New diagnosis help/food help

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DANI NICOLE

Member Since 2021
Hi all. I'm new here and looking for tips on managing our cat Orville's diabetes. He's an 8 1/2 year old tuxedo cat who was diagnosed just over 2 months ago. We're in the overwhelmed stage still, trying to figure out how on earth we're going to manage this financially and practically as my husband and I are in the arts and travel a lot for work. He's at 2 units of glargine right now which we've been successfully giving him since about a week or two after diagnosis, but we're betting that that dose will go up when he has another glucose curve done - probably at the vet one more time. We're going this week to do a blood glucose demo at the vet to learn how to check his numbers at home. We have since changed his food to DM which was recommended by the vet but it's way too expensive to purchase for the long term. I'm looking to find out a good quality food that's high in protein and low in carbs for a reasonable price. Someone (not someone familiar with diabetic cats) recommended this food "Big Country Raw Pure Duck Carton Dog & Cat Food" and I'm wondering if it would be appropriate. What I'm looking for too is a food that my other 9 year old healthy cat can also eat so we can easily feed them together and not hover over their dishes to make sure one isn't eating the other's food. We need to streamline wherever we can since we'll have to have other people cat sitting in the future. We can't afford to pay for a service to come and administer shots when we're away and we only have a couple of friends who are game to help out, but only once in a while as they don't live nearby. I honestly don't know how anyone manages this unless they have a set 9-5 work schedule which we will never have. Any and all advice is welcome, I'm overwhelmed with all of the info. about this condition and need to make some strides forward this week as I'm out of town for 8 weeks starting this Sunday and my husband will be on his own with Orville. I for sure need to shift them both to a new healthy food at the very least by the end of this week - they'll also picky little guys so that doesn't make it easy. My husband and I are not at all on the same page regarding care for kitty and I think if he has any kind of a hard time wrangling him while I'm away, he will simply give up on the blood glucose testing (which we're guessing will be a lot more difficult since Orville hates to have his ears touched.) My husband also isn't willing/able to take him in to the vet for glucose testing (but we can't afford that anyway at $200 a visit.)
 
When my girl was diagnosed, I had a similar problem. My other cat was on higher carb food for his idiopathic cystitis (before I knew better) which Neko would always rush in to eat. I asked the vet what food both can eat, and she suggested raw. Neko was a very easy transition, the other cat took a bit longer.

In general, cats need less carbs than dogs, who are omnivores. You will find more veggies in formulas made for dogs than cats. The other option to buying premanufactured raw, is making your own. TC Feline makes a premix which you add to meat with egg as an easy version. There is a formula on Dr. Lisa Pierson's site for making your own food too, link here: https://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/ I started out with premanufactured, the main brand I fed was from Red Dog/Blue Kat - made in BC near me. I knew the person who worked sourcing the organic ingredients. They only make single protein, not blended protein meals. Probably similar to the Big Country Pure Blend. The thing I liked about Red Dog/Blue Kat is the portion sizes were much smaller, either one day for one cat or for two cats. And I would rotate proteins day to day. Big tubs are a pain to thaw if they get fussy. Or if you forget to get it out of the freezer in time to thaw. The shrink wrapped single day portions could be thawed quite quickly in cold water.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
When my girl was diagnosed, I had a similar problem. My other cat was on higher carb food for his idiopathic cystitis (before I knew better) which Neko would always rush in to eat. I asked the vet what food both can eat, and she suggested raw. Neko was a very easy transition, the other cat took a bit longer.

In general, cats need less carbs than dogs, who are omnivores. You will find more veggies in formulas made for dogs than cats. The other option to buying premanufactured raw, is making your own. TC Feline makes a premix which you add to meat with egg as an easy version. There is a formula on Dr. Lisa Pierson's site for making your own food too, link here: https://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/ I started out with premanufactured, the main brand I fed was from Red Dog/Blue Kat - made in BC near me. I knew the person who worked sourcing the organic ingredients. They only make single protein, not blended protein meals. Probably similar to the Big Country Pure Blend. The thing I liked about Red Dog/Blue Kat is the portion sizes were much smaller, either one day for one cat or for two cats. And I would rotate proteins day to day. Big tubs are a pain to thaw if they get fussy. Or if you forget to get it out of the freezer in time to thaw. The shrink wrapped single day portions could be thawed quite quickly in cold water.
Click to expand...
I've been told about Big Country Raw Pure Duck which sounds promising, though I've tried to switch their food to a healthier food over the almost 3 years that we've had them (they are both adopted.) They've basically been eating Friskies paté or President's Choice paté most of their lives and every other food I've tried (Science Diet, Hills, Royal Canin, Blue, other raw food brands, etc.) they have turned their nose up at. I'm hoping I can find individual cans of some of the raw foods so they can try them rather than buying a big case of food - though sometimes they like it initially, I buy a big case, and then they decide they don't like it anymore. So much wasted money. I'm curious about people's thoughts on Fancy Feast? I read the following last night and it sounds promising. My vet has said giving your cats food like this is like feeding them McDonald's but it sounds reasonable to me.

"If you’re looking for an affordable option for your diabetic cat, take a look at the Fancy Feast Classic Paté line of wet food. While it doesn’t have certain high-end ingredients like some expensive brands, many vets recommend Fancy Feast as a great option to control or even reverse feline diabetes. Just be sure to buy the “classic paté” or some of the “wild naturals” types, as the Fancy Feast gravy options are too high in carbohydrates.

Key Features:
  • Grain free wet cat food in classic paté
  • Low carbohydrate content suitable for diabetic cats (5-8% depending on the flavor)
  • Available in three flavors: beef, chicken, and turkey & giblets
Pros:
  • Affordable diabetic cat food option
  • Complete and balanced recipe
  • Includes a number of vitamins and minerals
  • Manufactured in the USA
Cons:
  • Higher fat content compared with other options
 
DANI NICOLE said:
I've been told about Big Country Raw Pure Duck which sounds promising, though I've tried to switch their food to a healthier food over the almost 3 years that we've had them (they are both adopted.) They've basically been eating Friskies paté or President's Choice paté most of their lives and every other food I've tried (Science Diet, Hills, Royal Canin, Blue, other raw food brands, etc.) they have turned their nose up at. I'm hoping I can find individual cans of some of the raw foods so they can try them rather than buying a big case of food - though sometimes they like it initially, I buy a big case, and then they decide they don't like it anymore. So much wasted money. I'm curious about people's thoughts on Fancy Feast? I read the following last night and it sounds promising. My vet has said giving your cats food like this is like feeding them McDonald's but it sounds reasonable to me.

"If you’re looking for an affordable option for your diabetic cat, take a look at the Fancy Feast Classic Paté line of wet food. While it doesn’t have certain high-end ingredients like some expensive brands, many vets recommend Fancy Feast as a great option to control or even reverse feline diabetes. Just be sure to buy the “classic paté” or some of the “wild naturals” types, as the Fancy Feast gravy options are too high in carbohydrates.

Key Features:
  • Grain free wet cat food in classic paté
  • Low carbohydrate content suitable for diabetic cats (5-8% depending on the flavor)
  • Available in three flavors: beef, chicken, and turkey & giblets
Pros:
  • Affordable diabetic cat food option
  • Complete and balanced recipe
  • Includes a number of vitamins and minerals
  • Manufactured in the USA
Cons:
  • Higher fat content compared with other options
Click to expand...
A lot of people here feed Fancy Feast! The most important thing for you is to find a low carb food that both your cats will eat and reliably enjoy. FF is a perfectly fine choice, and it's a lot more economical than raw if you're worried about that.
 
Welcome!

Fancy Feast and Friskies pates are favorites among here for an inexpensive, low carb option for kitties. Also, diabetic diets are totally healthy for non-diabetic cats so you can feed both your animals the same thing without worry. :) It'll also probably better for your other cat in the long run as well. There's also a food chart linked in the forum. It's a few years old, but it still has fantastic information on many brands and flavors that are still on the market. Basically, you're looking for anything <10% carbs. I saved a copy of the spreadsheet version to filter and sort myself, and it was invaluable when I started shopping for low carb foods.

Mine are also pretty picky and took some time to get used to pates. Getting them onto a new food takes a little bit of time, and you will probably have to gradually mix the new food in with the old. If they were on dry before, try putting small amounts of new wet food near the bowl at feeding time so they associate the smell with food. If they don't care for pates, Fancy Feast has a couple of different textures that are still low carb. We did Flaked Chicken, Tuna, and Trout, as well as Roasted Turkey for some time while occasionally incorporating pates to help them associate that texture with it being food. On days when they seemed to turn their nose up at everything, we spoon a little bit of medium carb gravy food (anything 10-15% carb) on top to make it seem more attractive. And they generally keep eating after that.

Glargine is one of the best insulins for cats, but ProZinc may be an option you want to investigate if timing will be difficult. Glargine needs to be given on a fairly strict 12 hour schedule. ProZinc is more flexible. While costly up front (though ProZinc is cheaper than Glargine), both of these insulins will keep in the fridge after opening for 5-6 months. I'm not a ProZinc user, but if that's an option you want to look into, we can tag some experienced users.

With regards to home testing, someone recently posted a success story with pricking ears using a soft lancet. If your cat doesn't like his ears touched, this might be a good choice for you. Also, before you start testing, I suggest starting to condition him now by giving him treats ANY time he lets you pet his ears. Hopefully he'll start associating that behavior with rewards. If you go the lancing device route, also click it near his ears and give treats before attempting to test so he doesn't freak out at the sound.

We are here to help you both!
 
Librarianista said:
Welcome!

Fancy Feast and Friskies pates are favorites among here for an inexpensive, low carb option for kitties. Also, diabetic diets are totally healthy for non-diabetic cats so you can feed both your animals the same thing without worry. :) It'll also probably better for your other cat in the long run as well. There's also a food chart linked in the forum. It's a few years old, but it still has fantastic information on many brands and flavors that are still on the market. Basically, you're looking for anything <10% carbs. I saved a copy of the spreadsheet version to filter and sort myself, and it was invaluable when I started shopping for low carb foods.

Mine are also pretty picky and took some time to get used to pates. Getting them onto a new food takes a little bit of time, and you will probably have to gradually mix the new food in with the old. If they were on dry before, try putting small amounts of new wet food near the bowl at feeding time so they associate the smell with food. If they don't care for pates, Fancy Feast has a couple of different textures that are still low carb. We did Flaked Chicken, Tuna, and Trout, as well as Roasted Turkey for some time while occasionally incorporating pates to help them associate that texture with it being food. On days when they seemed to turn their nose up at everything, we spoon a little bit of medium carb gravy food (anything 10-15% carb) on top to make it seem more attractive. And they generally keep eating after that.

Glargine is one of the best insulins for cats, but ProZinc may be an option you want to investigate if timing will be difficult. Glargine needs to be given on a fairly strict 12 hour schedule. ProZinc is more flexible. While costly up front (though ProZinc is cheaper than Glargine), both of these insulins will keep in the fridge after opening for 5-6 months. I'm not a ProZinc user, but if that's an option you want to look into, we can tag some experienced users.

With regards to home testing, someone recently posted a success story with pricking ears using a soft lancet. If your cat doesn't like his ears touched, this might be a good choice for you. Also, before you start testing, I suggest starting to condition him now by giving him treats ANY time he lets you pet his ears. Hopefully he'll start associating that behavior with rewards. If you go the lancing device route, also click it near his ears and give treats before attempting to test so he doesn't freak out at the sound.

We are here to help you both!
Click to expand...
Thanks for all of these details - I'll look into the ProZinc next when I bring him to the vet on Thursday. I checked out those soft lancets for home testing and I'm leaning towards ordering those. I have an older one that is quite loud that was given to us by a friend who used it years ago for their cat. I'm afraid it will scare him far too much. I'll start practicing with him by just touching his ears and giving treats to see how he does. And then ease into using the lancet.
 
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
Here is a video one of our members did
 
Thanks for the info. I tried it freehand at the vet today and it went ok there. We did it on the outside and that seemed easier than trying to flip the ear out. Doing it at home will be a completely different story I'm sure! Hoping to be able to do a glucose curve for him in the next two days as it's looking like he's probably going to need to go up a unit or two.
 
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