Constantly hungry

[Sybil and Zoe]

Do others disbetic cats constantly want something to eat? Zoe eats her food and her sister’s and everytime I walk in the kitchen she is right there begging. I know I am feeding her too much- not willingly but letting her get away with food stealing. I have purchased a microchip feeder for her sister to keep Zoe out of Bella’s food but it hasnt areived yet. Bella self regulates well and nibbles mostly and only once in while eats an entire meal at one sitting. But I cant put her somewhere else or put her food away. Tonight Zoe had two 3 oz cans of FF pate. I usually give one in morning and one in evening. But she manages to get her sisters too. She is not obese but weighs about 13 lbs and i think should be about 9 lbs. Does anyone elses diabetic cat act this way? She scarfs food down.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Yes, it's normal for an uncontrolled diabetic to eat more because they can't properly utilize the nutrition in their food.

Think of insulin like it's a key....and on every cell in the body there's a lock. Without the correct number of keys, the glucose in the bloodstream can't get into the cell to "feed" it so the brain keeps telling the cat to eat more.

You might also try feeding her more often. With Vetsulin, it IS important that she eat a "normal" sized meal before shooting, but there's no reason you can't feed her in between shots. It's actually better for them to have smaller, more frequent meals to help stabilize their glucose. If she's eating 4 cans a day, try giving her 1 1/2 at shot time, 1/2 can at +6 (or break it up even smaller)

 

[Sybil and Zoe]

Thank you for your reply. What I consider her “normal” meal is one 3 oz can twice daily. But with her sneaky habits she IS some days eating 4 cans a day because of scarfing her sisters food. That should end once Bellas microchip feeder arrives. I just hate to hear her beg which may increase once she gets locked out of Bellas food. I had a hyperthyroid cat before these two kitties and that was really hard to watch as he begged for food constantly because his metabolism burned it quicker than he could eat. At any rate, Its comforting to know Zoe’s situation is not unique. I will get her timed feeder set up that I bought for her (this cat is $$$!) and portion her meals out up to 5 times a day and see if that helps too...