I'm losing my mind...

[Danielle Hrubiak]

I have so much of the unknown racing through my mind. So many questions about everything and anything... Questions I can't even think of or get into words. I just need to know everything as I know nothing...

To start with...I have 2 cats (1 being a sugarbaby) who will eat anything...and 2 who are refusing timed meals, wet food, and now any food at any time besides a tiny nibbling. The 2 boycotters are not taking in nearly enough calories as they should be. And it's making me very paranoid. Did I create some type of food aversion by trying to do the twice a day meals and switching to wet from dry?
They both could lose a few lbs so I'm not worried they will become emaciated, but I know they need the calories for normal function. How long can I allow them to not eat?
I've tried a few different flavors, brands and even chunks vs pâté? Ive offered their old blue buffalo as well as a new dry food i received a small sample of.
I'm going crazy here...

They've all decreased water consumption too, ESP my diabetic cat and I haven't noticed her potty much (I was just able to slide a urine stick under her -as it was the first time i witnessed her potty in days -and it appears to be negative for ketones which she tested positive for the other day). They all haven't been pooping normally either. Ive noticed much less in the boxes and the ones in there are much harder and skinnier than normal. Does wet food harden their stool at all? I always thought it made it softer? And could it be constipating them? I'm losing my mind here, honestly.

I need to get them all eating a good diet and enough calories. I currently have Fancy Feast Classics because I had changed from dry to wet on a whim and didn't have time to research a good canned food. Can anyone help suggest a good low carb canned food? Preferably non fish and not too too costly. And maybe without by-products?

And what phosphorus, ash, fiber, fat etc max % should I be getting? There's so much that goes into making decisions about this stuff it is really stressing me out. How many calories per lb of cat is the usual? I've read many differing opinions. According to the one chart, the FF is slightly over 90 calories per can. Is 2 cans enough per day for a 14 lb girl who is overweight (non diabetic) so she can start losing weight? The can says to feed 3 oz per 3 lbs?! I don't want to starve her?!

Gosh, it was so easy to full bowls of Blue Buffalo dry food and watch them all eat as they wanted and be merry with full bellies. They've always had great coats, they have good stool and no issues with UTI's... Now I feel like I'm going to mess them up by changing their diets.

 

[BJM]

When you change to wet food, the water consumption goes down because the food has the water. Cats evolved in a desert environment, so this was normally how they got most of their water intake.
I let my cats graze - the food gets put down about twice a day and they nibble.
So long as they are eating, they are OK. If 2 or more days go by with no food, then a vet visit is in order.
For info on safe weight loss, pop over to Cat Info's section on obesity.

 

[Danielle Hrubiak]

I soooo wish I could leave the wet food down, as I've always free fed them dry. But I have a chunky monkey who eats every last bit of wet in sight and tries to steal out of the other bowls. My other 3 cats would be left with nothing. :-(

I really need to figure something out though so I don't fail them all...

Can you possibly explain to me in the simplest way possible why my vet said to only feed twice daily at insulin times as feeding any other time will spike her BG reading and alter her curve. I think I understand bits and pieces of the concept but the puzzle isn't fitting together perfectly. I don't understand why so many allow small meals or for ther cats to graze yet she's so set on only feed twice? Sorry if I sound like an idiot. This is all so new to me. I've never known much about diabetics besides they get insulin. According to the vet, all I'm supposed to be doing so far is giving meals twice and 1u at each meal. She goes in for her curve test Monday. With my small meals, is that going to affect the insulin dosage that the vet gives me if shes assuming I'm only feeding twice? Is it important i tell her I want to feed at least 3 times per day? Maybe I should set a consult appt with her so I can fully learn all the dos and donts and why and why nots... You guys all probably think I'm looney for my thousand and one questions, so I do apologize.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Here are some Tips on Transitioning from Dry to canned

Some things we suggest are getting some FortiFlora and sprinkling it on....it contains the same kind of animal digest that is sprayed on kibble to make it so irresistible to our cats.

Crush some of their dry food and sprinkle on the wet

Parmesan Cheese

Catnip

There's some other ideas but I'll have to see if I can find them (if someone doesn't beat me to it) but I have to go take my 85 year old mom to the hair salon now.

Here's a Food Chart that has most foods available and the breakdown of the nutrients...You want to stick to under 10% carbs (column C) due to the diabetic, but maybe you can find something else you like...and the cats will accept!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Vets can't stay up to date on the latest treatments and have been used to using insulins like Vetsulin for years....it's fast acting and it's very important when using that insulin that they eat when they get the shot because it hits hard and fast.....but it also wears off sooner than the better insulins, so if you feed again later, there's nothing to "fight" against the carbs in the extra food...so they only want you feeding twice a day

Newer research shows smaller meals is easier on the pancreas (doesn't have to work as hard to try to overcome a huge meal) and the longer lasting insulins help control the BG longer too. Even then, a lot of us will try to get most of their food in the first 6 hours of the cycle, just because the insulin is naturally wearing off in the last half of the cycle....but it really depends on the cat....some can eat right up until +10 without problems

 

[BJM]

Why the vet said that - chances are good that vet has experience with shorter acting insulins such as NPH or Caninsulin. If you feed after the nadir for those, the glucose spikes like a rocket ship escaping orbit. They nadir in the +3 to +4 period.
With the longer acting insulins, the onset is gentle, the nadir is often around +5 to +7, and the wearing off is slow, so grazing or feeding mini-meals slowly feeds in the food to match up with the insulin.