Hangry Cat

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Kassandra-Rhiannon

Member Since 2022
Help. Lol. Einstein (10 year old male) was diagnosed diabetic. We began insulin (.1 units lantus 7am and 7pm) yesterday. Hes hungry between feedings. Feeding is 1/2 can of approved wet food pate, a few tablespoons of low carb grain free dry food mixed together. He eats the serving within the 1 hour window, but about half way between hes yelling at us and stalking. Lol. Hes had some low carb (grain free lickable tube) treats and a couple of sardines in water chopped up when he's gotten vocal and started hunting us as possible food sources. Can I give him a small meal at lunch time? Anything? Hes perked up quite nicely but hes being quite the advocate for abused and starved animals. Hes used to having dry food available 24 hours a day.
 
Yes! Diabetic cats burn more calories because there’s sugar in their urine, they burn just by peeing. Its totally fine to give him smaller meals throughout the day as long as its low carb. Its actually easier on their compromised pancreas. We say no food 2 hours prior to testing only, in case you’re considering home testing his bg. Good starting dose and great insulin too so you’re off to a good start!
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Nature never intended for cats to eat just twice a day.

Wait until they figure out how to call social services, then you're in real trouble. :banghead:
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I am surprised mine haven't reported me yet.

You can get timed feeders and set it up to open several times a day if you are not home to feed him. Right now his body is not processing food properly and that is why he is always hungry.
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB.

I'm new here myself. I'm going to tag some knowledge members who will be able to help you more than me. @Bron and Sheba (GA) @Bandit's Mom @FrostD A couple questions I'm sure othere will be interested in: are you home testing his blood glucose? What kind of "approved wet food" is he eating? I'm guessing some kind of prescription food like DM?

Cats are grazers and need several meals and snacks throughout the day. Feline diabetes can frequently go into remission if it's closely managed which can be done at home with the proper testing and the help of the knowledgeable people on this message board.

You and Einstein will be in good hands here.
 
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Kassandra-Rhiannon said:
Help. Lol. Einstein (10 year old male) was diagnosed diabetic. We began insulin (.1 units lantus 7am and 7pm) yesterday. Hes hungry between feedings. Feeding is 1/2 can of approved wet food pate, a few tablespoons of low carb grain free dry food mixed together. He eats the serving within the 1 hour window, but about half way between hes yelling at us and stalking. Lol. Hes had some low carb (grain free lickable tube) treats and a couple of sardines in water chopped up when he's gotten vocal and started hunting us as possible food sources. Can I give him a small meal at lunch time? Anything? Hes perked up quite nicely but hes being quite the advocate for abused and starved animals. Hes used to having dry food available 24 hours a day.
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cats have higher metabolism than dogs hence the need to graze and eat multiple times a day. What is the “approved” wet food pate btw? You don't need expensive prescription food. Fancy Feast and Friskies are just fine as well. And what’s the dry food? Most dry food isn’t low carb or good for diabetics cats, but no safe way to remove that from his diet unless you're home testing because it could drop his bg considerable.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Please do feed Einstein more than twice a day. I would feed several snacks of low carb food during the day and night.
He can’t absorb the nutrients in the food at the moment until his diabetes is more under control.

I am curious as to the dose of Lantus you are giving.
0.1 is an unusual dose to start with. What type of syringe are you using?
For Lantus, you should be using U100 3/10 30 or 31 gauge 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings.

I would recommend you look at hometesting the blood glucose and set up a spreadsheet and your signature so that we can help you.
You will find the instructions how to do this in this thread HELP US HELP YOU
If you have any trouble setting the spreadsheet up we can help you.
Here is a link to hometesting links
You can buy a human glucose meter from Walmart called a ReliOn premier meter for $9 amd 100 test strips for $17.88. You will also need a box of lancets to prick the ear. Ask for size 26 or 28 gauge lancets. Also get some cotton rounds to hold behind the ear to test and to hold the ear afterwards.
Bron
 
Hi and welcome. No doubt your vet said to only feed every 12 hours. So did mine. It nearly killed Hendrick and he was hospitalized with diabetic keto-acidosis. As others have stated, it is easier on the pancreas to eat multiple small meals throughout the day and it helps with the insulin response as well. Food should be low carb. The percentage of the total caloric load that is provided by carbs should not exceed 10%, and many people keep it under 5%

If you can do home BG testing while you eliminate all dry food, that would help your kitty a lot.

I suspect when you said you are dosing .1 you meant 1.0 units. 1.0 IU of insulin is a pretty common starting dose. Good news, Lantus is a fantastic insulin your vet did good there! We started Hendrick on Lantus and it helped him a lot.
 
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Hey guys. Hes using the u-100 31gauge syringes. His dose is half way between markings. I went to petsmart and compared brands of wet and dry foods and the treats. Tiki Cat was grain free and low to no carb depending on the product. They have all the same types of products as other brands (canned, dry, treats, toppers). I'm only putting 1/4 cup of dry food in his dish so he can graze between meals. He does lay down after meals or snacks but he's not sleeping the whole time. If you walk near him or make a noise he sits at attention. Much more alert than a week ago. Belly is calming down and he's not chugging water and urinating constantly.
 
There are a lot of grain feed low carb treats you can consider as well. Tiki is a great brand so is weruva. You’ll find greater selection at Chewy than a pet store. A few treats to consider:
Freeze dried chicken, turkey or seafood. Purebites and Vital Essentials are the 2 brands with most options. I used to give Minnie the Fancy Feast filets too but those are hard to find now
 
re his mental state. Don't forget his whole world has changed and he doesn't know why. For now be happy that his tummy has calmed down and he's not peeing as much. It's only because we had a dog with dementia that I recently went bonkers with our oldest cat's behavior. Turns out he's just losing his hearing. I know it's hard to watch but if it's getting better just let him heal.
 
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