Fancy Feast kitten food

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sarahthegreat86

Member Since 2013
Hello,


I am new to the world of feline diabetes. Our cat Ram Jam was diagnosed last Thursday. We have another cat as well who is not diabetic. I am trying to keep them on the same food and the same feeding schedule to make things easier. Here is the diabetes background.



They were previous free feeders eating mostly dry food with 1/4 can of wet food a day as a treat pre-diabetes.
Since being diagnosed we have not given them any dry food
Ram Jam is refusing to eat more than about 1/3 of a can of wet food in one sitting ( were feeding every 12 hours along with 2 units of lantus).
The vet said to find some low carb dry food and give it to him whenever he wants it, I really dont know if this is the best thing BUT THE CAT MUST EAT.

FANCY FEAST KITTEN FOOD.
The calorie content is much higher AND it has zero carbs according to the website calculator I used. The ingredients are as follows
Protein 11%
fat 6%
fiber 1.5%
moisture 78%
Ash 3.5%
Calcium 0.3%
taurine .07%

Is this a good thing to feed him? Would two cans a day meet his nutritional requirements?

I have tried a large variety of low carb canned food. The only things he will consider is a few of the friskies fishy pate varieties. All of he high end stuff he has turned his nose at so I'm not sure that's an option.

I appreciate any suggestions! This entire diabetes thing is overwhelming!
 
Im also trying to get more nutrients in him with a lesser amount of food. The fancy feast site says 1oz per 3.5 lbs of weight per kitten. I know their nutritional requirements are greater than an adult cat. I wonder what that translates to?
 
If your cats are accustomed to free feeding (mine are too and were dry food addicts), how about adding water to the canned food, leaving it out and letting him eat when he eats. It may mean, putting out more than 1 can every 12 hours, but it will allow him and your other cat to graze and eat when they want instead of being forced to eat meals.

Many of us feed this way and it works. Adding water to the food will ensure it stays moist longer. You can also freeze it this way and put out frozen, it will take a couple hours to thaw and be ready for eating - so if you aren't home or are sleeping, you can do this and be sure they get fresh canned food throughout the day/night.

You can also purchase a timed feeder and put the canned food in it too an another option to feeding several canned meals during day/night.
 
Hillary,

You haven't had problems feeding more than twice a day with the diabetes? We're new to this so I appreciate any advice! I think if I left the wet food out he would be more likely to eat enough. He doesn't dislike all
Of the wet food, he dislikes having to eat it all in two sittings. I'm a nurse so I work 12
Hours at a time, the frozen trick sounds great! Diabetes is a lot easier with people.
 
I switched the entire household to canned Friskies pates, putting it down twice a day, and letting the horde pride eat as they wanted. I continue to do so, even though Spitzer is no longer with me.

Make sure the food is not near a heating/cooling vent, or appliance exhaust, as these tend to dry the food and blow around the smell.
For food safety, never mix old food with new food. Use a new plate or bowl.
 
I've never understood the logic behind the vets insisting you can only feed a diabetic cat 2 times a day. :YMSIGH: Letting them free feed, will spread out the food load over time. This puts less stress and strain on the body to process all that food at once. We like to feed mini-meals or free feed.

It all depends on what works better for you. Mine get 4 meals a day, and that is because 2 of mine eat there food in less than 2-3 minutes. There would never be any food left for my slower eater, Wink.

You said you were a nurse. Are diabetic people advised to eat food, only 2 times a day? No, it's better to spread out the food intake over the day for people. Same for cats.
 
Free feeding seems logical to me. I don't understand why the general advice is to feed twice daily and not to bother with glucose testing at home? We would never give insulin without a finger stick. Does the reading really vary by 20%? If so , that's a pretty big amount. Any advice regarding glucose testing?
 
I think meal feeding goes back to the harsher, shorter-acting insulins, where you need the food on board before the insulin hits and don't want it available when the insulin is wearing off.
 
BJM, yes that makes a lot of sense. With the older insulins like Humulin and Vetsulin, you had to have food on board a good 30-45 minutes before giving the shot because of the quick onset. Now with Lantus and Levimir, and their later onset times, you don't need to have too much food on board to stop those steep and rapid drops. Littler meals of food work better.

Guess I'm a little tired tonight. I should have remembered the older insulins needed food first, then shot.
 
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