I'm a little worried.

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Josie728

Josie728

Member Since 2018
My cat Kevin started losing weight so we took him to the vet. The vet ran tests and told us that Kevin's number was 440, a little high. We made an appointment for 2 weeks later and I went home and picked up all the dry catfood. We have 4 cats. No more free feeding. We purchased a case of Purina Verterinary Diet's DM. Kevin would not touch it. Knowing that watching carbs was going to be critical, I fed him Gerber Baby Food, and the 3 girls were ok with the DM diet cat food. Kevin has never eaten canned cat food, and he will not touch the DM, either.

We went back to the vet 2 weeks later for more tests. Kevin's number dropped to the high 300s, but the vet felt diet alone wasn't going to be enough and prescribed insulin (2 tiny units at feeding times twice a day, 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.).

The vet told me I must feed him exactly the same food and amount and time every single day.

The issue is, Kevin does not like the same food day in and day out. I noted that all the Gerber baby foods have essentially the same ingredients (meat and broth) and about the same carb/calorie content. So I was feeding him only that, switching the flavor of the meat. Sometimes he will eat, sometimes he noses through the choices and doesn't eat. It really worries me. Do I have to feed him exactly the same amount? How am I going to manage this? His appetite ranges and I worry if he is getting enough, then he just stops eating.

This morning I panicked because I put out a jar of baby food, he took 2 bites and I thought he would eat so I injected him and he just... stopped. I changed flavors, trying to get him to eat just at least one jar's equivalent of food, but he just wouldn't. It really scared me. I chopped up an egg for him, I offered him DM, I put a little of every flavor of baby food out and he just listlessly didn't eat and I had injected two small units of insulin. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what to do.

Then I saw a can of Tuna fish on my fridge. He would never eat that before, but I had nothing to lose because the girls will eat it if he rejected it. But from the moment I got the can open he was all over me, and he ate 2/3rd of the can. I had to give some to the girls or they would have nudged him out of their way trying to get to it. Kevin ate that tuna fish like he was starving. I know that the fish is also a low carb choice....

But what about what the vet said about his eating exactly the same thing, only 2 times a day? I have the 2 times a day with injections part down, amid many feline protests, but the issue is Kevin will go hungry before he eats the same exact thing every day. He also will not eat if he is isolated, and only wants his food delivered in one spot. If one of the girls get close to him when he eats, he stands back and lets her eat his food. I know what you might be thinking, just let him starve and he'll get on board, right? Well, it's been two weeks of being scared, and I can't just not feed him if he has to have insulin.

Has anyone else had this issue? What did you do? What can you advise? This is far different than giving insulin to a dog. I really hope Kevin goes into remission. I'll continue a low carb diet for him, regardless, for the rest of all 4 of my cat's lives to treat and prevent diabetes. Unfortunately I was giving them all things like temptations and kibble and fancy feast. All that can easily be changed. But trying to manage a cat who is like this, and must have insulin is worrying me.

Thank you for reading me.
Thank you for advising.

Josie
 
Welcome! We can help! :) What insulin is your kitty getting? Do you test his blood glucose at home? If not and you're willing to learn it will be an enormous benefit in knowing what's happening and getting your kitty's BG under control.

Josie728 said:
Kevin has never eaten canned cat food, and he will not touch the DM, either.
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Many people here feed Friskies or Fancy Feast pate versions instead of the prescription wet food. They are all under 10% carbs as fed which is what you want. You can also change flavours as needed. Many of us were told to feed only twice a day but we don't do that. Feeding several small meals a day is best. An autofeeder might be a good idea for you - the chip style that only opens for the kitty wearing a chip in a collar is a possibility. Gerber baby food is OK in the very short term to get you over a hump but it isn't nutritionally complete for cats in the longer term.

Re other kitties: the low carb wet food that's best for diabetics is good for all kitties.

Re treats: freeze dried plain meat or fish treats are good to use as a reward around testing BG and injecting insulin. Pure Bites is one readily available brand.

Josie728 said:
This is far different than giving insulin to a dog
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Managing diabetes in cats is completely different. They tend to be harder to regulate and they metabolize insulin quickly so they need twice a day dosing. Some insulins lack sufficient duration in them.
 
Thank you for responding!

I give him VetSulin. And yes, I am more than willing to learn to test his blood glucose, I had no idea this was an option? Next Monday he has to go to the vet all day to be BG tested, but I would welcome learning to do this. Do I talk to the vet about buying the tester? Can you tell me where to purchase?
 
Helpful info in here for testing BG at home: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Re meter: Vets generally want you to use a pet meter like the AlphaTrak 2 if you test at home because the results are closer to what they'd measure in clinic. The problem is that the test strips are very expensive (about $1 each) and not immediately available in a pinch (and "pinches" WILL happen!). Usually you have to order them online or buy from the vet. Most people use a human meter because the strips are cheaper and readily available. The Walmart ReliOn house brand is popular and two models, the Micro and the Confirm, take only a tiny blood drop to give a result. The strips cost about $30 per 100. The meters aren't very expensive either. If the vet insists on a pet meter, some people get one to do BG curves for the vet at home and they get a human meter for routine day to day use. NOTE: A human meter will read lower but we all understand those numbers here if you need help. The difference is greater at high BGs and quite a bit less at lower BGs.

Now, I'll overwhelm you with info. ;) This is a handout I made up for new members. Read it over and ask as many questions as you need to.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

It would help us if you set up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
  • click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
  • click on "signature" in the men that drops down
  • type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using /glucose meter you're using/what he eats/any other meds or health issues he has.
Another thing that will help us help you now that you've started BG testing at home is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. We can all see it and look at it before offering advice: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Here's the basic testing routine we recommend:
  1. test every day AM and PM before feeding and injecting (no food at least 2 hours before) to see if the planned dose is safe
  2. test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes
  3. do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture
  4. if indicated by consistently high numbers on your spreadsheet, increase the dose by no more than 0.25 u at a time so you don't accidentally go right past a good dose
  5. post here for advice whenever you're confused or unsure of what to do.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Here's an explanation of what we call "bouncing". It explains why a kitty's BG can go from low to sky high:
  1. BG goes low OR lower than usual OR drops too quickly.
  2. Kitty's body panics and thinks there's danger (OMG! My BG is too low!).
  3. Complex physiologic processes take glycogen stored in the liver (I think of it as "bounce fuel"), convert it to glucose and dump it into the bloodstream to counteract the perceived dangerously low BG.
  4. These processes go into overdrive in kitties who are bounce prone and keep the BG propped up varying lengths of time (AKA bouncing).
  5. Bounce prone kitty repeats this until his body learns that healthy low numbers are safe. Some kitties are slow learners.
  6. Too high a dose of insulin can keep them bouncing over and over until the " bounce fuel" runs out and they crash - ie., have a hypo episode. That's why we worry so much about kitties that have had too high a starting dose prescribed by the vet and the owner isn't home testing.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Here are some tips on how to do urine ketone testing (VERY important if BG is high and kitty isn't eating well!):
  • put the end of the test strip right in his urine stream as he's peeing
  • slip a shallow, long handled spoon under his backside to catch a little pee - you don't need much
  • put a double layer of plastic wrap over his favourite part of the litter box and poke some depressions in it too catch pee.
Most test strips have to be dipped and allowed to develop for 15 seconds before viewing the colour change in very good light.
 
Josie728 said:
Thank you for responding!

I give him VetSulin. And yes, I am more than willing to learn to test his blood glucose, I had no idea this was an option? Next Monday he has to go to the vet all day to be BG tested, but I would welcome learning to do this. Do I talk to the vet about buying the tester? Can you tell me where to purchase?
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Thankfully, Kris has you taken care of with the basics (she's awesome like that). Another positive with testing at home is you can do the curves at home instead of paying to do them at the vet. I've never had to bring my buddy Lou in for a curve and I'm so thankful for that!

Back to your original issue, I can totally commiserate!!! My buddy Lou ate the same dry food for YEARS before his diagnosis... I never had any issues with him. Once we switched him over to wet food, he's the pickiest guy on the planet, which is especially frustrating when you are dealing with a quicker acting insulin like Vetsulin (or a diabetic in general). I feed primarily Fancy Feast classics and the variety boxes are definitely my friend! We have a helpful food chart you can use to see what foods are low enough carbs for Kevin, located at http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/. Currently, I rotate through multiple flavors of Fancy Feast (9-11 depending on what's available), B.F.F food (4 flavors), and Sheba perfect portions (6 flavors). I know it sounds like overkill, but if I feed something too frequently, he'll turn his nose up. While I desperately wish I could just starve him into compliance, he's a diabetic, so he needs to eat (lucky jerk, hahaha). Hopefully you can find a few somethings that Kevin will enjoy!!!

PS - I can't wait to see a picture of Kevin!! I have my own black and white awesomely bicolored kitty and they're amazing!! :joyful:
 
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The vet told me I must feed him exactly the same food and amount and time every single day.

[/QUOTE]
I can't get my cats to eat the same food twice, except for the fancy feast seafood. I have a handful of different low carb ones on hand, and I switch it up every time.
 
[/QUOTE]
I can't get my cats to eat the same food twice, except for the fancy feast seafood. I have a handful of different low carb ones on hand, and I switch it up every time.[/QUOTE]


Thank you for that. Kevin has never ever eaten the same thing twice.... I think there are cats who do, but he isn't one of them.
 
Josie728 said:
The vet told me I must feed him exactly the same food and amount and time every single day.
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Unless Kevin has some other, underlying health issues, I don't see why this would be necessary! Most of us feed a variety of low-carb, canned paté, and most feed several small meals a day rather than one or two larger ones.

*A note regarding the baby food and tuna: baby food and tuna are missing certain vital nutrients that cats can't survive without. If you are going to feed these foods on a regular basis, please consult your vet or a nutritionist for information on supplementing Kevin's diet so he receives these nutrients. Also please check the ingredients on your tuna cans - some come with added onion and garlic seasoning in the water, a big no-no for kitties!
 
Hi Josie,

kitties can be quite fussy, especially when you take away the dry food they were used to:banghead:

After my kitty ( also called Josie..:cat: ) was diagnosed we went though several cat food brands until we found the ones she was happy to eat. It took a bit of time and patience but we got there. She has some phases when she refuses to eat her regular food, then we use the back up food choice temporarily or swap completely to another brand she likes.

Try to get Kevin to try cat food that says 'complete cat food' on the packaging as these will contain all the kitty nutrients he needs to have a healthy and balanced diet.
If I may say so ( unless there is an underlying illness that specifically requires it.. ) the Vet's prescription diet food is not the best choice due to poor quality high carb ingredients... Try to look for something that has a higher meat content, I believe there is a US cat food list with suitable brands with under 10% carbs content..

I can only join the others above in saying that it doesn't have to be exactly the same food. Vets advise this as it is easier to monitor BG if you stick to exactly the same food as various foods containing different amounts of carbs or sugar tend to muddle up the readings by fluctuating the numbers inconsistently.

From my experience as long as you keep the carb content fairly low, ideally under 10% - but the lower the better - I suppose it should be ok until you find the right ones..

Josie eats little and often, I just give her a small amount whenever she walks into the kitchen and asks for food. Also use a rotating timed feeder when we are out for the day.

I think most kitties prefer eating smaller more frequent meals, I believe it is also good for keeping their blood sugar levels more balanced throughout the day..

Really pleased to hear that you are willing to test at home, it is the best way to monitor his blood sugar levels and the only way to keep Kevin safe. You will know EXACTLY what's his blood sugar level right before injecting and decide whether it is safe to give him his insulin shot or not.

Good luck and ask away any questions you can think of, we are happy to help and to support you until you become a pro!:)
 
Just thought of one more thing, if you want to try out maybe you can steam some plain chicken turkey or occasionally fish fillet for him and use a kitty 'multivitamin' supplement alongside with them to compliment and balance his diet..?

One of the recommended supplements here in the UK is called Felini.

Here's the link if you want to read up more about it or what the ingredients are..

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/...v79zGv8VnkTsJZKNeC2nojnpjD0JYcSBoC36QQAvD_BwE
 
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