Food - How Often to Feed.....

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Bryan & Princess

Bryan & Princess

Member Since 2018
Just found out my cat has Diabetes on Friday, Started Insulin (1 dose of Vetsulin) Yesterday (Wednesday) - It was a long 4 days waiting for insulin to arive, She use to eat (1) 5.5once Can of a huge variety of Friskies (lots of gravy ones) at 5 pm every night, and had Purina One Dry available all day.

I did not want to change her diet too much, I read about how many calories and ounce she should eat at 14lbs so now I was giving her (1) 5.5once can in the morning of Friskies Pate (less than 6% carbs) and (1) can of 3once Fancy Feast Classic (less than 6% carbs) at 6pm.

Started Sunday, which went great she eventually ate all the Friskies during the day and was ready for the Fancy Feast at night.

But Monday and Tuesday both her Water (which was immense due to the diabetes) and Food consumption went down to about half, mentioned it to the vet and she did not seem too concerned - I am worried the 5 days from diagnoses to first insulin shot may have to do with it. (she scored 608 on meter, and 628 on blood test Friday), she also threw up almost all liquid once Tuesday and Wednesday after getting food.

My questions are;

  1. Is it ok to leave food out all day, if I still can give her a shot while eating twice a day (vet is suggesting no)
  2. Should I be concerned about her lack of eating and water Tuesday and Wednesday, (seeing how today goes)
Thanks,

Bryan
 
There is a "rule" about feeding of diabetic cats but it's been my experience that...
>No two cats are the same
>Some rules are meant to be broken
>Easier said than done
Our first diabetic cat Nigel was one of nine cats and a dog in the house so pulling (hiding) ALL the food at certain times just wasn't practical. Especially when the dog loved cat food and the cats were always into the dog's food. Nigel kept losing weight so our vet basically said "screw this, it's not working" and we fed him whenever he wanted.
There might be something else going on with the vomiting and water consumption, it's not unusual for diabetes being part of a bigger problem. Keep a close eye on her weight and for diarrhea. Any other cats in the house? What hours do you work?
Someone please correct this if I'm wrong.
Test her on an empty stomach, insulin, then food. That's when you get to beg the cat to eat and start pulling your hair out. Remember your cat has been doing things her own way all her life so she might not be happy about this. It's not science but I'd rather have a happy cat.
More people will reply with better answers, that's just been my experience but I'm on my second sugar cat.
 
The only rule is not to have food two hours before the shots, so your PS tests are not food influenced and you know it is safe to shoot.

I feed Jones all day...he is a free feeder. That is the way he eats and is the best way to get him to eat. Some here have timed feeders Petsafe5. It allows you to spread the meals throughout the day on a timed basis...which is actually better for a diabetic cat vs. eating all the food at once. Then you can have a AMPS, +3, +6,+9 snack then PM meal with a +3,+6,+9 meal. Some do without the +9 meal....kind of up to you and how your kitty feels.

The food change may have caused some tummy upset which is why Princess is off her fuds a bit. Also, that water vomit...was it foamy at all? That is an indication of acidic tummy - which is not abnormal for a diabetic kitty. It happens when their tummy is empty of food. The snacks may help that.

I think you will find as the BG's fluctuate, Princess's appy may fluctuate as well. Especially if she is unregulated at the moment. As she becomes regulated you should notice a drop in water and food consumption.
 
My concern here is with the change in diet to all wet food are you home testing? A diet change of this type can lower blood glucose a lot. Idjit went off insulin rapidly, and I wasn't testing as I should have been. Could have gone very wrong! If you aren't testing, please begin. Check the yellow tagged info and stickies at the top of the forums, there is testing information in there. There are many You Tube videos to watch. Members here test to keep their fur friends safe and can offer support and tips.
 
For my 2 cats, they eat about 11oz in the morning and at night. I put water on it and they graze until the next meal. At first they tried to eat it all at once and would just throw it all back it. It seems fine leaving it out all day. They also get 1/4 cup of dry food at 1am, which seems to have helped with the overnight bile barfing issue. Neither of my cats have weight issues (my diabetic cat is down 2.5lbs from his heaviest, they're both around 13lbs) and I give them as much as they want but try to minimize having to throw any out. When I took my cats off the dry food, they both immediately stopped drinking water, but have come back to it a little.
 
FIRST - Thank you everybody for your input, I love to hear from multiple people and make up my mind from what I learn.

I knew I needed to pull the food 2 hours before testing her Glucose and I was concerned about changing her food as well, I took all that into considerat and what I did was take away her unlimited supply of Purina One Dry which she only ate a couple of cups a week of, and I kept her on Friskies (which included Pate) she always ate at 6pm, she got a rotation of shreds, bits, concoctions, pate, etc. Now its Friskies Pate' only at 11am as its the big can, then instead of Purina One Dry all day - I switched Fancy Feast at 11pm because its smaller can for over night(Which is made by the same company as Friskies), The throwing up very well maybe be her eating too fast after not having food for a few hours as a choice (which when I gave her the heavy gravy Friskies that she loved she would eat too quick and it would happen too). This morning I gave her a can of Fancy Feast and she ate 2/3rd of it while I was gone for 4 hours.
  • I will try for the first time to get her Glucose reading at some point today after there is no food for a couple of hours.
  • I think I will give her a can of Fancy Feast at 11a and 11pm (when I am giving her shots) for now, and skip the Friskies until her Glucose levels are better and work it back in.
  • The vet suggested feeding her wet food at the time she gets her shots, and dry food mid day, and only leaving the food out for an hour on all occasions, but I am not sure I like that plan for Princess.
  • Up until about 18 months ago she ate all dry food, but then she had issues with some bad teeth (since removed), so I added a can of Wet Food at night.
  • With Wet Food she was loving the heavy gravy meals so I started feeding them more often these last 6 months, this I think was the straw that broke the Cat to have Diabetes (and she was 16lbs)
  • Fortunately I work from home, I do web design and web hosting, and a while back I sold my home in Illinois and moved to Florida to care for my 88 year old mother after my Father Died.
Thanks,

Bryan
 
Some good advice above. You are looking for long term trends in weight change.

You want to get your kitteh to the proper weight and then not have many fluctuations. Low carb foods are really the only way to go with diabetics. For our Leo, he maintains weight best by a bunch of little meals throughout the day. Fancy Feast Classics - one of the best diabetic kitteh foods out there.

Sorry to hear about your Dad. I know what it's like. All 4 of my parents (step) are gone. But you have a good job to be at home. That is the best situation for your kitteh, and also your Mom!

I'm a CISO in Austin TX. Always sounds like a dream job to work at home. Yeah right. I probably work more hours than many office dudes.
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