Acting Normal, Eating Less

[FrostD]

Sort of a silly question I suppose...

Mr Kitty is eating maybe 1-5.5oz can of Friskies pate a day.I set out one in the morning and one at night. He's acting like his old self so I'm not too worried yet.

Currently about 8 lbs, normally (pre DX)13 lbs. Can says 0.75-1 oz per lb of body weight, but that's for a normal weight cat. He loves wet food, bugs me nonstop while I'm trying to open the can and get it in the bowl, then chows down.

Do I just wait it out, since low carb is still new and his numbers have been much better? Give him a few more days to adjust?

I'm going to try to mix in some chicken broth mid-day and see if that entices him. Also try some fresh food, he might just be picky about hours-old food.

 

[Bear and Julie]

Sort of a silly question I suppose...

Mr Kitty is eating maybe 1-5.5oz can of Friskies pate a day.I set out one in the morning and one at night. He's acting like his old self so I'm not too worried yet.

Currently about 8 lbs, normally (pre DX)13 lbs. Can says 0.75-1 oz per lb of body weight, but that's for a normal weight cat. He loves wet food, bugs me nonstop while I'm trying to open the can and get it in the bowl, then chows down.

Do I just wait it out, since low carb is still new and his numbers have been much better? Give him a few more days to adjust?

I'm going to try to mix in some chicken broth mid-day and see if that entices him. Also try some fresh food, he might just be picky about hours-old food.

I called my vet and asked her for an appetite stimulant. It helped bear.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

It's quite common for their appetite to reduce as their numbers reduce. A cat that's not being treated eats a lot more food because their body isn't able to use the glucose from the food they eat without insulin so despite eating lots more food, the brain still says it's not getting fed.

Without insulin, the glucose from the food they eat can't get into the cells to nourish them so they are basically starving to death while eating everything in sight.

Think of insulin like it's a key....on every cell in the body there's a lock. Without the right number of keys to open those locks, the glucose stays in the bloodstream (which is why we have high BG) instead of getting into the cells.

As for the "recommended feeding" on most labels ….they're usually higher than they need to be (of course the manufacturer wants to sell more too). Don't concentrate on ounces of food (different foods will have differing amounts of calories anyway).

A good ballpark figure is 20 calories per pound of ideal weight. Weigh once a week and adjust as needed.

 

[FrostD]

It's quite common for their appetite to reduce as their numbers reduce. A cat that's not being treated eats a lot more food because their body isn't able to use the glucose from the food they eat without insulin so despite eating lots more food, the brain still says it's not getting fed.

Without insulin, the glucose from the food they eat can't get into the cells to nourish them so they are basically starving to death while eating everything in sight.

Think of insulin like it's a key....on every cell in the body there's a lock. Without the right number of keys to open those locks, the glucose stays in the bloodstream (which is why we have high BG) instead of getting into the cells.

As for the "recommended feeding" on most labels ….they're usually higher than they need to be (of course the manufacturer wants to sell more too). Don't concentrate on ounces of food (different foods will have differing amounts of calories anyway).

A good ballpark figure is 20 calories per pound of ideal weight. Weigh once a week and adjust as needed.

Very helpful, thank you!