Carb craving?

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MMM

MMM

Member Since 2015
Hi everyone. My cat was diagnosed as diabetic three weeks ago. Because she has pancreatitis and has been on a steroid, the plan was to see if we could get her into remission asap, so we have switched her from her hypoallergenic dry food to a metabolic wet food (Purina DM). The other aspect of treatment was to get her off the steroid, but she reacted very badly to the drug we tried to switch her to (cyclosporine) so for now we are in a holding pattern. Since she didn't respond to the conventional approach, my vet feels trying other combinations of treatment would be guess work at this point. So, she will get an ultrasound and blood tests next week, and in about four weeks, will be seen by a vet who specializes in internal medicine. In the meantime, her appetite, which was diminished quite badly while we were trying to get her on cyclosporine, has turned finicky. She will only eat what is fresh from the tin - if it sits in the bowl too long or has been in the fridge for very long, she won't touch it, but will cry and cry for fresh food. She lost so much weight that I kind of indulged this behaviour, but frankly, I have to find a solution to it because I can't afford to be flushing half her food away all the time because it isn't fresh enough. So I'm trying to be a bit more stern about it. But the new development is her apparent craving for carbs. If I'm eating a sandwich, she is in my lap trying to get at it. Just now, I caught her on the countertop in the kitchen, trying to go after a loaf of bread I had there. I've never seen her on the counter before (she usually jumps down before I get there). So, is this behaviour odd? Is it just part of adjusting to the new food that she seems to want anything else, including my bread and cheese? It is weird because she's not shown such interest in human food before. There are so many experienced people here that I would appreciate thoughts - especially comforting ones like "oh yes, that's normal, but it will pass" etc. Thanks.
 
Have you tried microwaving the "old" food that was refrigerated to "mouse temperature"? When it's cold, it doesn't have the smell or flavor it has when it's fresh or warm, so you might try that. Adding some warm water to warm it and make it a little more "gravy-like" can help too
 
BJM said:
Is the vet giving Vitamin B-12 injections?
Pancreatitis Primer
Carb craving / hunger goes along with diabetes. Are you giving insulin? Which one and what dose?
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No insulin yet. My vet wanted her off the steroid first, to see if that, together with the new diet would be enough. Getting off the steroid didn't work, however. So next week when she gets the ultrasound, she will also have new blood tests and I imagine those will determine if we begin insulin or not.
 
Chris & China said:
Have you tried microwaving the "old" food that was refrigerated to "mouse temperature"? When it's cold, it doesn't have the smell or flavor it has when it's fresh or warm, so you might try that. Adding some warm water to warm it and make it a little more "gravy-like" can help too
Click to expand...
Warm water has helped to a degree, especially because the food sometimes dries out. It is strange though. If it hasn't been in the fridge for long, she doesn't seem to mind it, even if it is cold. I will try microwaving it though.
 
BJM said:
Suggestions on How to Stimulate Kitty's Appetite

We have quite a collection!
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Wow. That's a lot of ideas. I'm glad I don't have to resort to force feeding. She does have an appetite, it's just super fussy right now. There is about a quarter of a can of "old" food in her bowl right now and she won't have anything to do with it, but every time I go in the kitchen, she runs in there with me and cries. If I crack open a new can and give her some, she will eat it (but not finish it). When we first switched to this new diet, she ate all the food in her bowl, but every since she was sickened by the cyclosporine (in spite of being on Cerenia) she's been eating less and only if it is "fresh". I tried the oregano just now, and while she seemed to find the smell interesting - she didn't go for it. Oh well. Until she gets a little weight back on her, I will keep giving her the fresh. There had been a mix up about one of her tests early on so the hospital gave me a case of food for free, so for now I will try not to be too bothered by the food that is going uneaten. One thing about it being a long weekend (stat holiday on Monday in Canada) is that I will be home and can give her smaller increments of food more often, so it won't sit in the bowl getting too old for her. Hopefully that will help. Thanks.
 
Smaller increments seem to be working. So does feeding her out of my hand, which is kind of gross, but whatever works. I think I will get some low sodium chicken broth to try. She always liked a bit of sauce or gravy, so maybe that will entice her to eat a bit more. Thanks for the ideas.
 
High blood sugars can increase the inflammation in the pancreas. Adding insulin for an acute flare even when she doesn't need insulin normally is sometimes helpful to get the pancreatitis under control.
 
It may come to that. Getting the pancreatitis under control has been the major focus. It has been an achingly slow process though. We knew she had a sensitivity to cyclosporine, it made her quite sick before, so he got me to get her onto Cerenia first. She was also throwing up a bit when I first took her in, so this drug was useful in it's own right. Once she adjusted to that, we worked on getting her onto the cyclosporine, in tiny increasing increments. I even had a schedule for tapering her off the prednisolone. But she seemed a bit off as soon as I started giving it to her and then she threw up, so we stopped giving her the cyclosporine and didn't back off the pred. That's when she lost her appetite. I have been sending the clinic regular updates by email, and those updates are why my vet wanted to see her again. When he saw her on Tuesday, she showed no discomfort when he palpitated her abdomen, and all her vital signs were good. So he recommended the ultrasound, new blood tests and the specialist. It is unfortunate that the specialist won't be here until June 11 & 12, as he hoped that the tests and seeing her could be done all at the same time, but since that is the case, he sent a referral to the hospital and they are supposed to call me on Tuesday to set up the appointment for the tests. We need to know what is going on with her sooner than June 11, so we will see what tale those tests tell. I imagine that if the news from the tests is not good, my vet will set up a new treatment plan even without the specialist. At least her appetite has improved since the cyclosporine disaster. She is eating - she's just more fussy about it. Earlier she was turning up her nose at the relatively fresh food in her bowl, but she would eat it out of my hand. Which was gross, but whatever works. She is also more willing to eat if the bowl is beside me - it is like she now equates it with attention. That's all well and good when I'm home, but not so great when I'm at work (or sleeping). So I hope that chicken broth may convince her to start eating it without my presence.
 
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