eating hormone

[Karin&Jesse]

I've learned a lot reading about everyone's experience with bounces. What Jesse is doing is making a lot more sense, now. I suspect you all already figured this out, but it seems that when the liver is pumping out stored glucose when the numbers drop it must also put out some hormone that tells the cat that it needs to eat. Yesterday, Jesse was starving. Today, her mid day numbers are about the same as yesterday but she isn't starving. In fact, she seemed so quiet and rested I decided I better check. Then, she took a nice long nap on the bed which is new since a few days ago. Usually she sleeps as near as comfortably possible to the feeding counter as she can. She has gained weight in the last few weeks so she really isn't starving.

 

[KPassa]

Just like human diabetics, they "know" when they're dropping low that they should eat. Intuition, maybe. Possibly a hormone of some sort triggering the response? I haven't researched that aspect yet, but it's an interesting question you've posed.

 

[hollyall]

I've noticed it too. Sometimes, not all the time, when Max is dropping low-ish, he'll be a beggin' for a snack. Maybe instinct?

 

[MommaOfMuse]

The body is a very complex little machine, and much like water will always try to find level mammals' bodies try to stay in what is called Homostasis...sort of an internal climate control. Its the same reason we sweat or pant when too warm so the body can cool back down and why diabetic cats bounce at first when they hit normal numbers. The body reads falling too low, too fast, or dropping lower than its use to as the same thing that it needs more fuel to return to Homostasis. exact same reason we all get hungry at mealtime. The little sensors are going off saying the blood chemistry has changed need to bring it back into balance. The body is constantly monitoring all the internal readings so it knows when to send white blood cells out to fight infection, hunger pangs to get us to refuel and thirst to make us rehydrate and even tells us to yawn when we need a quick burst of extra oxygen.

Mel and The Fur Gang

 

[Karin&Jesse]

I learned this morning that in humans, at least, the pancreas and other organs such as the stomach produces ghrelin which is a hunger stimulus hormone. Ghrelin levels are high when you are fasting. If the pancreas thinks the animal is starving due to low glucose levels it releases the hormone glucagon which tells the liver to release stored glucose and it produces ghrelin to stimulate the appetite. Apparently, it increases the appetite for high calorie foods. I have noticed that Jesse is starving during a bounce, not when the BG values are low. This is her pancreas telling her to go out and hunt.

 

[nckitties3]

Never saw that in Lucian, but then Lucian isn't normal. Back when he stayed sky-high, he ate like a horse and I understand that as being the cat is starving. When the numbers are very high they can't utilize the nutrients in the food so they are physically starving even though they are eating. Back then, he was eating 2-3 5.5 oz cans a day. He eats about half that now, even though he's still running too high, nothing like it was at the beginning.
When ever you are having to give snacks for low numbers, you should always give very small snacks, like 1-2 teaspoons at a time about every 30 mins while testing. Since it takes sometimes hours to get steady again, they have to be hungry. If you give them what they want at the first low number, they won't want anymore and they need it sometimes for hours.
That's a mistake a lot of newbies make, they see a 40 or some other low number and feed the cat a whole can of food, out of fear. Then, an hour later it's back at 40 or less and the cat won't eat because he's full. Don't make that mistake, it's very difficult to feed a cat that is already full.
I never did that, I saw a couple people on the forums scared to death because the cat wouldn't eat while in low numbers because they fed too much. I learned from their mistakes. And I have spent many nights and days dealing with hypo watch with Lucian. Can't even tell you how many times I was up all night with him and helping others with the same problem. Mel too! We've pulled some all-nighters together, both with Lucian and other cats.
'Knowing' is half the battle, knowing what to do IF it happens, makes it run more smoothly when it does happen. Knowledge is a wonderful thing and helps keep you from freaking out or not freaking out as badly.

 

[Karin&Jesse]

That's when Jesse is most hungry, too, when she in the 400's or up. I think I've seen 2 bounces with her (we've only been doing this for 3 weeks) Both times she was frantically hungry. Not only that I'm sure she would have eaten everything in the house if I let her. During her one low which wasn't too low, she was about the same as the other cats hunger-wise, like she was fine with a mid-day meal and ate a normal amount. Maybe later, like Lucian, she will have adjusted to the highs and not be as hungry. She has gained weight since we started so that she almost feels normal. I can't feel her bones anymore.

 

[nckitties3]

Lucian hasn't been riding 'the black horse' for quite a while (numbers 600+) so he isn't starving any more and he, too, has put on most of his prediabetic weight, but not all. He was at 8.6# at the vets a couple weeks ago, from 6.8# when he was diagnosed. He still needs another pound, pound and a half to be back to normal. 9.5-10 lbs was normal for him. I'd be happy with 9.5, just to keep him on the slimmer side of normal, just for health reasons being a 15 yo. He's done so much better and if we could just get his FD stable, he'd be good for another few years, I'm sure.