Treats, Ketone strips, BG monitoring in the heat advice

[Acadaca]

Hello. I will link my original and far too long post at the end of this, but I was wondering if you guys could weigh in on a few things.

I think my cats miss the crunchiness of kibble and treats. What would you recommend as the healthiest low carb dry treat (if there is one)? I've been using freeze dried chicken exclusively and saw some other things on Amazon, but I don't want to give FCC things that will hurt his progress.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to monitor urine after a litter change? I used to use clay clumping litter, but wanted a more natural alternative. I have two boxes next to each other and one is full of wood pellets and the other is a mix of those and their original litter. FCC now pees in the pellet box so I can't tell what sort of volume I am dealing with and I know that is something to keep an eye on. I can still monitor his general water intake.

Can I order any sticks on Amazon to measure for ketones or are there certain kinds that you would recommend against? I have found lots of helpful suggestions on here, but was wondering if I could just pick up the best deal there.

Lastly, it is way hotter here than normal and neither of my cats are moving. I haven't been monitoring FCC's glucose other than AMPS/PMPS. I tried to do a +2 last night and he just turned around and started panting with a wide open mouth after a couple of failed attempts. Is it okay if I lay off the in between dose checking for the next couple of days?

Thank you for reading and any potential answers! Sorry to ask so many more questions.


https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/june-7th-newbie-stressed.248362/

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Any freeze dried single protein meat will work. You can also get some that are dehydrated or air dried for extra crunch. Just look at the ingredients to make sure it's all meat. Some have organs in too which is OK. Ziwipeak is one example of an air dried food that works and is low carb.

For litter, there are lots of options that clump and aren't clay. Okocat makes a clumping wood pellet one, and you can buy some made with grass, corn, etc. The size of the puddle in the regular wood pellet one can still tell you something, but I found it harder than the non clumping kind - maybe what I was used to.

For ketones, you can get Ketostix (or equivalent) at most human pharmacies too.

I am in North Van, sharing you and your kitties discomfort at the weather. Have you tried putting a little cold water on his head, combing out excess fur, or stroking him with a damp towel/facecloth? Panting sounds really hot. And he needs more water. Make sure his food is soupy. Or see if he'll play with ice cubes.

I would try to do that second test when you can, especially since you saw that 137 not that long ago.

 

[Acadaca]

Any freeze dried single protein meat will work. You can also get some that are dehydrated or air dried for extra crunch. Just look at the ingredients to make sure it's all meat. Some have organs in too which is OK. Ziwipeak is one example of an air dried food that works and is low carb.

For litter, there are lots of options that clump and aren't clay. Okocat makes a clumping wood pellet one, and you can buy some made with grass, corn, etc. The size of the puddle in the regular wood pellet one can still tell you something, but I found it harder than the non clumping kind - maybe what I was used to.

For ketones, you can get Ketostix (or equivalent) at most human pharmacies too.

I am in North Van, sharing you and your kitties discomfort at the weather. Have you tried putting a little cold water on his head, combing out excess fur, or stroking him with a damp towel/facecloth? Panting sounds really hot. And he needs more water. Make sure his food is soupy. Or see if he'll play with ice cubes.

I would try to do that second test when you can, especially since you saw that 137 not that long ago.

Thank you for all the info. I will check out the aforementioned treats.

I might look into the clumping wood. It's too bad because the pellets are so cheap and the clumping wood ones I've seen not so much. When he was peeing so much he was getting the clay litter stuck to his feet and I knew that meant he would be ingesting it at some point even though I wiped them whenever I could. He took to the new litter pretty quickly while Typewriter sticks with the half and half.

Thanks also for the ketostix info.

I've been wiping both the cats down with a damp cloth periodically. He was not impressed when I tried to get him to bat an ice cube around a little last night. I will definitely get his face damp more often and make sure I add water to his food which I hadn't thought of. I am such a baby when it comes to this heat! I will try and slip in a test before his PMPS one as well as aim for a +2 again. Maybe I will wipe him down with a cloth first. I think the rice bag made him understandably way too uncomfortable. He stopped panting as soon as I stopped trying to stick him.

I hope you're staying as cool as possible!

 

[mosi_yazhi]

The freeze dried meat treats are the absolute best treat to be giving your diabetic kitty

Have you considered getting a few of these ice packs and slipping them into their beds/under a blanket where they frequently lie down?

Or just popping one in their water bowl. I usually keep a jug of filtered water from the brita in the fridge - my girls seem to like the filtered taste and tend to drink a bit more than just straight tap.

I'm in AZ and we get some wicked summers here, so I feel your pain.

I'm not sure how the weather works where you are, and what your living situation is like, but the mornings are usually the coldest here. I'll open the doors/windows in the morning and let the cold air come in, and then close them as well as drawing the blinds when it starts creeping toward mid day and it starts warming up. The house says FAIRLY cool without need of the AC for a while.

I don't really have any recommendations on the litter, unfortunately, except that if you wanna keep using clumping litter, make sure to scoop a bit more frequently. Dry litter shouldn't stick to paws as easily.

 

[Acadaca]

I'm not sure how the weather works where you are, and what your living situation is like, but the mornings are usually the coldest here. I'll open the doors/windows in the morning and let the cold air come in, and then close them as well as drawing the blinds when it starts creeping toward mid day and it starts warming up. The house says FAIRLY cool without need of the AC for a while.

Thanks. I should try that to the best of my abilities. I am heat illiterate because it's usually not too bad here, but I'll try and keep the windows closed tomorrow. I don't have blinds unfortunately. Or air conditioning, but hopefully that will help. I can have a cold shower though and unfortunately the kitties cannot. I have put a couple ice packs wrapped in t-shirts on the floor where they lie sometimes in case they are interested. FCC tends to mostly lie on the floor and Typewriter lies on me. I am not very receptive to that at the moment. I will put a jug of water in the fridge to see if they will drink that more eagerly than stuff from the tap right now.

I don't really have any recommendations on the litter, unfortunately, except that if you wanna keep using clumping litter, make sure to scoop a bit more frequently. Dry litter shouldn't stick to paws as easily

When the litter was sticking to his feet it was because of the sheer amount of urine he was passing. I would scoop it twice a day or anytime I saw a clump, but he just peed so much that I think it pooled as he went and took awhile to soak in. The good thing is that was one of the reasons why I brought him to the vet. I do use non-clumping wood pellets for him now, but the downside is that I can't monitor the amount of urine. Once he switched to low carb wet food his peeing situation seemed to remedy itself. I am just wary of losing the ability to monitor his box activity when it was what helped draw attention to the issue.

 

[mosi_yazhi]

Thanks. I should try that to the best of my abilities. I am heat illiterate because it's usually not too bad here, but I'll try and keep the windows closed tomorrow. I don't have blinds unfortunately. Or air conditioning, but hopefully that will help. I can have a cold shower though and unfortunately the kitties cannot. I have put a couple ice packs wrapped in t-shirts on the floor where they lie sometimes in case they are interested. FCC tends to mostly lie on the floor and Typewriter lies on me. I am not very receptive to that at the moment. I will put a jug of water in the fridge to see if they will drink that more eagerly than stuff from the tap right now.



When the litter was sticking to his feet it was because of the sheer amount of urine he was passing. I would scoop it twice a day or anytime I saw a clump, but he just peed so much that I think it pooled as he went and took awhile to soak in. The good thing is that was one of the reasons why I brought him to the vet. I do use non-clumping wood pellets for him now, but the downside is that I can't monitor the amount of urine. Once he switched to low carb wet food his peeing situation seemed to remedy itself. I am just wary of losing the ability to monitor his box activity when it was what helped draw attention to the issue.

Aaaah, I sees.

Barring he doesnt also have kidney issues, the peeing should slow down a tad as you start regulating him a bit better with the insulin. The peeing is a result of the kidneys trying to flush out all the excess sugar in his body - the higher the sugars, the more he'll drink and the more he'll need to go pee. Since you're checking his sugars, you might be able to notice this trend!

Funny peeing habits was what also tipped me off about my girl, so I 100% get what you mean.

I dont really have a suggestion for this one, though, sorry. Depending on how much you wanna spend, I know a litterrobot uses clumping litter, automatically scoops itself 15 minutes after the cat uses it, and also keeps a record about how often it gets used (that I think gets sent to your smartphone.) They're pricey, though, and a definite investment piece.

 

[Librarianista]

I dont really have a suggestion for this one, though, sorry. Depending on how much you wanna spend, I know a litterrobot uses clumping litter, automatically scoops itself 15 minutes after the cat uses it, and also keeps a record about how often it gets used (that I think gets sent to your smartphone.) They're pricey, though, and a definite investment piece.

I did a self-cleaning box for a little while and I DO NOT recommend it. While it was briefly nice not to have to think about scooping, the weekly cleaning of the litter box was disgusting. Smelly and very awkward to maneuver (I also don’t have a hose, which might have made things easier).

 

[Acadaca]

I dont really have a suggestion for this one, though, sorry. Depending on how much you wanna spend, I know a litterrobot uses clumping litter, automatically scoops itself 15 minutes after the cat uses it, and also keeps a record about how often it gets used (that I think gets sent to your smartphone.) They're pricey, though, and a definite investment piece.

Pricey litter boxes are definitely not in the budget, but I appreciate the suggestion. Also, I hung sheets over my sunniest windows this morning and it does seem to have made a difference, thank you. If this keeps up I might have to invest in curtains or blinds!

I did a self-cleaning box for a little while and I DO NOT recommend it. While it was briefly nice not to have to think about scooping, the weekly cleaning of the litter box was disgusting. Smelly and very awkward to maneuver (I also don’t have a hose, which might have made things easier).

I always wondered what it would be like cleaning one of those. I found that when FCC started peeing more I was scooping more frequently throughout the day so that part doesn't bother me too much. Good to know that it's not worth the investment anyway.

 

[Allison K]

Back before my boy was diagnosed (and was peeing SOO much) I used to use a litter locker and empty it every couple days (or more if it got full quicker) .... but when I was scooping out like 1/3 of the litter contents or more each time, that was not practical so I started just scooping and taking it out each time I took the dog out for his potty break/walk and it seems to work easier. I use a standard clumping clay litter, had looked at the pine stuff but at the moment, it did not seem in the budget.

I did have a related question about the ketone testing ... I am familiar with test strips used for aquarium testing and they are not very accurate .... is the same true for the ketone strips? How are they as compared to the meters as far as accuracy and ease of use?

 

[Librarianista]

Back before my boy was diagnosed (and was peeing SOO much) I used to use a litter locker and empty it every couple days (or more if it got full quicker) .... but when I was scooping out like 1/3 of the litter contents or more each time, that was not practical so I started just scooping and taking it out each time I took the dog out for his potty break/walk and it seems to work easier. I use a standard clumping clay litter, had looked at the pine stuff but at the moment, it did not seem in the budget.

I did have a related question about the ketone testing ... I am familiar with test strips used for aquarium testing and they are not very accurate .... is the same true for the ketone strips? How are they as compared to the meters as far as accuracy and ease of use?

I’ve only used the ketone strips a few times, but it was pretty easy for me. They are long enough that I could get it in her stream without having to use anything else or getting my hands wet. She was just a bit surprised. I know others use a cup or ladle dedicated just to catching the urine and then dipping the stick in. I don’t have anything else to compare it for accuracy, but since so many use it and recommend it here, I trusted the results.