Needing direction on many fronts as a new member

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oreo

Member Since 2013
As a new member, I have been reading posts but unsure how to use this forum. I have adopted ( August16th /2013) a recently diagnosed (June 2013) 15 year old, obese (17lbs)male cat and he is currently on Lantus 4 units BID . He is fed Feline's Choice ( pretty much the same composition as Feline's Pride ) in small frequent meals throughout the day: he is off all dry food. At night, however, he is contained in a spacious room to keep him from urinating all over the house ( reason why he was adopted from his previous owners) and caterwauling at the bottom of our stairs during the night looking for food. He is fed his last meal at 8:30 PM and doesn't get food again until 6AM the following morning. He does urinate outside his box on a fairly regular basis at night ( the room is fully tarped and protected) but once outside of his containment ,he has never urinated inside our house. He is an indoor/outdoor cat.

Has anyone had any experience with an automated food dispenser at night? If so, what kind and type works best? Based on some of the hysterical reviews I have been reading , these machines are pretty unpredictable at best.

Thank you for any help as both a new member and with my food dispenser question. Linelle and Oreo .
 
High Linelle and Oreo and welcome to FDMB. Thank you so much for giving this cat a home.

There are several people here that use automatic feeders. Someone should be able to recommend a brand.

What may be happening is your cat is not regulated and he is getting too much insulin. There is a condition called Somogyi rebound which results from too much insulin being given. 4 units is a very high dose for most diabetic cats. Most only take 1 to 2 units. With Somogyi rebound, because the dose is too high, in order to protect itself from becoming hypoglycemic, the cat's body produces extra glucose to counteract the effects of the insulin. So the extra glucose raises the cat's BG levels, which in turn causes the excessive hunger & urinating.

I have several suggestions. First, if you have not already started, learn to home test. You will use a human glucose meter to read your cat's blood glucose (BG) before every shot. This is done to first, determine if it is safe to give insulin & second, to determine if the dose is working.

I would also recommend that you start back over at 1 unit twice a day. You will need to stay at that dose for at least one week before considering an increase. If you will also start testing, we can use the readings to help you determine if you need to increase the dose in order to find the optimal dose that works best for your cat. If an increase is needed, it will only be in 1/4 to 1/2 unit increments, with at least one week between dose changes. It takes at least one week for a cat's body to adjust to a new dose.
 
The PetSafe 5, available via our shopping partner Amazon (link at top of page) has worked well for many folks. Another option is to freeze some food which may be nibbled as it thaws.

Note that until his diabetes is regulated, he will be ravenous and may be fed up to 50% more than a non-diabetic cat, since he can't use all of what he eats.

The 4 units is very high, and may have to do with the % of calories from carbohydrates in what you are feeding. Check the food list at Cat Info to find the % of calories, not weight, from carbohydrates in the food.

Before adjusting the dose, please pick up some urine ketone test strips, such as KetoStix or KetoDiaStix to test for urine ketones. These form as a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal, expensive to treat complication of diabetes.

Somogyi has not been reliably documented in felines. Dusty never had elevated glucose in response to excessive insulin; he tested at 31 mg/dL after 2 weeks on too high a dose (his owner couldn't home test due to arthritis).
 
Thank you BJM as well as Lisa . I replied to Lisa with a personal message but I see this may be the best way to respond to people rather than one at a time. As I indicated to Lisa, I have been home testing Oreo with a Nano Accu-Chek and I found Dr Lisa Pierson on line prior to knowing about this site. She referred me to this messaging board but I was not able or ready to deal with the forum. She has been helping me with a number of Oreo's issues ,the main one being his insulin: he has gone from 5.5 units of Lantus BID to 4 BID. I am having some relatively good luck with his numbers during the day ,but it is the night time confinement (totally necessary and unfortunate) that is the most stressing as indicated by his usually high numbers with his AMPS. I will check out the PETSAFE 5 , BJM, and I am so happy to have a place where people are dealing with similar issues. My thanks to you both for your thoughtful responses. Linelle and Oreo
 
An idea which may or may not work: stud pants for cats. These are used mostly with intact males to catch the spraying so you don't have to clean it up. Some cats will tolerate these: some will not.
on Amazon!
 
Another thank you BJM. Oreo is a neutered cat and unfortunately has been dealing with so many changes in his life over the past couple of months, I think wearing pants,at night, may be another thing to stress him out . His room is well padded with tarps as well as incontinent pads and actually it is not bad to clean up given it is only in this confined space at night: sometimes there are no issues at all. I make sure both his 30 gallon litter boxes as well as his room are pristine each night. He is perfectly in control once he is free to roam and get his small frequent feedings during the day. I think the next logical step would be to see if he can get a bit of food at night. I'll check that Petsafe 5 food dispenser. Thanks. Linelle
 
Hello and welcome to the board

We prefer people to post on the board instead of PMs when it comes to advice and dosing because it ensures that other newbies can learn from the advice, plus the advisor isnt put in a situation of giving advice that might cause issues.. posting on the board means you get a wide range of advice from people with a wide range of experience. Plus we all wanted to know the answer about the testing as it helps us advise better!!

Can you give us some examples of his numbers? He is on a high dose and we want to check for bouncing so it would be good to see some preshot and mid cycle test results to see how high he starts off, and how low the Lantus is taking him

Lastly - can you give me the link where it says the % calories from carbs as fed for Felines choice? Not all foods are the same in terms of carbs and I want to check its not too high. I tend to not feed if I am not sure because same composition doesnt necessarily mean same % calories from carbs as fed if you are judging by the can since those are just minimums usually

thanks

Wendy
 
Hello Wendy and thank you for your message. I would gladly post his Google drive sheet so you can see where he started and where he is at the moment, however, I am not sure how to do that: right up there with not knowing where to post on this board. Before I was directed to this site ,I found Dr Lisa Pierson's web site and she has been helping me with Oreo's insulin and adjustments.

Here are the ingredients of Feline's Choice: Fresh defatted chicken thighs with bone, fresh chicken liver,fresh egg yolk, TCfeline custom premix( taurine, calcium carbonate,freeze dried krill,xanthan gum,Vit E succinate (Alpha -tocopherol) ,Vitamin D3,Vitamin A palmitate, sufficient water for processing. protein/15.5% , fats/9.6%. carbohydrates/less than 0.1% , energy 148kcal/100g, moisture/72.7%, ash/2.2%, crude fiber/ less than 0.1%, calcium/0.571%, phosphorus/ 0 .475% and magnesium/ 0.028%.
Thank you Wendy.
 
Yes, my google account and spread sheet have been set up. Will need time to figure this out how to get it from my existing google account to where I actually post on this site. Thanks Wendy, I'll get there eventually . Linelle
 
Just wanted to welcome both of you and let you know that we are all here to help you. Gobbles, is my (still-sugary sweet) diabetic cat in remission. He was diagnosed in November 2012 and went "OTJ" (off the juice) this past May. Without the help, support, compassion and guidance of FDMB members, I am scared to think where we'd be at now with his diagnosis. This all gets easier, believe me. Please ask ANY questions you have. Good luck!
 
oreo said:
Here is the link to my Google spreadsheet for Oreo: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing
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It says "Access Denied." In order to share it with others without them having tor request permission, go to File -> Publish to the web... and check the box that says "Automatically republish when changes are made." Then, copy the address that appears under the section that says "Get a link to the published data" and use that instead (it should start with https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?).
 
First of all Kat, thank you for that lovely welcome. It is indeed comforting to know there are people out there in similar situations who are ready and willing to help. It must be such a thrill to have your cat OTJ.

To Kpassa,thank you for your response and feedback about the spread sheet. I am totally computer challenged and I'll get my son to help me with this issue when he is available.

With appreciation. Linelle
 
oreo said:
To Kpassa,thank you for your response and feedback about the spread sheet. I am totally computer challenged and I'll get my son to help me with this issue when he is available.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. :thumbup Great job on already getting so many tests in and the spreadsheet started!
 
Wendy, when I click on the share button there is a space to add other people. Do I just copy and paste the link to the feline diabetes board that is up on my screen now?

posting.php?mode=reply&f=28&t=106306

And, if I added the above ,does that mean people can get in and change things around? Where do I place the link etc.? I don't want to screw it up . Dr Pierson is currently the only person who can edit if need be. Thanks Wendy. I am looking forward to getting this spread sheet in a place where people can see it so that when I ask questions I can see opinions based on other people's experiences.


Kpassa mentioned the number of tests I was able to get in. Wouldn't that assume she was able to view the spread sheet? I'm confused ...

Thanks again, to you both. Linelle and Oreo
 
Click share and then click on "anyone with a link can view" under "who has access". It just means they view - they will not be able to edit it.

ie
Who has access
Anyone who has the link can view Change...

Wendy
 
Just clicked on something else Wendy that says anyone with a link can view. Do I need to copy and paste the link at the top of the spread sheet now for you to actually see the information? Can you imagine how well I'm doing the diabetic part based on my computer skills ? Thanks .Linelle
 
Just discovered the bottle of Lantus I was using for Oreo expired in JUNE of this year!!! Does anyone else have any experience with using expired insulin and could that account for larger numbers? Once I get that "fresh" bottle,and, if the old stuff is in fact less effective, would I have to be extremely vigilant when Oreo is given his high dosage of Lantus: 4 units BID? Thanks . Linelle
 
I have used Lantus pens that have been expired with no problems. How long since you first used the vial? That is usually more important. At 4 units bid a vial wold last 125 days. That is a little over four months. So likely the an open vial will last that long. I would just be careful when starting another via since it may be more potent.
 
Thanks Larry. Not sure what "pens" are since I purchased from the vet's office the Lantus in a vial . I noticed it expired in mid June and I have been using it right up to today. Oreo's numbers are creeping up or not going down for those early AMPS so I started to think about the possibilities : so many factors for consideration with this disease that I completely missed an expiry date as a possible contributing factor. Thanks for your prompt reply. Linelle
 
Again thank you Larry. What a lot of stuff to learn. I'll check into these as options. Linelle
 
Those members using pens generally take a syringe to withdraw the insulin as the pens can only dose in whole units. You just take the needle cap off, then poke the syringe in the pen reservoir. That way, you may adjust the dose by drops, or quarter units, or half units as needed.
 
Again BJM, you continue to be there which is lovely. I will use up the $100 vial of insulin and look into whether the pens are more cost effective. Also I tried to get my spread sheet up and running for others to view but I'm not sure whether it worked or not. Would love the opportunity to ask questions about Lantus insulin but I'm not sure where to ask. Would it be here on this space or do I go to the Lantus form? I think Oreo is in a holding pattern with his 4 units BID and I'd like to hear about plateaus ,what they mean, how long before a change in dosage etc... from others with similar experiences. Thank you. Linelle
 
To start reading up on Lantus, definitely go to the Lantus forum. Basic information on using, storing, and dose monitoring and adjustment are at the top of the 2nd section in the forum.

And you're welcome to post there, too. Folks in tight regulation post a daily 'condo', titled with the date, the cat's name, and any test results they've gotten over the day (they add then to the first post's subject line by editing that post).
 
Again BJM you have kindly responded to my concerns . Today after quite some time with Oreo's numbers being in the blues and even greens with the occasional yellows ,(Lantus 4 units BID) Oreo's AMPS was 337. I switched to a newer bottle of Lantus two days ago because I thought his 5 month old bottle might not be as effective. The last time he was in a Pink Zone for an AMPS was 9/29/13 and has been gradually getting better numbers except for a few days when I questioned the Lantus efficacy. At 6am it was difficult for me to find what to do in the event of high AMPS and, if in fact it could have been a rebound number because his body may be healing. So I gave 3.5 units rather than the usual 4. I will monitor carefully over the day. In your opinion ,what actions would you have taken? I'm sure there are many scenarios that I have yet to come across so I'll take the issues one at a time. Thank you . Linelle
 
Hello again Wendy. I see I continue to be "link challenged" even though I thought I did something that would help that situation: a work in progress much like this diabetes situation.
And yes, I also thought about Oreo's food FELINE'S CHOICE: Carbs are <0.1% , Protein is 15.5% , Fat is 9.6%, Energy is 148 kcal/100g plus all the other things for that close to nature balance. I see on Dr Pierson's list the Carbs are actually higher in some of these products. Oreo is losing weight slowly based on the observations of people who have not seen him for some time. Having said that, perhaps you can explain what your concern would be about these numbers and/ or ingredients? Has there been issues, that you are aware of with diabetic cats not doing well on these raw foods as opposed to the regular canned varieties? Thanks for your feedback Wendy and it's back to the drawing board with that spreadsheet situation.
Where does my signature for a spreadsheet go? I have no idea what you are talking about and I'm sure you get the title "needing directions on many fronts as a new member". Little did you know the computer is a bigger issue than the diabetes for me at the moment. Thanks Wendy. Linelle
 
yes! Put that link in your signature. It looks like she bounced off the 99 yesterday. He may have gone even lower than 99. 4 units is working so far. If he drops under 50 then you would reduce to 3.75 units and hold that till he drops under 50 again - and repeat. However he might drop low at night , many cats do...

When you say 0.11% carbs what do you mean? Is that % calories from carbs as fed? Or % weight?

I am just saying that .... If it was my cat ... since the food isnt on dr pierson or janet and binkys lists ... and unless I have the carbs listed exactly as % calories from carbs as fed....and if my cat was on such a high dose of insulin (most cats are 1-2 units)..... I would be very suspicious that the food may be spiking my cats sugar! I would hate to make an assumption and have my cat never go into remission and/or be poorly regulated as a result. I would definately test a new food, from the list, for a few days. S'all I am saying :)


Wendy
 
#1- Does that mean the link goes at the end of each post when I sign my name - "Put that link in your signature" ?
#2- I did send Dr Pierson a screen shot of the list of ingredients written on the Feline's Choice package -very similar to Feline's Pride from the states and she actually recommended Feline's Pride on her website for one of the really obese cats she was treating -"Bennie" and stated she wished she had started him earlier on Feline's Pride. She didn't seem to have any concerns about this food but maybe someone out there has had issues with diabetes and this type of food. Having said that, yes Wendy, what Oreo is eating is at the back of my mind as well. It's actually 0.1% carbs on the package if it's the carbs that could be spiking the sugars ?" Is that % calories from carbs as fed? Or % weight?" How do you figure that out?

Thanks again. Linelle
 
Good job on the signature - I can see the link now.

As per Dr Lisa:
Unfortunately, pet food labels are not held to the same standard as human food labels. This means that pet food labels are seriously lacking in usable information when compared to a package of food for a human.

The "guaranteed analysis" numbers that you find on a can of food for protein, fat, and water (moisture) are listed as "minimums" and "maximums" which, by definition, are inaccurate. Plus, the labels never list the carbohydrate amount which is very frustrating because we are trying to stay under 10% carbohydrate calories.

This makes it impossible to accurately evaluate the food in terms of composition.
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Also

You can't calculate it from the label because manufacturers aren't required to put average values of protein, fat, etc. on the label. They are only required to put "guaranteed" minimum and maximum values on the label. Sometimes these values are close to what's actually in the food, and sometimes they are quite different. But in any event they are, by design, inaccurate.
If you live in a country which has consumer-friendly laws on what should be on pet food labels, carbohydrate content may be listed, or you may be able to calculate it by adding the values of protein, fat, water, fiber, and ash, and subtracting that sum from 100% to get "as fed" carbohydrate. But in the USA, you're likely to get grossly inaccurate values following this method.
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Is there a reason you dont want to try another food from her list for a few days just to see?

Wendy
 
Sorry for the delay Wendy . I re sent the Feline's Choice ingredients to Dr Pierson and here is what she said , but of course, she would prefer if people made their own to have total control. The guy who makes the Feline's Choice here in Toronto is a food inspector. He lost his own cat to diabetes and improper food consumption and felt he could do something to help going forward. He was a partner with Feline's Pride in the states but customs made it impossible to ship the stuff to Canada.

Dr Pierson's comment as of yesterday : "The PFC composition looks fine but I question why they are using bones PLUS calcium carbonate. I also see no vitamin B which can be very fragile in food."

I will in fact contact the guy who makes this Feline's Choice and ask about the bone calcium issue as well as the Vit B.

What do you feed Tiggy?

Thanks again Wendy. Linelle and Oreo.
 
I feed Tiggy and Bailey fancy feast classic pates. they used to get Wellness grain free but I got financial issues and went to a cheaper food. I would do the friskies pates but they are higher in carbs at 8% compared to FF at 3-4%.

Also I used to buy Wellness because i thought it was higher quality - Tiggy had it all his life and then he got cancer and I thought if even with a good food he can get cancer then I might as well go with a cheaper one.

Wendy
 
On another note can you get some mid night cycle tests? He looks like he is bouncing and you are missing half the data. Many cats drop low at night.

Also what does Dr lisa say about your varying the insulin dose? Everything I have read says Lantus is best dosed consistently and not varied - because its a depot insulin that needs time to build up or drain in the cats system - takes 2-3 days for a dose change to settle and you to see an impact. So I find it very strange the varying from 3.5 to 4 units.

I would advise you read the stickys on here - might make things clearer: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9

Wendy
 
Hello Wendy,

Again wonderful information for me. I absolutely loved reading those articles you recommended to me- there is so much to learn but the bits along the way seem to stick better, otherwise it's all too overwhelming.

With respect to food Wendy, Dr Pierson was very interested in what the Feline's Choice maker had to say with respect to the Vit B as well as the calcium in the food composition. The carbs are in fact very low- much lower than most commercial brands. I'm sure she will be researching his response with lots of consideration because, as you know, she wants the best for our cats.

When do you ever sleep? I noticed on your BG spreadsheets: you are taking blood 24/7. In our house, it's easy during the day. Nights are are a problem and Dr Pierson is aware of this issue. I am prepared to get up but she is reluctant to suggest we lose all our sleep because of our age. Also, I think she knows ,when the numbers really get low, that's when the nightime shifts will start.

She is well aware of the flip flop and suggested we try just for a couple of cycles. She is heading in the direction of an insulin change of some sort -yet to be seen.

Also, I see both your cats are diabetic: I can only imagine how much, time, energy ,devotion and cost this must be for you.

With respect to Tiggy, how did you get the diagnosis of acromegaly? Oreo's vet here in Toronto, said it is very rare and they have never tested for it in their clinic. I mentioned it is not as rare as he would think and just left it at that.
Hope I am not writing too much for you. Linelle
 
where do you get the felines choice? if it is low carb I might try it ;)

I dont test anywhere near some people. I naturally wake up in the middle of the night to go pee, ;) or just waken naturally a little . and since I am up I go test.

What motivates me though is that one night Bailey was 320 before bed.I gave him 0.25 units. I happened to wake at 4am and decided to test him. I couldnt find him at first and then I saw him comatose on the step. He was having a hypo and was only 16!!! I rubbed syrup on his gums while shouting for my husband. within a couple minutes (felt like forever) and while my husband was calling an emergency vet, he woke up and started to stagger.. more syrup, more tests and a sleepless night and he was fine. Now I am too scared to sleep through and usually get up at least once. My mistake was the fact that the +2 was 196 - significantly lower than the PMPS. And that means an active cycle since he dropped 100 points in 2 hours. I should have set the alarm.

My vet is in Whitby - he worked with a lab that works with the University of Michigan to do the test. (after i sent him the links here) But i don't think Oreo has acromegaly. I do think you need night tests as he is dropping low at night.

Can you adjust your shot time to at least get a before bed test 2-3 hours after your PM shot? Or set the alarm for a few days to see how low he is going? If he does green during the day he probably does lower green at night - and if its too low then he is bouncing.

Did Dr lisa look at your SS? I am kinda surprised she would recommend inconsistent dosing.

Wendy
 
Wow Wendy, I can understand why you are so careful during the nights after that experience with your cat. I have regular contact with Dr Lisa and she is on board, directing, with the regime to date. For three cycles, I'll be giving Oreo a shot of 3 units at night (down from 3.5) to see where his numbers are in the AM . This Am I thought he would be very high ,but, in fact ,he was lower than the previous AM. I'll see what tomorrow brings. Initially, she did think he might be an insulin resistant cat, but now, she says he is sensitive to the insulin. Oreo is quite fine during the days with those odd lovely greens so I imagine the intention is to keep pounding away at the numbers to get them down. And yes, those later testings will get done.

I did have more of a conversation with Dr. Lisa about Oreo's food. She does make her own and is absolutely sure of what her cats are getting ; she doesn't have a lot of trust when it comes to others making food because you can't be sure of what the analysis really means. Having said that,I do like the Feline's Choice because it is far better than what Oreo was eating for the past 15 years - lots of kibble,from the vet, both regular Science Diet, as well as, Science Diet wet which was changed to Science Diet DM. When I really looked at the contents ( with a magnifying glass) it was full of fillers. Oreo has lost some weight with people noticing he does look slimmer.

I'm not prepared at this point to get the grinder because it has been a flurry of adjustments/expenses since we adopted this 15 year old guy a couple of months ago.I really like the guy who makes this food and I'll stick with him until I hear otherwise. Here is his site and he does deliver to your door. I do know of a vet here in Toronto who gets this delivered to her clinic for her own cats- for what that's worth. My guess is, she would have access to lots of food from the clinic but she gets this stuff???

https://felineschoice.com/store/

Thank you again Wendy. Linelle
 
Just to throw in my 2 cents....

Before concluding that your cat is insulin resistant in the technical sense (i.e., has insulin auto-antibodies), I'd first be considering glucose toxicity. Oreo has been at the 4.0u dose for quite some time. With a depot-type of insulin such as Lantus or Levemir, you're encouraged to evaluate the dose every 3 days/6 cycles or at most, every 5 days, if you're following the Tight Regulation Protocol. If your nadir isn't in the range you want, then you increase the dose. When a cat is in higher than preferred numbers for an extended period, their body acclimates to the higher BG level and treats that range as the new "normal." This makes it more challenging to get the numbers to come down into a better range.
 
with respect to the automatic feeder, we bought the PetSafe 5 Meal Feeder

I really liked it. You'll see in reviews that some people have had it not open all the way. I found that you just have to make sure that it's completely seated in the base unit and then it always turns correctly. There is a button you can press to rotate it to check and see if it's fully seated. i always did that to make sure that it would open. we used ours for at least a year, i think, before punkin passed away. it's a good feeder - well worth the money.
 
Hello Sienne and Julie and I want to thank you both for your responses . Sienne , wow, you are another person who apparently does not sleep based on all your numbers on a 24 hour basis. I am very curious about how you do this. As for your information suggestions,they are very inclusive and I don't think I'm able to absorb the amount or complexity of it all at this moment. I adopted Oreo mid August of this year as a 15 year old newly diagnosed diabetic. As you can imagine, this is a very steep learning curve since I've never owned a cat before. To be clear with respect to his BG numbers and insulin, Dr Lisa Pierson is helping me with this issue on a regular basis. I am quietly chipping away with information, as you suggested in your text, in order to get my head around this whole issue of diabetes. Many thanks for these specific sites: lots to take in and learn.

Julie, you read my mind because I was going to go back to the board to ask if anyone specifically had used one of these feeders and there you were with this response. I have additional questions about this feeder if, and when, you have time to answer. How often can you make the timer go off? For example ,can it be timed to go off every 3 hours? Were you putting wet food into the dish containers or were you using dry ,kibble like food? Why were you using this feeder ? Oreo needs to be contained at night (only) in a room that is fully protected with pads tarps etc.. because he would pee around the house (only at night- not a day time issue) -like he did in his previous owners place -and/or caterwaul all night beside our bed looking for food. He is totally food oriented and his intake is controlled. As it is now, he gets his last meal at night around 8:30 PM (going from getting small frequent meals almost every hour or two during the day) with nothing to eat until 6 AM the following AM. His numbers are quite good during the day and then, his early AM numbers are quite high. The question(s) is whether or not he is in a rebound situation, is he upset because he doesn't have a bit of food - going from being free fed after 15 years to nothing at night, and /or the fact that he is contained and doesn't have the run of the house? Probably all of the above in many circumstances but now it's trying to figure out what I can control to see if things improve on the diabetic front.
Thank you both again for your responses. Linelle
 
i fed all canned food for punkin. you can set the timer for as often as you want - 4 future times. one compartment is under the opening, so you can't cover the 5th compartment. not sure if that makes sense.

typically i used it while i went to work, so at 7am we fed him and gave him his insulin. the feeder was set to go off at 10am (+3) every day. if i was faced with a low preshot, i'd set additional times for it to open, say 9am and 11am as well. then if i was worried about him, i would come home during my lunch and test him again. if he was low, i might set it again for noon and 12:30. i made decisions about how often to have it go off based upon his numbers and the patterns i knew that he was prone to.

i thought it was a great feeder. the consistent complaint i saw in reviews was about it not opening all the way. as i mentioned, my solution for that was to always seat the feeder in the base then press the manual button that would rotate the feeder around one space. then i always left it so that a filled compartment was ready to go next when the automatic timer went off. again, not sure how much sense it makes when i'm describing it, but i never had it not open after i learned to manually move it forward one compartment to make sure it was seated completely.

there is a steep learning curve with the feline diabetes. we all get it - that's why people who have learned how to manage it stay and pass on the information to new people. everyone here is a volunteer. we know that it takes a while to absorb it and you can only get so much at once. so feel free to keep asking questions. we'll all do our best to help you.

eta - many people here use timed feeders with canned food. i don't think there's any problem with leaving it out. i usually put his food in the feeder and added an ice cube on top to keep it cold and from drying out. i think there's a compartment under it to put a blue ice, but i never used it. actually didn't realize it until i was putting it away. :lol:
 
Hello Julie,

Just wonderful info for me and based on what you said, I am going to order the feeder you used:it sounds perfect for Oreo with his limited night time space with no opportunity for food.
On another note Julie, your efforts to help Punkin, on my first time reading of your spread sheet ,were truly inspirational. What a sad and difficult time that must have been. With Punkin's death, I hope you experienced a sweet sadness and closure knowing you and your family did everything possible for him. With great appreciation for your knowledge and continued help for those of us who are dealing with on going issues. Linelle
 
that's so sweet of you, linelle. i miss the little guy every day - wish i could have just a little more time with him. he was an extraordinary cat. there is one video linked to my sig line and some pics on his profile page (they take a while to load up in the google docs) if you want to see what he looked like. we joked (but it was true) that he had psychic abilities. he was the most communicative cat i've ever had.

it's the trade-off of having a diabetic cat. it takes a lot from you, but in return you are blessed with a closeness with your kitter that is more than any other pet you'll ever have.

FDMB is a great place for teaching how to take care of Oreo and keep him safe.

have a great day.
 
The video was wonderful Julie - it is always great to see these animals in order to put a face to their names . On another note, I did purchase the PET 5 feeder and Oreo managed to figure out how to get the food from ALL the compartments in less than 5 minutes . He is an absolute foodie and to see his vigor trying to get at the food was intriguing in an oddly compelling way. From the reviews I read, some hysterical, it would seem there are many cats who get this contraption in no time because of their high motivation to eat. That said, where are those design engineers who could figure out ways to better build these things for those animals who love their food? The theory is perfect but the execution is a little suspect for the foodies. I'd love to see steel bowls, as well as, a better timer. Ours isn't working great and sometimes the bowls don't swing the full way through - probably more to do with us than the machine. This disease is one problem solving solution after another and if I was on a team of humans vs the cats, I'd say the cats are winning . I think whoever comes up with that perfect food (wet ) dispensing machine would be laughing all the way to the bank. Thank you Julie and I'm sure to have many more questions on this journey with Oreo. Linelle
 
i'm very impressed, oreo! :lol: punkin had acromegaly and an insatiable appetite because of the growth hormone comes with that. he was quite the hoover but he never broke into the rest of the feeder. well done, oreo! ;-)

i think i'd take the feeder back. too expensive it if doesn't work for you. what about cat food-sicles? would he eat frozen food while it's still frozen? some people dilute the food with water and freeze it in ice cube trays. to make it harder to eat, you could freeze it in something larger, like cat food cans, maybe. the "average" cat will eat it after it thaws. perhaps oreo is more motivated than that!

the other type of feeder has a hinged lid that flips up. i've heard those are pretty easy to break in to, so i don't think i'd try that. i'm not sure what else to suggest.
 
Thank you again Julie for all your suggestions. I do think Oreo would get into those hinged feeders quite easily. In the meantime, I haven't given up on the feeder because I think it was those beef liver pure bites that drove him crazy. I have since put the chicken pure bites in the dishes and he is much more relaxed. Also I am having someone come over to see the machine to possibly make it work better: now the rotation device doesn't work. I'll see what this guy comes up with and go from there . If he can get it to work better, I would put some frozen raw food in a couple of the slots as they rotate through. I'll keep you posted on where this is going ... possibly back to the drawing board. Linelle
 
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