First curve and not eating

[Breanna H]

Literally at a loss. I am so frustrated and need help. Tigger isn't eating proper amounts of his wet food. I switched him from dry to wet only about 3 weeks ago now. For the first week and a half he was chowing down on them and almost finishing them within 3 hours. Now, I set food down and he snubs it. He acts like he is hungry, gets excited, sniffs it and walks away. I can't give him his insulin if he isn't eating. He might eat half of a fancy feast can in 12 hours. He basically only nibbles over this period. I've tried purebites on top which he loves, I've tried parmesan cheese and tuna. The tuna sparks some interest, but usually only a bite or two. I vary the flavor. I've tried Friskies. I warm the food and add hot water. Nothing helps. Still drinking and peeing normal amounts. I took him to the vet because of it and she says he's just being picky. Urinalysis was fine, no ketones. Activity level is completely normal- up moving around often as well as snuggling. He was diagnosed on 12/18/19 and at that time was 19.1 pounds. Now he is down to 18. He isn't necessarily overweight at all, he is just a large cat. He is driving me crazy and I am worried. What do I do?

I also did my first curve today. The vet said she wants him at a consistent dose and looking at his numbers she wanted it to be 0.5u of Prozinc. However, I feel like this might be too low for him based on his numbers. Any suggestions here? I hate not being able to trust my vet fully but I just feel like this isn't the proper dose for him.

Thanks guys!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Can you start getting at least 1 test on the PM cycle in? Like right before you go to bed? Most cats go lower at night so it's really important not only to keep him safe while you're sleeping, but without tests on the PM cycle, you could be missing half the picture of what's going on with him.

Something to consider on the food problem...if you're offering him several meals a day plus occasional treats and he's eating a little bit, it may be possible that he's just not as hungry as he used to be because he's able to use the food he's getting, plus if you only eat 1/2 ounce but you eat it 12 times a day, that adds up to a little more than a 5.5oz can of Friskies.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Can you put using Prozinc in your signature please so we are aware of the insulin when helping. Thanks.
I will tag @MrWorfMen's Mom to help
with the dosing is Prozinc.

Have you tried a few different low carb foods to see if he can be tempted.

If Tigger is sniffing the food and walking away, that sounds like nausea. I would ask the vet for some cerenia tablets to see if that helps. A cat that is nauseated doesn’t want to eat.

 

[Breanna H]

Can you start getting at least 1 test on the PM cycle in? Like right before you go to bed? Most cats go lower at night so it's really important not only to keep him safe while you're sleeping, but without tests on the PM cycle, you could be missing half the picture of what's going on with him.

Something to consider on the food problem...if you're offering him several meals a day plus occasional treats and he's eating a little bit, it may be possible that he's just not as hungry as he used to be because he's able to use the food he's getting, plus if you only eat 1/2 ounce but you eat it 12 times a day, that adds up to a little more than a 5.5oz can of Friskies.

I can get a PM cycle in, no problem. I didn't realize it would be helpful.

Even if I offer only one fancy feast can in 12 hours, there is still at least half of it left at the end. It's only when I'm home or in the evening I try to offer other flavors because I panic he isn't eating enough so I try to offer something different.

 

[Jennifer R.]

Welcome to the boards, so sorry your cat is not eating much. Tiki cat and Fancy Feast both make a food-topper "broth" that is low carb that has helped my cat who prefers his old food.

Did you read all the suggestions for transitioning to wet food?
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/transitioning-your-cat-from-dry-to-wet-food.956/

My cat doesn't like to lick up the pate, so I chop it up into chunks, and have been looking into low carb morsels, diced, or shredded food. I think there are like three 9Lives varieties that are "morsels" (diced) that are low carb enough, but don't quote me on that.

There are some more expensive foods that come in morsel forms that are on Lisa's list as being low carb. I made a copy of Lisa's food list and uploaded it to my Google drive, and can access it from my phone with the Google Drive app, so I can cross-check in the stores. Here is a link to it if you want to see how I did it: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rnfoc4kmiaG7MVWa0LPWX1cOMextLpCNYhdFt35556E/edit?usp=sharing

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Based on the curve I agree with you that it appears Tigger needs a little more insulin. I'd try a dose of 0.75u for 3 days as long as pre-shots are high enough to shoot (200 or more) and BG doesn't drop below 80 to 90 mid cycle and then re-evaluate but I have to echo Chris' comments about getting at least one test in every night and whenever you can , to check BG in the +3 to +8 timeframe during the day to see how low the dose is taking BG. Pre-shots tell you it's safe to give insulin but mid cycle tests tell you how low BG is dropping on a particular dose and that is critical information to keep Tigger safe.

Tigger does not need to completely finish a meal before you give his shot but you do need to be sure he will eat. Hopefully you can find food he's more interested in. For now even if it's higher carb than ideal, I'd just find something he will readily dig into. Sometimes if you get them started, they will start eating again.

 

[Breanna H]

242 at +6 PMPS if this helps. With how late I stay up, I should have just done a full 24 hour curve, haha

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

With how late I stay up, I should have just done a full 24 hour curve, haha

You don't have to do that all the time!! One thing I always liked was to get a +2 because in a lot of cats, it can almost predict how the cycle is going to go (some cats do better with a +3)

If the +2 is about the same as the PS, it's usually going to be a fairly typical cycle...gradually down to nadir and then gradually back up again.

If the +2 is higher than the PS, it's usually signaling the beginning of a bounce and those are the cycles you can usually take a pokey break (and catch up on some sleep!)

If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "early warning" that kitty might be planning on going a lot lower later in the cycle, so it's important to keep testing until you're sure they're going to be safe for the rest of the cycle.

Of course ECID and unfortunately, we haven't found a way to get our kitties to read the rulebook... especially the part about how it's supposed to work!

 

[Breanna H]

So this morning, out of desperation, I gave tigger a little hard food (the Purina DM garbage my vet gave me), to see if he would even eat that, after he turned his nose up again at two new kinds of wet food.
He ate it so fast you'd swear I haven't been feeding him for weeks!
So apparently there is nothing wrong with my cat. He just decided wet food is not for him, even after eating it with no problems for almost 2 weeks. I assumed I was in the clear with my cat.
I have read the article on how to deal with picky cats and transitioning, and have tried all the things..but I guess I have to keep trying.

I am also going to up his Prozinc to .75u tomorrow and see how it goes now that I have him eating a little of something.
Thank you all for the advice. Now I have a new problem

 

[Juls and Billy]

I've had a little trouble with my Billy as well. After eating some flavors of the canned Fancy Feast with no problem, now he's got pickier. He's decided all the FF Naturals are poison, but is still eating the classic pates. There's a some flavors of Sheba pate that are low carb, so I've been thinking about mixing in some of those to give him more variety. There's also a couple of Friskies ones that are low enough carb that he used to enjoy. Maybe you could get out the food chart and try him with some new options. I have noticed that, for example, the FF classics and the Friskies have a firmer texture, and Billy certainly likes that. The FF Naturals have a softer, stickier texture, and I think that's turning Bill off. Also, we've discovered he doesn't care for any beef flavors at all. So no more beef.

I have also seen some of the veterans suggesting baking the pates in the over for a little bit to dry them out for cats that love their crunchy food. Might be worth a shot.

It might take more experimenting, but I know you and Tigger will get there. Never give up, never surrender!

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

I am not surprised! Being the Mom of a diehard kibble addict, you just have to keep trying. My girl thought wet food was her waste and tried to bury it for the longest time. Her brothers (non diabetic) were already eating a perfect diabetic diet and she used to try to bury their food too. One day, I'm guessing because I did not immediately jump to her incessant demand for more food, she got caught pilfering some of her brother's wet food left overs and that was it. Except for one or two meals when I really needed her to eat for her insulin shot and had no time for a delay, the kibble was history. There were a lot of standoffs but if they are hungry enough, they will usually eventually dig in. Definitely harder with a diabetic you need to get eating and they certainly can wear you down with those soulful "but I'm hungry Mom" looks.

You could try some air dried food like Ziwipeak which is somewhat like a cross between dry and wet (seems more like jerky) although I admit it's expensive. It may be the texture as previously mentioned so try some different canned options to see if you can find something he does like.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Breanna H]

I've had a little trouble with my Billy as well. After eating some flavors of the canned Fancy Feast with no problem, now he's got pickier. He's decided all the FF Naturals are poison, but is still eating the classic pates. There's a some flavors of Sheba pate that are low carb, so I've been thinking about mixing in some of those to give him more variety. There's also a couple of Friskies ones that are low enough carb that he used to enjoy. Maybe you could get out the food chart and try him with some new options. I have noticed that, for example, the FF classics and the Friskies have a firmer texture, and Billy certainly likes that. The FF Naturals have a softer, stickier texture, and I think that's turning Bill off. Also, we've discovered he doesn't care for any beef flavors at all. So no more beef.

I have also seen some of the veterans suggesting baking the pates in the over for a little bit to dry them out for cats that love their crunchy food. Might be worth a shot.

It might take more experimenting, but I know you and Tigger will get there. Never give up, never surrender!

I went to the store last night and bought the sheba pates as well as the FF naturals. Sheba was a no go this morning, of course. I bought a seafood flavor too I'll give a try tonight. I'll have to try the baking thing. Maybe I can trick him into thinking it's hard food haha

 

[Breanna H]

I am not surprised! Being the Mom of a diehard kibble addict, you just have to keep trying. My girl thought wet food was her waste and tried to bury it for the longest time. Her brothers (non diabetic) were already eating a perfect diabetic diet and she used to try to bury their food too. One day, I'm guessing because I did not immediately jump to her incessant demand for more food, she got caught pilfering some of her brother's wet food left overs and that was it. Except for one or two meals when I really needed her to eat for her insulin shot and had no time for a delay, the kibble was history. There were a lot of standoffs but if they are hungry enough, they will usually eventually dig in. Definitely harder with a diabetic you need to get eating and they certainly can wear you down with those soulful "but I'm hungry Mom" looks.

You could try some air dried food like Ziwipeak which is somewhat like a cross between dry and wet (seems more like jerky) although I admit it's expensive. It may be the texture as previously mentioned so try some different canned options to see if you can find something he does like.

Fingers crossed!

I have a sample of the YA Zero Mature coming. I'm hoping maybe if I can mix it in with the wet food and slowly lower the amount that will do the trick.
It's just so strange after two weeks he decided to be picky. Of course my cat would be the one to do that, haha

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

You are not alone. When I finally found some wet food mine would eat, she was fine for a couple of months and then suddenly just refused the food and I had to once again go on a hunt for an alternative. My girl tends to be a one flavour kid and gets really bent out of shape when you switch things up. Our cats are all very unique individuals with their own idiosyncracies. As annoying as that can be at times, I think it's also part of the cat's charm.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

have a sample of the YA Zero Mature coming

Just a quick FYI....a lot of people have complained about horrible diarrhea (and even worse smell) with the YA. Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken is also low carb and doesn't seem to cause the same problems.

As for transitioning to canned, you might try getting some canned foods that aren't "pates"...some cats like their food to have some texture like shreds, bits or pieces. TikiCat, BFF, Weruva and several other brands have low carb choices that aren't pate's.

I'll have to try the baking thing. Maybe I can trick him into thinking it's hard food haha

Another FYI...baking cat food STINKS so if you want to try it, make sure it's warm enough to open a few windows!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

I have a sample of the YA Zero Mature coming. I'm hoping maybe if I can mix it in with the wet food and slowly lower the amount that will do the trick.
It's just so strange after two weeks he decided to be picky. Of course my cat would be the one to do that, haha

Dr Elsey's Clean protein will also send you a sample, they have about nine flavors, take a look at the flavors on chewys.com

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Another FYI...baking cat food STINKS so if you want to try it, make sure it's warm enough to open a few windows!

Having made that mistake myself, I have to agree with Chris. I would highly suggest you DO NOT try baking wet cat food unless you have a hazmat suit available or at minimum a respirator. It is rank and doesn't dissipate quickly despite open windows. YUCK!

 

[Jennifer R.]

My cat tried to bury his pate, too! I thought he was unique that way. That's when I started chopping it up into bit sized pieces, and switched brands a couple of times. I also mix some with water and he seems to like it soupy better. Funny cats.