Angela & Blackie & 3 Others
Member Since 2010
NOTE: This following is only used for Blackie. You'll need to determine what is best for your own kitty, and go from there.
I received a question in Blackie's condo from yesterday with regards to how I calculate the calories for Blackie. I use the formula as a guideline, and go from there. For those that are new here, the formula is as follows:
13.6 x (kitty's weight) + 70 = amount of calories/day
So, if I wanted Blackie to weigh 11 lbs., the formula to calculate her weight would be:
13.6 x 11 + 70 = 219.60 calories/day
Her food, which is Evo 95% Chicken & Turkey, is 38.2 calories/ounce (the large can is 504.8 calories, and is 13.2 ounces, so you divide 13.2 into 504.8 to get 38.2 calories/ounce). To determine how many calories she'll need on a daily basis, I take the amount of calories, and divide that by the amount of calories/ounce that her food is.
219.60 divided by 38.2 = 5.7 ounces/day
As of this morning, her weight is 10.83 lbs. (it's up 0.05 calories from yesterday's weight). She's getting 5.9 ounces/day due to the fact that her weight is dropping, so I'm having to try to halt her weight by adding 2 grams (divided) on a weekly basis, or as needed. Currently, she's getting 5.9 ounces, you would think that her weight would be 11.5 lbs. It's not always the case. The formula for an 11.5 lb. kitty is:
13.6 x 11.5 + 70 = 226.4 calories/day
226 / 38.2 = 5.9 ounces/day
Hopefully, she'll stop dropping weight with 5.9 ounces of food daily, however, I'll be continuing my daily monitoring of her weight to make sure that she's on the right track. You definitely don't want an overweight kitty with the disease. :lol:
She's being fed PS, +1, +2, and +3 to hopefully keep her #s from dropping too quickly. Again, not always the case, and it's always important to get at least a +2 and/or +3 tests to see where you kitty is at. There are times when it's necessary to test at both +2 and +3, and again at +3.5 and +4 to be sure that your kitty isn't dropping too rapidly, and to avoid a # that is too low.
The formula is only used as a guideline to help calculate the amount of calories your kitty needs daily. In the beginning, I thought she'd be fine at 11.5 lbs., and as her weight continued to drop, I had to rethink that, and readjust her food amount. Since we've got a pet scale for her, monitoring her weight is far more easier than having to calculate her weight the old conventional way (ie. stand on human scale, weigh self, get off human scale, pick up kitty, get back on human scale and weigh both self and kitty, get off human scale, and quickly remember old weight and deduct it from the new combined weight to get the kitty's weight). She's also very used to being weighed on a daily basis, which makes my job a whole lot easier.
I have noticed that since I've been increasing her food, she's slowed down her eating a bit (meaning, she's stopped being a Hoover). She still loves her Evo, and that's fine, and always a good sign. She doesn't appear to gobble it down as quickly as she did when she was first diagnosed. I will continue to monitor her weight on a daily basis, and adjust her food as needed. I'm not sure if 5.9 oz./day will be enough, then again, it may be. Only she can tell me that. So, pay attention to your kitty. Get a weight on your kitty, and adjust your food amount as needed. I use a digital kitchen scale to get the found amounts, and I also use a conversion from the internet to determine how many ounces to grams or vice versa. She gets 23 grams PS, +1 and +2, and 11 grams +3. 23 grams is equivalent to 0.85 ounces, and 11 grams is equivalent to 0.40 ounces, although it's not exact. It's a guesstimate, and it's close enough. :lol:
Know thy kitty definitely comes into play with regards to weight, food amount, insulin amount, etc. I've been at this since March 13, 2010, and I'm now getting the hang of it. :lol: Better late than never. :lol: Keep testing, check your kitty's weight periodically, adjust the food amount as needed. It all goes hand in hand, and eventually, and hopefully, you'll get to where you can have your kitty diet controlled, and not insulin dependent. Patience is the key, and with this disease you need a lot of it. :lol:
I received a question in Blackie's condo from yesterday with regards to how I calculate the calories for Blackie. I use the formula as a guideline, and go from there. For those that are new here, the formula is as follows:
13.6 x (kitty's weight) + 70 = amount of calories/day
So, if I wanted Blackie to weigh 11 lbs., the formula to calculate her weight would be:
13.6 x 11 + 70 = 219.60 calories/day
Her food, which is Evo 95% Chicken & Turkey, is 38.2 calories/ounce (the large can is 504.8 calories, and is 13.2 ounces, so you divide 13.2 into 504.8 to get 38.2 calories/ounce). To determine how many calories she'll need on a daily basis, I take the amount of calories, and divide that by the amount of calories/ounce that her food is.
219.60 divided by 38.2 = 5.7 ounces/day
As of this morning, her weight is 10.83 lbs. (it's up 0.05 calories from yesterday's weight). She's getting 5.9 ounces/day due to the fact that her weight is dropping, so I'm having to try to halt her weight by adding 2 grams (divided) on a weekly basis, or as needed. Currently, she's getting 5.9 ounces, you would think that her weight would be 11.5 lbs. It's not always the case. The formula for an 11.5 lb. kitty is:
13.6 x 11.5 + 70 = 226.4 calories/day
226 / 38.2 = 5.9 ounces/day
Hopefully, she'll stop dropping weight with 5.9 ounces of food daily, however, I'll be continuing my daily monitoring of her weight to make sure that she's on the right track. You definitely don't want an overweight kitty with the disease. :lol:
She's being fed PS, +1, +2, and +3 to hopefully keep her #s from dropping too quickly. Again, not always the case, and it's always important to get at least a +2 and/or +3 tests to see where you kitty is at. There are times when it's necessary to test at both +2 and +3, and again at +3.5 and +4 to be sure that your kitty isn't dropping too rapidly, and to avoid a # that is too low.
The formula is only used as a guideline to help calculate the amount of calories your kitty needs daily. In the beginning, I thought she'd be fine at 11.5 lbs., and as her weight continued to drop, I had to rethink that, and readjust her food amount. Since we've got a pet scale for her, monitoring her weight is far more easier than having to calculate her weight the old conventional way (ie. stand on human scale, weigh self, get off human scale, pick up kitty, get back on human scale and weigh both self and kitty, get off human scale, and quickly remember old weight and deduct it from the new combined weight to get the kitty's weight). She's also very used to being weighed on a daily basis, which makes my job a whole lot easier.
I have noticed that since I've been increasing her food, she's slowed down her eating a bit (meaning, she's stopped being a Hoover). She still loves her Evo, and that's fine, and always a good sign. She doesn't appear to gobble it down as quickly as she did when she was first diagnosed. I will continue to monitor her weight on a daily basis, and adjust her food as needed. I'm not sure if 5.9 oz./day will be enough, then again, it may be. Only she can tell me that. So, pay attention to your kitty. Get a weight on your kitty, and adjust your food amount as needed. I use a digital kitchen scale to get the found amounts, and I also use a conversion from the internet to determine how many ounces to grams or vice versa. She gets 23 grams PS, +1 and +2, and 11 grams +3. 23 grams is equivalent to 0.85 ounces, and 11 grams is equivalent to 0.40 ounces, although it's not exact. It's a guesstimate, and it's close enough. :lol:
Know thy kitty definitely comes into play with regards to weight, food amount, insulin amount, etc. I've been at this since March 13, 2010, and I'm now getting the hang of it. :lol: Better late than never. :lol: Keep testing, check your kitty's weight periodically, adjust the food amount as needed. It all goes hand in hand, and eventually, and hopefully, you'll get to where you can have your kitty diet controlled, and not insulin dependent. Patience is the key, and with this disease you need a lot of it. :lol: