Weight gain, not diet, could be the key factor in feline diabetes Photo: Steph P

Weight gain plays a much greater role in the development of feline diabetes than choice of diet, a study has concluded.

The cause of diabetes in cats is unknown, and some have suggested that a dry food diet may put cats at a greater risk of developing the disease than wet food. Because dry pet food has a higher carbohydrate content than canned food, it has been argued that is less suitable for an obligate carnivore such as a cat. However, a new study by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia claims that weight gain, not diet, is the key factor.

The study compared a colony of cats in California raised on dry food with a New Zealand colony fed canned food. After comparing glucose tolerance tests, which measure how fast glucose is being cleared from the blood after eating, researchers found no significant difference between a dry food diet and a wet food diet. They also compared the results from cats aged under three years with those older than three, and concluded that allowing cats to become overweight was more detrimental to their health than the type of food given.

However, the cats given a dry food diet were more likely to become obese. Lead researcher Dr Robert Backus said: "Little bits of too much energy lead to weight gain over time. We did find that cats on canned or wet food diets have less of a tendency towards obesity than cats on dry food diets."

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