How often should my cat eat?

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Audrey and Thor

Member Since 2020
I’m still trying to digest all of the information and do what’s best for my cat. Should he really only eat after his insulin shots twice a day? He has been on ProZinc for two weeks.
 
We recommend you feed your cat before every shot and then a couple of times during each cycle .... say at +2 and +4 OR +2 and +5. Do this for the day and night cycles. A timed autofeeder is a great asset.

Are you feeding a low carb canned diet?
Are you home testing the blood glucose levels.
 
I have two other cats and I work 12 hour shifts so I’m gone for over 13 hours. I haven’t been able to successfully test yet. I’ve tried but could not get blood. He has been eating Purina DM canned and the dry is out for all of them. One of my other cats will eat all of the canned food if left unattended
 
Here is a link for helpful hints on home testing.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Are you warming the ears first with some rice in a sock?
What size lancets are you using? It is best to start off with size 26 or 28
Try massaging the ear up towards the tip before trying for blood.

Yes it is more difficult if you have other cats!
If you got a microchipped autofeeder (where only your FD kitty could eat from, do you think that would work with the cat who likes to eat all the cannned food?
The Purina dry is 13% carbs which is really too high to be feeding an FD kitty on a regular basis, but I can see your problem.
There are two dry foods that are low carb on the market. I don't live in the US so I will ask @Chris & China (GA) for that information. However, if you do decide to get the lower carb dry food, you would need to be testing first before swapping over because lower carb food will/can drop the BG levels significantly and unless you are testing the BGs you would be risking a hypo.
Keep asking questions...we are happy to help
 
Yes I know which dry foods are the low carb but I need to get him regulated on what he’s eating and master testing at home before any drastic diet changes. I’m new to all this and there is a lot of information however some of these articles are written 10 -15 years ago. Plus all of the acronyms are confusing to a new person
 
Hi Audrey and welcome. Would you share your cats name with us please?

When using Prozinc insulin, a cat needs to eat first before the insulin shot. Not after.
If your cat only eats after the insulin shot, and is not felling well, he may not eat. That is why it's better to feed a little bit before the insulin shot. Also, to make sure he does not throw up his food.

Is your cat a "gobbler" (eats really fast) or a "grazer" (eats slowly through out the day)?
There are multiple ways to feed a diabetic cat, and feed in a home with multiple pets.
This is a very small portion of one of the links Bron gave you:
"Feeding Schedules:
There is no "right" or "wrong" approach to feeding; rather it's a personal choice. Some people like to feed twice daily, with the shots. Others like to give several small meals during the day (and perhaps the night).

We would recommend that you base your feeding schedule on your own particular situation (whether you're able to be around to monitor BG or not, etc.) and your own cat's response to the insulin."

Does that help you at all? To know when to feed your diabetic cat?
 
Hi Audrey, I see you came over from our sister site on facebook. Which you joined only a couple of days ago.
Your cat's name is Thor. Is that you?

Deep breath, hold, release, deep breath, hold, release. Helps to relieve some of the stress and anxiety you must be feeling right now.

We'll help you all we can. There is a lot to learn.

Was there anything besides the feeding 2 times a day you needed help with?

p.s. You have to manually remove the lancet from the lancet device and put in a fresh lancet. Also, if you did not get blood with your first poke with the lancet device, you need to reset the lancet device so it will poke again. Like Henrika M. told you over on your facebook post.
 
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