutterstock