Am I feeding enough?

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totallybeachin

totallybeachin

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Not trying to sound stupid, but I have fed dry all my kitty's life and have *basically* used the guidelines om the bag. Since dx and the switch to wet, I'm not sure what's enough. If I go by the can, well, there's no way she's getting THAT MUCH unless I know it's her last meal and I know it would make her happy!, But seriously, she's on the *cough* chunky side, 17 pounds, and could definitely shed a few pounds. No mystery there. I just don't want to cut her back to much to fast in case her body is anything like ours. We would go into "starvation" mode and our body would just hold all the fat and start eating our own muscle and tissue. I DON'T want that to happen. But she acts hungry ALL day. She currently gets half a can at breakfast and the other half at dinner. The can size is the 5.5 oz. one
Is that enough or should she get a little more now (like 1 1/2 cans a day) and eventually cut back to that over a period of time? I hate her hungry whining every time I make a move!
 
As you suggested. you may want to feed more now and cut back slowly. The key is to feed enough to maintain the desired body weight. Feed more to increase weight and less to lose (slowly). A good digital scale is a must.
 
In the early days of diabetes treatment, the kitty is literally starving - they can eat-eat-eat and without enough insulin -- the food energy (sugar) just gets peed out and the kitty is still hungry.

So... give extra food for a while --when the insulin dose is right, the kitty will be satisfied with a more normal amount of food.
 
Maybe I should have mentioned.
I have a "miracle" cat. (Vet's words, not mine)
Callie Mae is currently pretty well diet controlled. She has gone from 9 units twice a day (I only gave her that dose once, the day the vet told me to "go up another unit") down to a WHOPPING 0, Zilch, nada, unit for 6 days now! All in the span of about 1 month. I gave the 9 units at pm shot, with a *side" helping of wet, and for breakfast the next day, 1 unit of insulin and a little coaxing with wet. She has been on the wet ever since. Took about 2-3 days total to get her to realize she liked it.
That's why I wanted to ask. She's been getting the 1 can a day regime for about a month now, and no inlulin for 6 days.
Still feel the same about 1 1/2 cans? Slowly working down to 1? I mean, she probably feels like she's starving cuz she's not getting all those carbs, right?
 
Like others have said.... go off of a good body weight. Every cat's metabolism is slightly different. If you can feed a little more to satisfy her and she doesn't start gaining weight, then you are fine. You can also try adding more water to her food so that the water will help her feel more full.
 
Yea, I've been doing the water thing. It's the only way I can get her to drink ANY water these days. She just does not want water from her water bowl! Has to be beef flavored! :mrgreen:
But I will try the suggestions and see what happens. I REALLY want her to lose weight, but I think the important thing for right now is just getting her diabetes under control and worry about that later. Just make her comfortable. All things considered. Just don't want to see MORE pounds!
Sounds silly to ask such mundane questions, but I have really come to respect this board and the opinion of it's members. And I have the tendency to shoot from the mouth. I'm the one who always asks the obvious questions that every else sits back and laughs and asks me "Really? You did not just say that! Think about what you just said!" You know the type. We ALL have someone like me in our own "circle of friends"!! The geeky, dorky, dumb one!! :lol: :lol:
 
Has your vet mentioned what her ideal weight is supposed to be? that's pretty important for determining food amounts. Bandit's ideal weight is about 12.5 lbs which is about 7.5 oz of fancy feast (similar calories to friskies). we're switching to EVO which is higher in calories and fat, so we are going down to 7 oz since he needs to lose a little weight. Gabby's ideal weight was 8 lbs, so she got 1 5.5 oz can a day.
 
Has your vet mentioned what her ideal weight is supposed to be? that's pretty important for determining food amounts. Bandit's ideal weight is about 12.5 lbs which is about 7.5 oz of fancy feast (similar calories to friskies). we're switching to EVO which is higher in calories and fat, so we are going down to 7 oz since he needs to lose a little weight. Gabby's ideal weight was 8 lbs, so she got 1 5.5 oz can a day.
 
Many vet texts and journals suggest in the range of 30 - 40 cals per pound ideal weight per day. It depends on the age and activity level of the cat. So if you think her ideal weight is 15 lbs, she would need minimum 450 calories per day. Depending on which food you are using (Janet and Binkys lists have calories for most or all of the foods), you will be able to see if you are giving her enough or too much. This is a guide, and any change of diet should be discussed with your vet. It gives you a place to start though.
 
Once we started with high protein food, my cats did not eat as much as they did with the high carb food. i now feed my cats either two 5.5 oz cans per meal. i have 4 cats with weights approximately 20, 12, 11, 10 pounds and no one is losing weight. No body eats like they are hungry. They eat a little, nap, come back again to eat a little more. Sometimes they come through the kitchen 3 or more times to finish it all. I do take it up from the 20 pounder after his second visit to the plate if he looks like he is going to finish it off. Then i put down the leftovers for whoever comes in. Sometimes when they leave a lot of the food i will give only 1.5 cans at the next meal.
 
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