Need to Change Food ASAP - HELP!

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MimiBaxter407

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Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I have posted. Baxter was diagnosed over 5 years ago, and I have had him well-regulated on PZI insulin and a diet of Fancy Feast Classics (Turkey & Gibs, Gourmet Chick and Tender Beef). Life has been good and very easy.

However--over the past couple weeks, he has completely STOPPED eating Fancy Feast Classic. Will not touch it. At first I thought he was sick, because he was over-grooming and acting very jumpy. He also threw up a few times. He even licked off a small spot of his fur. Licked it clean off! But all of his tests came back normal, and his exam was fine.

I don't have to tell you all how stressful this has been, because his blood sugar levels were scary low for a few days (yes I home test), and I had to stop giving him insulin because he wasn't eating. He is a very picky eater. I have bought a few other types of food to try and he LOVES them, but I can't continue because they are either too expensive or they aren't good for his diabetes. I basically am just giving him whatever he will eat right now. He has an appetite. Just won't eat the Fancy Feast Classics anymore. For example--he gobbled up an entire pouch of Wellness Healthy Indulgence Last Night. He also will eat the Fancy Feast Elegant medleys and the little FF appetizer trays. He loves Core Grain Free dry also.

Having said all this...I have no idea what to feed him on a long-term basis. I don't want to spend a fortune but I want something that is good for him. This is just so weird that all of a sudden he stopped eating a food that he seemed to love for so many years and it was so great for his diabetes! UGH!!!

Oh and BTW--This all needs to be resolved by the time we leave for vacation in 5 days. No pressure!!!!!

Any suggestions??? I have checked Janet and Binky's list, but I really want to hear from others personal experiences.

PS: Is Fancy Feast Elegany Medley safe for Diabetics? I notice it has Wheat Gluten in the ingredients, but the carb content is not too high??
 
Personally with 12 cats, 2 of which are diabetic, I feed everyone here what my diabetics eat, Friskies Pate Style canned food off Binky's list. I know a few others also use 9-lives and even Walmart's Special Kitty. I would think anything off Binky's List that are under 10% carbs (personal preference is under 7%) would be fine for him as long as he likes it and will eat it.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
MimiBaxter407 said:
He also will eat the Fancy Feast Elegant medleys and the little FF appetizer trays. He loves Core Grain Free dry also.
...

PS: Is Fancy Feast Elegany Medley safe for Diabetics? I notice it has Wheat Gluten in the ingredients, but the carb content is not too high??
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The Fancy Feast Elegant medleys are moderate carb (9% - 15%). They are on the food list if you want to see which are lower/higher carb. The FF appetizer trays are for supplemental feeding only. They do not have all of the necessary nutrients to feed as an only food. They are okay to feed a few times a week.

9-Lives, Sophisticat, and Friskies from the list are good budget choices.
 
MimiBaxter407 said:
. For example--he gobbled up an entire pouch of Wellness Healthy Indulgence Last Night.
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Are those the ones in the pouches? If so, they are in gravy which means carbs.

He also will eat the Fancy Feast Elegant medleys and the little FF appetizer trays.
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The FF appetizers are not complete meals. They are only supplements and contain no vitamins or minerals. It's ok to be fed as a treat or alongside regular canned or dry food but not as a stand alone diet.

PS: Is Fancy Feast Elegany Medley safe for Diabetics? I notice it has Wheat Gluten in the ingredients, but the carb content is not too high??
Click to expand...

The Elegant Medleys are just a little bit over the 10% carbs most people stick to. They're on the "new" canned food chart: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html You can feed it but may need to adjust the insulin dose if your cat's bgs become higher than usual.

Have you tried sprinkling crushed up freeze dried treats on top of the FF to make it more appealing?

You can try Wellness or Friskies or Nature's Variety Instinct or Merrick. Hope you find a new brand of food that your cat will like :smile:
 
Also try the Walmart Special Kitty pate flavors. Mine sometimes get picky about the Friskies flavors and I will switch them over to Special Kitty. So far none of the SK flavors I have fed them have any effects on Ricky's BG levels.
 
Mine do this on a regular basis. They'll stop eating a few flavours for awhile and find a new favorite. I go between fancy feast and some of the other brands already mentioned that mimic fancy feast.
 
When my cat did this it was because she decided she didn't want to eat anything with liver in it any more. Some cats get sick of the taste after a while. All of the less expensive grain free cat foods have a pretty high liver content. You might want to try something that has little to no liver, like Merricks (any of the Before Grains), or EVO 95%. After a while he should forget his liver aversion (if that's the problem) and you can go back or mix the other foods back in.
 
Thanks to all who replied. I'm glad to know Baxter is not the only cat this has happened to! Just got home from work and headed to Petco now with list in hand! Hope he will eat one of these suggested. This board is a life-saver.

Wish I had not spent $300 at the vet. Ugh.
 
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