Constantly Anxious Cat- meds?

[Deena and Malby]

Hi there,
Not sure if this is the right spot to post but I'm having problems regulating my little guy and he's constantly stressed about food.
He was crazy about food before becoming diabetic and now he's literally physco all day. He's in a constant frenzy for food and I'm worried his constant stress is keeping his numbers up.
Has anyone had this problem and is there a safe pill/medication/natural remedy that I can give him on a regular basis to relieve stress?
Feliway doesnt do the trick.
Just looking for something safe to give him that will bring his constant stress levels down.

Thanks in advance!

Deena

 

[Phoebes (GA)]

I'm kinda new too about 4 months here. Phoebe is crazy cat for food. I try to give her small meals more often. Like 1/4 of can every 1 and 1 1/2 hours. Some days she's better than others. If I can push it to 2 and 1/2 it's better. Is your boy underweight, over? With diabetes they really are starving. I was told to feed her as much within reason until she gets regulated. They drive you nuts, I feel your pain and frustration. Cute furbaby!!

 

[AlphaCat]

Hi!
So I'm new to diabetes... but not new to cat stress.
One of my boys, Don Juan, was stressed out. We tried everything. Feliway, lavender, other stuff I can't even remember anymore. He began excessively grooming as a way to cope. He had himself a nice grey Mohawk for a long while. If his OCD grooming helped, I didn't mind... but then he began to break skin. The vet tested for mites and parasites etc, but found nothing wrong. Eventually we gave in and went with medication. I think it was buspirone 5mg - but my memory may not be accurate. Another cat lady friend of mine who is also a psych nurse found it interesting that was the same med they gave their psych patients. Poor Juan eventually developed a UTI and struvite crystals. Stress is a killer! It took a year of vet stays, antibiotics, and prescription foods to get him stable. At the end of the year we moved... which you would think was more stressful... but it wasn't. He had new territory to claim. He no longer grooms excessively and we have consistent clear urine so he doesn't need the stress pills anymore, and is only on prescription food for urinary maintenance. So whatever was stressing him out is now 900 miles away.
Until last fall... Our old dog passed away. About Christmas we adopted another dog. Juan immediately started showing stress signs and the grooming and breaking skin came back within 4 days (and this was all while keeping the animals separate- no introduction.) So we had to bring the rescue dog back. I can't justify saving one life at the expense of another. He stopped stressing out immediately so we didn't have to go back on pills again.
*we have since adopted the grandson of the dog we had that passed away. No stress flair for Juan, so it all worked out.
I monitor Juan's stress level closely because it will lead to a reacurrance of urinary problems, which leads to expensive vet visits, potential surgery, and me worried and smelling like cat pee, and if I ever don't catch it in time, potential death. So your kitty's stress concerns may not be quite as serious, but still could be negatively impacting his health. The Pill was easy to give in a pill pocket, and it did it's job well. Definitely put in a call to your vet to discuss options.

We wish you the best!