Hello! Newbie to the FDMB & to Feline Diabetes. =^..^=

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pam & Po-Kitty

Pam & Po-Kitty

Member
Hello Everyone, My name is Pam, I live in (Hot & Humid) Georgia :shock:

I hope I am posting in the correct place, as far as to introduce myself and my Sweet Baby Boy, PO-kitty... aka- Po-man, Po, The PO'ster, My Baby Boy, Huff-a-lump, The Po-mister etc..... (i know, corny nicknames...but I just cant help myself) lol

I stumbled across catinfo.org and this site a few days ago, and I am So glad I did. (I even broke down and sent an email to Dr. Pierson)

I have many other animals, other kitty's, dogs, Horses & a Bunny. I have always had a special place in my heart for all living creatures.. And it breaks my heart when one becomes sick, especially when I am clueless of the Diagnosis, Like Feline Diabetes.

So, here is our story,

Po-Kitty is a Siamese, 3 years old.. I had to take him away from his mom, weeks old, due to our lab wanting to pick him up and play with him, which as we both
know is not a good idea.. And I have raised him ever since. He has had some health issues, off and on..mostly the normal/common health issues a kitty may have when u do take him away from his mama so very early..

He is My Heart & Soul, I get upset just talking about what he has been thru these last few months...
To begin with he was drinking lots and lots of water, peeing excessive as well.. then started pulling his hair out, I thought
it was odd, mentioned to vet, I guess the light bulb did not go off till the next vet visit...on 5/26/11 As I stressed his symptoms, I guess she decided to check his blood, (checked his sugar levels) as well.. Po was a fat kitty, not obese, but close.... He started losing weight, but still eating and drinking... I knew in my heart something was wrong with him..
After his blood check, his glucose/sugar level was in the low 500's.. i was shocked... the vet also ran 2 glucose curves on po, within a month.. levels were still high,

She wanted us to give him prozinc, twice a day, @ .25 units.. she put him on the science hill presc. dry food diet w/d ..... then on 6/14 when she kept him for one of the glucose curves, she decided to up his insulin dosage to twice a day, @ .5 units.... along with the same diet, of the w/d dry food.. I do feel with all my heart that this IS NOT what I should be giving him.. I can tell, and monitor him when I give him his food, and his shots.. that something is not right?! I am no vet, but as I read catinfo, I started to get upset...like it states, seems like i am just throwing fuel on the fire.... I do wish I had a friend who was a vet nearby... I feel helpless, This particular vet, is not that familiar with feline diabetes, shes a great vet, i believe she has called on another vet who specializes in diabetes, in another state.. but, time is ticking, and so very precious to me and my sweet boy. (i know I sound like a complete baby, about Po-kitty, sorry.... I am 41, married with 2 kids, but they all know how much Po means to me.. he is my heart..) I just want him back healthy and as happy as he can be...

After I give po his food and his shot, he lays around, sleeps, no playing, he will go outside lay on the front porch..may walk around the yard a little, then back on porch..then back in the house...I want him to enjoy the sunshine, enjoy laying on the porch...he has always loved that.. There are times in the evening, late at night..where he seems to feel a little better, i feel its at the end of the 12 hour gap, before i have to give him his insulin again and his food...

I have stopped giving him the hard food, and decreased his insulin dosage to 1/2 the dosage (on 7/4).....I may start making his food, start with the chicken thighs.. I would fix him anything, if I knew I was helping him and not harming him.. I do worry hypoglycemia.

I stay upset, just so worried about his health...I hold him, and tell him how Much I LOVE him, I just want him to get better.. (I do not like to be away from the house too long, which is not good, I know, I dont need to stop my Life, including the Family, kids & Hubby.. They know he is sick, they love him too.

I have not started home montoring yet, I am trying to figure out what I need and where to get it... I will continue reading all of your wonderful post..I have learned so much already, I too believed my cat was "FINE" until he started drinking SOOOO much WATER, and urinating excessively. I just cant let it sink in that my Vets have never told me to take PO (even when he was 15lbs) or any of my cats off the hard food I was giving them.. I did give mine a medium ranged price dry food, plus chicken, etc.. We have a way to go, I hope and pray my baby boy gets better, and hopefully lives a healthier life, like he used to..

Sorry for the long post, Its hard to put his situation in words, all at one time... Of course I could go on and on... I hope to become apart of this wonderful group.

Sincerely, Pam & Po-Kitty =^..^=
 
I forgot to say that Po still has "loose" stools, seems like its getting a little better, he has had it before the Hills w/d food , during (really bad) and since I have switched him to can food, which he likes, maybe it will get better, and not as often.. I have to keep his litter box clean at all times, or he will find somewhere else to go.. I can tell when he starts lurking for another place, and I let him go outside... I have even added another litter box at nite time..just in case.

Thanks again, Pam
 
Hi Pam. Welcome to the sugar dance!
I'm sure others will be along soon, but it sounds like you are ready to take control and handle this disease the best you can. You and Po will be better for it.
First, you should consider home testing. It's super easy and we can teach you. You don't need a special meter, a people one is fine. A popular one around here is the Walmart ReliOn. It's like $9. and the strips are cheap also.

It's good your vet started out on a low dose. Most vets starts out HIGH. Mine started me out on 5u twice a day! :o

And throw the dry food out. It's not good for a diabetic kitty. Sounds like you have already read all about it.
We use wet canned food that is under 10% carbs. I'll get you a link to a wonderful list that has just about every brand available. Just look in the Carb colum and find stuff that's under 10.
Look at the "old" list first. It has the most.
Popular brands are Fancy Feast and Friskie's, some like the 95% EVO, personally I use Fancy Feast. I just made the switch from Friskie's because I like the small cans.

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

I would say get the dry out as soon as possible. I was actually able to get my Callie Mae totally OTJ (off the juice) just from diet change alone.
I couldn't believe it. Dry food was 100% the reason why I had to give her insulin. I took away the dry, and eventually I got to take away the insulin. Simple math, really! :-D
Not every kitty will be like this, I only say this to stress the importance of switching to a more appropriate diet. While my Callie MAe was still eating the prescription dry, my vet had to keep increasing her dose because the dry food kept her numbers high. We made it all the way to 9u twice a day.
I only gave that dose once. Scariest night of my life. The folks on this board stayed with me until we were sure she was going to be ok, and I switched her dose and diet the very next day.
Within a few weeks, we were done!

I'm not going to write you a book.
I'm long winded, so I'll just leave you with this for now. Keep reading and learning.
It's the best thing you found us! :-D
 
Hi Pam and Po, and Welcome :-D
You can get a Newbie Kit to start hometesting.
Your baby will get better. That's what we do here. We are like a big family and help each other with support and advise in caring for our sugar babies.

Could you go to your first post and click on Edit and then remove the rainbow. You could change it to the heart if you want.
The rainbow to us usually means the cat went to the rainbow bridge.

Hang in there, and we will help you. I absolutely promise.
 
Dyana said:
Could you go to your first post and click on Edit and then remove the rainbow. You could change it to the heart if you want.
The rainbow to us usually means the cat went to the rainbow bridge.
Click to expand...
I was going to mention that, but I forgot about it once I started telling my story......... :lol:
 
I am so glad you are researching into this sugar dance and determined to help you Po boy out. Glad you found Dr. Lisa; she is highly respected on this site for her wonderful work with FD kitties.

Hometesting is vital so you can tell how the insulin is working. We would love to help you learn how. Here is a video: Video for hometesting

Here is a shopping list for hometesting supplies:

A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around. Try the meter out on yourself or someone else before you try it on your cat. You want to be familiar with it before you poke the cat.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 25-26 gauge is good. Any brand will work.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And some lo carb treats to give your kitty, successful test or not Lo carb treats

And here is a document that will give you lots of tips on how ProZinc works: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=32799

We want to help you help your kitty. We are all here paying it forward because someone helped us through the first few weeks and months.
 
Welcome Pam & Po to the FDMB family.

I don't know your insulin so I will leave that up to those that do, but I do know canned food and diabetic and non-diabetic cats & meezers (Proudly owned by 3 siamese and a recently adopted Himalayan).

The easiest and best way to keep an eye on Po is to test him at home. It is very simple, although a bit of a challenge at first until you find your groove. But we all test our furkids at home using just a basic human meter just like a human diabetic would, except we use the edge of their ears instead of the finger.

I adopted both of my diabetics as diabetics. Maxwell was a lucky guy and simply getting him off dry food and starting him on a low dose of insulin and canned food got him into remission and off insulin altogether. Musette I just adopted on the 25th of last month and she is already down to .5u of Lantus, we are a long ways from having her in remission but I have hopes that she will get there too. Maxwell was 485 when he was diagnoised and now off the juice so it can happen, not all kitties get so lucky but many do and even if they don't go in remission they can live long, healthy lives with a couple little shots a day, no different than a human diabetic.

Lori and Tom run a newbie kit program here and can get you all set up to start testing at home, or if you have a Walmart near you they have a very nice meter called the Relion Micro that a lot of us use. I think the whole set up, meter, test strips and lancets ran me in the neighborhood of $40 including tax ( and we are taxed to death here).

As far as food goes, with 12 and only 2 being diabetic everyone here eats what the diabetics eat. Just regular Friskies Pate style canned food. Not only are my diabetics doing wonderful my non-diabetics have just blossomed on the diet change, they are sleek, shiney, muscular and full of energy. Other here feed things like Fancy Feast, Wellness etc. Here is a link to the charts that we use when picking out food for our sugarkitties. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html you just want to stay under 10% carbs and personally I like under 7%. (carbs are in the third column).

I'm sure others will be giving you a ton of more links to read through...Just breathe and ask all the questions you might have...We love paying it forward and helping you help Po

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Hi Pam and welcome to FDMB.

Where was Po pulling out his fur when you first started to notice? Was it on his belly, maybe around his thighs? I'm wondering if there might be a food allergy since you said that he's had loose stool since before the diet change.

Stress can lead to high blood sugar and if there is some stress causing this it could be why you're seeing him act so tired. As you're not hometesting yet, it's hard to say, but you so diligently watch over him that you noticed at about 12 hours after his shot he's starting to perk up. I wonder if at the 12 hours after his blood sugar is at a good number where he is feeling better and then by getting insulin again, maybe he's not feeling well. Could be too high a dose, could be the diet change taking affect. Once you start hometesting you'll be able to know what the numbers and no one will have to guess :)

You could order the newbie kit, but you can also go to the pharmacy yourself and get a glucometer. If you have a Walmart many folks like the Relion meter, other brands that I like are AccuCheck Aviva, Bayer Contour, One Touch Ultra, Freestyle, I'm sure there are many others, but get one that takes a small amount of blood and the test strips sip the blood. If cost is an issue, the walmart brand has good prices on the test strips or if you get the other brands, you can check on eBay to see if you can find test strips cheaper, as long as the seller is reputable.

Did the vet notice anything else? Were teeth okay? Was full bloodwork done to rule out other illnesses?
 
and for the record your vet did some things right, so let's give her credit for trying.

She started on a low dose, which is excellent, too many times cats are started on much higher doses and increased in ridiculous increments.

You are using prozinc - a newer insulin, but one that is very good and flexible if you have scheduling issues.

The dry food, well you read Dr. Lisa's site so you now know about the dry food. Change him over to a low carb canned food and return the unused portion of dry to vet for a refund. All you have to say, is that your no longer likes it.

If you would like a quick tip on food - if you want to purchase inexpensive food - go with either friskies or fancy feast - the pate flavors in ff world it's called classic.

You mention the fur pulling and loose stools, if we could get more info we can offer more suggestions.

I will just tell you Maui's story with loose stools and skin issues - for YEARS she had skin issues and we tried every shampoo, drug (including steroid shots) to treat it. Nothing worked. Then before her diabetes diagnosis she had diarrhea several times a day, every day. There was no end in sight. Long story short, I found this board, read Dr. Lisa and once I changed Maui to wet food diet only, the skin issues stopped and so did the diarrhea.

Nobody ever suggested that something in the dry food was causing all this havoc with her body.

When I changed her to wet food, I started by feeding one flavor and brand only for weeks. I needed to figure out if it was a protein, ie. poultry or beef that was the problem or if it was something else. so by process of elimination or introduction, I started her on fancy feast turkey & giblets classic. Then introduced chicken feast and finally beef feast.

Because of one of my other cat's issues, I have since changed from Fancy Feast to Friskies Special diet - and again they get only turkey & giblets or beef & liver.

I also introduced raw food and then when 2 of 3 liked it, started to make my own.

So, I've been down this path and my girls get a buffet of friskies, homemade raw and a pricier canned food nature's logic (after trying all three flavors they now only like the chicken flavor).

Removing all the dry food, Maui's coat is sleek, shiny and dense. Her diarrhea happens infrequently (I figure it's a result of damage already done) and with insulin, she is 2 years in remission now.

I share this, so you can see there is hope and with such a young cat, a very good chance that we can help you improve his conditions.

The first thing I would recommend, aside from hometesting previously mentioned, is to remove the dry and give him a boring diet of one flavor canned only. I suggest poultry flavor as too much fish isn't good (mercury issues) and beef can be a possible allergen as well.
 
Hello Pam (and Po-*)

Me and my little guy Bob are not far away, in equally hot and humid South Carolina. He also is on PZI insulin. My vet started him low (1 unit twice a day), and when he was diagnosed he had BG numbers over 500. That was 2 months ago. The doses went as high as 7 units a day. Today, I tested him at breakfast and dinner, and his numbers were 98 and 94. He's almost OTJ. I guess what I'm telling you is A) you and Po can deal with this, and B)things WILL get better.

Lots of reasons for Bob's progress.
1 - home testing and treatment. Everyone here will suggest and encourage you to do it. Listen to them. Do it. It's the #1 thing you can do for Po.
2 - change in diet. Pre-DB, Bob was a free feeder. Commercial flavors, whatever he wanted, and dry food sat in the bowl all day long. I was clueless, and he topped out at about 20 pounds. When diagnosed, he was 13 pounds. Still eating like a pig, drinking two bowls of water dry every day, plus we'd catch him in the tub and toilet drinking regularly. Peeing buckets. We thought it was a problem with the litter, tried every brand on the market. Again, clueless. He was almost dead by the time I brought him to the vet. My vet also prescribed Hill Diet (M/D), wet and dry. He ate it for a couple days because he was starving, then wouldn't eat it anymore. Today Bob is on an all Fancy Feast Classic canned food diet. Absolutely no dry food. And only healthy "treats". He weighs 14 pounds now. I'm going to try to get another pound off him, and he's on a strict 250 calorie per day limit. The change in diet was due to advice here and other sites, and with great thanks to Janet and Binky's lists:
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html

Low carbs is the key. Compare what your vet gave you with dozens of easily available (and much less expensive) brands, and find some that he'll eat.
3 - My Vet - talk to your vet. Tell him you want to home test, ask them to show you how to test and shoot. Tell them you want to use whatever type food you choose after looking at the list. Heck, give him a copy. I did. My vet had no problem with it. If he's talking to another vet with a lot more DB experience, that vet will most likely be familiar with this site and other websites geared towards feline db. He'll most likely be right on board with the low carb commercial choices too. Having your vet on the same page will be a great help in the months to come. My vet gave me her cell number and told me to call her whenever I needed to. I did. Lots of times. We have a super "doc/patient" relationship, and me and Bob wouldn't be doing so well if not for that.
4 - this site. It's full of knowledgable people with a great deal of experience with feline diabetes. They've all got, or have had, sugarcats. They're here 24/7 to answer questions and help you understand. there's other sites out there too. You'll find them, and you'll take a little bit of something from each one of them. Don't let it overwhelm you. There's more information out "here" on the web than you can ever consume. Read what you can, and bookmark the heck out of them. You'll go back and learn time and time again.

Your kitty KNOWS you love him. Keep reminding him. This WILL get better. Keep reminding yourself that.

Carl in SC
 
Hello from hot & humid Orlando FL! Welcome to FDMB!

The others have stressed the importance of hometesting, but i wanted to reiterate the dry food thing. the gang here stressed to me "get off the dry" and I was hesitant, as I work 7 days a week and am gone usually 9 hours a day (sometimes only 8 if I work a 6hr shift at Disney, travel time you know). I dropped him down to less dry, then i dropped it all together on 5/19. Next day his numbers dropped (always test before you shoot) and the day after that they were normal. No insulin since 5/21. We were using Lantus.

Another comment about the dry - you mentioned you were using Hill Prescription Diet W/D. I used to feed that to my Midora (GA, she died in May 2005) as she got constipated VERY easily due to a birth defect. It's high in fiber, so that might be the cause of the loose bowels you are seeing.

You'll want to check out the forums that are specific to the insulin you are using and let the folks there know you need some advice. If I have a wal-mart near by, grab a relion meter (that's what we use, although Walmart isn't that close); a box of 50 test strips should run you about $20. I use the 28 gague lancets and buy them at Target. Their brand has this little cap you can put on the lancet when you are done. Then i put it in one of these bio-hazzard red boxes I got at walmart for a few bucks. I was in CVS last week and noticed the price of the lancets there - much more expensive than Walmart or target. Lori also handles the newbie kits if you want to go that route.

Again, welcome!

(PS Cedric is young as well for FD, but is about 17 1/2 lbs. Not what I would call obese, but....who knows what brought this on).
 
Thank you so very much for the kind words and ALL this WONDERFUL Information! I am familiar with so many animal health issues, We have had our share! But, this is one, I am going to become more familiar with and hope to learn everything I can about this disease.

I am glad my vet started him out on a low dose, she told me she would call her friend (vet) in Athens to discuss Po's treatment.. I guess I just worry about if I would have kept him on his high dose of insulin plus the Hills Diet hard food, what would I have done to him??

I wanted to also tell ya'll that our vet called today, said that she would test his pancreas, if he still had diarrhea or very loose stool... That is prob. a good idea? Right? Being he has had a loose stool starting in May..

I have tried to figure out if it was something I was giving him, that was triggering a tummy ache and/or his stool being loose.. But all he is eating now is Friskies , chicken (no gravy) some natural treats (i am going to get more, low carb) some chicken, that I had baked and broiled over the past week..

I would like to get him something to eat about mid day, maybe 1/2 a can of food? He weighs 12 lbs on July 5th.... He used to weigh 15-16lbs - last year.. Him and my Tabby - Tiger, who was getting up in age, but he was the KING, He was hit by a car, a few months ago...I miss him dearly too. He was Po's Uncle. (: Tiger was never sick that I new of, He was my 1st Inside kitty. He was a Joy!

I also remember when po was drinking so much water, he would just lay by his water bowl, inside or on the front porch, and stick his head in his bowl and DRINK & DRINK for minutes! 5 mins. , 10 mins, etc... I first thought he was a LAZY boy, being he had walked around the house, to his usual spots, checking on things, and all the other cats. then back to the porch.. He has always sat on the tubs edge, while I took a bath, but he would want to drink from the tub, all the time, FALL in, while I was in the tub.. lol, I could not keep him out of the tub..I would have to close the door, while the water was going down the drain, until it was almost out.. I would let him back in, because he would jump in , no matter how high the water level was.. Same with the shower, I knew he would get in there, (its open, a big stall type-) after someone would take a shower, just investigate everything, maybe drink the leftover drops.. But one morning, I was still in the bed, as my hubby was taking a shower, I heard him talking to Po, (0: In a few minutes or so, I had gotten up, getting my coffee, Po had come into the kitchen , WET... shaking his feet, he looked funny.. I asked Hubby; "why is po wet?" He said; " He wanted to take a shower with me" ??!! haha- then the next day, i was taking a shower and all of a sudden I felt something rub against me, I kinda jumped, and it was Po's face/nose! I knew they loved water, but this was very unusual for him to literally jump into a tub of water and get into the shower, and get completely WET! He wanted to drink water, and did not matter how , when or where?! haha One time he stuck his little round face in thru the curtain, and I told him, no...wait till I get out, then he just laid on the rug, till I got out...

Sorry, I got long winded, and off topic a little..

Doombuggy, I love Orlando! Our friends live in a little town, right near Disney.. They were here this past weekend. I also have family in and around the Tampa area.
I still would rather be HOT in Florida, than here in Georgia. I spent alot of time in Florida growing up and we visit often.. Thank goodness y'all don't have those nasty gnats! :YMSIGH:

I am a member of another forum, and the set up is almost the same, I am glad.. Hopefully I can find my way around alot quicker.. Going to close for now, the dogs and Po want to go outside one more time, before bed!
 
Cedric likes to get int he shower too, but now I have a dedicated shower, so he sits in wait until I am done and open the door. He knows better than to get in when the water is running, and does get groomed once a year 9the groomers love a cat who loves water). Cedric is trained to get on his towel after getting out of the shower so that he can dry off. If your Po continues down this road, you will want to do the same. Wet cat=litterbox=MESS! Trust me, I have been there....

You mentioned about him hanging around the water dish. That reminded me of my sister's cat, Simba, who had a terible problem with kidney stones (or crystals, as they are called in cats apparently). But he wouldn't drink, so that might not be a problem with your baby. I just wanted to mention it tho.
 
Good Morning, TGIF (i think) ~O)

Last night, after po had his one can of friskies and his insulin shot (which I gave him 1 unit) to see how he acted during the night..... (just getting a feel of how he acts
before and after he eats his can food , and after his shot , Or as yall call it (JUICE) right? (:

well, around 4:00 a.m this morning, he was back in the laundry room, digging around in the cat litter bags, the dogfood bags, rabbit food etc.. (making some noise) haha (but not getting any of the hard food) only trying, which i believe hes hungry or thinks hes hungry :?: :!: And he knows he will wake me up.....

I wonder being he only had 1 unit at bedtime, and not the 2 or 2.5 unit, did that have an effect on him? I did give in and give him some can food.. I hope that was ok.. Its like he has an appetite, eats his can food, but MISSES the crunchy hard food? but, that is just the mommy in me.. thinking...

Just wanted to run that by everyone, He seems alert and purring like a sweet boy this morning, he wants to go do his rounds outside, while its SOMEWHAT cool...

Me & hubby are going to Walmart today, to get his home testing supplies.... Wish us Luck! I hope everyone has a great day,

Thank you Friends, I am so thankful to be here. ❤
 

Attachments

  • 249615_10150287547640421_730570420_9563069_5090216_n.jpg
    249615_10150287547640421_730570420_9563069_5090216_n.jpg
    1.1 KB · Views: 1,777
Don't limit his food right now. He is probably voracious! Give him as much very low carb food as he wants. His appetite will settle down once you get him stabilized on a good insulin dose.
 
Okay! GOOD! Thanks Lana, yeah... he is a little HUNGER MONSTER right now... I wont limit his food... he does need to gain some weight back, he has been gaining a little , he weighs 11lbs this morning. He is filling out more, I could feel his backbone after the first visit to the vet when all this started, it is not as bad now..
 
Yes, Pam, the diabetes "steals" the nourishment. His body just doesn't process the food well while he is unregulated.

Very few of us got blood on the first try, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen right away. Although if it does, there will be a celebration! It took us a weekend of poking poor Oliver before we ever got a drop. We all have tricks that helped us so we will bombard you with ideas if you can't get that first drop. Important for us was a large enough lancet and warming the ear.
 
Got another QUESTION, (I AM FULL OF THOSE) ;-)

I am getting my list up to go shopping for all of my Home Testing supplies and for more can food, treats etc.....

My hubby mentioned Venison (deer meat) this morning, WE have LOTS and LOTS.... I am still going over all the links yall gave me, and some!

I did see the EVO type can food with deer meat, so I was just curious... I also am getting my dehydrator thing out from the attic! I can use it now! I am excited!

Just wanted to see what yall think? Maybe even giving it to him raw, cooked a little etc... we have it in alot of forms, ground, cubed, etc..
 
I believe venison is fairly lean, so it should be fine. The only caveat about feeding it raw is the possibility of parisites, which cooking will kill.
 
If you want to make his food using venison, you will need to add some nutrients to it. Check Dr. Lisa's site for a home made cat food recipe (or maybe more than one - haven't looked lately) www.catinfo.com If you are just thinking of using it for treats, then its fine, with the parasite caveat.

Also, if you feed him several meals a day and mix the canned food with water to make a slurry like thick apple sauce he will feel more full and get lots of water as well. If you are going to be away for the day, or even for overnight so that he doesn't rustle around to wake you (cute trick!) you could try freezing some canned food in small amounts and then let him nibble as it thaws.
 
Hey Everyone, I have got to do better, I was reading a few minutes ago..when po started throwing up.. Not a whole bunch, but enough to scare me.. he hardly ever throws up.. maybe he got too hot outside, or ate too much..??!! I know it could be a bad sign....he went to the bathroom, and walking around.. then threw up again..he is laying in my lap now.. I will keep my eyes on him..

Thanks, Pam
 
Hello Everyone! Gosh, I am so sorry.. I have been away for a few days-weeks ... Just alot going on, with LIFE, the kids getting back in school, Ball practices, ballgames, sickness's (everyone is ok now) Out of town off and on... Just run, run run.......I feel like a zombie most of the time! lol (0:

I had to sit down and tell yall that my Po-kitty is doing SO MUCH BETTER!!!! With the love, help and guidance I think we are going to make it thru this fight! At least I hope so... I have missed reading in here, I feel really behind.. But, I promise to catch up in the morning, If at all possible. I could go on and on, but of course I need to be at the school in an hour, so as of right now, Po is taking 1 shot a day, 1cc in the a.m. and he has been on fancy feast (chicken) flip_cat ever since I told yall I had taken that BAD BAD DRY FOOD from HIM!! :thumbup His hair has grown back out, his eyes have cleared up, he does not stay hovered over the water bowl any more. His bathroom habits are so much better! He still eats like a pig, I usually use the can food and water mixture tech. and it will hold him for a little while.. He still misses his dry food and his treats.. which makes me sad, I have to keep all the dry foods including the rabbits food under lock and key! He knows the sound of those bags rattling around, bless his heart! I have tried to put all of them in some kind of a container, just so he dont get all upset over not being able to "crunch" on his old food.. Yesterday when we got home from the store, we had a bag of litter in the floor, I guess at first he thought it was a bag of cat food..he jumped on it and started tearing the paper with his teeth??!! I had to explain to him that it was LITTER not yum yum.... His big blue eyes just melt my heart.. I do give him meats, for treats, I may buy the one store bought treat..just have not seen it at my walmart yet.. Ok, Well I gotta run, I will be back.. Hope everyone is doing well, and that all the fur-babies are getting better and healthy and happy.. I know I still have so much to learn, I just think about the first day I logged onto this forum, It makes me smile and cry at the same time.. I wish I could give each of you a personal big hug and a thank you. Everyone who took time to help me, I appreciate so much! Po & I are forever grateful. ❤


.../\„,„/\....
...( =';'= ).....
.../*♥♥*\......
..(.|.|..|.|.)... With Love, Pam & Po-KITTY
 
Hi Pam,

Pam & Po-Kitty said:
peeing excessive as well.. then started pulling his hair out, I thought
it was odd, mentioned to vet,
Click to expand...

In another post, it sounded like the hair pulling had resolved itself. In any case, hair pulling is not a symptom of diabetes.

Pam & Po-Kitty said:
I was reading a few minutes ago..when po started throwing up.. Not a whole bunch, but enough to scare me.. he hardly ever throws up.. maybe he got too hot outside, or ate too much..??!! I know it could be a bad sign....he went to the bathroom, and walking around.. then threw up again
Click to expand...

I am also wondering if the throwing up was just a one-time thing -- I know that you said he had not done that before, but was wondering if the problem has passed.

My cat, Yoyo, has always thrown up. About a year ago, he started pulling out his hair. He has developed a severe flea allergy. People on this board who had cats with food allergies urged me to not feed anything with wheat gluten in it. Other people had cats allergic to beef. I stopped feeding anything that had either of those things in it. After much effort, I finally got the flea allergy under control. The hair pulling stopped. The throwing up stopped. I again started feeding Fancy feast beef and the "roasted" and "chunky" varieties which are low-carb but do contain wheat gluten. The the hair pulling started again - so I realized that it was not just flea allergy but food allergies as well. I stopped feeding beef and anything with wheat gluten and the scratching and hair pulling stopped once more. I suspect it is the wheat gluten rather than the beef that is the culprit but I will wait awhile to test that out.

So, at any rate, this is just something for you to be aware of if you have chronic hair pulling or vomiting problems, now or in the future.

Lana
 
I just wanted to say welcome, Pam! Po-kitty is definitely a handsome boy!

You can make your own kitty treats with the venison and the dehydrator, no problem! I feed Bandit freeze-dried chicken as treats that I pick up at Petsmart, so I think it's great you have that option.
 
Hey Lana, I thought hair pulling/itchy skin, was a symptom of low blood sugar? Or something similiar.... I do know after I switched him over to can food, and on insulin he stopped pulling it out?! He does clean hisself alot more now, so, I notice the hair balls more..he used to never hack them up...I guess when he was feeling bad he did not take care of himself, as far as cleaning and licking his fur..I would wipe him down , brush him etc... thats also when he had that dry scaly skin on his back... All of that is gone now! :-D Po does not have any fleas, but I am going to keep my eyes on him closely..if and when he may get any, I am going to see how he acts.. He is on a flea pill now. As of now, Po eats only the fancy feast small cans (chicken) he loves! I really want to stock up on another brand (bigger can) of chicken, low carb..food.. These 50-60cent small cans are getting pricey! LOL, Especially when he is a piggy! I told him yesterday he needed to go outside and "SUN" for a little while, HE was not hungry, I was just in the kitchen alot and he THOUGHT he was hungry! HAHA- Mind over matter! My hubby laughed at me..... He had already ate, so when I put him on the front porch, he went right over to his comfy spot and took a nappy! Bless his heart.... It is amazing how much he has improved over these last few months, breaks my heart when I think back on how he was and how sick he was, I hope we can keep him as healthy as he can be.. Thank You for your help, It means so much too me. Pam



Lana & Yoyo said:
Hi Pam,

Pam & Po-Kitty said:
peeing excessive as well.. then started pulling his hair out, I thought
it was odd, mentioned to vet,
Click to expand...

In another post, it sounded like the hair pulling had resolved itself. In any case, hair pulling is not a symptom of diabetes.

Pam & Po-Kitty said:
I was reading a few minutes ago..when po started throwing up.. Not a whole bunch, but enough to scare me.. he hardly ever throws up.. maybe he got too hot outside, or ate too much..??!! I know it could be a bad sign....he went to the bathroom, and walking around.. then threw up again
Click to expand...

I am also wondering if the throwing up was just a one-time thing -- I know that you said he had not done that before, but was wondering if the problem has passed.

My cat, Yoyo, has always thrown up. About a year ago, he started pulling out his hair. He has developed a severe flea allergy. People on this board who had cats with food allergies urged me to not feed anything with wheat gluten in it. Other people had cats allergic to beef. I stopped feeding anything that had either of those things in it. After much effort, I finally got the flea allergy under control. The hair pulling stopped. The throwing up stopped. I again started feeding Fancy feast beef and the "roasted" and "chunky" varieties which are low-carb but do contain wheat gluten. The the hair pulling started again - so I realized that it was not just flea allergy but food allergies as well. I stopped feeding beef and anything with wheat gluten and the scratching and hair pulling stopped once more. I suspect it is the wheat gluten rather than the beef that is the culprit but I will wait awhile to test that out.

So, at any rate, this is just something for you to be aware of if you have chronic hair pulling or vomiting problems, now or in the future.

Lana
Click to expand...
 
Julia & Bandit said:
I just wanted to say welcome, Pam! Po-kitty is definitely a handsome boy!

You can make your own kitty treats with the venison and the dehydrator, no problem! I feed Bandit freeze-dried chicken as treats that I pick up at Petsmart, so I think it's great you have that option.
Click to expand...



HEY JULIE!!!
Thanks, Yeah he is a handsome boy, SO is BANDIT!!! I just love love his picture!!!! I have a softspot for Siamese kitties! I am going to make some treats soon, and I will check out those other sites and maybe I can find some at petsmart etc, when I go hopefully this weekend..
I do miss Po's light grey/white color he used to have, but as he got a little older, which he is not old..his fur would get darker?! I used to think because he did not get out in the sun as much, that he started turning a dark color..lol, and as he would lose or pull his hair out, it grew back dark.. ): But, I still love him!

I need to post a picture of him when he was a little baby, Only a mama would think he was cute! Bless his heart. I started a long time ago with a little bobtail siamese, then years later when we lost her... I found a scruffy long hair siamese kitty at daycare, just wandering around- really skinny, she meowed at me, and thats all it took! LOL, HEr name was sassy, she was up in age a little, She was Po's Grandma (aka G-MA) haha, Sassy had a little, and I kept a female siamese who we named Mia, She was a great kitty too.. a funny girl, When she had her first litter, (out in the barn- in the hay) she was a great mommy, but after a few weeks..when the babies started moving around, Our lab decided he wanted to pick them up and tote them around (Uggg, which we know was not a good idea) He really did not want to hurt them, u know how some dogs are....He had picked up PO, a couple times..So I brought him inside (scared he was hurt) and thats how I became his MOMMY! I locked the lab up, until kittys got older and they were given to friends and family.. I did have three generations of Siamese kittys, We lost Grandma Sassy first of the year, due to old age.. I do miss her, a very sweet loving girl.. and then a few months after that, a dang stray birddog had showed up at our house and before we could take it to a guy who wanted him, (that weekend) him and Mia got into a fight, I believe over food.. (she just did not like any other dog in her yard or near food) and I found her in the yard... I was pissed and very upset.. needless to say, the dog left that day. You never know what could happen,we live in the country and have alot of land.. u would think everyone is safe out here, but seems like we have to take precautions... Thanks again, for your help and kind words! Means the world to me! Have a great day today! Pam
 
Hillary & Maui said:
actually you can give him crunchy treats.

here is a link to an entire list of diabetic friendly treats:

viewtopi ... =14&t=9172

In addition, Stella & Chewy's just came out with a crunchy food. While this is intended to be rehydrated, you can use it as treats instead and it's got that bit of crunch happening too, if you serve it dry. I'm serving it both ways.

http://www.stellaandchewys.com/cat-products.php
Click to expand...


Hey Hillary, I am going to check these sites out! Po defiantly misses his CRUNCHY YUM YUMS! HAHA cat_pet_icon Have a Great Day! Pam
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top