I was barely pregnant with my daughter when my husband Joe noticed something wrong with our beloved pet cat, Tupac. Tupac had always been a very large but loving cat, weighing in at over 21 lbs., so he was never particularly acrobatic. But lately he hadn't been jumping up on the bed and Joe noticed he was drinking lots of water and urinating more frequently. Joe had seen these symptoms before in his mom's cat, also an overweight male, who had feline diabetes.

A trip to The Cat Clinic confirmed Joe's suspicions, Tupac had diabetes and his blood sugar was out of control. I was told by the veterinarian that he needed daily insulin shots. The vet also suggested that I change Tupac's diet, which had previously consisted of 1/2 can of wet cat food in the morning and a consistently re-filled bowl of dry food sitting out all day. The vet explained how cats are carnivores and their bodies thrive on fat and protein, not sugar and carbohydrates. Dry cat food is loaded with carbohydrates that cats' bodies cannot process effectively, leading to weight gain, kidney problems, and diabetes.

I began Tupac on insulin shots and eliminated dry cat food from his diet. 2-3 cans of premium wet cat food or canned tuna a day, spread out into 3 meals. At our next veterinary appointment Tupac's blood sugar was lower, I was told to cut his insulin dosage in half and come back in 2 weeks. I gave him shots for 2 more days then stopped altogether. He seemed to be improving so much from just the food! He had lost weight, his fur was shiny, and his dandruff had gone away.

Our next appoint at the vet's was a joyful one - Tupac no longer had feline diabetes. His numbers were all in the normal range and the doctor and staff were in disbelief! Four weeks earlier Tupac was listless and losing strength in his back legs, and now he looked great.

I'm happy to say that now, 2 years later, my very loving 13 year old cat is healthy and loving his high fat and protein diet. He weighs in at a trim 19 lbs., has loads of energy, and jumps up on the bed whenever he wants.