The correct answer is C.
Consistency, adequate protein, and reduced carbohydrates have been shown to be the most effective dietary approach to achieving remission in cats with diabetes.5 Although cats with any type of disease may have appetite changes, consistency is important when regulating diabetes, so rotating therapeutic diets is not appropriate. Furthermore, if foods vary in protein, carbohydrate, or calorie content, switching diets may alter insulin requirements and put the cat at risk for hypo- or hyperglycemia. Likewise, changing the current food to a kitten formulation is inadvisable. Many canned kitten foods have high-protein requirements to accommodate rapid growth, and although many canned kitten food options have lower carbohydrate content, they are not formulated to provide consistency in nutrient profiles as compared with veterinary therapeutic diets, and have higher calcium and phosphorus contents6 to meet growth requirements as compared with adult diets. While home-cooked recipes can be formulated to be extremely low in carbohydrates, it is difficult for clients to maintain the same level of consistency with each prepared batch, thereby failing to provide a complete, balanced recipe as compared to the content consistency in therapeutic diets. In addition, recipe “drift” and nutritional inadequacy, along with potential bacterial contamination, make raw diets a poor choice.7 If clients prefer home-cooking, it is recommended that they use a recipe formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (www.acvn.org).
The ideal diet for this cat would be higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate, and moderate-calorie content5 (to help offset the cat’s 7/9 body condition score). Many canned diets are available, but low-carbohydrate dry foods have 400 to 600 calories per cup, which could contribute to weight gain as well as worsen existing diabetes.