need assistance on dry food nutrition

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johnt

johnt

Member Since 2016
I need to find out how much worse one food is from another.

I don't know what to concentrate on here. I asked in another thread but i think my question got burried. it's my fault, i forked a thread of mine about a different topic.

Here's what i'm trying to figure out.

How much worse is this:

Crude Protein Min. 30%
Crude Fat Min. 17%
Crude Fiber Max. 4.5%
Moisture Max. 12%
Calorie Content:
(Calculated) 4000 kcal ME/kg

than this:

CRUDE PROTEIN 34.0% min
CRUDE FAT 7.5% min
CRUDE FAT 10.0% max
CRUDE FIBER 9.0% max
SODIUM 0.48% max
MAGNESIUM 0.08% max
TAURINE 0.1% min
CARNITINE 300 ppm min


and can someone tell me in a reply what part is the most important to watch? they don't show the same info as I'm used to watching on human food. i'm diabetic but i look for sugar and carbs.

thank you.
 
@Yong has a nutrition calculator and can probably help you with that (if no one else chimes in first). It doesn't look like she's on right now, but hopefully the tag will get her attention next time she logs in.

The second food you listed has two listings for Crude Fat. Is that correct?
 
W/D is a horrible food for diabetic cats...actually it's a horrible food for any cat.

Look at the ingredients......they're no better than what you can get at any grocery store, as well as they add something called "powdered cellulose" .....that's a nice way of saying they add sawdust!!

What's important in diet for a diabetic cat is the percentage of carbs (which isn't on any label in the US)....we want them eating foods that are less than 10% carbs. Just like with humans, cutting the carbs is key to treatment.
 
honestly taht's what I thought (that hills is not only not good, but it's bad).

I'm transitioning all 3 cats off dry food. but it's a real chore. they have all been free fed their entire lives. they meow a lot right now :)

So is there any way to find the carbs/sugar in these? it's not on the label and I can't find it anywhere
 
The two diabetic friendly dry foods are Young Again Zero carb food which is 1 % carb, and Evo Cat and Kitten in the purple bag at 8 % carb.

Young Again food is available on Youngagainpetfood.com. They will send you a free sample if you ask. I credit this food with helping get my cat into remission.

Evo you can buy online (jet, amazon) and in a few pet stores.

The prescription dry is too high in carb. (Somewhere around 16%) Amazing they are allowed to sell it as a good option for diabetic cats.
 
johnt said:
How much worse is this:

Crude Protein Min. 30%
Crude Fat Min. 17%
Crude Fiber Max. 4.5%
Moisture Max. 12%
Calorie Content:
(Calculated) 4000 kcal ME/kg

than this:

CRUDE PROTEIN 34.0% min
CRUDE FAT 7.5% min
CRUDE FAT 10.0% max
CRUDE FIBER 9.0% max
SODIUM 0.48% max
MAGNESIUM 0.08% max
TAURINE 0.1% min
CARNITINE 300 ppm min
.
Click to expand...
Hello, yes I was not on at that time. I was asleep waiting for an alarm to check on my boy :smuggrin:. It would be so nice if they would list the amount of nutritional information on cat food as human food!
Alas, the first food (all estimates as usual): About 41.5% - 46.0% dry matter carbs :eek:
2nd food: 46% - 51.5% dry matter carbs :eek:
Hill's M/D dry: 36.7% (listed) - 42% dry matter carbs :eek:

Are these both dry foods? No moisture content for 2nd one.
 
The second one are treats. they have a dry outter shell with moist insides.
My problem is i have to have something to prompt wilbur to eat when it's time to give him a shot. he's becoming more and more difficult to tempt. TEMPTATIONSClassic Treats for Cats
Savory Salmon
They are here: https://www.temptationstreats.com/our-treats/classics/savory-salmon

I was giving him dabs of tuna to get him to eat but with all the horror stories about tuna and cats it was really bothering me. I went to fancy feast chicken and flaked tuna in a broth. numbers seemed good. was also recommended here.

WIlbur has a little problem. over the years he had diabetic seizures because i was taking him to what I found out was a terrible vet and I was VASTLY under dosing him. during some fo those seizures he broke both canines off.

When he eats tuna or food like that, he can only seem to get it by licking it. But sometimes he flicks a little tiny piece into his eye. When it happens he squirts out of the kitchen. From that point on it will be days before i can get him to eat it again. He also associates the bowl with it. So if I use one of those red plastic bowls (throw aways) and it happens? i have to switch to white paper plates (i keep both).

I'm still desperately trying to find the right balance. I can't just feed him, i have two other cats, so they all have to get on his diet.

it's very taxing, but i'm ok with it. just trying to find a good all around solution

I want them all off dry food completely.
 
Chris & China said:
W/D is a horrible food for diabetic cats...actually it's a horrible food for any cat.

Look at the ingredients......they're no better than what you can get at any grocery store, as well as they add something called "powdered cellulose" .....that's a nice way of saying they add sawdust!!

What's important in diet for a diabetic cat is the percentage of carbs (which isn't on any label in the US)....we want them eating foods that are less than 10% carbs. Just like with humans, cutting the carbs is key to treatment.
Click to expand...
this really bugs me. I'm in a rough spot. I moved my elderly mother in with me because she can't take care of herself. She has only got medicare for insurance. her doctor and rx bills come to about $900 per month after medicare.

I had to come off the road (i was a senior project manager) to take care of her, and the surguries she needed (hip) ate up all of my savings. I now work from home doing web app development. I own a company but we only have two people managing and 5 to 7 contract developers. That means we can't take on a lot of projects. I struggle to get people to pay on time.

Not a sob story, the point is i'm broke. I can't afford any of this. But I also can't bear the thought of giving up wilbur. the cost of insulin and then paying for what I was told was good food for him at $65 per month (when prior he was eating meow mix dry at 10 per month) infuriates me because I thought i was doing the right thing.

I'm not kidding you when I tell you i eat spaghettios several days per week because i can't keep up. So i'm trying hard to find a balance where I can maintain things. That dry food that is so good is also just out of my price range.

it gets overwhelming, but I know there are people here that deal with MUCH worse
 
johnt said:
this really bugs me. I'm in a rough spot. I moved my elderly mother in with me because she can't take care of herself. She has only got medicare for insurance. her doctor and rx bills come to about $900 per month after medicare.

I had to come off the road (i was a senior project manager) to take care of her, and the surguries she needed (hip) ate up all of my savings. I now work from home doing web app development. I own a company but we only have two people managing and 5 to 7 contract developers. That means we can't take on a lot of projects. I struggle to get people to pay on time.

Not a sob story, the point is i'm broke. I can't afford any of this. But I also can't bear the thought of giving up wilbur. the cost of insulin and then paying for what I was told was good food for him at $65 per month (when prior he was eating meow mix dry at 10 per month) infuriates me because I thought i was doing the right thing.

I'm not kidding you when I tell you i eat spaghettios several days per week because i can't keep up. So i'm trying hard to find a balance where I can maintain things. That dry food that is so good is also just out of my price range.

it gets overwhelming, but I know there are people here that deal with MUCH worse
Click to expand...
The cheapest, best way to go is Friskies pate.
 
Yup, i know. that's a whole other story. i do feed him that. my problem there is he would just lick it and once he licked all the flavor walk away and leave huge portions.. So to combat that, here's how I get him to eat it.

I take a can of the classic pate and put it in the blender cup. mix 1.25 parts water to it, and blend it into a soup. then he will eat about 85% of it. But he only seems to want it a couple times a day. The bigger prpblem is neither of my other cats will touch it. I would MUCH prefer using that and cutting out dry.

here's the kicker. if you feed a cat two of those per day and have 3 cats you're already paying more for the pate than for the Hills Prescription garbage.
 
Was he eating the Fancy Feast Naturals? I know the downside is they are expensive. For your other cats, you could try picking up some non-pate Friskies. There are some that are considered medium carb range so it shouldn't impact Wilbur too much if he sneaks theirs. I have to use some of them because Maury really does not like pate. I end up following him and setting the bowl in front of him again to get him to eat more :blackeye:. Here's some of the MC flavours I get:
Friskies MC (medium carb)
13.6% | 12% - Friskies Concoctions Chicken in Creamy Crab sauce 253
13.6% | 12% - Friskies Concoctions Lamb in Clam sauce 250
11% | 13% - Friskies Shreds Chicken in Gravy 305
Non-pate LC (low carb)

5.5% | 6% - Friskies Flaked with Tuna & Egg in sauce 263
5.5% | 4% - Friskies Flaked Tuna in Sauce 301

Meow Mix - Pate Toppers
9% - Chicken w/ Shreds of Chicken 339

When he's more finicky I will put like a tablespoon of these "meatier" flavours and mix it into the pate, and of course 1-2T water. :cat:
 
johnt said:
this really bugs me. I'm in a rough spot. I moved my elderly mother in with me because she can't take care of herself. She has only got medicare for insurance. her doctor and rx bills come to about $900 per month after medicare.

I had to come off the road (i was a senior project manager) to take care of her, and the surguries she needed (hip) ate up all of my savings. I now work from home doing web app development. I own a company but we only have two people managing and 5 to 7 contract developers. That means we can't take on a lot of projects. I struggle to get people to pay on time.

Not a sob story, the point is i'm broke. I can't afford any of this. But I also can't bear the thought of giving up wilbur. the cost of insulin and then paying for what I was told was good food for him at $65 per month (when prior he was eating meow mix dry at 10 per month) infuriates me because I thought i was doing the right thing.

I'm not kidding you when I tell you i eat spaghettios several days per week because i can't keep up. So i'm trying hard to find a balance where I can maintain things. That dry food that is so good is also just out of my price range.

it gets overwhelming, but I know there are people here that deal with MUCH worse
Click to expand...
The insulin is ok to use for at least 3 months. You don't have to get a new vial every month.

If uou decide to try young again zero carb food, an 8 lb bag lasted my 5 eating it 3 1/2 weeks. It could last your 3 cats 5-6 weeks.
 
it doesn't last that long. he gets 9u morning and night. one vial lasts just a little over 3 weeks

Right now I'm trying to get wilbur more accepting of being tested (long story) but i'm making progress. its just going to be a while before i get him fully OK. I have to get him there before changing over to that other stuff, but that IS my goal if I can work through the numbers right. Well i should have clarified that. my goal is go get him off any dry food OTHER than possibly that, but i can't switch to that until i get him more consistent in testing. But we're getting there
 
Yes I remember that you are working on getting better with test. He is a big boy, as I recall 20+lbs? Is there anything more we can help you with there? I think we did give you some tips before. My memory isn't fantastic :confused:
 
johnt said:
it doesn't last that long. he gets 9u morning and night. one vial lasts just a little over 3 weeks

Right now I'm trying to get wilbur more accepting of being tested (long story) but i'm making progress. its just going to be a while before i get him fully OK. I have to get him there before changing over to that other stuff, but that IS my goal if I can work through the numbers right. Well i should have clarified that. my goal is go get him off any dry food OTHER than possibly that, but i can't switch to that until i get him more consistent in testing. But we're getting there
Click to expand...
Keep in mind as you transition him off the dry to lower carb stuff his insulin needs are going to drop significantly.
 
Yong said:
Yes I remember that you are working on getting better with test. He is a big boy, as I recall 20+lbs? Is there anything more we can help you with there? I think we did give you some tips before. My memory isn't fantastic :confused:
Click to expand...
Yup, 21 lbs to be exact. he's a monster!

So far i haven't gotten him comfortable on the ears. i've been bringing him into my lap and petting him. then during the pet time I touch his ears.

When i first started i could only touch him for a second or two. When i gently brushed the back of his ear (with the grain) he would shake his head and i'd go back to petting and talking softly to him.

After a couple times I could feel him tense up, and his claws came out. not to scratch me, he was getting traction so he could jump off my lap.

I kept at it a couple to 3 times per day.

progressively it's getting better, it's just really slow. I'm to the point now I can sometimes get to touch both sides of one ear to massage it a little to prompt better blood flow. but i can only keep him there for a few seconds.

it's a long term thing. but i'm determined and I'll get it. we aren't long enough yet to give me time to do an ear prick and get blood yet, but i can see progress. I also ordered bigger lancets (i think 28 gauge maybe?) and that did help getting blood much more frequently.

i'm not good at the purrito thing yet but i'm working on it. he panics when i star putting the towel around him. If I can get it around him without him getting upset i can wrap him up. I found one thing I can do that helps. I put the towel in the dryer for a few minutes to warm it up. it dawned on me when i do laundry he lays on the pile so he likes the warmth. Doing this has gotten to where I can sometimes get him close, but he panics before I can get him wrapped up.

This goes back to him being gigantic and me alone. i have to do this in baby steps because if I push too hard he'll run under the bed, or he goes into the bathroom and noses one of the cabinets open and scurries in to hide.

When he does this i won't get close to him for a day.

i just have to keep a positive attitude. i'll get it. it just takes a while. and boy oh boy, if any other cat gets within eyesite during these sessions, all bets are off

JanetNJ said:
Keep in mind as you transition him off the dry to lower carb stuff his insulin needs are going to drop significantly.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's why i haven't done it all to be honest. I feel i need to wait until i get him to the point that I can easily test him any time I need to. I have to test him before and after feeding until i know where we're going to sit.

I reaad the site pretty well, and i expect his insulin dose to drop 80% or more when i get him transitioned. This will be a wash in $ or close to it, because the food is very expensive, but my insulin cost will plummet so the end result will be fantastic.

They sent me two small pouches to test with them. All 3 cast went CRAZY for it. without needing to use the enhancer. From the first time on, if I touched the bag and it made a sound, he would come running top speed from wherever he heard it.

Getting them to eat this will NOT be a problem.
 
Yong said:
Was he eating the Fancy Feast Naturals? I know the downside is they are expensive. For your other cats, you could try picking up some non-pate Friskies. There are some that are considered medium carb range so it shouldn't impact Wilbur too much if he sneaks theirs. I have to use some of them because Maury really does not like pate. I end up following him and setting the bowl in front of him again to get him to eat more :blackeye:. Here's some of the MC flavours I get:
Friskies MC (medium carb)
13.6% | 12% - Friskies Concoctions Chicken in Creamy Crab sauce 253
13.6% | 12% - Friskies Concoctions Lamb in Clam sauce 250
11% | 13% - Friskies Shreds Chicken in Gravy 305
Non-pate LC (low carb)

5.5% | 6% - Friskies Flaked with Tuna & Egg in sauce 263
5.5% | 4% - Friskies Flaked Tuna in Sauce 301

Meow Mix - Pate Toppers
9% - Chicken w/ Shreds of Chicken 339

When he's more finicky I will put like a tablespoon of these "meatier" flavours and mix it into the pate, and of course 1-2T water. :cat:
Click to expand...

what i got him 'sort of' eating is this. it doesn't say 'Fancy Feast Naturals' but I think this is the right stuff. I took a pic to show.

lsmz2GX.jpg


the problem is like other foods, he wont just sit down and eat it like a normal cat. he licks all the juice off and leaves the food. I'm considering blending it with a touch of water the way i do the pate.
 
What a handsome kitty! John, I'm so sorry to hear you're going through a tough time right now! You have good company around here, but that doesn't really make it any easier.

My cats do that with the Purina Naturals too - they just lick the broth and leave the rest. Plus, it's way too expensive for me - especially if they aren't lovin' it.

It's great to hear that you're making progress with the desensitization on the ears! It sounds like you're getting a lot closer to being able to get a test. It also sounds like your love and patience with Wilbur, and your determination to get this figured out, will get you there! Since he likes the warm, out-of-the-dryer things, I wonder how he would do with the warm rice-sock on his ear? You just put some uncooked rice in the toe of a small sock - or some other piece of fabric - and microwave it for a bit to warm it up. Depending on your microwave and how much rice, it's usually just around 10-20 seconds. My microwave is pathetic, so it takes 30 seconds. That's one of the ways my cat finally started sticking around longer. He really likes having the warm rice sock rubbed around on his head and chin - and then I can hold it on his ear too. Plus, it really helps to get the blood flowing!

Fingers crossed for you that he'll let you start getting those tests in more regularly! You're doing a great job of working him in that direction!
 
Djamila said:
What a handsome kitty! John, I'm so sorry to hear you're going through a tough time right now! You have good company around here, but that doesn't really make it any easier.

My cats do that with the Purina Naturals too - they just lick the broth and leave the rest. Plus, it's way too expensive for me - especially if they aren't lovin' it.

It's great to hear that you're making progress with the desensitization on the ears! It sounds like you're getting a lot closer to being able to get a test. It also sounds like your love and patience with Wilbur, and your determination to get this figured out, will get you there! Since he likes the warm, out-of-the-dryer things, I wonder how he would do with the warm rice-sock on his ear? You just put some uncooked rice in the toe of a small sock - or some other piece of fabric - and microwave it for a bit to warm it up. Depending on your microwave and how much rice, it's usually just around 10-20 seconds. My microwave is pathetic, so it takes 30 seconds. That's one of the ways my cat finally started sticking around longer. He really likes having the warm rice sock rubbed around on his head and chin - and then I can hold it on his ear too. Plus, it really helps to get the blood flowing!

Fingers crossed for you that he'll let you start getting those tests in more regularly! You're doing a great job of working him in that direction!
Click to expand...
yeah I didn't mean to post a sob story, sometimes it's just good to type things out. :) We're ok though. it's all good.

i thought about the rice thing, i guess it's cheap enough, the hard part will be getting him used to the sound. he's so sensitive that might bug him. but i'll try it for sure!

thank you!
 
It's ok to vent here :). What sound? The lancing device? Most of us don't use that function. I just use the device to hold the lancet and free poke. I have better depth control that way too.
 
Or did you mean the sound from the rice sock? You tie it tight enough that the rice doesn't really rattle. Here is a video of someone testing their cat, and you can see the rice sock she uses in the video.

@Sieden's video


Her cat is ridiculously well behaved, so just ignore that part ;)

And yes, it's totally fine to vent here!
 
John, try the Friskies pate in the larger cans. It's a bit differently mixed food even tho' it's supposed to be the same. It's $1 can at many places, it's 13oz instead of 5.5oz.

HUG!
 
Yong said:
Hello, yes I was not on at that time. I was asleep waiting for an alarm to check on my boy :smuggrin:. It would be so nice if they would list the amount of nutritional information on cat food as human food!
Alas, the first food (all estimates as usual): About 41.5% - 46.0% dry matter carbs :eek:
2nd food: 46% - 51.5% dry matter carbs :eek:
Hill's M/D dry: 36.7% (listed) - 42% dry matter carbs :eek:

Are these both dry foods? No moisture content for 2nd one.
Click to expand...
Omg those smilies lolol
 
johnt said:
what i got him 'sort of' eating is this. it doesn't say 'Fancy Feast Naturals' but I think this is the right stuff. I took a pic to show.

lsmz2GX.jpg


the problem is like other foods, he wont just sit down and eat it like a normal cat. he licks all the juice off and leaves the food. I'm considering blending it with a touch of water the way i do the pate.
Click to expand...
My cat will also just lick the juice. :( I've tried mixing patè with water. Same thing. Luckily I've found several sauce/gravy foods that are under 10% carbs. They are just expensive.
 
johnt said:
Yup, 21 lbs to be exact. he's a monster!

So far i haven't gotten him comfortable on the ears. i've been bringing him into my lap and petting him. then during the pet time I touch his ears.

When i first started i could only touch him for a second or two. When i gently brushed the back of his ear (with the grain) he would shake his head and i'd go back to petting and talking softly to him.

After a couple times I could feel him tense up, and his claws came out. not to scratch me, he was getting traction so he could jump off my lap.

I kept at it a couple to 3 times per day.

progressively it's getting better, it's just really slow. I'm to the point now I can sometimes get to touch both sides of one ear to massage it a little to prompt better blood flow. but i can only keep him there for a few seconds.

it's a long term thing. but i'm determined and I'll get it. we aren't long enough yet to give me time to do an ear prick and get blood yet, but i can see progress. I also ordered bigger lancets (i think 28 gauge maybe?) and that did help getting blood much more frequently.

i'm not good at the purrito thing yet but i'm working on it. he panics when i star putting the towel around him. If I can get it around him without him getting upset i can wrap him up. I found one thing I can do that helps. I put the towel in the dryer for a few minutes to warm it up. it dawned on me when i do laundry he lays on the pile so he likes the warmth. Doing this has gotten to where I can sometimes get him close, but he panics before I can get him wrapped up.

This goes back to him being gigantic and me alone. i have to do this in baby steps because if I push too hard he'll run under the bed, or he goes into the bathroom and noses one of the cabinets open and scurries in to hide.

When he does this i won't get close to him for a day.

i just have to keep a positive attitude. i'll get it. it just takes a while. and boy oh boy, if any other cat gets within eyesite during these sessions, all bets are off



Yes, that's why i haven't done it all to be honest. I feel i need to wait until i get him to the point that I can easily test him any time I need to. I have to test him before and after feeding until i know where we're going to sit.

I reaad the site pretty well, and i expect his insulin dose to drop 80% or more when i get him transitioned. This will be a wash in $ or close to it, because the food is very expensive, but my insulin cost will plummet so the end result will be fantastic.

They sent me two small pouches to test with them. All 3 cast went CRAZY for it. without needing to use the enhancer. From the first time on, if I touched the bag and it made a sound, he would come running top speed from wherever he heard it.

Getting them to eat this will NOT be a problem.
Click to expand...
Take a look at this big guy. 28lbs. Yes, he's on a diet. :)
 

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while i'm new here .. i have found many cats like their ears deeply massaged .. like if you ever had to put drops in their ears and then massage the base, closest to their heads, not too soft but not too hard .. all my cats love it .. maybe trying to do that will get him used to you touching his ears
 
johnt said:
i thought about the rice thing, i guess it's cheap enough, the hard part will be getting him used to the sound. he's so sensitive that might bug him. but i'll try it for sure!
Click to expand...

You can also use a small pill bottle filled with warm water.....not only does it warm up the ear, it can give you something hard to "poke against"....just check the temp against your wrist like a baby bottle to make sure it's not too hot (same with the rice sock)

Couple of ideas for you on food.....The Friskies 13oz cans are about $1 each and that would save you a lot of money......You can crush up some of his favorite dry food and sprinkle it on top to see it that'll spark his interest.

Another thing you can try is FortiFlora....it's the same stuff they spray on the outside of kibble to make it so yummy. It's a powder that comes in little packets....When China's being picky, I can sprinkle a little and she'll go to town...I think she'd eat sawdust if it had FF sprinkled on it!! You can get it on Amazon or from Chewy.com (I'd be happy to mail you a couple of packets if you'd like to try it)

As for insulin, you may want to consider switching to Lantus or Levemir (on that high a dose, I'd probably recommend Levemir).....I'm not sure how much Vetsulin is, but most cats do better on the longer acting insulins like Lantus or Levemir. It's insanely expensive in the US, but most of us are buying it from Canada to save a lot of money.
 
I am new here. But I've now studied this fairly indepth and all I can say is stop all dry food cold turkey. I have 4 cats that have been free fed dry food 15 years and when one of them was diagnosed diabetic, it was about 3 days of study later, that was it, it was gone. They are fine. I am feeding them canned only and low carb as possible (10% of less if possible) 4 times a day. They will eat when they are hungry enough.

I've had cats my entire life and honestly had I known that dry food is basically feeding your cat pure poison, I would have never done it in the first place.

I expect my other cats have avoided diabetes by removing it before they all became diabetic.

I felt bad for my "kids"..no dry food...awww...until I realized I was killing them.

They are done for good and doing great and even my diabetic cat (I have chosen no insulin for) is doing better. Just like w/humans with Diabetes type 2 it is brought on by inactivity and wrong foods and it can be reversed.

Best of luck!
 
johnt said:
this really bugs me. I'm in a rough spot. I moved my elderly mother in with me because she can't take care of herself. She has only got medicare for insurance. her doctor and rx bills come to about $900 per month after medicare.

I had to come off the road (i was a senior project manager) to take care of her, and the surguries she needed (hip) ate up all of my savings. I now work from home doing web app development. I own a company but we only have two people managing and 5 to 7 contract developers. That means we can't take on a lot of projects. I struggle to get people to pay on time.

Not a sob story, the point is i'm broke. I can't afford any of this. But I also can't bear the thought of giving up wilbur. the cost of insulin and then paying for what I was told was good food for him at $65 per month (when prior he was eating meow mix dry at 10 per month) infuriates me because I thought i was doing the right thing.

I'm not kidding you when I tell you i eat spaghettios several days per week because i can't keep up. So i'm trying hard to find a balance where I can maintain things. That dry food that is so good is also just out of my price range.

it gets overwhelming, but I know there are people here that deal with MUCH worse
Click to expand...
Do you have a Costco nearby? They sell wet cat food pates at a much lower cost than the pet stores. They also sell insulin much cheaper. I pay $100 for one insulin pen at Rite Aid. At Costco, you have to buy a larger amount, but it ends up being about $70 a pen. There is also an amazing organization that can help you with your pet bills. PLEASE PLEASE contact them. They are so great. I've donated to them several times. I believe it's called Alex's Angels. I will try and find it for you.
 
GinnyBarr said:
Do you have a Costco nearby? They sell wet cat food pates at a much lower cost than the pet stores. They also sell insulin much cheaper. I pay $100 for one insulin pen at Rite Aid. At Costco, you have to buy a larger amount, but it ends up being about $70 a pen. There is also an amazing organization that can help you with your pet bills. PLEASE PLEASE contact them. They are so great. I've donated to them several times. I believe it's called Alex's Angels. I will try and find it for you.
Click to expand...
Isn't that just for Lantus? Wilbur is on Vetuslin :). Very nice tip though, Ginny :)
 
johnt said:
honestly taht's what I thought (that hills is not only not good, but it's bad).

I'm transitioning all 3 cats off dry food. but it's a real chore. they have all been free fed their entire lives. they meow a lot right now :)

So is there any way to find the carbs/sugar in these? it's not on the label and I can't find it anywhere
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Not to be harsh but it's not as big of a chore as you think it is. You have to throw away the dry or go donate it, get it out of the house so that the cats can't smell it. Reserve a small amount for diabetic emergency in case your sugar cat refuses to eat the canned after so many hours but HIDE IT. Go buy some Friskies or Fancy Feast that is on the diabetic sheet for low carb allowance and then wait until the cats are pretty hungry, put it out for them and then wait, you can entice them to eat it by adding a little tuna on top or by mixing it into the canned food. You don't want them eating fish every day so the next day try putting some canned chicken with it and then reduce the amount that you add each day. Don't add anything at all when you first start because you might not need to. As far as free feeding goes, so what, I've left canned cat food out all day long and you can too, don't let that be an excuse. Your cats may cry, beg, whine, plead, go on a hunger strike, just don't give in and eventually you will win the fight. It is a battle of the wills with this and if you keep giving into them then they are just going to keep on laughing at you.

You kind of have to think about it in a much harsher reality in order to see the full picture. They are little crack addicts but they don't know that the crack is bad for them because they're just cats. You know that the crack is bad for them because you're a human but you keep buying it for them anyway because you feel bad for them and you know that they really like it. Now doesn't that paint new light on the situation? Go buy some canned food.

And just so that you'll know that I am human and I understand the struggles too. I battled it out with my own 2 cats. When Peanut was diagnosed I tossed the dry food. I switched him and his brother to Friskies Pate and it took them 3 days to fully come around. They didn't eat at all for the first day, nibbled the second day and ate on the third. Hunger is a huge motivator.
 
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