How to make cats stop begging for food? And other questions

[Sparrow]

Hey all,

I posted in this forum a few months back when my boy Disco was diagnosed with diabetes, and recieved a lot of helpful advice and support. So thank you again for that

I'd also like to apologize that I haven't filled out the info sheet or what have you on my cat. My life is hectic and miserable a lot of the time and mental health wise I've barely been able to even stay in contact with friends and family. I'm hoping I can still get some advice on an issue that's arisen as we (Disco -10M with feline diabetes-, Bunny -8F with feline idiopathic cystitis- and myself) are adjusting to our new lifestyle.

I've made a few changes based on the advice given here and of course have my vets support as well. The first change was switching off of Caninsulin and onto Lantus pens. It has so far been a majorly beneficial change.

I got a pet glucometer (PetControl HQ is the one I like best, and has the most affordable test strips where I'm from), back when he was on Caninsulin he was literally never under 23 mmol/l any time I did a curve day or even a random test. Within a week of being on Lantus, his sugars have steadily been decreasing, the most recent test coming up at only 11.9 mmol/dl which is HUGE progress. The pen tips are also literally half the cost of his old needles and so much easier for both of us to use.

Now while the Lantus has obviously been a huge positive contribution, I feel like this next change was the one that really cinched it, and that was to take him (and his sister) off dry food.

My cats have had either dry free feed OR dry free feed with supplemental wet food, their entire lives. So now I find myself in a situation where even after being on wet food 2 times a day, they will not leave me alone. Almost every time I walk in the door, get up to use the bathroom, get up to make myself a tea, literally anything, they are there causing me to trip over them, meowing incessantly, and acting like they're famished. It's actually made me cry because this whole thing has been so stressful and I've been having a hard enough time handling all the changes but now I have two cats who wake me up every morning, or won't let me go to sleep, because they want food.

I've thought about buying some freeze dried food or even like a big bag of freeze dried dog treats (the ones that are just pieces of chicken) to portion into their automatic feeder so they feel like they're getting something during the day? But everything seems so expensive and I already spend over $50 a month on their wet food. I'm struggling financially and I'm just trying to figure all of this out.

Right now my cats have a half a can each of Friskies wet food, 2 times a day. Disco gets his insulin 2 times daily too, around the time he eats.

If anyone has any advice or tips about my situation that would help make things easier for us, we would all appreciate it so much. Disco and Bunny say thanks too

 

[April & Quincy]

Hey all,

I posted in this forum a few months back when my boy Disco was diagnosed with diabetes, and recieved a lot of helpful advice and support. So thank you again for that

I'd also like to apologize that I haven't filled out the info sheet or what have you on my cat. My life is hectic and miserable a lot of the time and mental health wise I've barely been able to even stay in contact with friends and family. I'm hoping I can still get some advice on an issue that's arisen as we (Disco -10M with feline diabetes-, Bunny -8F with feline idiopathic cystitis- and myself) are adjusting to our new lifestyle.

I've made a few changes based on the advice given here and of course have my vets support as well. The first change was switching off of Caninsulin and onto Lantus pens. It has so far been a majorly beneficial change.

I got a pet glucometer (PetControl HQ is the one I like best, and has the most affordable test strips where I'm from), back when he was on Caninsulin he was literally never under 23 mmol/l any time I did a curve day or even a random test. Within a week of being on Lantus, his sugars have steadily been decreasing, the most recent test coming up at only 11.9 mmol/dl which is HUGE progress. The pen tips are also literally half the cost of his old needles and so much easier for both of us to use.

Now while the Lantus has obviously been a huge positive contribution, I feel like this next change was the one that really cinched it, and that was to take him (and his sister) off dry food.

My cats have had either dry free feed OR dry free feed with supplemental wet food, their entire lives. So now I find myself in a situation where even after being on wet food 2 times a day, they will not leave me alone. Almost every time I walk in the door, get up to use the bathroom, get up to make myself a tea, literally anything, they are there causing me to trip over them, meowing incessantly, and acting like they're famished. It's actually made me cry because this whole thing has been so stressful and I've been having a hard enough time handling all the changes but now I have two cats who wake me up every morning, or won't let me go to sleep, because they want food.

I've thought about buying some freeze dried food or even like a big bag of freeze dried dog treats (the ones that are just pieces of chicken) to portion into their automatic feeder so they feel like they're getting something during the day? But everything seems so expensive and I already spend over $50 a month on their wet food. I'm struggling financially and I'm just trying to figure all of this out.

Right now my cats have a half a can each of Friskies wet food, 2 times a day. Disco gets his insulin 2 times daily too, around the time he eats.

If anyone has any advice or tips about my situation that would help make things easier for us, we would all appreciate it so much. Disco and Bunny say thanks too

A couple things...how big are the cans? Half a can can be pretty little depending on the can size. Second, most members here feed their cats multiple meals a day because it's better on the pancreas. More members will chime in but I'd feed them more!

 

[Sparrow]

A couple things...how big are the cans? Half a can can be pretty little depending on the can size. Second, most members here feed their cats multiple meals a day because it's better on the pancreas. More members will chime in but I'd feed them more!

One of my cats is 5 lbs, the other is 8. I thought I'd mention it because they're both a healthy weight, one is actually a tiny bit plump (Bunny). I feed them Friskies Paté, they each get a full can a day which is what it say to feed them based on their weight. They used to get 2 cans a day each when I was feeding them fancy feast because those cans are literally half the size but they seem to like this food better.

I also don't have the luxury of being home at all times to feed my cats multiple times a day (besides the two times I already do) since I work constantly to make ends meet.

 

[April & Quincy]

One of my cats is 5 lbs, the other is 8. I thought I'd mention it because they're both a healthy weight, one is actually a tiny bit plump (Bunny). I feed them Friskies Paté, they each get a full can a day which is what it say to feed them based on their weight. They used to get 2 cans a day each when I was feeding them fancy feast because those cans are literally half the size but they seem to like this food better.

I also don't have the luxury of being home at all times to feed my cats multiple times a day (besides the two times I already do) since I work constantly to make ends meet.

So are the cans 5.5 ounces? I feed Fancy Feast but my cans are smaller than that, as you stated.

Not many of us have the luxury of staying home. I know I don't. I am gone for 9 or ten hours, so I have an automatic feeder. This could help you feed them when you're gone. I use one, even with the wet food.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

What can be of major help if you're gone from home for long stretches is a timed feeder. This is particularly useful for a diabetic cat so that food can be available during the active part of the cycle.

One thought -- what's your cat's blood glucose level when you get home? Cats will come looking for food if their BG levels are dropping or low. Just like humans who are experiencing a low blood glucose level, your cat may need to eat.

The canned food is typically lower in calories than dry food. It may be that you need to figure out how many calories you were feeding your cat before and give the same amount of calories of canned food.

A word about using the pen tips on the Lantus pen.... We recommend using a syringe. The pens only dispense insulin in 1.0u amounts. We make dose adjustments in 0.25u increments. You could easily cause a hypoglycemic event by increasing the dose by 1.0u, especially if you're not home during the day. In addition, you are constantly losing insulin every time you prime the pen. It's not terribly economical. You can by u100 syringes online (e.g., ADW is one good source). They are inexpensive. You want U-100 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings.

Since you switched over to Lantus, if you've not already done so, you may want to take a look at the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus board. There is (literally) a ton of information in those sticky notes including information on how Lantus works, dosing methods and much more.