Lisa A Pierson, DVM

We recently took in a stray who is FIV positive. Having three other cats, we needed to do a lot of research so we knew what we were in for and how this could affect our FIV negative cats. This googling led me to Dr. Pierson’s
. I’m so glad I found her blog, it’s been nothing but insanely helpful. After one of our cats was diagnosed with IBS, we switched all of their food to natural, organic, GMO free, fish free, sourced in the US food. (should have done that from the start) This helped, nothing amazing. Our other cat was then diagnosed with IBD and chronic anal gland infections. That’s fun– poor cat. We were heading in the right direction, three meals of canned food a day and dry food left out for free eating. Yeah, don’t do that. After reading Dr. Pierson’s information on dry food vs canned food, we stopped feeding the cats dry food. They didn’t even notice.
It’s been two months since the change and all of our cats are doing amazing. The IBS and IBD cats haven’t had any problems at all, nothing. Our IBS cat vomited all the time, up to three times a day. He strained to poop and announced it to the world. The IBD cat used to leave schmears and dollops all over the floor and was very overweight. Our FIV cat was constantly dehydrated and he suffers from anemia. The fourth cat is overweight but thankfully doesn’t have any other health issues at the moment so changing her diet was imperative to stave off future problems. The information I found on Dr. Pierson’s page has literally saved our cats. No more nasty poops, no more vomiting — seriously, it’s been months. Our FIV cat is hydrated and healthy. Everyone eats on a normal schedule similar to cats in the wild. I can’t get over the change in all of them. The overweight ones have lost extra ounces, more to come. Why I chose to remain so ignorant to our cats health is beyond me. I’ll never do it again. Thanks Dr. Pierson for your very sage advice. Our cats thank you as well.

Such an amazing individual and loves her job.
is very very informative as well

I highly recommend
by Lisa Pierson, DVM. Her website was very detailed, yet easy to read and understand. Within 24 hours of following her recommendations regarding high protein, low carb food (with list of protein, fat and carbs in popular brands) my 9 year old overweight male cat’s health dramatically improved — its been over a week and he is doing well and his energy level has increased. Thank you Lisa A Pierson, DVM! If her office were within driving distance, she would be our go to DVM. Thank you!

Dr. Pierson’s website,
, is great and I highly recommend it, especially if you are looking for a listing of phosphorus levels in commercial foods. Be aware though, food companies may change hands and may change recipes, and I’m not sure how often this information on the website is updated. Dr. Jean Hofve also has a website
that is incredibly informative. I was referred to Dr. Pierson for help in creating a homemade low phosphorus recipe for my cat. She is very knowledgeable and I did learn from her, although she was unable to create a diet that worked for my cat. Her one and only recommendation was for a recipe high in fat, and my cat kept throwing up fats. She has a no grains and no vegetables policy for cats, and the policy is clearly stated in her initial paperwork. If you’re looking for a low phosphorus diet and your cat is sensitive to fat, just cover that in your email conversation before you get started.
Update 2÷23÷16: There was something else Dr. Pierson recommended when I consulted with her that didn’t work out, and that was Miralax for regular elimination. It does work, but it also, for my cat anyway, creates or contributes to phlegm and a wheezy cough… things lungs related. I don’t know how it all works, only that since I figured it out and am finding other remedies to support my cat’s digestion, the symptoms are greatly eased. Also btw, my cat can digest fats now… a healing was needed on that note, and I found support and inspiration from Andi Brown’s Doc’s Stew to help my cat. I recommend her book, The Whole Pet Diet, as it’s easy to read and full of helpful information. On her website she shares the latest version of her recipes and other information for pets:
One thing I’ve learned for sure through this experience with my cat: You can learn a little from a lot of people, and then you’ve got to discern what makes sense for your cat.

I’ve had several consultations with Dr. Pierson for my three cats and they have been eating her diet as recommended for two years. The only problem is they are always constipated and I had the «sense» they are not getting what they need. Raw diets produce less poops but once a week is not healthy.
I bought the book «The Natural Cat» by Anitra Frazier (amazon — where else :)) and checked out her diet recommendations which were different than Dr. Pierson’s. Her diet was a bit difficult to understand if you make a lot of food at one time, so as luck would have it I found her website online, and she was available for consultations at half the price of Dr. Pierson. My cats have been on the new diet for 2 months and the change is remarkable. They are pooping regularly, their coats are shiny and thick, and I no longer have the «sense» they are not getting what they need.

Passionate, caring and right on. Thank you, Dr. Pierson. I will attempt to do you proud.

I just learned my cat has diabetes :(
Pierson’s website:
has been an invaluable source of information for me right now.
My cats, adopted from a shelter, had been on Hills CD wet and dry for years. Well guess what? That particular food (especially the dry) is loaded in carbs and it’s not all that great for them. For a diabetic, it’s almost like feeding them donuts and fruity pebbles. Pasquale (my newly diagnosed sugar baby) especially loved to gobble up the dry food like a little piggie. Looking back, at the shelter where I volunteered /​adopted him from, there was a room of quite a few cats on this food. We used to call them «the turkeys» because they were fatter than the rest of the 100+ cats there. Furthermore, too many of these guys ended up becoming diabetic– we didn’t see this happen nearly as often in the other cats.
Of course diet has everything to do with it. Cats are obligate carnivores. Rodents, birds and lizards eaten in the wild are not dehydrated and don’t have carbs. And who’s ever heard of a cat eating corn and grain in the wild? Boy, do I wish I had read up on feline nutrition and the hazards of dry food much sooner.
And boy, I wish Dr. Pierson had a practice and it was near me.
After being pronounced diabetic, my vet prescribed Purina DM wet and dry for Pasquale. I declined the dry food after reading Pierson’s eye-​opening research. Even the «prescription» dry food (supposedly formulated for diabetics) is still too high in carbs and loaded with crap. Lots of vets aren’t aware of this, because they’re not well versed in nutrition and brainwashed that so called «prescription food» = always better.
Cats need water from food, and this is especially important for diabetic cats and those with kidney or urinary tract issues. Dry food obviously has an extremely low water content. On a dry diet, even lapping up the water bowl won’t actually compensate for the water a cat doesn’t get from wet food.
His wet DM Rx food cost me over $ 40 bucks a case and he hated it. Expensive does not always mean better, and no food is good if your cat won’t eat it.
It’s not easy to avoid carbs with a diabetic cat, or to know just what you are feeding him. Pet food doesn’t show the breakdown of carbs, protein, and fat on its labels like ours. Dr. Pierson has done hundreds of hours of research and created a list of nutritional values for cat foods which clearly outline this. You can see which specific foods are safe and which ones are not. I was shocked to learn that many of the cheaper commercial canned foods were actually better for him. Many had much better quality ingredients than the stuff I had been shelling out so much $$$$ for.
With her list as my guide, I can feed my guy a diet that is safer, more species appropriate and healthy for him while actually spending much less than I would have on prescription or so-​called «high end» foods. I can buy him food he likes and I don’t end up wasting half of it down the garbage disposal. Don’t get me wrong, feeding a cat an all-​wet food diet is certainly not cheap. It will cost more than feeding dry, but to me, my cats’ health is worth it.
Pierson’s site also has a wealth of information on diet relating to kidney disease, cystitus, urythral blockage /​stones, IBS and other feline diseases.
has also been an incredible resource with trusted advice from vets, medical doctors and experienced diabetic cat caretakers that live and breathe feline diabetes every day. I don’t know what I’d have done without them. Pierson’s website is very well known and recommended by this wonderful online community and so many cats have done better following her advice. Change in diet can dramatically lessen insulin requirements and help diabetes to be controlled. Many cats have even gone into remission as a result of diet control alone.
I home test my cat’s blood glucose levels regularly and was amazed and pleased to watch his numbers drop to normal levels after altering his diet. As of today (Oct 8) I am editing this review to add that he is officially declared in remission. I no longer have to give him shots, his BG numbers are good, healthy appetite, drinking, peeing, and he’s more active and playful. His coat is even softer and smoother. I will continue to monitor his condition and do everything to help him stay in remission (diet control, watch his weight, quickly treat any infections, no oral meds with sugar and no steroids unless it’s life or death.)
Dr. Lisa, I have never met you over in Californa, but your advice /​research is helping and saving cats everywhere.

Dr Pierson’s website is da bomb. Why don“t you practice???

Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.
She is totally amazing! A true hero! I adopted 2 kittens from the local Humane Society last Dec. and lost 1 to what was probably FIP 5 weeks later. Then i found Mr Darcy a Snow Shoe kitten at another local shelter. He became very sick a week after i got him. We were literally housebound for almost 3 days due to over 40 inches of snow. I got him to an emergency hospital ih New Haven that Sunday nite, found he had a fever, elevated white cell count, a heart murmer and was anemic. Two days on an antibiotic and he was much better. Subsequently brought him to my vet he had his finally kitten shots and paranoid cat parent that i had now become i brought him back to the Vet to have him checked for rapid breathing Again an even more elevated white count. More antibiotics and something for poss lung worms. Now i was reading everything l could get my hands on about cats. Found Dr Pierson’s web site and 1^st switched both my Tortie Holly and Mr D to wet food. Now am using a combination of Felines Pride raw and Core canned. Cant really afford it but am managing. The diarhea that mr d had developed went away and Holly is still having a problem with the raw but we’ll persevere. This person iis so generous, just awesome. My high school yearbook back in 1956 says my future iwas to become a
never happened but in my next life at least ill have a roll model!
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

Hi Dr. Pierson,
I am not sure how to get the message to you, however, thank you so much for your site. I think you save my cat. I am a nurse and should have recognized the symptoms of UTI/​stones and failed. I had my cat treated at my usual vet and then came home to read your info. I have switched him to wet food (Nature’s Variety Instinct) twice a day, exclusively. I also make my own chicken stock and give him 2 cubes with each feeding (warmed to mouse body temp, of course). It took a few weeks and finally, I was successful. I am now working on transitioning him to raw (Instinct) and am having massive success with help from Fortiflora. My vet is very impressed with his labs and his success. While she did not suggest exclusive wet feedings, I hope that my cat’s progress will translate into better teaching. Without ever speaking with you, you have made a massive difference in one cat’s life! I hope you never regret giving free advice. You will never realize how many cats you have saved.
Thank you,
Alice

Dr. Pierson produced an analysis of commercially prepared cat food in PDF form that is an invaluable tool for me to feed the feline members of our family. I don’t know Dr. Pierson but am grateful for her work and will continue to visit
to ensure my dollars are well spent on good nutrition for our cats.
Thank you, Dr. Pierson.

I came across Dr. Pierson’s
a few years ago when I was researching why my cat got kidney disease. All the years I thought I was feeding «top of the line» cat food. Her website changed the way I feed my animals drastically. I praise her thorough article and commitment to feline nutrition.

A vet in my area has a wonderful website:
, containing much useful & interesting info on feline diseases, nutrition (a must-​read!), giving pills, litterbox issues and more. The text is illustrated with pix of local cats and their related stories. This site totally blew me away with the realization of how little I knew about basic cat needs. (I have always been a dog person.) For example, Dr. Pierson says that cats should not eat dry food. Mine doesn’t, but I know of many who do because their owners think it’s healthier. All cat lovers must check out this site!