Ravenously hungry cat!

[Nadja]

Phillip has gone from a cat who wouldn't eat anything, to a cat who is trying to eat EVERYTHING! He's always hungry, and if there's anything left out, he's into it immediately. He stalks me when I'm eating, and tries to lick plates and wrappers when I'm done.

Last night, I had some cornbread on the counter wrapped in paper. I thought it would be safe, and he's never shown interest in corn bread before (mind you, this is a cat that has always been a very picky eater and turned his nose up at almost all human and table food!), when I came down this morning and checked his blood sugar, it was over 400, which I've never seen before. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw why. There was the cornbread on the floor, paper torn up and crumbs everywhere.

So now I know that all food needs to be in cabinets and sealed, but what should I do about this insatiable hunger? Am I not feeding him enough? Is this normal?

Further, and kind of unrelated, my vet told me that I'm testing his sugar too often. You can see on his spreadsheet that I've been checking before and after each shot, missing a few times here and there. I thought this was what we're supposed to do. Why would my vet suggest this is too much, do you think?

Thanks!

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Phillip has gone from a cat who wouldn't eat anything, to a cat who is trying to eat EVERYTHING! He's always hungry, and if there's anything left out, he's into it immediately. He stalks me when I'm eating, and tries to lick plates and wrappers when I'm done.

Last night, I had some cornbread on the counter wrapped in paper. I thought it would be safe, and he's never shown interest in corn bread before (mind you, this is a cat that has always been a very picky eater and turned his nose up at almost all human and table food!), when I came down this morning and checked his blood sugar, it was over 400, which I've never seen before. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw why. There was the cornbread on the floor, paper torn up and crumbs everywhere.

So now I know that all food needs to be in cabinets and sealed, but what should I do about this insatiable hunger? Am I not feeding him enough? Is this normal?

Further, and kind of unrelated, my vet told me that I'm testing his sugar too often. You can see on his spreadsheet that I've been checking before and after each shot, missing a few times here and there. I thought this was what we're supposed to do. Why would my vet suggest this is too much, do you think?

Thanks!

A diabetic cat who is not yet regulated will be hungry all the time. This is because the glucose messes up the absorption of nutrients so the kitty is not getting what it needs. I found that by feeding numerous small meals or "mini-meals" my Tuxie was better about his constant begging for food. As a kitty gets better regulated they will generally not be as hungry.

Also I find with my Tuxie that when his numbers drop into the lower blues and greens he also gets very hungry. This is when I tend to test more often to watch for any fast dropping or low numbers, to make sure he does not go into hypo.

You are doing a great job testing your Phillip. The more data you have the more you know how YOUR kitty is reacting to the insulin. Preshot testing is also a good way to make sure your kitty has not gone lower than expected. Many vets are not used to pet parents wanting to home monitor. Some vets just don't want anyone to do it, which is crazy. How many people would give their diabetic child insulin without checking the levels before shots and during the day? The same is true with our furkids. My first vet (no longer using) told me that home testing was bad and wasn't reliable. My new vet is all in favour of it.

If you want to see "over-testing" take a look at my spreadsheet...I am way too obsessive about it. But at least I never get any surprise changes with my Tuxie's glucose levels. I worry more about potential hypos than I do about the higher numbers..although I sure do want them to come down.

 

[Sue484]

I guess I'm another one guilty of over-testing. In the end I started to feel like a cash cow to the vet which is why I started doing my own research and then found this site. I had to take my second diabetic kitty to the vet yesterday. He had a fructosamine test and is regulated so I don't worry about a spreadsheet for him, hardly any testing, just pre shots and when I'm home, a mid cycle one. I showed the vet Frankie's spreadsheet and she was very impressed with how much improved he is since ignoring her and the RVCs advice.

 

[BJM]

Ideas:
Add a tablespoon or two of water to the wet food if not already doing that. It'll help fill him up.
Spread thinly across a wide plate to slow down the consumption.
Freeze some of the meal to be eaten as it thaws.
Use a timed feeder to portion out mini-meals so he never gets too hungry.

 

[Nadja]

I guess I'm another one guilty of over-testing. In the end I started to feel like a cash cow to the vet which is why I started doing my own research and then found this site. I had to take my second diabetic kitty to the vet yesterday. He had a fructosamine test and is regulated so I don't worry about a spreadsheet for him, hardly any testing, just pre shots and when I'm home, a mid cycle one. I showed the vet Frankie's spreadsheet and she was very impressed with how much improved he is since ignoring her and the RVCs advice.

Yeah, my vet did say that usually he would have me come back in by now to run all the tests again, but since I've been monitoring, that won't be necessary. As far as I'm concerned, I've already saved money!

Not to even mention the value of incredibly reduced anxiety. When I told the vet how often I was testing he asked, "and he doesn't hate you yet?" I guess I'm lucky that Phillip is such a sweet boy. Sure he gets annoyed with the testing, but he cuddles me before and after, so I'm not worried about him hating me, no!

 

[Jamye and Fred]

Actually your SS looks ok to me.... I'm sort of a newbie, but you're testing before shots and again several hours later. Fred seems to have a bigger appetite since I switched to TRP (tight regulation protocol), I've been increasing dose, slightly, every 2-3 days to try and find his right dose. I've been working alot and have been free feeding him FF while I'm gone. But when I'm home, I give him several small meals throughout the day and I'm doing a curve today. I like the idea of spreading the food out, thinly, on a plate! I also have been adding a bit of water to Fred's food. Let's see some blues and greens boys!

 

[Nadja]

So an update... I've been feeding more, smaller meals throughout the day. It's actually going really well! I keep trying the frozen meal idea, but both my cats have taken to sitting there for 15 minutes, licking and biting at the solid food until it thaws or breaks off into edible chunks. They will not be dissuaded from scarfing it all down as quickly as possible. They also continuously trade food dishes as though they aren't eating the exact same thing. Oh well, I'll keep trying new things.

It's only been two days, but I've found that Phillip's sugar levels have remained consistent since I began to give him a little more food, and spread meals out throughout the day, so that feels good! I'm sure that now that I've said that, his noon time test will be high or something, but I feel like we're making progress