Need Advice on feeding cat

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terri1962

terri1962

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Hello everyone

I am new to the board. I took my Siamese mix to the vet, noticed she was losing weight and her coat seemed unkempt. They did urine test and blood test on her. Oh also Fructosamine level test. None of the levels were high enough to determine that she is quite yet a diabetic cat. So they are having me bring her in so far twice a week for b-12 shots and we are going to check sugar again on Friday.
Anyhow, I have done a little bit of my own research on this board and other websites about feeding and what to feed a diabetic cat. From what I have read dry cat food of any type if very bad and I have decided to take them off of it altogether. They were eating Fancy Feast and Royal Canin EN(dry).
I have decided from what I have read to feed them only the Classic pate style Fancy Feast which is low carbo, high protein.
I have tried to talk to the vet about this but they insist that if my cat has diabetes that she should be put on that Purina DM. I have read this food wet or dry is not good for the cat and.
I really need advice from other members as to what their experience is feeding their cats the dry foods or vet prescibed foods and what effect it has on sugar levels.
 
The only prescription food that is low enough in carbs for a diabetic cat is the canned Purina DM. However, many cats don't like it because of the high liver content, and the ingredients are of a low quality. Pretty much everyone here feeds a low carb commercial food, because if diabetes is the only issue, then there are many, many low carb options. The low carb, grain free Fancy Feast is definitely one--I switched Bandit to Fancy Feast from the time of diagnosis and he ate it all the way through his remission until just last month, when I switched to EVO and Merrick's because I was recently able to budget for the higher quality foods.

When Bandit was diagnosed, my vet said we could do Purina DM if I wanted but it wasn't necessary, and she also gave me a list of commercial foods that were ok to feed, including flavors of Friskies, Special Kitty, Fancy Feast, EVO, Wellness, Merricks, and 9-Lives. Bandit likes Fancy Feast a lot, so I went with that.

Did the vet say what her blood sugar was, if it was high? There are other diseases that can cause the symptoms you describe, like kidney disease.

Here's a link to the low carb Fancy feast list: http://felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm

And the cat food nutrition charts (low carb is anything under 10%): http://felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm
 
Her blood sugar was almost 300 and she had sugar in her urine. She gets tested again on Friday. I have taken her off the dry food altogether. They are eating Fancy Feast Classic pate varietys. I got the list from this website. They did eat the Fancy Feast before but also ate dry food too.
I am not getting any help from the vet at all with this. She said this whole thing trying to feed high protein low carbo diet to lower blood sugar is very controversial and I think she is going to push to put my Siamese mix on that Purina DM.
I have three other cats and there is no way that she is going to eat that when the others are eating Fancy Feast. She is the picky eater anyhow.
She has had pancreatitis before and also has I think allergies to corn and wheat gluten. Her kidneys tested fine per blood tests.
 
all your cats can eat the same food - and if they life the fancy feast pate - then continue with feeding everyone that food - ignore the vet and if the vet insists on the dm or other prescription, just say no thanks - they can't force you to purchase it. they are your cats and it's your money. you decide and feel free to tell them no.
 
I also don't like that your vet said low carb high protein is "controversial." There have been enough studies done that show that it works, and it sounds to me like your vet is more interested in selling food than taking care of your cat. Do you have another vet in the area that you could switch to?

If not, all you really need is a script for insulin and a glucose meter, and you can educate yourself and treat your cat at home. This site has wonderful support groups who can help you with dosing. They have brought hundreds of cats into remission.
 
If you like the vet generally and have a good working relationship in all but this recent diabetic diagnosis, then you could say that even though you know your cat is a finnicky eater, you will try ONE can. Then just take it back and say that she wouldn't touch it. That should be the end of the food story. If not, and again if you generally like this vet, print out some of the info on Dr. Lisa's site about cat nutrition. www.catinfo.org

The 2 keys to successful treatment of diabetes are diet (you are already on this one) and home testing. By testing at home, you know what your cat's blood glucose is and how well the diet and/or the insulin are working for her. You do not need to take her in to the vet to have her bg tested. It just increases her stress and decreases you bank balance. You can simply phone or email the vet with your numbers.

If she has had pancreatitis, she may need insulin for a while to help her pancreas. Giving insulin gives the pancreas a rest so that it can heal, and brings the blood sugar level below the toxic level. When the bg is high, none of the organs are very happy.
 
Actually 'almost 300' is not terribly high. Going to an all canned, low carb diet might
help a lot.

If you can home test, the sooner the better, you might just go into remission.

But....don't wait too long (do a 1 week trial off the dry food)...before starting insulin.

If she needs insulin, she needs it.
 
Morgaine was diagnosed a little over a year ago and she was at 291 when diag. I immediately changed her diet to FF low carb flavors and she went into remission. I also know that her BG spiked from the vet stress because I have been home testing her and she was never above 170 post diagnosis. It took a couple of weeks but she remained close to normal and then came down to normal. We did not need insulin.

she is having some issues now with high triglycerides and the vet thinks her diabetes is flaring but I do not get high numbers, mostly under 150 but these are a little higher than she used to be.

I hope you learn to home test your cat so that you can know what is really happening to her. That 300 could have been a result of stress. Morgaine was 365 last week at the vets and her urine glucose was off the chart. Then she came down to 199 and has been below 150 since. Still no need for insulin but if that does become necessary, I know I am in the right place.

Good luck. Home testing is a necessity to control this disease. I say that as a type 1 diabetic for almost 50 years and I honestly can not imagine giving my cat insulin without knowing her BG levels.
 
Thank you all for all your replies and the information it was exactly was I was looking for. My question now is how do you home test? Is this similiar to a person? My mother is diabetic. Where do you draw the blood from without hurting the cat. My cat is afraid of every thing, loud noises, thunderstorms, etc. I know this will scare her to pieces.
She hates going the the vets. She will be going tomorrow to get sugars checked and I have had off the dry food for over a week. She is even looking better. Her coat looks better. My older fat male cats are having a very hard time not eating the dry food. I think it is like a carbo addict person trying to get off bread and potato chips.
We will see when I take her tomorrow if the being off the dry food has made a difference. I am praying it does. I could probably give any of the other cats a shot but this one will be the worst to have to do that to.
 
My Maisey is super skittish! Crumple a plastic bay and she nearly jumps out of her skin. I didn't use the lancet device because I knew she'd jump out of her skin if she heard the little pop that it makes, so I just always held the lancet in my hand. The main focus is warm ears - so when sun bathing, or warmed with a tiny rice sock (small amount of real rice (uncooked) in a sock and warmed in the microwave for 15-25 seconds) check that it is comfortably warm on you inner arm or neck. Hold on ear until it feels warm - my house is cold so it often took a minute, but most say 10-20 seconds while you are petting and loving on kitty.
Prick near the outside edge of ear - there are lots of pictures and video links from the main info page and on U-Tube. The new meters need only a tiny amount of blood - lots of people use a tiny thin smear of vaseline so it will pool and be visible or get the drop on top of your fingernail. Maisey never minded the test or shot.
 
I am also new to testing and here's what has helped us over the last few weeks. My first 3 days I couldn't even get any blood. Just take a deep breath, praise kitty with petting and try again later! I use a flashlight to visualize the vein and have noticed one ear is VERY hard to get blood from, so I always use his left ear. I take a medicine bottle filled with very warm water. Gather all supplies first, get the strip ready to push into meter. Warm ear and pet kitty. Grab light and lancet. Hold onto the ear! I let go once and he flicked the lancet about 3 feet! I have also pierced his ear twice. Just try to stay calm and restrain them for as short a time as possible. That's what bothers him, not the poke. Best of luck!
 
I took her today and after a week off of the dry cat food her blood sugars went down fron the 350`s to 250`s. She and the other cats are eating strictly Fancy Feast Classic varietys.
I do not even get to talk to the vet when I go in. All I see is the vet tech who relays the information back and forth which irritates me.
I am having to take her in twice a week for B-12 shots because she had a bout of pancreatitis several years ago and they are not sure if her blood sugars are high due to pancreas or if she is becoming diabetic.
I would appreciate any advice or information anybody else has regarding this. She is not taking any insulin yet. Thanks for the ways to test at home advice. Do you have to get a prescription for the glucose meters and strips? I can barely pick my cat up without her having a fit. I don`t know how I am going to do this.
 
I don't know if it varies from state to state but at least here in Nebraska you don't need a script for a human glucometer and test strips, I just picked mine up at Walmart, I use the Relion Micro for Maxwell the meter itself was around $10 and the strips are 50 strips for $20, lancets are a couple of bucks for 100. The whole set up ran me under $40 including tax.

I adopted Maxwell as a diabetic and in the beginning he was very squirmy to test, so I made him into a kitty burrito, wrapped him up in a big beach towel with just his head showing. I always gave him a treat when I tested regardless if I got blood or not and now he comes running to be tested.

Mel, Maxwell and The Fur Gang
 
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