? Is the cat's blood glucose too low?

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HereKittyKittyKitty

HereKittyKittyKitty

Member Since 2016
The cat has been in remission and OTJ since August/September 2016 and his pre-feeding blood glucose ranges from 59-89. Nice, but he's slowly losing weight... has gone from 13 pounds to 10 pounds since August 2016. He gets a can of 9 Lives pate (chicken, turkey/giblets or liver/bacon) in the morning and another in the evening. He only eats 1/3 to 2/3 of each can even though I leave it out until the next meal, and even when a meal is delayed a few hours.

He complains a lot and I think he's telling me he's hungry (he may still miss the kibble). He uses the litter box fine (Carefree Kiity Premium Choice all natural litter) and hardly drinks any water (probably getting his water from the food) . But, he's 10 1/2, so maybe there's something else wrong with him. He doesn't seem to be in any pain and he acts normally.

So, do I get him a slightly higher carb food? Or try to feed him 3 times a day? I'd like to have this fixed before the annual vet visit because of the cost of tests and treatments (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr). And so the vet doesn't yell for not giving the cat insulin and not feeding him the expensive prescription food.

Thanks, in advance, for any help, suggestions, ideas, etc. ;-)
 
Why would your vet be crabby about NOT giving an OTJ cat insulin? You'll get better advice soon about food, and a lot of kickback about over priced prescription food. We haven't used any in years.
 
If your cat is losing weight and having a loss of appetite you need to take him to the vet. There can be many reasons and some are more serious than others. It could be something very serious or it could be something very treatable.
 
Don't look at it as just 3 pounds, that's 23% of his body weight. Was he slim and trim or a porker? When he was at the 59 range was that an average? If not how often and how far did he go below that?
 
If he's lost that much weight, please get him checked out now rather than waiting for his annual appointment! Cats don't lose weight like that for no reason - if he's got something going on, better to catch it early and get it taken care of rather than waiting till it might be too late!
 
Noah & Me, Chris & China, Jasereske, and Squalliesmom—

Thank you for the replies. I was hoping this was something that sometimes happened with cats that were in remission “too much.”

Up until the diabetes, the cat was a normal weight. As far as I know, he’s never been a porker, although whoever had him before me obviously fed him people food… if the intensity and persistence of his trying to “attack” my food is any indication, pizza used to be his favorite. I don’t give him people food.

Thanks, again.
 
Noah & me said:
Why would your vet be crabby about NOT giving an OTJ cat insulin? You'll get better advice soon about food, and a lot of kickback about over priced prescription food. We haven't used any in years.
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Because my vet wanted me to shoot twice a day in the blind after the cat ate at least 2 tablespoons of food (which he absolutely won't do) and he did not want me to attempt home testing because he said he's only had one client successful with it. The current vet has been very good to us over the years and we're moving to another state after the upcoming annual appointment, so I'll look for a vet that has a different approach when we move.
 
HereKittyKittyKitty said:
Because my vet wanted me to shoot twice a day in the blind after the cat ate at least 2 tablespoons of food (which he absolutely won't do) and he did not want me to attempt home testing because he said he's only had one client successful with it. The current vet has been very good to us over the years and we're moving to another state after the upcoming annual appointment, so I'll look for a vet that has a different approach when we move.
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Remember, too, that just because your vet doesn't recommend testing doesn't mean you can't go ahead and test, just the same. I have learned over the years that yes, the vet has the specialized training and schooling, but sometimes some good, old common sense seems to be lacking, lol!
 
HereKittyKittyKitty said:
He did not want me to attempt home testing because he said he's only had one client successful with it. I'll look for a vet that has a different approach when we move.
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That's actually pretty shocking to advise against home testing for the reason given. I suppose under extreme circumstances you could poke your own eye with a lancet or if the battery falls out of the meter the dog might swallow it. I predict you won't have any problems finding a vet with "a different approach." This isn't advanced physics with only one answer to a problem. Like Squalliesmon said, 1 part common sense, bake until ready.
 
Squalliesmom said:
Remember, too, that just because your vet doesn't recommend testing doesn't mean you can't go ahead and test, just the same. I have learned over the years that yes, the vet has the specialized training and schooling, but sometimes some good, old common sense seems to be lacking, lol!
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Noah & me said:
That's actually pretty shocking to advise against home testing for the reason given. I suppose under extreme circumstances you could poke your own eye with a lancet or if the battery falls out of the meter the dog might swallow it. I predict you won't have any problems finding a vet with "a different approach." This isn't advanced physics with only one answer to a problem. Like Squalliesmon said, 1 part common sense, bake until ready.
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The vet usually applies common sense and logic and always understands issues with budget (the area I live in is very poor overall). My guess is he was trying to tactfully save me some money.

JanetNJ said:
maybe change to a different low carb food. try fancy feast pate. My cats ate 9 lives for a little while, now none of the 7 will touch it.
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I'll have to see what the budget will allow. 40 cents 2 x a day plus testing supplies, litter, and tax doesn't seem like much to some, but it's forced some adjustments to the household budget. If the cat weren't in remission, I'd have to either eliminate the testing supplies and shoot blind or eliminate something else (more hours/another job isn't feasible right now, but things will be a lot better later this year after the move). When I was first moving to canned food other than the ridiculously priced prescription stuff, the FF was a lot higher than 9 lives, especially when the amount of food in the container is considered. If I try it, I'll have to look for coupons for the food or a generic one for someplace that sells it (or both). Or maybe mix one of each and split it in two.
 
HereKittyKittyKitty said:
The vet usually applies common sense and logic and always understands issues with budget (the area I live in is very poor overall). My guess is he was trying to tactfully save me some money.



I'll have to see what the budget will allow. 40 cents 2 x a day plus testing supplies, litter, and tax doesn't seem like much to some, but it's forced some adjustments to the household budget. If the cat weren't in remission, I'd have to either eliminate the testing supplies and shoot blind or eliminate something else (more hours/another job isn't feasible right now, but things will be a lot better later this year after the move). When I was first moving to canned food other than the ridiculously priced prescription stuff, the FF was a lot higher than 9 lives, especially when the amount of food in the container is considered. If I try it, I'll have to look for coupons for the food or a generic one for someplace that sells it (or both). Or maybe mix one of each and split it in two.
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try Friskies pate then.... It's per ounce less expensive than ff.
 
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You can feed the pate varieties of Walmart's brand, Special Kitty, which is the lowest price I have found for canned cat food. I used it for a while but couldn't keep my cats on it because it didn't agree with my cat with IBD; everybody else did fine with it.
 
Thanks, all.

The veterinarian said the cat is doing fine...

Things seemed to have leveled out over time. The cat's blood glucose ended up generally in the 60s, and he was complaining all the time and trying to eat anything (including non-food items like paper). Upping his food to three times a day has ended most of the complaining and inappropriate -item eating and his blood glucose has been running in the 70s. I also upped the number of post-test treats from 1 to 3. We generally test morning and evening, but the cat likes the treats so much he tries to get me to test before he eats his afternoon food, too. He might even like the testing because of all the petting (he purrs during testing), but it's probably the treats he knows he'll get afterwards ;-)

So the cat gets a can of 9 Lives chicken pate in the morning, a can of 9 Lives turkey pate in the afternoon, and a can of 9 Lives Liver and Bacon at night. He never eats the whole can, but he absolutely will not eat left-overs, so it's a new can each time. Treats are Orijen Regional Red cat treats.
 
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HereKittyKittyKitty said:
Thanks, all.

The veterinarian said the cat is doing fine...

Things seemed to have leveled out over time. The cat's blood glucose ended up generally in the 60s, and he was complaining all the time and trying to eat anything (including non-food items like paper). Upping his food to three times a day has ended most of the complaining and inappropriate -item eating and his blood glucose has been running in the 70s. I also upped the number of post-test treats from 1 to 3. We generally test morning and evening, but the cat likes the treats so much he tries to get me to test before he eats his afternoon food, too. He might even like the testing because of all the petting (he purrs during testing), but it's probably the treats he knows he'll get afterwards ;-)

So the cat gets a can of 9 Lives chicken pate in the morning, a can of 9 Lives turkey pate in the afternoon, and a can of 9 Lives Liver and Bacon at night. He never eats the whole can, but he absolutely will not eat left-overs, so it's a new can each time. Treats are Orijen Regional Red cat treats.
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My boy, Chuck, is doing great on 9Lives. I order it online from walmart.com and get 12 pack of 3 flavors (chicken, super super, and chicken & tuna) for around $4.50 a box. Best price I've found. I wish I could find a place with similar pricing for 12 of one flavor! I haven't found the turkey or liver and bacon at my walmart but I'm sure he'd LOVE them. Where do you buy them?
Glad your kitty is doing better! Sounds like he was still hungry but refusing the "leftovers"! Picky little critters aren't they?!
 
I also wanted to add... I don't think they will go "too low" or hypo on their own without insulin. I could be wrong and if I am, please correct me! My civvie is always around 50 when I test him. I freaked out the first time and tried getting him to eat! :oops: He's fat so I worry about him getting diabetes. I test him about once a month.
 
Family Dollar sometimes has the pates I feed, but you have to watch the expiration dates and storage conditions (at my local store, anyway). Usually .44.

PetSupplies Plus carries many/all of the 9 Lives varieties. .44 a can; .40 on sale (at the store I frequent; they are independently owned, so the price might vary).

Chewy.com carries cases of individual flavors, as well as the variety packs.

I get the Orijen treats at PetSuppliesPlus (only freeze-dried meat in the Red; no veggies, grain, fish, etc.).
 
Noah & me said:
That's actually pretty shocking to advise against home testing for the reason given. I suppose under extreme circumstances you could poke your own eye with a lancet or if the battery falls out of the meter the dog might swallow it. I predict you won't have any problems finding a vet with "a different approach." This isn't advanced physics with only one answer to a problem. Like Squalliesmon said, 1 part common sense, bake until ready.
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I think the vet was trying to be kind and save us money and frustration. I decided to test because I had a family member die from diabetes (complications), so I know how important testing is in humans and figured it was probably as important to cats.
 
StephG said:
I also wanted to add... I don't think they will go "too low" or hypo on their own without insulin. I could be wrong and if I am, please correct me! My civvie is always around 50 when I test him. I freaked out the first time and tried getting him to eat!
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He's fat so I worry about him getting diabetes. I test him about once a month.
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Yong said:
Pretty sure you're right, Steph. No insulin by injection = no hypo
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Kris & Teasel said:
Correct. No insulin therefore the cat's body is controlling the BG.
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Thank you... I was really worried about this.
 
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