Do I administer insulin if cat won't eat

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Tia's Mom

Tia's Mom

Member Since 2016
Hi we were just diagnosed three days ago. Tia is on insulin twice a day. I am having a,problem getting her to eat anything in the evening. How much do they need to eat before I can give her her insulin?
 
Which insulin are you using?
I cant give dosing advice.
If you set up a Spread sheet those more experienced would be able to help.
You dont want to give insulin without feeding. Why is kitty not eating? Are you feeding dry?
It is better tofeed a wet caned low carb food. Have you triedFancy Feast Classic ? Someone more experienced should come in soon to help you.
Welcome to the forum.
 
This is my situation exactly. New diagnosis last week - i have instructions on how to give the insulin, but was only able to give two small doses after two small meals- my male 12 year old cat Blackie is very thin and not eating or drinking. I can't give him the insulin if he will not eat. Taking him to vet later today so they can test glucose.
 
It is important that your cats eat. Not only so you can give insulin, but also to avoid fatty liver disease. If your cat has not had blood work done recently, it should be done. You can also ask your vet for an appetite stimulant.

Other options you can try are sprinkling some parmesan cheese or Flora Flora on top of the food. If you changed foods recently, try mixing some of the old food with the new food. Or if it is prescription food they will not eat, try feeding either Fancy Feast or Friskies canned food, pate flavors. A lot of cats do not like prescription food and it is not necessary for you to feed it to them for feline diabetes, even if your vet says otherwise.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
It is important that your cats eat. Not only so you can give insulin, but also to avoid fatty liver disease. If your cat has not had blood work done recently, it should be done. You can also ask your vet for an appetite stimulant.

Other options you can try are sprinkling some parmesan cheese or Flora Flora on top of the food. If you changed foods recently, try mixing some of the old food with the new food. Or if it is prescription food they will not eat, try feeding either Fancy Feast or Friskies canned food, pate flavors. A lot of cats do not like prescription food and it is not necessary for you to feed it to them for feline diabetes, even if your vet says otherwise.
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Thank you for saying it doesn't need to be prescription food. I want to learn from other owners, I don't feel the vets know as much owners,
 
What type of insulin are you giving? With some insulins it is very important to have a good meal on board before shooting. How high were the glucose numbers when Tia was diagnosed? Was the reading done with a meter or with the vets lab machine?

What sort of food are you feeding? Dry food is high in carbs and will caue glucose levels to stay high.

Does Tia seem to be nauseous? Going to the food and turning away, lip smacking, etc can indicate nausea which could be from a number of things.

Is Tia drinking? Fluids are important.

It is very important that a kitty does not go any extended lengths without eating as this can lead to fatty liver disease or increase the risks of DKA.
 
Tia' s number was 15 when was diagnosed at the vet. Today she was 13.1. She is on Canin insulin?
She doesn't go to her food at all, I must take her to it. She is currently on wet after years of dry food.
She doesn't appear to be excessively thirst now. She sleeps a lot, but still enjoys cuddles.
 
Tia's Mom said:
Tia' s number was 15 when was diagnosed at the vet. Today she was 13.1. She is on Canin insulin?
She doesn't go to her food at all, I must take her to it. She is currently on wet after years of dry food.
She doesn't appear to be excessively thirst now. She sleeps a lot, but still enjoys cuddles.
Click to expand...


Thank you . With Caninsulin it is important that Tia have a decent meal 30 minutes before the insulin shot. Caninsulin is a harsher fast acting insulin and can bring numbers down very quickly. She should have a good meal before shots so if she is not eating or is eating very little I would be very hesitant about shooting.

How long ago did you change to wet food from the dry food? Some kitties can have large drops simply from the change to an all wet low carb diet. If you have just changed to all wet that can certainly cause the numbers to drop. Add on to that a poor appetite and it could be a bad choice to give shots.

Are you home testing at all? That is a good way to see how well the insulin is working and how low it takes the numbers. If you are not home testing it would be best to continue with the dry food Tia was eating before, until you do start home testing. It is very important to get Tia eating. At this point it would be better to see her eating her dry food than to worry about the type of food. Low carb wet food is the way to go, but eating is more important. As I said some kitties can drop a lot just from changing to wet food...as much as 5-6 mmol/l (100mg/dl US) and without monitoring at home there is a chance Tia's numbers could drop too low.


ETA There have been a few kitties that have ended up going into remission within a few weeks just from changing from dry food to low carb wet food. HOWEVER DO NOT CHANGE THE FOOD UNTIL YOU ARE HOME TESTING because of the possibility of Tia's numbers dropping too low.
 
Last edited:
Ellen Zimmerli said:
This is my situation exactly. New diagnosis last week - i have instructions on how to give the insulin, but was only able to give two small doses after two small meals- my male 12 year old cat Blackie is very thin and not eating or drinking. I can't give him the insulin if he will not eat. Taking him to vet later today so they can test glucose.
Click to expand...

Please let us know how Blackie is. Start a new thread in the Health forum and tell us what the vet said. Maybe we can help you get Blackie eating better.
 
Hi there welcome to FDMB! I'm in Southwestern Ontario as well....London!
The people on here are amazing and have a vast amount of knowledge!
I know nothing about caninsulin; my cat Boomer is on Lantus. If you need help testing etc let me know where you are in SW Ontario and maybe I can help.
 
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