Cat not eating??

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Haley&Diane

Haley&Diane

Member Since 2015
Hi everyone,

My diabetic kitty was diagnosed 2 months ago with levels at 478 mg/dL. Since then, we've been keeping her on a Fancy Feast diet and her levels are around 220-240 mg/dL (these are my at home measurements...I think my glucometer is slightly higher when measuring). Our last vet appt. she tested at 223 mg/dL at the vet's office.

The vet recommended we keep on her FF and do not use insulin yet since her levels are fairly low right now. We've been giving her 2 cans a day...1 for breakfast and 1 for dinner. She's been acting extra hungry lately so yesterday I gave her 1 1/2 cans for dinner and she ate it all throughout the evening.

However, today we fed her and she barely touched her breakfast. She may have taken a couple of bites but it looks like at least 3/4ths of the can was still in her dish by 5:00 p.m...

Now we just fed her dinner at 5:00 and she hasn't touched it barely. I tried switching her dinner to a different flavor and she took a few licks but nothing else. I try not to give her dry food but I had some DM dry left over and she ate the little bit that I gave her of that- I just wanted to see if she'd eat anything.

In regards to her mood...she's acting fine! She's running around, jumping on and off the furniture. She just acts hungry, but she doesn't want the food I'm giving her!

Any advice? I'm not sure what could be going on with her but I'm worried...she's a pig usually! At what point should I really begin to seriously worry about her not eating...1 more day, 2 days, etc?

Thanks everyone~
 
Also, I might add that I am fairly certain she has asthma. A few months ago we took her to the vet because she kept coughing. I didn't think it was a hairball bc I've never found any hairballs. It started occurring every other day.

We couldn't afford the x-rays and so the vet gave her a shot of depo-medrol...which I regret bc shortly after she was diagnosed with diabetes. Pretty sure it helped push her into it.

The bright side is that she hadn't shown signs of asthma since...until this past week. She's had two moments of coughing like she used to in the past week. She never had these attacks until about 4 to 6 months after we moved to our current apartment. I'm wondering if it is environmentally caused. We are moving next week so I'm hoping that the symptoms go away once we change location. *fingers crossed*

I don't know if this could be contributing to her not eating which is why I thought I'd mention it.
 
Have you tested her urine for ketones? If not I think it would be a very good idea to do so today.
With levels of BSLs in the low 200s I think most here would say she should be on insulin. She is getting hungrier because her body can't use the food properly as fuel because of the diabetes and she will continue to need extra food until the BSLs are brought under control.
I do not know anything about asthma in cats sorry so can't comment on that.
 
I haven't but I am tonight! I just need to wait for her to use the litter box!

She's active and her breath doesn't smell sweet like I've read it would if she had ketones. She also hasn't been urinating/drinking more than normal...But better safe than sorry! I found out that someone in the home left the door open to the other room when it was feeding time and she MAY have gotten my other cat's dry food. -_- However, this doesn't explain why she didn't eat breakfast this morning.

Let's hope she doesn't have any ketones! D:
 
As for the insulin, this has been a concern of mine. However, since her levels have dropped so much on food alone my vet wants to keep her on food only. She said that 220 isn't a bad level for a diabetic cat because even on insulin she would be okay to be at that level. She told me that she doesn't want to risk putting her on insulin and her levels dropping too low.

I've gone to about three vets in the past month and they've all said the same thing. I decided to give it a little more time to see what happens. However, if her levels don't continue to drop i am planning to put her on insulin.
 
Hi Diane,
Glad you are going to check for ketones. If they are fine, which I hope they are, she might be feeling nauseated from something else.
Have you tried just some plain cooked chicken for her or some scrambled egg?
Does she have any other health issues?
Cats need to eat every day so if she hasn't eaten by tomorrow, you should take her to the vet to see what is causing the problem.
She doesn't sound like she is in pain if she is jumping on the furniture. Maybe she did get into other food. Check her BSL and if it has gone up, then she probably did get into it.
Keep us posted
 
Haley&Diane said:
As for the insulin, this has been a concern of mine. However, since her levels have dropped so much on food alone my vet wants to keep her on food only. She said that 220 isn't a bad level for a diabetic cat because even on insulin she would be okay to be at that level. She told me that she doesn't want to risk putting her on insulin and her levels dropping too low.

I've gone to about three vets in the past month and they've all said the same thing. I decided to give it a little more time to see what happens. However, if her levels don't continue to drop i am planning to put her on insulin.
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Vets like to have the BSLs higher, mostly I think because most people don't home test the BSLs. But you are!
You are correct in your thinking. She does need to start insulin, and then she might have a reasonable chance of eventually going off insulin because she had the depo-medrol and then got diabetes.
People here will guide you as to a safe dose of insulin for Haley. And if you are testing you will be able to keep her safe.
 
Actually, Diane is my kitty...I'm Haley! Hahaha. :)

I tested her blood sugar and it's at 298!!! She def. had to have gotten into her sister's food. I also gave her dry DM in hopes of getting her to eat something...but she only nibbled on that.
I will test for the ketones next time i catch her in her litter box.

My current knows I do at home tests and curves but she insists that we're not quite ready for insulin. However, I am planning on taking her in within the next month for a check-up at her new vet. We are moving 3.5 hours back to where I grew up so I'm planning to take her to the vet my parents have been going to for the past 8 years. I trust her 100% so I'm excited about getting her to a vet I am familiar with. Hopefully then we can start her on insulin...and then get her off of it!

I'm certain the depo-medrol pushed her into it...She was likely pre-diabetic but wasn't quite there. 2 weeks after that shot she began drinking/urinating a lot. My current vet thinks the shot would have worn off by now and thinks Diane was already diabetic but it just seems like too perfect of timing for it to show up right after that steroid shot!

I will keep you guys posted on her ketone level....I just wish she would go ahead and go! I feel like I'm going to be waiting here all night for her to use the litter box...
 
Haley.....So Sorry!!!!!!! Yes I see it now in your info down the bottom!
If you put Diane in the litter box, will she go for you?
Good plan to go to the new vet you know...I hope she is more up to date with her knowledge of diabetes than your current vet.
 
Haley, why don't you set up a spreadsheet for Diane now and record all the blood sugar levels on it. It is a great way to see how she is going and when you start the insulin, you will have lots of info on it already which is a great help to those people who can guide you with dosing.
Here is the link. If you have trouble setting it up, let us know and someone will help you...I needed help to set up mine!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
 
It's alright! Diane is a bit of an odd name for a cat so I can see how it could be mistaken! haha.

I tried putting her in the box and she would not go. I went to clean it and I swear it looks like she just used it when I went to the bathroom and got myself something to drink (i was only away for 5 minutes!!). The litter was very dark, smelly, and damp so I just put the stick in the used litter...I'm sure this won't give me an accurate response but it's all that I could get from her. :(

Regarding the vet, she's gonna be about 50 minutes away from where we will live but i think it will be worth it! I've never had a diabetic so I'm hoping she understands what I want in terms of treatment/feeding. It's funny because my older sister just graduated from veterinary school and is working as a Dr. across the state. I told her i was switching Diane onto Fancy Feast and off of DM wet and she told me that was the dumbest thing I could do! She told me that Diane should be on DM bc DM is specially made for diabetics and is therefore better.

It's funny to me that the vet schools aren't teaching the new vets about alternative feeding options for diabetics.
 
Haley&Diane said:
It's alright! Diane is a bit of an odd name for a cat so I can see how it could be mistaken! haha.

I tried putting her in the box and she would not go. I went to clean it and I swear it looks like she just used it when I went to the bathroom and got myself something to drink (i was only away for 5 minutes!!). The litter was very dark, smelly, and damp so I just put the stick in the used litter...I'm sure this won't give me an accurate response but it's all that I could get from her. :(

Regarding the vet, she's gonna be about 50 minutes away from where we will live but i think it will be worth it! I've never had a diabetic so I'm hoping she understands what I want in terms of treatment/feeding. It's funny because my older sister just graduated from veterinary school and is working as a Dr. across the state. I told her i was switching Diane onto Fancy Feast and off of DM wet and she told me that was the dumbest thing I could do! She told me that Diane should be on DM bc DM is specially made for diabetics and is therefore better.

It's funny to me that the vet schools aren't teaching the new vets about alternative feeding options for diabetics.
Click to expand...
I think you will find that the food companies sponsor the vet schools and have people come in and "teach" them nutrition and promote their products as the only way to go. You will need to educate your sister!
 
Bron and Sheba said:
Haley, why don't you set up a spreadsheet for Diane now and record all the blood sugar levels on it. It is a great way to see how she is going and when you start the insulin, you will have lots of info on it already which is a great help to those people who can guide you with dosing.
Here is the link. If you have trouble setting it up, let us know and someone will help you...I needed help to set up mine!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
Click to expand...

In regards to the spreadsheets...what do all of the columns mean? D: I know this may be silly but what does "AMPS" and "PMPS" and "U" mean? Where do I put in her levels?

I'm just confused as to how to read/fill them out...
 
AMPS means am=morning. PS=preshot. so AMPS = morning preshot ie the BSL before you give the insulin.
And the PM=afternoon PS=preshot. So PMPS= afternoon preshot before you give the insulin.
U=units of insulin.
If you look across the chart you will see AMPS +1 +2 +3 etc to +11 then PMPS +1 to +11.
They are the times during the day. So when you take the morning test before giving the insulin, put that result into AMPS then if you test 4 hours after the insulin shot that is +4. And so on. That way because we are all in different time zones, we can easily see how long after the insulin is given , the test was taken.
You aren't silly. Good on you asking questions....we were all there in the beginning.
Keep asking questions:) You are doing a great job so far, and you are being strong wanting what is best for Diane...full marks for that!:)
Does all that make sense? If not, let me know!
 
Bron and Sheba said:
AMPS means am=morning. PS=preshot. so AMPS = morning preshot ie the BSL before you give the insulin.
And the PM=afternoon PS=preshot. So PMPS= afternoon preshot before you give the insulin.
U=units of insulin.
If you look across the chart you will see AMPS +1 +2 +3 etc to +11 then PMPS +1 to +11.
They are the times during the day. So when you take the morning test before giving the insulin, put that result into AMPS then if you test 4 hours after the insulin shot that is +4. And so on. That way because we are all in different time zones, we can easily see how long after the insulin is given , the test was taken.
You aren't silly. Good on you asking questions....we were all there in the beginning.
Keep asking questions:) You are doing a great job so far, and you are being strong wanting what is best for Diane...full marks for that!:)
Does all that make sense? If not, let me know!
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That makes sense! I am confused though since she isn't on insulin how to fill this out..should I just leave the AMPS/PMPS blank? If so, what do I put for the +1, +2, etc. ?

Normally I just feed her first thing and then test her later in the day...depending on how she's been acting/if it's time to do a curve I sometimes only test mid-day, early morning, or before bed. I don't always test her blood sugar first thing before feeding...
 
OK...that is a very good question!
What you need to put in is AMBG= morning blood glucose. That tells us that you have taken the reading but have NOT given the insulin.
So put it into the AMPS square but put "AMBG 200" or what ever it is. Then in the "U" column put NIL for no insulin.
Have you clicked the blue SHARE rectangle in the top right hand corner so we can see your SS?
It would be a good idea if you could test her sometimes before eating as that will give you an idea of what she is like before food. Testing at different times during the day is good as it shows us all the parts of the puzzle. Once you start insulin, you will need to always test before giving insulin to make sure it is safe to do so.
The +1 +2 etc, make it how long after food. So if you feed at 9am, +2 will be 11am
 
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Okay! So if I did not do a blood test in the AM before feeding...then what do I put in the AMBG column?

For example, on one day I measured her levels at 5:00 p.m and it was 278. So, how would I enter that in since I didn't do a morning measurement to count the hours from? I typically feed her around 7:30 a.m.

Also, I just added a link to my signature for the spreadsheet! It's a mess right now while I'm working on it, but it is linked :)
 
If I do not do a blood test before feeding, where should I put my first reading? I feed around 7:30 a.m. so if the reading is at 9:30 a.m. should i put it in the +2? Then...if I test before dinner should I put in in the PMBG column?

If I don't test before dinner, but do later in the evening...for example 4 hours after dinner...should i put the levels in the +4 column after the PMPS column?

Sorry if I am confusing you with these questions! I really appreciate the help so so much!!!
 
Haley&Diane said:
If I do not do a blood test before feeding, where should I put my first reading? I feed around 7:30 a.m. so if the reading is at 9:30 a.m. should i put it in the +2? Then...if I test before dinner should I put in in the PMBG column?

If I don't test before dinner, but do later in the evening...for example 4 hours after dinner...should i put the levels in the +4 column after the PMPS column?

Sorry if I am confusing you with these questions! I really appreciate the help so so much!!!
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Happy to help you get sorted. It is great you want to help Diane!
Yes you are correct on all above accounts.
Do you give other food during the day? Apparently the pancreas does better with several small meals instead of just two. So you could give food at AMBG and then at +2 or +3 and then the same in the evening. A lot of us buy automatic feeders if we are not home during the day. Not sure which country you live in but you can google auto feeders.
 
Okay. Great! I think I have it all set up!! When you get the time could you look at it and let me know how it looks?

I appreciate the help!! I will start doing more frequent testing and will make sure to get levels before breakfast/dinner especially. :D
 
I can see it, so the link is fine. Now to get him a little lower.
Does he normally graze, or does he normally eat a meal until it is gone?
His glucose may rise within 2 hours after feeding then slowly go down. The bigger the meal, the higher the rise.
 
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Just looked at your SS. You have done a great job getting that set up!
You definitely need to get Diane started on insulin. Try and get the vet to start her on lantus or levemir...both long acting insulins
Let us know how things go!
 
Quick update: Diane's started eating normally again! I'm not sure if she just had an upset tummy for a day or so but she's back to eating normally. As for her eating habits, usually she will graze. I put her wet food down before i leave for work and by the time i get home it is gone...but on the weekends I've never seen her just eat it all in one sitting. She will pick at it and then walk away for a while and then go back to it.

I will def. look into getting an automatic feeder. Smaller meals may do better for her...
 
BJM said:
Oh good!!!
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Well, now she's back to not wanting to eat. She acted SO hungry this morning but as soon as I put down the wet food, she turned her nose up at it. I tried adding in a bit of Parmesan cheese on top and she still wouldn't touch it. Then I tried giving her two other types of wet food...but no luck.

However, when i pulled out her old DM dry she tried sticking her head into the bag to get some. And as soon as I sprinkled a few pieces on top of the wet food, she ate those right away. But once to kibble was gone, she stopped eating.

I really have no idea what to do. She isn't refusing food at all...she will eat some dry if I put it down. But she is refusing wet food at the moment. Last night she did the same thing, but she eventually ate 3/4ths of a can. I'm wondering if this is more of a picky eater issue as opposed to a health concern at this point since she will eat dry food...she just doesn't want her fancy feast wet food anymore.

What other types of wet food do you guys suggest? I've seen the food chart, but what flavors of food seem to get cats eating the most? I thought about trying 9 lives or friskies...but she's so picky.
 
I see you haven't started insulin yet. Have you spoken to the vet about starting it? I think you really need to start on it? See what others think.
With the food. Have you tried plain cooked chicken? It is not a complete food but is ok for a few days. Also cooked egg....scrambled. Or liver ( although you can't give too much liver )
Have you tried the Weruva brand? My cat loves those but they are not cheap. Not sure how much they cost where you live....everything costs more out here in Aus it seems.
Did you test for ketones?
 
Yes, she is negative for ketones! The reading may have been slightly off though because it wasn't the most fresh sample, but it's so hard to catch her in the act! Thankfully though she is still acting very active...running around, chasing the dog when he annoys her, and jumping on and off the bed.

I will try the chicken...she doesn't like scrambled eggs for some reason. She's probably my most picky cat. I haven't spoken to the vet yet, mainly because i am moving in the next two weeks and I really don't want to get her started on a treatment plan with insulin since she will be switching to a new vet after the move. I'd rather get her started on a plan with a vet that is going to be around for a while, if that makes sense.

Could her not being on insulin be affecting her eating habits when it comes to not wanting the wet food?

I will look into the Weruva brand...never heard of it before! I don't mind spending a bit extra on some cans to have in cases like these where she's picky with the FF. She barely touched it this morning...but I gave her a beef flavor tonight and she took some bites of it.
 
Here is the Weruva website. It has all the lists of how much carbs, protein etc so you should be able to find a suitable one.
http://www.weruva.com

Usually when a cat is not on insulin and the BG is high, the cat is starving, as the food is not properly being utilised.
Maybe Diane is nauseated if she seems hungry and then won't eat. You could ask the vet for something for nausea if you think it is that and not just being picky.
Keep testing for ketones every couple of days at least, until you start the insulin, because no insulin, not enough food and an infection can lead to ketones and then ketoacidosis which is very serious. I don't want to scare you.....just make you aware.
 
Bron and Sheba said:
Here is the Weruva website. It has all the lists of how much carbs, protein etc so you should be able to find a suitable one.
http://www.weruva.com

Usually when a cat is not on insulin and the BG is high, the cat is starving, as the food is not properly being utilised.
Maybe Diane is nauseated if she seems hungry and then won't eat. You could ask the vet for something for nausea if you think it is that and not just being picky.
Keep testing for ketones every couple of days at least, until you start the insulin, because no insulin, not enough food and an infection can lead to ketones and then ketoacidosis which is very serious. I don't want to scare you.....just make you aware.
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Thank you for the link!! :)

And no worries about scaring me! I appreciate all of the info I can get. It's just hard to get her started on the insulin right now due to moving. I still can't believe the vet would say she would be fine without insulin at this point though if her numbers are so high. :( The vet didn't seem concerned at all, which surprises me. At first I was happy with the results of the last visit (not needing to start insulin), but now I'm getting more and more worried. I've been hoping her numbers would keep going down ever since she hit the 220 mark. Oh well. Hopefully if she begins insulin soon, I can get her regulated on food alone at a lower level and she will go into remission.
 
Annddd, another update! I went out and bought some of the low carb special kitty/9 lives. Diane gobbled down the special kitty. She LOVED it. I only gave her a little just now, just to see if she even liked it. She devoured it. I'm so happy. I also got her some Friskies though I couldn't find their Special Diet formula :(

This is such a rollercoaster! She gets me so worried and then acts like she's fine again. She is spoiled! Here's to hoping that a switch to a new food for a while gets her eating normally again. I will just have to alternate between different brands from now on.

Thank you SO much for you help though!!! :) :)
 
There are 2 dry kibble which are low carb:
Evo Cat and Kitten - 8% calories from carbohydrate; at specialty pet stores or online
Young Again 0 Carb - 5% calories from carbohydrate the way we calculate it; internet order only
 
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