? How often do you feed

[Mshaas75]

I am just wondering how often you all feed. Seems some days all she wants to do is eat. We were out late last night so when we got home I gave her food around 2:30am. I got up just before 7 am and gave her more so she could get her shot. She ate some and then threw up. Then for like an hour she was sick to her stomach throwing up little foam piles. She was over 600 this morning and at 5+ she was at 283 but hadn't eaten anything else. I gave her a dose of mirtazipine and put the wet food down for her and an hour later found her eating the other cars dry food. She normally doesn't touch the dry and now doesn't want to eat the wet. Am I over feeding??

 

[Callie & Patches]

My vet says to feed twice a day, before insulin. Many here leave food out.

 

[Olive & Paula]

Smaller meals spread out seem to work the best. Dry food is not helping her glucose readings. With numbers like that are you testing for ketones? It can become serious very quickly.

Are you using low carb wet food?

 

[Alexi]

Unregulated cats get very hungry and it is all too easy to overfeed. Don't let her have access to dry food. I have a multicat household, one of which will only eat dry food so all of them are now on a strict 12 hourly feeding regime with Cappuccino fed separately to the rest of them as she is on a special food. They have now learnt when it is mealtime that is their chance to eat. When she was first diagnosed and very underweight I did feed small frequent meals and she would vomit at times if her glucose levels were very high. I gradually switched her and she is now used to the regime, but still asks for food between meals. No food is left down. What food do you feed and how much does she weigh? Has your vet given you a target weight for her? The secret is consistency with the feeding and timing. If you can get all cats eating the same food that makes things a lot easier.

 

[Mshaas75]

Thanks. I was trying the 12 hour feeding but she seemed hungry all the time so now we have been feedin a 3oz can of fancy feast like 4 times a day. I didn't think that she was touching the dry food anymore til I caught her in the others bowl. Then sometime she gets picky and won't eat so I put out like 3 kinds of wet food like a buffet and let her pick what she wants to eat. She was doing good on the dm then one day just decided she didn't like it anymore. I feel bad and give her whatever she wants I guess I need to toughen up.

 

[DebG]

Fritz likes smaller meals more often. Most dry food are too high in carbs that will contribute to higher numbers.

 

[Alexi]

Thanks. I was trying the 12 hour feeding but she seemed hungry all the time so now we have been feedin a 3oz can of fancy feast like 4 times a day. I didn't think that she was touching the dry food anymore til I caught her in the others bowl. Then sometime she gets picky and won't eat so I put out like 3 kinds of wet food like a buffet and let her pick what she wants to eat. She was doing good on the dm then one day just decided she didn't like it anymore. I feel bad and give her whatever she wants I guess I need to toughen up.

Sounds as though she has you well trained! It does feel bad saying no to a hungry cat, especially when she wants to eat what the others are having and can't have it, try reducing the amount of food you are offering and she might decide she is hungry enough to eat whatever is put in front of her.

 

[Mshaas75]

How long do you leave out the food diabetic or not before you pick the bowls up.

 

[Alexi]

The bowls come up when they have finished feeding and walk away, sometimes they are empty, sometimes not, the diabetic food is always empty and she is let out to have her shot once the bowls are cleared. Cappuccino is only allowed a certain amount of food a day to try to keep her at her ideal weight. As I no longer leave food out they understand that they have to eat at mealtimes or they miss out.

 

[Mshaas75]

I am going to try for all 3 to start a schedule. My diabetic kitty is so skinny compared to the others is why I have been trying to feed her all the time

 

[Erica & Carter]

I feed 4 meals a day and all 3 of my boys don't seem to bed for food. Before Carter was OTJ, he sometimes got 6 meals a day.

 

[JeffJ]

2 inside cats (Leo and Chinus). Feeding them every 2-3 hours, small meals.

 

[Julia Rae]

Magellan gets 4 a day... that breaks down to every 6 hrs and he has done well with that.

 

[Sue484]

Mine get 4 meals a day at 6.30 and 11.30 am and pm.

 

[sivyaleah]

I have 2 cats, Casper is the diabetic one. Cocoabean thankfully, is healthy. They have different eating habits so it's been challenging since Casper was diagnosed. Cocoa is a very good eater, but Casper not so much anymore plus he's had issues with vomiting it back up if I put down too much at once.

We are now feeding approximately every 12 hours and, each meal is spread into 2 smaller portions about 20 minutes from each other in order to assure Casper doesn't bring it back up. My fiance and I leave the house early, together, frequently; by 6:30 am or thereabouts. Not home until about the same so the kitties are eating around 6:00 am most days. During summer months he's home all day so they get a late mid-day snack to tide them over until I get home to do Casper's injection. Nearly 100% of the food is low carb, wet food - Casper gets his topped with freeze dried chicken to entice him to finish as much as possible.

We only give small amounts of kibble (1 or 2 teaspoons worth) to each of them right before bedtime - it's a long standing routine which Casper enjoys as it leads up to him bringing US to bed

This may change a little when my fiance goes back to school in September. He'll be getting home a little earlier than me, and finally bit the bullet and gave Casper an injection for the first time this morning. Now that he's on board with that aspect of his care, it should make it a easier to get him better regulated. Waiting until 7-7:30 pm for dinner really is a long time for both cats.

 

[MsBliss]

When I tried the 12 hour regimen of food, one of my cats was crashing. She needed access to food, wet food, in small portions if the insulin sent her glucose too low for her body to adjust. There was no rhyme or reason, nor any pattern to the glucose readings. Once I gave her many small meals, she started to do better.

 

[sivyaleah]

When I tried the 12 hour regimen of food, one of my cats was crashing. She needed access to food, wet food, in small portions if the insulin sent her glucose too low for her body to adjust. There was no rhyme or reason, nor any pattern to the glucose readings. Once I gave her many small meals, she started to do better.

Thanks very much for responding. I've pretty much been doing the same. While Casper hasn't crashed per se, it's quite obvious he needs more food during the daytime. He doesn't eat more than a couple of ounces of wet food at breakfast and dinner usually, so if we don't supplement inbetween he's not getting enough nutrition on a daily basis. We need to fatten him up; he'd lost a couple of pounds over the past year before his diagnosis. I am concerned what we should do once my fiance is back in school full time in a few weeks. We might have to resort to pulling out the electronic feeder and putting a small amount of kibble (we buy Orijen which has the highest protein count of all dried foods as far as I'm aware) for him to nosh on in the middle of the day.

 

[Mshaas75]

I have tried to adjust to 4 feeding a day. My husband comes home for lunch everyday and gives her a can then a small snack just before bedtime. At 10pm all food gets picked up for all cats and then I get up to feed them at 5am

 

[sivyaleah]

I have tried to adjust to 4 feeding a day. My husband comes home for lunch everyday and gives her a can then a small snack just before bedtime. At 10pm all food gets picked up for all cats and then I get up to feed them at 5am

Gosh wish we could do this. During the summer it's possible but from September - Mid June we're both out of the house for nearly 12 hours a day for work/school. It's incredibly frustrating and worrisome to say the least but there isn't anything we can do about it. I hate the idea of having him eat kibble via a feeder but it seems the only solution to keeping him well fed

 

[JanetNJ]

I'm currently giving a bit of wet at both preshots (like 1/3 -1/2 can fancy feast each time or 1/4 friskies) then free feed Young Again Zero no carb dry all day.

 

[JeffJ]

There are high protein kibbles. Not optimal, but it might help with food regulation.

 

[Mshaas75]

Gosh wish we could do this. During the summer it's possible but from September - Mid June we're both out of the house for nearly 12 hours a day for work/school. It's incredibly frustrating and worrisome to say the least but there isn't anything we can do about it. I hate the idea of having him eat kibble via a feeder but it seems the only solution to keeping him well fed

There is a dry food no carbs called young again. I have called and ordered my free sample. I read decent things about it. Maybe you could get some to leave out during the day. Www. Young again.com. At least call and get your free sample it's worth a shot

 

[Ashlee Jennings]

My cat Taz is a dry food addict so to get her used to the wet food I have been only feeding her about half the dry food (Instinct Ultimate Protein) I normally would give her and mix that with 1/3 of a 5.5 oz can of wet food (also Instinct Ultimate Protein). I feed her once every 12 hours before her insulin shot. She gets hungry in the middle of the day and literally sleeps in front of her food bowl. Her numbers have been good so far though so I am reluctant to change anything. The good thing is that she is so hungry by that time, she eats the wet food mixed with the dry right up.