My newly-diagnosed kitty continuing to lose weight. Normal?

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Cole and Sara

Cole and Sara

Member Since 2017
Hello, all! My newly diagnosed kitty (Cole, age 15, diagnosed 2 weeks ago) has been on insulin for a week and a half. But, he still seems to be losing weight -- his hips and ribs are much more prominent now (he's so bony when you pet him! I try to pet very gently). And, his back end seems to be getting weaker. Is this typical for early treatment? Or should I make another appt with the vet? (He gets so stressed going to the vet -- I don't want to take him unless I have to!)
 
My cat is the same. It’s a sign of an unregulated cat. Give him B12 (methycobalamin NOT the cyano kind) you can get st any drug store. This will help combat diabetic neuropathy (hind legs weakening and walking on his hocks not toes). I’m worried about my kitty’s weight loss too but regulation is the answer.
 
What kind of insulin are you on? What’s the dose? Can you set up a spreadsheet and attach to your signature? Are you home testing?
 
Thing is insulin allows the cells to actually use the sugar and nutrients but with an unregulated cat the cells are not really getting what they need that's the reason they are very hungry and even though they eat they loose weight, also they start loosing muscle also because of the lack of nutrients, this will get better as his numbers start going down and he becomes regulated, but actually recovering weight is going to take time probably months right now just give him as much food as he wants

Many people here give Zobaline to help with the back legs weakness, which is actually B12 and folic acid you could see with your vet about it
 
What are you feeding? How much? How often? What is his appetite like? What insulin and dose?
 
Mia probably weighed as much as 14lbs before diabetes. I was not weighing her back then, so I cannot be sure, but she was a pretty big girl (though not as big as a cat I had previously that I know weighed 18lbs). She started dropping weight fast, and at diagnosis, she was 10lbs. I bought a pet/baby scale after her diagnosis and monitor her weight regularly now. She continued to lose weight for about a month after we started insulin though much slower. She got down to 9.42. Then, she started gradually gaining. So, in our case, it did take a month for the weight loss to turn around. I did not notice any back end weakness though.

Have the other symptoms gotten better like excessive drinking and urination?
 
Juliet said:
My cat is the same. It’s a sign of an unregulated cat. Give him B12 (methycobalamin NOT the cyano kind) you can get st any drug store. This will help combat diabetic neuropathy (hind legs weakening and walking on his hocks not toes). I’m worried about my kitty’s weight loss too but regulation is the answer.
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Thank you! I'll try that.
 
Juliet said:
What kind of insulin are you on? What’s the dose? Can you set up a spreadsheet and attach to your signature? Are you home testing?
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Sorry, I'm new and I didn't know about how handy signatures are. I have updated to reflect this info in my signature. We're on ProZinc, 2U 2x per day (he's a Maine Coon, so he's supposed to be big). I'm not home testing yet, while he is adjusting to the other changes (he's a VERY anxious and skittish cat), but I will start later.
 
Veronica & Babu-chiri said:
Thing is insulin allows the cells to actually use the sugar and nutrients but with an unregulated cat the cells are not really getting what they need that's the reason they are very hungry and even though they eat they loose weight, also they start loosing muscle also because of the lack of nutrients, this will get better as his numbers start going down and he becomes regulated, but actually recovering weight is going to take time probably months right now just give him as much food as he wants

Many people here give Zobaline to help with the back legs weakness, which is actually B12 and folic acid you could see with your vet about it
Click to expand...
That makes a lot of sense -- thank you! It's a big relief to think about it that way. It's so nerve-wracking to try to distinguish between what's a visit-worthy problem and what's to be expected...
 
FurBabiesMama said:
Mia probably weighed as much as 14lbs before diabetes. I was not weighing her back then, so I cannot be sure, but she was a pretty big girl (though not as big as a cat I had previously that I know weighed 18lbs). She started dropping weight fast, and at diagnosis, she was 10lbs. I bought a pet/baby scale after her diagnosis and monitor her weight regularly now. She continued to lose weight for about a month after we started insulin though much slower. She got down to 9.42. Then, she started gradually gaining. So, in our case, it did take a month for the weight loss to turn around. I did not notice any back end weakness though.

Have the other symptoms gotten better like excessive drinking and urination?
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That's really helpful to hear that your kitty also continued to lose weight after you started treatment. I think I need to get a baby scale to be able to keep track -- his fur makes it very difficult to visualize exactly what his silhouette is! We definitely have notices that the drinking and peeing have significantly decreased, so that's reassuring. (I think they may be still higher than usual, but not nearly as much as before.)
 
Definitely need to start home testing. They get used to it very quickly and my kitty comes to the table expecting the treat that goes with it. You need to know her levels are safe before you shoot insulin. She may have dropped a lot without your knowing.
 
JanetNJ said:
What are you feeding? How much? How often? What is his appetite like? What insulin and dose?
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Sorry, I'm new so I didn't know about signatures. I've updated my signature to show what I'm feeding. We're using ProZinc, 2U 2x/day. He's a VERY particular eater, and he eats like a bird normally, so we're not changing the wet food yet. We switched the dry food to the rx recommended by the vet -- he seems to like it. He us having a hard time switching to meal-based eating, though -- he's always been one to pick at his food throughout the day. So, we still make sure he has food throughout the day just to make sure he gets enough food. He isn't -- and wasn't -- overweight, he's just a very big kitty.
 
Hi Sara and Cole!
Just chiming in about a couple things :). My boy is half Maine Coon :cat:. You don't need to stress over getting him on 2 feedings a day, it's an old school of thought and most kitties are grazer's by nature. Many of us do multiple feedings throughout the day, via timed feeders or frozen catfoodsicles. You'll want to aim for wet food with less than 8% carb content. Have you seen the Food Chart yet? How much would you like to see Cole weigh again? There's a calculation that can provide a guideline for how many calories Cole needs to eat to maintain or achieve a certain weight.

For neuropathy, methylcobalamin B12 (not cyanocobalamin) is often used to assist the reversal of the nerve damage but as other's have stated, the best thing will be to get his BG under control. This does not mean Regulated ;). If you look at my boy's SS from January through May/June, he was not regulated but his BG was under better control so by this method alone, his neuropathy in front paws and hind legs completely reversed. If you saw him today, then you could not tell he ever had it :cat:. It is a slow process though, nerves are the slowest thing to heal, even in us humans. Complimentary patience pants are always available here :bighug::bighug::bighug:.

Lastly, I wouldn't change his food around with low carb until you start home testing. We always want our fur babies to be safe :bighug:.
 
i got my cat to gain all his weight back (almost 3lbs) by religiously feeding him can food every 2-3 hrs for first few weeks and leaving dry food out overnight. when i stopped the dry food overnight for a week, he stopped gaining and started to lose again so i put dry back out overnight and 2mths later he his back to his healthy weight.. highly recommend you free-feed until he puts some weight back on, doing so made a big difference for my kitty.

i have almost a full bottle of Zobaline (B12 for diabetic cats) that we ended up not needing afterall. if you are in states it is yours if you want it (free).
 
Yong said:
Hi Sara and Cole!
Just chiming in about a couple things :). My boy is half Maine Coon :cat:. You don't need to stress over getting him on 2 feedings a day, it's an old school of thought and most kitties are grazer's by nature. Many of us do multiple feedings throughout the day, via timed feeders or frozen catfoodsicles. You'll want to aim for wet food with less than 8% carb content. Have you seen the Food Chart yet? How much would you like to see Cole weigh again? There's a calculation that can provide a guideline for how many calories Cole needs to eat to maintain or achieve a certain weight.

For neuropathy, methylcobalamin B12 (not cyanocobalamin) is often used to assist the reversal of the nerve damage but as other's have stated, the best thing will be to get his BG under control. This does not mean Regulated ;). If you look at my boy's SS from January through May/June, he was not regulated but his BG was under better control so by this method alone, his neuropathy in front paws and hind legs completely reversed. If you saw him today, then you could not tell he ever had it :cat:. It is a slow process though, nerves are the slowest thing to heal, even in us humans. Complimentary patience pants are always available here :bighug::bighug::bighug:.

Lastly, I wouldn't change his food around with low carb until you start home testing. We always want our fur babies to be safe :bighug:.
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Thanks so much for this! Actually, my husband and I have been poring over the food chart (and looking up homemade wet food recipes) to be sure we've got options. Sounds like some B12 would be a good option to help him out! We will look into home testing -- I take your point that we should know what the BG is doing as we make changes. We think he should weigh at least 18 lbs -- possibly more. (It's hard to say exactly - he has not been weighed very much, so it's tough to say how many lbs would make it so he "feels right" under my hand!)
 
Cole and Sara said:
Thanks so much for this! Actually, my husband and I have been poring over the food chart (and looking up homemade wet food recipes) to be sure we've got options. Sounds like some B12 would be a good option to help him out! We will look into home testing -- I take your point that we should know what the BG is doing as we make changes.
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I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. Let us know if you would like a shopping list of what to get.
 
Sylvie said:
i got my cat to gain all his weight back (almost 3lbs) by religiously feeding him can food every 2-3 hrs for first few weeks and leaving dry food out overnight. when i stopped the dry food overnight for a week, he stopped gaining and started to lose again so i put dry back out overnight and 2mths later he his back to his healthy weight.. highly recommend you free-feed until he puts some weight back on, doing so made a big difference for my kitty.

i have almost a full bottle of Zobaline (B12 for diabetic cats) that we ended up not needing afterall. if you are in states it is yours if you want it (free).
Click to expand...
Wow, that's so friendly and generous -- thank you! I live in Chicago, and I'd be happy to pay shipping. Let me know how I can do that! We do have free feeding available for the dry food -- it's always down right now. Thank you!
 
JanetNJ said:
I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. Let us know if you would like a shopping list of what to get.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I think I saw that when I was frantically searching for info right after he was diagnosed. That's really helpful.
 
Cole and Sara said:
Wow, that's so friendly and generous -- thank you! I live in Chicago, and I'd be happy to pay shipping. Let me know how I can do that! We do have free feeding available for the dry food -- it's always down right now. Thank you!
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There's a high calorie, nutrient dense dry for called Young Again Zero carb that is more diabetic friendly then the prescription food. You can get a free sample of it at Youngagainpetfood.com if you write to them.
 
Cole and Sara said:
Wow, that's so friendly and generous -- thank you! I live in Chicago, and I'd be happy to pay shipping. Let me know how I can do that! We do have free feeding available for the dry food -- it's always down right now. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Just message me your mailing address by clicking on my kitty avatar and choosing 'start a conversation'.
 
So roughly for an 18lb kitty, you'll want to aim for him to eat 314 calories per day. If he's less active, then roughly 251 calories per day. These are just estimates because every kitty is different so you can adjust it to tailor to him :cat:. Hope this helps :).
 
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