My cat Lamborghini is a 12 year old male. He is not definitively diagnosed as diabetic, but the vet says it is probable, as his glucose level was 240, and a couple of years ago there was a result that was also a bit higher than should be.
However, along with the diabetes possibility, his bloodwork showed he is severely hyperthyroid. His bloodwork showed a T4 of 14.4. We only found all this out yesterday. Vet has given us medicine for that (the gel stuff that goes in his ear) and a bag of insanely priced Purina DM food, dry, and told us to use Fancy Feast Classics for wet food. His kidney tests look fine, his liver tests show some that are somewhat high. But from what I read, hyperthyroid can artificially elevate liver tests, and suppress signs of kidney damage, so we can't trust either yet.
A few years ago Lambors had one episode of urinary tract sludge, and we were told to put him on the Purina UM food. He has been fine since then.
We have another cat, Ferrari, a 12 year old female. Both cats have dry food available at all times, and get a portion of wet food twice a day, at the same time our two dogs get breakfast and dinner. Dry food is in a cage with a cat-sized entrance, to keep the dogs from it, tho one dog is somehow able to make herself amazingly cat-sized when she really wants to (she's 17 inches tall at the shoulder, weighs 33 pounds, but with a skinny build can somehow squeeze herself through a cat door when she wants to). Wet food is given in the kitchen, right at our feet, so we can guard them from the dogs.
Just recently I have learned just how awful dry food is for cats. Three previous cats, over the years, each lived to 19 years old on just plain, cheap, grocery store, dry cat food, with no problems, so we never thought twice about it. Now I have a severely ill cat, who happens to be my son's most precious pet (of all the animals in our house, it HAS to be this one!) and we have to figure this out, quickly. But I'm not sure radical food changes are a good idea right now, until we get his thyroid under control.
Will be asking questions on the main board, since I read this is just the introductions place. The thyroid problem is the critical one right now, but if we can head off the diabetes with diet changes, that would sure help.
However, along with the diabetes possibility, his bloodwork showed he is severely hyperthyroid. His bloodwork showed a T4 of 14.4. We only found all this out yesterday. Vet has given us medicine for that (the gel stuff that goes in his ear) and a bag of insanely priced Purina DM food, dry, and told us to use Fancy Feast Classics for wet food. His kidney tests look fine, his liver tests show some that are somewhat high. But from what I read, hyperthyroid can artificially elevate liver tests, and suppress signs of kidney damage, so we can't trust either yet.
A few years ago Lambors had one episode of urinary tract sludge, and we were told to put him on the Purina UM food. He has been fine since then.
We have another cat, Ferrari, a 12 year old female. Both cats have dry food available at all times, and get a portion of wet food twice a day, at the same time our two dogs get breakfast and dinner. Dry food is in a cage with a cat-sized entrance, to keep the dogs from it, tho one dog is somehow able to make herself amazingly cat-sized when she really wants to (she's 17 inches tall at the shoulder, weighs 33 pounds, but with a skinny build can somehow squeeze herself through a cat door when she wants to). Wet food is given in the kitchen, right at our feet, so we can guard them from the dogs.
Just recently I have learned just how awful dry food is for cats. Three previous cats, over the years, each lived to 19 years old on just plain, cheap, grocery store, dry cat food, with no problems, so we never thought twice about it. Now I have a severely ill cat, who happens to be my son's most precious pet (of all the animals in our house, it HAS to be this one!) and we have to figure this out, quickly. But I'm not sure radical food changes are a good idea right now, until we get his thyroid under control.
Will be asking questions on the main board, since I read this is just the introductions place. The thyroid problem is the critical one right now, but if we can head off the diabetes with diet changes, that would sure help.
