I think the food issue is going to drive me to drinking.

[FurBabiesMama]

Hi. Tomorrow will be two weeks since my Mia was diagnosed. I am exhausted over worrying about her and my other baby, Willow (15 yrs old), and the primary cause of it is the food situation. They were used to free feeding on dry food. They eat a few bites then maybe a few hours later eat a few more, and so on throughout the day and night. They also like to eat together - one will go get the other, they will walk to the food together and put their little heads in there side-by-side. (Very precious!) So, right from the start I was concerned about disrupting things. For one thing, I do not want to risk causing my older cat any health issues due to messing with her food and her no longer eating enough, or having her turn out to be allergic to something. (I know she is allergic to turkey, and she also has the sneezing kind of allergies to things in the air.)

Initially, the vet gave me Hill's dry m/d and told me to feed them twice a day. I asked about wet food (not even sure what prompted me to since I never fed them wet before, and I had not yet researched it) so she also gave me two cans of m/d wet and said I could use either. The first evening, I gave them the dry food. Then I started my research and decided to go with the wet. I went with two set feeding times at 6am and 6pm. I started with the two cans of Hill's m/d that the vet gave me, then I started purchasing various other kinds of wet food from a list I made from the one on catinfo.org. (All of the ones I have gotten are under 5% carbs.) Right away, they started crying at about 4am wanting food, and again at mid-day. After about three days of that, I decided that they needed food available to them at all times. So, I started leaving wet food out for them, but they just did not want it and were not eating enough, so I started adding some of the dry at the set feeding times. I would add it in the wet hoping that they would end up eating more of the wet, too. I would start out feeding them in separate places until I was sure Mia has eaten enough to have her shot, then I would consolidate the food and let them eat together. Still, they were just not eating enough. I thought I would find some foods that they really liked and could settle into buying those, but no. Even if I try something, and they seem to love it the first time, they might not even lick it the second time. I have been throwing out a ridiculous amount of wet foot.

I reached the conclusion that 1) I am going to let them have food available 24/7 (in addition to the two set feeding times for the shots) and 2) dry food is going to continue to be part of their diet (I know, I know.. but the ideal is just not working in this reality). So, I ordered Young Again Zero Mature to have available for them all the time while I continue to give them wet food for the two meal times. (Though Young Again's instructions say to feed only their food.) Now, though, they are eating even less of the wet food. I do not know whether that is a big deal since they seem to be eating an appropriate amount of the dry, but it concerns me since wet is supposed to be the best way to go.

Mia's first follow up with the vet is tomorrow morning. The vet called me yesterday, and I mentioned the food challenges and what I am doing. She called me back today and told me she did research and spoke with the other three vets there, and they all agree that they do NOT recommend feeding Young Again. Her reason was that it has not gone through clinical trials and is not vet-backed. They want me to change to free feeding the Hill's dry m/d (18% carbs, guys.. 18%!!!) and to give just a couple of bites of the Hill's wet m/d wet (I think it is 13%!) or another wet food of my choice for shot time. She said that is not ideal and may lessen Mia's likelihood of going into remission, but it is the recommendation if the set meal time feeding only will not work for us.

I am tired. I am worried. I am confused. I do not know what sources to trust. I am sorry this got so very very long and bless anyone who actually reads it all. I do not even know what I expect from you other than maybe just moral support.

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

At various times, I thought I should get a bar fridge exclusively for the crazy amount of opened and not eaten cans of wet food. Fortunately, most times I had a feral waiting on the front porch, happy to oblige.

"Vet-backed" just means that Young Again has not forked out a lot of money for a seminar or had sales people make informational sales calls like the prescription food companies do. It's like "9 out of 10 dentists approve ..."

You could try grinding up some of their most liked kibble and sprinkling it on the wet as a topper.

 

[JanetNJ]

Hi. Tomorrow will be two weeks since my Mia was diagnosed. I am exhausted over worrying about her and my other baby, Willow (15 yrs old), and the primary cause of it is the food situation. They were used to free feeding on dry food. They eat a few bites then maybe a few hours later eat a few more, and so on throughout the day and night. They also like to eat together - one will go get the other, they will walk to the food together and put their little heads in there side-by-side. (Very precious!) So, right from the start I was concerned about disrupting things. For one thing, I do not want to risk causing my older cat any health issues due to messing with her food and her no longer eating enough, or having her turn out to be allergic to something. (I know she is allergic to turkey, and she also has the sneezing kind of allergies to things in the air.)

Initially, the vet gave me Hill's dry m/d and told me to feed them twice a day. I asked about wet food (not even sure what prompted me to since I never fed them wet before, and I had not yet researched it) so she also gave me two cans of m/d wet and said I could use either. The first evening, I gave them the dry food. Then I started my research and decided to go with the wet. I went with two set feeding times at 6am and 6pm. I started with the two cans of Hill's m/d that the vet gave me, then I started purchasing various other kinds of wet food from a list I made from the one on catinfo.org. (All of the ones I have gotten are under 5% carbs.) Right away, they started crying at about 4am wanting food, and again at mid-day. After about three days of that, I decided that they needed food available to them at all times. So, I started leaving wet food out for them, but they just did not want it and were not eating enough, so I started adding some of the dry at the set feeding times. I would add it in the wet hoping that they would end up eating more of the wet, too. I would start out feeding them in separate places until I was sure Mia has eaten enough to have her shot, then I would consolidate the food and let them eat together. Still, they were just not eating enough. I thought I would find some foods that they really liked and could settle into buying those, but no. Even if I try something, and they seem to love it the first time, they might not even lick it the second time. I have been throwing out a ridiculous amount of wet foot.

I reached the conclusion that 1) I am going to let them have food available 24/7 (in addition to the two set feeding times for the shots) and 2) dry food is going to continue to be part of their diet (I know, I know.. but the ideal is just not working in this reality). So, I ordered Young Again Zero Mature to have available for them all the time while I continue to give them wet food for the two meal times. (Though Young Again's instructions say to feed only their food.) Now, though, they are eating even less of the wet food. I do not know whether that is a big deal since they seem to be eating an appropriate amount of the dry, but it concerns me since wet is supposed to be the best way to go.

Mia's first follow up with the vet is tomorrow morning. The vet called me yesterday, and I mentioned the food challenges and what I am doing. She called me back today and told me she did research and spoke with the other three vets there, and they all agree that they do NOT recommend feeding Young Again. Her reason was that it has not gone through clinical trials and is not vet-backed. They want me to change to free feeding the Hill's dry m/d (18% carbs, guys.. 18%!!!) and to give just a couple of bites of the Hill's wet m/d wet (I think it is 13%!) or another wet food of my choice for shot time. She said that is not ideal and may lessen Mia's likelihood of going into remission, but it is the recommendation if the set meal time feeding only will not work for us.

I am tired. I am worried. I am confused. I do not know what sources to trust. I am sorry this got so very very long and bless anyone who actually reads it all. I do not even know what I expect from you other than maybe just moral support.

I feed wet twice a day and leave Young again and dr elseys clean protein out all the time to free feed on. I actually credit the young again food with helping get my cat into remission.

Look at my spreadsheet and I marked where I started feeding the young again... Just a few weeks later and amazing change.

 

[Squalliesmom]

Lots of people here have used YAZC with good results. I like to keep it on hand; I turn it into a powder and use as a topping for my picky eaters. Vets actually get very little training in feline nutrition, so don't let you vet scare you away from it! The Hill's is not a good food, it's mostly cellulose and nothing about it is "prescription" like the manufacturers want you to believe. It's basically over-priced cardboard.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

I feed wet twice a day and leave Young again and dr elseys clean protein out all the time to free feed on.

Janet, how much wet food does she actually eat in a day? (The spreadsheet mentions you giving 1/4 can at shot time after you started YA.) And, how much YA would you say she eats in a day? Between my two, they are consistently eating 2/3 cup a day of the YA and very little wet food. I have not measured what I throw away, but it is the majority of what I give them. Maybe I need to start measuring it. (Mia currently weighs 10 lbs though she should be more like 13 or so; Willow is about 10 lbs.)

 

[Wesley and Spicoli]

Oh gosh I have had the same food problems. My sugar kitty is extremely picky and twice a day feeding just didn't work for him, me or the other cats. Like Squallie's mom mentioned Young Again Zero Carb is a dry food you could leave out. There's also EVO, and another I've seen mentioned lately. Maybe Dr. Elsey's?
While these are dry food, they are a nice free feeding option.
As far as the wet food goes, it's just trial and error. Like now I know no matter what brand Spicoli won't touch venison.
I've had great luck with the blue wilderness duck and slamon and halo impulse rabbit and quail.

Just make sure the free feed is up and Mia doesn't eat within 2 hrs of her preshot test.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

I spit out my water when I read that title.

There is a lady at my work- I keep her cat feed with what I have gone through with Jones. And just when I get it so he likes something and I buy a bunch....wham...out the window.

I have actually started making home cooked food from the recipe on the TC Feline site. Still working on the texture thing, but for the most part a pass. I add it into the bought food

For Jones and his 3 civvie sisters - I ended up getting the Sure Flap feeders. I could leave it out all day and Jones could graze to his heart content without the two other hoovers getting into it. It seals the dish, so keeps the food fresh and it doesn't dry. The only issue is that it doesn't have a cooler pack to keep things cold. I have found I throw out less food that way. Saved my bacon as he didn't want to eat alone (as he never had) and keeps the food out for him to graze on (as he always was a grazer).

 

[JanetNJ]

Janet, how much wet food does she actually eat in a day? (The spreadsheet mentions you giving 1/4 can at shot time after you started YA.) And, how much YA would you say she eats in a day? Between my two, they are consistently eating 2/3 cup a day of the YA and very little wet food. I have not measured what I throw away, but it is the majority of what I give them. Maybe I need to start measuring it. (Mia currently weighs 10 lbs though she should be more like 13 or so; Willow is about 10 lbs.)

I guess she eats 1/2-3/4 of a fancy feast morning and night. She's never been a wet food lover. Much prefers dry. She weighs about 16.5 lbs.

 

[Djamila]

I don't feed my cats dry food because of the other health issues connected to it, but let me tell you, it was a struggle to end the kibble addiction around here! At one point I was pretty sure Sam was going to eat me as a consequence for withholding his beloved kibble! I actually went through a very slow process of weening him from it - I didn't try to drop it cold turkey - but we did eventually get him transitioned. Although yes, there was some drinking involved!

Have you heard about Fortiflora yet? Sprinkling that on top of the pate foods makes them much more palatable to cats who don't like wet food.

I free feed both of my cats with wet food (both canned and raw) and leave it out for them from one feeding to the next. I do live in a cooler climate, so that helps, but I've never had a problem with leaving the wet food out for them.

When I'm gone overnight for some reason, I freeze food, and then put it in the timed feeder (six sections that rotate), set the timed feeder on top of an XL ice pack, wrap the top and sides with other ice packs, and the food stays cool and safe for 24 hours. There are ways to manage with just wet food (once you get through the transition phase). Although I'll admit it's more work than the old days when I could just pour a bunch of kibble in a bowl and walk out the door.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Have you heard about Fortiflora yet? Sprinkling that on top of the pate foods makes them much more palatable to cats who don't like wet food.

I have not heard of that. I will check it out. Thanks!

 

[Djamila]

https://www.amazon.com/Purina-Forti...ment/dp/B001650OE0/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

It comes with 30 little packets. If you use it as a probiotic, it takes one packet/day, but if you're just using it as a flavor enhancer to get your kitty to eat, one packet can last anywhere from several days to a week, depending on how much kitty needs to be enticed.

 

[JanetNJ]

I don't feed my cats dry food because of the other health issues connected to it, but let me tell you, it was a struggle to end the kibble addiction around here! At one point I was pretty sure Sam was going to eat me as a consequence for withholding his beloved kibble! I actually went through a very slow process of weening him from it - I didn't try to drop it cold turkey - but we did eventually get him transitioned. Although yes, there was some drinking involved!

Have you heard about Fortiflora yet? Sprinkling that on top of the pate foods makes them much more palatable to cats who don't like wet food.

I free feed both of my cats with wet food (both canned and raw) and leave it out for them from one feeding to the next. I do live in a cooler climate, so that helps, but I've never had a problem with leaving the wet food out for them.

When I'm gone overnight for some reason, I freeze food, and then put it in the timed feeder (six sections that rotate), set the timed feeder on top of an XL ice pack, wrap the top and sides with other ice packs, and the food stays cool and safe for 24 hours. There are ways to manage with just wet food (once you get through the transition phase). Although I'll admit it's more work than the old days when I could just pour a bunch of kibble in a bowl and walk out the door.

Cc hates FortiFlora, but for my cat Julie who is under weight is the only way I can get her to eat.

 

[Squalliesmom]

Fortiflora was the only way I could get my tiny rescue Bengal to eat for almost a year! She's gotten very picky again lately, I may have to go back to using it.

Tip: If you leave wet food out during the day, adding a little bit of water helps keep it from drying up as much, and helps keep kitty hydrated, as well!

 

[Yong & Maury GA]

Tip: If you leave wet food out during the day, adding a little bit of water helps keep it from drying up as much, and helps keep kitty hydrated, as well!

Or an ice cube if they don't eat it all right away and you're leaving for work. Especially if you have some warmer temperatures like Lucy and I this week.

 

[Jennifer block]

WOW, I am glad I am not alone. Same thing happening in my house hold. It used to be homemade food twice a day, and then Merricks Grain Free Limited ingredient kibble (half of handful) at bedtime (for us). So when we had our last visit, I took him off the kibble. And that was when my sleepless nights begun. When I started him on his 2x a day feedings it wasn't as bad. He would wake us up between 3am - 4am, and I would just put him in his room and shut the door. (He has his litter box and a water jug bowl of water in there, with all his toys and his favorite chair and blankies, very kitty friendly) Then he figured out how to stick his paw under the door and because it was loose, he would shake the door back and forth making a loud banging noise. But by that time, it was time to wake up and feed him anyways.

Fast forward to the last week, I don't get much sleep and I drink a bottle of wine a night. The big bottle and sometimes the big box of it. I feel your pain. Is there an end in sight before I become a drunk??? I don't know.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Then he figured out how to stick his paw under the door and because it was loose, he would shake the door back and forth making a loud banging noise

I love that! They are smart little stinkers.

I drink a bottle of wine a night. The big bottle and sometimes the big box of it. I feel your pain. Is there an end in sight before I become a drunk??? I don't know.

This is hilarious.. thanks for the laugh. (Assuming it is a joke, otherwise, seek help now! haha)

 

[Phoebes (GA)]

The food the vets push on you is crap high carbs. They mark it way up because they get a portion of product sold. My vet told me that. Told me to try fancy feast, stay away from anything but classic pate no fish. Phoebe was a dry kibble addict before I learned how much better for her over all health is with wet. It took 6 months. 6 months of slowly introducing the wet with her dry. This was pre-diabetic. Thank goodness she finally gave up and ate the wet. Did not like the young again, but loved the clean protein from Dr. ELSEYS chicken dry. I gave sample as treatts for pills and shots and fluids. It will work be patient and hey cheers. Maybe a glass instead of a box.

 

[Olive & Paula]

I now the frustration. I've been trying to get my die hard kibble addict Tripper, switched over for 3+ years now. She will only lick Purina Smart blend beef wet. She now eats 1/4 of a 3 oz can per day. The other day she ate a 1/2 of the can. But then hubby came home and he constantly puts the dry down for her. All day long so she fills up on it. I switched to Dr Elseys clean protein dry so it's at least lower carb. None of my kitties like YA. My other civvie only eats Proplan beef and carrots wet food, occasionally the dry but doesn't not really eat much of it. PJ will eat anything right now and is always pushing the others away from theirs. She loves the dry. The 4 days hubby is away (works out of state) I can get them all on wet. It takes 1 day to get Tripper to eat each time and it's not enough but it's all wet food. Hubby also doesn't stick to the feeding times or the amounts given. So for 3 cats, he uses 6 bowls so I'm always washing and pushing bowls around. He always has multiple cans open. When I was trying different kinds of wet and they wouldn't eat it after a few days, I would freeze small portions. In a couple of weeks they will eat it as if it's a treat. I've never had to throw any out.

 

[Jennifer block]

I love that! They are smart little stinkers.


This is hilarious.. thanks for the laugh. (Assuming it is a joke, otherwise, seek help now! haha)

Its a joke, but a real joke. Lol we only buy the box on the weekends lol

Hes a stinker, i love him but hes a stinker.

The cutest is when we eat dinner at the table, he paws my elbow first & i tell him to go away (cause he just ate). The i see him pop up at hubbys side giving him the "dad, shes so mean" look.

 

[Squalliesmom]

Hes a stinker, i love him but hes a stinker.

The cutest is when we eat dinner at the table, he paws my elbow first & i tell him to go away (cause he just ate). The i see him pop up at hubbys side giving him the "dad, shes so mean" look.

My Bengal boy is a fried chicken fanatic! He used to try to snatch it out of my hand. Now he's learned to wait patiently till I finish "Mama's chickie", then it's time for "Khoji's chickie" (with the crispy skin removed, of course). He's really very good and polite about it, but his eyes never leave me the whole time I am eating, lol!

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Yesterday evening and this morning, Mia turned her nose up at her wet food. I offered her three different ones, all of which she has eaten before. This evening, she did the same, so I got a chicken breast from KFC and tore out and hand shredded some of the meat. She acted interested, or like she wanted to be interested, but she did not eat it. (The last time she was offered 'people' chicken, she went crazy and ate as much as I would give her.) This is so tiring! She is eating the Young Again dry food. Now, I am wondering if I am messing up by leaving that out. Maybe I need to take it up so she will be hungry enough to eat her shot meals.

 

[JanetNJ]

Yesterday evening and this morning, Mia turned her nose up at her wet food. I offered her three different ones, all of which she has eaten before. This evening, she did the same, so I got a chicken breast from KFC and tore out and hand shredded some of the meat. She acted interested, or like she wanted to be interested, but she did not eat it. (The last time she was offered 'people' chicken, she went crazy and ate as much as I would give her.) This is so tiring! She is eating the Young Again dry food. Now, I am wondering if I am messing up by leaving that out. Maybe I need to take it up so she will be hungry enough to eat her shot meals.

Eh as long as they are eating I wouldn't go nuts, but maybe put a few kibble on top of the wet to get them interested

 

[Sieden]

Hi. Tomorrow will be two weeks since my Mia was diagnosed. I am exhausted over worrying about her and my other baby, Willow (15 yrs old), and the primary cause of it is the food situation. They were used to free feeding on dry food. They eat a few bites then maybe a few hours later eat a few more, and so on throughout the day and night. They also like to eat together - one will go get the other, they will walk to the food together and put their little heads in there side-by-side. (Very precious!) So, right from the start I was concerned about disrupting things. For one thing, I do not want to risk causing my older cat any health issues due to messing with her food and her no longer eating enough, or having her turn out to be allergic to something. (I know she is allergic to turkey, and she also has the sneezing kind of allergies to things in the air.)

Initially, the vet gave me Hill's dry m/d and told me to feed them twice a day. I asked about wet food (not even sure what prompted me to since I never fed them wet before, and I had not yet researched it) so she also gave me two cans of m/d wet and said I could use either. The first evening, I gave them the dry food. Then I started my research and decided to go with the wet. I went with two set feeding times at 6am and 6pm. I started with the two cans of Hill's m/d that the vet gave me, then I started purchasing various other kinds of wet food from a list I made from the one on catinfo.org. (All of the ones I have gotten are under 5% carbs.) Right away, they started crying at about 4am wanting food, and again at mid-day. After about three days of that, I decided that they needed food available to them at all times. So, I started leaving wet food out for them, but they just did not want it and were not eating enough, so I started adding some of the dry at the set feeding times. I would add it in the wet hoping that they would end up eating more of the wet, too. I would start out feeding them in separate places until I was sure Mia has eaten enough to have her shot, then I would consolidate the food and let them eat together. Still, they were just not eating enough. I thought I would find some foods that they really liked and could settle into buying those, but no. Even if I try something, and they seem to love it the first time, they might not even lick it the second time. I have been throwing out a ridiculous amount of wet foot.

I reached the conclusion that 1) I am going to let them have food available 24/7 (in addition to the two set feeding times for the shots) and 2) dry food is going to continue to be part of their diet (I know, I know.. but the ideal is just not working in this reality). So, I ordered Young Again Zero Mature to have available for them all the time while I continue to give them wet food for the two meal times. (Though Young Again's instructions say to feed only their food.) Now, though, they are eating even less of the wet food. I do not know whether that is a big deal since they seem to be eating an appropriate amount of the dry, but it concerns me since wet is supposed to be the best way to go.

Mia's first follow up with the vet is tomorrow morning. The vet called me yesterday, and I mentioned the food challenges and what I am doing. She called me back today and told me she did research and spoke with the other three vets there, and they all agree that they do NOT recommend feeding Young Again. Her reason was that it has not gone through clinical trials and is not vet-backed. They want me to change to free feeding the Hill's dry m/d (18% carbs, guys.. 18%!!!) and to give just a couple of bites of the Hill's wet m/d wet (I think it is 13%!) or another wet food of my choice for shot time. She said that is not ideal and may lessen Mia's likelihood of going into remission, but it is the recommendation if the set meal time feeding only will not work for us.

I am tired. I am worried. I am confused. I do not know what sources to trust. I am sorry this got so very very long and bless anyone who actually reads it all. I do not even know what I expect from you other than maybe just moral support.

I suggest finding ONE canned food that they did eat and sticking with that one, don't switch it up. You have to stick to your guns on this, trust me. If you are constantly trying a new flavor then they pretty much have you by the horns and you are not winning, let me tell you. Once you get a wet food that you can live with, sprinkle some freeze dried chicken or fish on top of it, or you could top it with or mix in a little bit of tuna and then slowly reduce the amount. There is also another product called Bonito flakes, it's just human grade shaved, dried fish flakes. They are delicious and cats go NUTS over them lol. They have a very strong odor too so the cats will pick up on quite easily, just crumple some up and put it on top of the canned food, that will surely work. You can order it from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Kaneso-Tokuy...akes/dp/B0052BGLMS/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

Also don't do any dried food at all because if you do then the cats will hold out and starve themselves until you put out the dried, if you leave dried food out then they will only eat the dried, if it's your mission to switch them to canned then follow what I said and you'll have them switched in no time because they will have no other choice but to eat or starve and they won't let themselves starve. When I switched my kids over, they refused to eat for 3 days, wouldn't even take a bite and I just told myself to be strong and that they would eventually eat and they did, now they are on 100% canned. You just have to have some tough love in the beginning. Adding these little treats to the food will ensure that you won't have to be as harsh as I was.