Kitty in diabetic remission - not eating/not interested in food

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chloeh33

chloeh33

Member Since 2019
Hi! I posted here a couple months ago about Kitty and her diabetes. She and I have been on an arduous journey trying to figure out what she likes best to eat, as it seems that she has sensitivities to a number of different things. (Kitty has been in diabetic remission since January, and got a reading in March that her glucose was 277, not high enough to justify an insulin dose, as my vet said.) Kitty is sensitive to poultry - specifically chicken, less turkey - and so I fed her Fancy Feast pate in two different seafood flavors for a few months. She stopped eating that, and I recently switched her to Fussie Cat tuna with salmon. She ate a number of cans of that over the course of the last few weeks, but now is refusing to eat anything. I have different foods out for her as options, tried giving her a couple treats, and she is not even remotely interested. I’m wondering, is this a symptom of her diabetes coming back? It’s too late in the evening to get her to the vet, and I do not have a glucometer at home, per request of my vet. I’m kicking myself for not having one at this time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want my girl to be okay.
 
Hi Chloe. I'm sorry that Kitty's not interested in eating right now. If it's due to her appetite and she has no desire to eat, a trip to the vet's would be a good idea. How long has it been since she's eaten? Have you tried spoon or syringe feeding her - either plain baby food or watered down canned food? Is she drinking? It's hard to know whether this could be her diabetes returning, as there are so many things that can cause a cat to stop eating. Try to get her to eat or drink from a spoon or syringe, and keep offering her things that you know to be her favorites (cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, etc - if she likes those things). And I would strongly encourage you to get a glucometer and test her periodically at home. If it does come back, it's best if you can start her back on insulin right away. Let us know how she is doing. I hope she feels better soon.
 
Hi, thank you for your reply. She keeps eating minimal bites of food, but hasn’t eaten much since very early this morning. I just got her to snack on some cheese and a little bit of deli turkey. I believe, after doing some more reading, that these are diabetic symptoms returning. Ugh. Is it a bad idea to wait until morning to take her for a glucose reading and get an insulin dose idea? I just want her to be okay.
 
I agree that she needs to see the vet. If she is ill, that may be the reason for the high reading. You can give 1/4 Pepcid tablet, make sure it is only the original strength, to see if that may help. She may be nauseous. You can also try sprinkling parmesan cheese on top of her food to see if that will encourage her to eat.

If she will not eat, you may need to syringe feed her. Puree some food and add water to make it soupy. She needs to get some food into her, even if it is only a small amount at a time.

I don't know if a Walmart is near you or a pharmacy that is open, you can get a meter & strips from there so you can test her. You do not need your vet's permission to test your cat. You also do not need to buy a pet glucose meter either. Even if she is in remission, you still want to check her glucose occasionally to make sure she is still there.
 
Thank you for your input, it is very helpful. I had forgotten I saved one anti-nausea pill from when she was diagnosed, so I just gave her that. I will be heading to Walmart shortly so I can get the supplies I need. Hopefully by the time I get back, she’s ready to have more of a snack and I can get us movin again.
 
It's a good sign that she ate even a little for you, and that she was interested in some cheese and deli meat. It's a good sign that she has the desire. Just get her BG tested as soon as you can, and take it from there. If it is high, then you can be more confident that her symptoms are from her diabetes returning, and you'll get her started again on insulin. I agree with Lisa, that you don't need your vet's permission to test her at home. If it turns out that her blood glucose is normal and she's still not eating normally, she would need to see the vet. And try and relax. She is eating a little for you, and that's good.
 
yes, please let us know, you hit a hot button for me, 4 years ago my beloved Krispy stopped eating (I blame the Revolution I gave him the day before but who knows?), and drinking, syringe feeding wasn't successful (he fought me), and I DID NOT KNOW about "fatty liver disease" -- the vet did everything possible to save him over the next 3 days but his spirit had fled and we had to shepherd him across the Rainbow Bridge cat_wings>o
 
Hi everyone, thank you for the concern and advice last night. I was very worried. I got Kitty into the vet this morning, and after a high glucose check (360), he found a UTI and determined that she has a number of food allergies, which is why she wasn’t feeling well and has been refusing to eat. We are addressing the UTI first, as it can possibly inflate her glucose, and then I will take her back in in a couple weeks, as long as things don’t get worse, after a diet change as well, and we will see how her glucose is doing then. I was told that inflammation within the body can spike her blood sugar, and so we don’t want to do too many things at once. I’m just glad she’s feeling a little better, and I have some new food that I am going to be feeding her and we’ll see how it works out.

@CandyH I am sorry to hear of your experience with your sweet babe. I’m glad he had you.
 
chloeh33 said:
Hi everyone, thank you for the concern and advice last night. I was very worried. I got Kitty into the vet this morning, and after a high glucose check (360), he found a UTI and determined that she has a number of food allergies, which is why she wasn’t feeling well and has been refusing to eat. We are addressing the UTI first, as it can possibly inflate her glucose, and then I will take her back in in a couple weeks, as long as things don’t get worse, after a diet change as well, and we will see how her glucose is doing then. I was told that inflammation within the body can spike her blood sugar, and so we don’t want to do too many things at once. I’m just glad she’s feeling a little better, and I have some new food that I am going to be feeding her and we’ll see how it works out.

@CandyH I am sorry to hear of your experience with your sweet babe. I’m glad he had you.
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I'm so glad that she's being treated. Hopefully, clearing up the UTI and addressing her food allergies will do the trick. It would still be a great idea to pick up a glucometer and keep an eye on her BG levels. And I agree with @SpotsMom: Please check for ketones. Her symptoms (infection, no insulin, low food intake) could be a recipe for disaster. It's not hard to do, and it will give you extreme piece of mind.
 
Hope you got/are getting a human glucometer so you can tell what's going on more closely. I am very pleased with my ReLion Prime from Walmart: the meter & strips are inexpensive, the re-test numbers are very close, and it stands up to being regularly dropped on the floor too!
 
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