Hi this is Cali (Diabetic and has IBS)

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LindyCali2006

LindyCali2006

Member Since 2017
Hello Everyone, I hope someone can offer suggestions as to how we can get our 12 year old cat Cali to eat! First off, she has had diabetes type 2 (diagnosed about a year ago) and initially she was quite heavy (around 12-14lbs). Since her diagnosis her IBS that occurred occasionally by her vomiting became more frequent - usually a few hours after her insulin injection. So even though her blood sugar was levelling out, she was throwing up and unable to retain weight.

She is now very thin and we're desperate to try and get weight on her as she's down below 8lb and is very weak, depressed and thin. She is and has always been a picky eater and so only eats a few bites when we feed her. It doesn't help that we're out at work all day otherwise we would try to feed her more often and spend more time with her. We are giving her a very small dose of Cerenia by injection which is helping to reduce the vomiting and her blood sugar is reading as perfect but she is still sad and not eating much.

Is there anyone who has been through this and can offer some help please? Thank you so much!
 

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I have a cat who barely picks on her food. Last time she was weighed she was about 5 lbs. To encourage her to eat more we sprinkle FortiFlora on her food as well as Bonito flakes. She eats much more than without it.


What kinds of bg numbers have you gotten the last few days? Can you share your spreadsheet /chart? Do you give any other supplements? B12? Cosequin? Curcumin?
 
Thank you so much for responding so quickly! Also thanks for the suggestions - I already ordered the 2 products you suggest and hadn't heard of them so that was really helpful!
I don't have a current chart but she's been getting 2 units of Vetsulin twice a day and her bg is between 100 and 140. Prior to that I had been reducing the dosage in an attempt to get weight on her since the more I would give her of insulin, the more she would throw up - sometimes 3 times in a few hours. But of course her bg level went up to nearly 500 and so we had to look for alternatives.
I give her B12 injections every 2/3 weeks. Haven't really seen this helps since her eating has been so poor but the vet did prescribe an appetite stimulator that I have given to her a couple of times however she hates it as I have to squirt it into her mouth.
We've also noticed she sneezes a lot too for some reason.
 
Does she have food available all day or just at feeding times. Jones has always been a grazer and with his IBD...I couldn't change that. I find he eats almost all his daily calorie intake through out the day and night. He is also on alot of meds for his condition. Appy stim, cwrens and prednisolone.

If you have more than 1 cat, which I have 4, I got the sure Flap feeder. Cost some dollars but it saved my sanity.
 
Poor little Cali. What do you feed her? My 15 year old, Willow, has lost quite a bit of weight and does not eat enough. The low-carb wet foods are so low in calories that I have started adding a little crushed Young Again Zero Mature to her wet food. It is so much more calorie dense. I figure that if she is only going to eat a few bites, I want them to pack as much of a punch as possible. I also find that adding bone broth and shredded chicken to her food gets her more interested, and she eats more.

If she consistently throws up after getting her insulin, is it possible that the Vetsulin is the culprit and that it might be worth trying a different insulin? Or, could the food she is getting be especially aggravating to her IBS?
 
All our cats have access to food all day and night. I did try to get all the cats grain free for a while but none of them, including Cali would eat any of them! We're all gluten free and since IBS is benefitted by us being gf I thought this would help but it didn't so I've reverted to all the cheap stuff - Fancy Feast, Delectable Bisques (which I know are treats but she won't eat meat chunks, just liquids mainly). She is given 2/3 choices, varying from chicken to tuna to salmon and sometimes she'll eat a couple of bites and othertimes not. She's also not drinking much, has a dry nose and isn't cleaning herself.

She was on Prozinc originally but threw up on that and that's why we changed to Vetsulin. I'm interested to see that Jones is on Prednisolone as my vet said it's contra diabetes and has so far resisted giving it. I think he thinks it will be too drastic for her to handle.

Thank you all so much for your ideas, it really helps and I'll be going shopping today :)
 
2 units is a high dose on such low numbers.

Please always get a preshot number and then test again 4 hours after the shot. I suspect the dose is too much.
 
We haven't mastered home testing yet :( I'm going to get my hubby to do it as I'm too squeamish. We gave her the appetite stimulant a little while ago and she did eat a few bites so we will keep going and work on the testing then adjust the dose - thank you Janet, much appreciated!
 
LindyCali2006 said:
We haven't mastered home testing yet :( I'm going to get my hubby to do it as I'm too squeamish. We gave her the appetite stimulant a little while ago and she did eat a few bites so we will keep going and work on the testing then adjust the dose - thank you Janet, much appreciated!
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I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC. Maybe it will help. In the meantime I would lower the dose to 1 unit until you are testing.
 
I'd just like to let you all know that, sadly, we had to put Cali to sleep yesterday. She went further and further downhill, losing weight and being unable to even drink water so we took her back to the vet yesterday and they referred us to the hospital. After doing an ultrasound they found out that her entire digestive tract and internal system was riddled with cancer. She'd also developed tumors on her neck. Chemo would be impossible because of the diabetes and she was so weak she wouldn't have survived it anyhow. We love and miss her terribly. Thank you all for your help and kindness.
 
LindyCali2006 said:
I'd just like to let you all know that, sadly, we had to put Cali to sleep yesterday. She went further and further downhill, losing weight and being unable to even drink water so we took her back to the vet yesterday and they referred us to the hospital. After doing an ultrasound they found out that her entire digestive tract and internal system was riddled with cancer. She'd also developed tumors on her neck. Chemo would be impossible because of the diabetes and she was so weak she wouldn't have survived it anyhow. We love and miss her terribly. Thank you all for your help and kindness.
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Awe I'm so sorry to hear this. Sorry for the loss of your beautiful friend.
 
Oh dear, I am so very sorry. That explains so much though -- poor Cali had so much going on. Do know that you gave her the greatest (yet most bittersweet) gift by helping her cross over.

Fly free without pain, sweetie. There's lots of our kitties waiting for you at the bridge until you get to see your mama again. ;(

Deepest condolences,
Sandi&Whisper.
 
Sandi & Whisper said:
Oh dear, I am so very sorry. That explains so much though -- poor Cali had so much going on. Do know that you gave her the greatest (yet most bittersweet) gift by helping her cross over.

Fly free without pain, sweetie. There's lots of our kitties waiting for you at the bridge until you get to see your mama again. ;(

Deepest condolences,
Sandi&Whisper.
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Thank you that was beautiful.
 
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