New here... Tips on getting my cat to eat ASAP?

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Mike Stauner

Mike Stauner

Member Since 2016
M&M, our 6 year old orange cat, was diagnosed diabetic yesterday. We're not even to the point of getting a testing kit yet, right now we're struggling to beat hell just to try and get him to eat. We've bought some fancy feast chicken canned food, the doctor said look for as high of meat protein content as possible and as low of carb content as possible. Any suggestions on a better food?

And please please if you have any strategy to get him to eat, do tell. Normally he comes running and is meowing like crazy until we get that dish set down (canned food was a delicacy for our cats), but I haven't seen him eat since we took him in yesterday and took him in today for anther insulin shot, as well as some subcutaneous fluids. We've got some antibiotics from the vet that we need to feed him 2x a day so far, but he needs to start eating, and is too lethargic to do anything but struggle his way to the litter box to go and then lays down a few feet away from it. A quick reply would be much appreciated
 
Hi and welcome almost all of the fancy feast CLASSIC are under 10% carb which is what we look for.
I am wondering if M&M may feel nauseated?
Many of us use a anti nausea called ondansetron/zofran
If vomit is a issue cerenia is also given.
Have you tried warming the food a bit? Cats eat by sense of smell....also gerber 2 stage MEAT ONLY baby food is something most cats will eat when they do not feel well. If not eating soon you may want to assist feed...
However I would encourage you to be sure nausea is not the problem before trying to assist/force feed.
I also want to encourage you to home test as it is possible M&M may be getting too much insulin which can be an emergency....
 
Welcome Mike and extra sweet M&M!!

What antibiotic is he on? A lot of them cause upset tummies and of course nobody feels like eating when they're nauseous

Does he go to the food, sniff it and walk away, licking his lips? That's a classic sign of nausea

You might try a little baby food.....the meat only varieties of Gerber and BeechNut are OK for diabetics and a lot of cats love it....just to get some food in his belly. Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of cat food works for some too.....tuna water, oregano and catnip also might work
 
After reading this again I am very concerned you may have a hypo situation-
I am concerned that M& M may have had too much insulin especially without eating-I would call a ER vet if I were in your shoes unless you can home test and see if it is a safe number
 
I don't have any sort of test kit right now, as our vet said to order one off of the Internet, and he's currently taking amoxicillin at 1mL 2x a day. And he doesn't even react to having the canned food, which he ordinarily loves put in front of him, I put a bit on a spoon and put it right under his nose, but he wouldn't touch it.
 
many members use relion--are you close to a walmart or something like a walmart?
it should come with strips and lancets if a starter kit-
 
do you have any of the fancy feast with gravy?
it is high carb but at this point if it was me I would try it especially if I could not test--better too high for a day than too low for a moment-

What insulin is he on?
 
I wish I knew. The vet gave him a shot yesterday when we saw he was pretty lethargic (when he was officially diagnosed) and we brought him back in today with us while he was going over how to test (prick the gums or the ears, how to use the tester, etc.), and he gave him another insulin shot. It's very likely that he might've given him too much since he's eaten as far as we're aware, nothing. I'm thinking of just taking him to an actual vet hospital to get him stabilized and get some sort of food into him. Seems like a really boneheaded move to give a cat insulin when we told the vet he hasn't eaten, now that I think about it. Also, I question now why he passed it off as nothing that M had been losing a LOT of hair, shedding probably 3x that of a normal cat (when we'd groom him, after just a couple of passes, we'd have a hand sized clump), and why he was losing weight.
 
why is he on the amoxicillin?

Your vet probably is telling you to get an AlphaTrak meter off the internet....there's no reason you need to do that ......the strips it uses cost about $1 each so it's really not affordable. Most of us here use the Relion Confirm or Micro from WalMart since it's easy to get and the strips are affordable

Was the shot he was given insulin or an antibiotic?

We don't EVER use their gums to get blood.....Only the edges of the ears or pawpads if they just won't tolerate the ears.....only dogs get tested that way......not cats

Sounds like your vet is like most we hear about.....treating his feline patients like small dogs :(
 
Most vets start cats on caninsulin (which is not the best insulin for cats) --it is very important that M&M eats IF it is canisulin-
Numbers can drop quickly-I would trust your instincts you know M&M best--
at least you will have peace of mind....
 
The shot was insulin, and he didn't say which insulin nor what dosage. And he's on the amoxicillin because he has a bladder infection from ketoacidosis
 
My Doodles was started on Vetsulin in 2015 . Before we started home testing he stopped eating, we ended up in the ER and he almost died from hypoglycemia. With your kitty having DKA it's really important he eats and seriously think he needs medical attention.
 
I agree that you'd be best to take your kitty to the ER - they'll be able to give anti-nausea and appetite stimulant treatments and also administer insulin safely (with a dextrose drip if needed), monitor his BG levels, ketones, electrolytes, etc.

For info, the insulin or the antibiotic may be upsetting his digestive system. Another possibility is that he may have ketone/DKA issues (in which case the ER is the very place he needs to be).


Mogs
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This doesn't sound like hypo to me it sounds like high blood sugar. The symptoms don't match. I force feed my cat with a needleless 10cc syringe (ask your vet for some) when he won't eat. Dilute bone broth and baby food, slightly warm, 5-10 cc's at a time. You can also give them water this way when they won't keep anything down.
 
MerMor said:
This doesn't sound like hypo to me it sounds like high blood sugar.
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Without a meter it's pretty much impossible to tell what's happening BG-wise right now: the lethargy could possibly be due to high BG, or low BG, or high ketones/DKA, or initial reaction to the 'foreign' insulin, or ...

(I had to dose 'blind' when Saoirse first started treatment because the vet treating her at the time refused point blank to even tell me the name of a suitable meter for BG testing. It was a nightmare: she was incredibly lethargic and I had no way whatsoever of telling from her clinical signs whether or not she might be having a hypo - one of the scariest times I've ever gone through.)


Mogs
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The antibiotic is likely why he doesn't want to eat...

when you return, if they haven't given you nausea medication, you can call them back and ask for ondansetron.....
it works great on kitties..... it is a human drug that you will take the prescription to your own pharmacy to get filled.
he dosage is 1/4 of a 4 mg pill twice a day. it takes 30 min for a pill to dissolve. It is an anti nausea medication for humans and was created for cancer patients.
It won't hurt your cat but not all vets know about it or will prescribe it.

The better appy stimulant given 30 minutes after the ondansetron is cyproheptadine.


here are suggestions on stimulating kitties to eat
 
be warned, many vets want to give out mirtzapine instead as an appy stimulant..... and nothing for nausea.....

but many kitties, don't do so well with the mirtz....
mine would continue meowing for food even tho' she had had enough to eat... it made her agitated....
you can always say you've had a previous cat and didn't like that drug....
you'd like to try the cypro instead.....


and nothing really works if the nausea isn't addressed....
the signs are very subtle with a cat....
they ask for food, act like they want it until it gets set down, and then they do a small sniff, sometimes even smacking their lips ( also something that
you learn to recognize in your own cat over time) and they turn away..... even tho' they just asked to be fed....
 
Just as a belt and braces thing, ask the vets to check that he isn't constipated (can also cause nausea and needs additional treatment before ondansetron and cyproheptadine will work properly). Also ask them to check his respiratory tract to make sure he can smell food properly (kitties won't want to eat something they can't smell properly).

Please dont' leave the ER without knowing whether M&M is clear of ketones and not in DKA (the latter needs treatment in a hospital setting).

BTW cyproheptadine is also a human medication. If the vets you're with don't have it in their pharmacy you should be able to get a written Rx filled at a human pharmacy.

Sending prayers and positive thoughts for M&M.

:bighug:


Mogs
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MerMor said:
This doesn't sound like hypo to me it sounds like high blood sugar. The symptoms don't match. I force feed my cat with a needleless 10cc syringe (ask your vet for some) when he won't eat. Dilute bone broth and baby food, slightly warm, 5-10 cc's at a time. You can also give them water this way when they won't keep anything down.
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That is what I do too. Cats can get fatty liver pretty quickly without eating (I had a cat die that way). I use chicken and broth baby food, add some water, heat slightly and then syringe it into his mouth. Aim at the back cheek, not straight down your cat's throat.
 
Apologies for the late reply everyone, we took M to anot animal hospital in the Twin Cities, and they basically gave us an ultimatum, hospitalized him there for 5-7 grand, or they recommended putting him down there. Well they gave him some fluids and stuff so he would make it through the night and we took him home. We called a more local animal hospital that we didn't realize was around (more of like a larger clinic actually), and the on call vet said they would hospitalize him for a week, with an IV and insulin and stuff but if they couldn't get him to eat, we would still have to put him down.

THEY GOT HIM EATING AGAIN! In the week that he's stayed with them he'd gained a pound and a half, and was eating and drinking and was really talkative and stuff. They showed us how to give him insulin, and gave us a bunch of needles and stuff, and it all costed us much much less than the 5-7 grand we were looking at at the large hospital. If you guys still have questions I'd be willing to answer, he's currently going to be starting a regiment of insulin and Fancy Feast classic at 8 & 8, I was wondering since the vet didn't specify, when in relation to giving him the insulin should we actually be feeding him?

Also, our other cat, Boots, I'm not positive how old she is off the top of my head, around the same age as M I would think, doesn't recognize him after his stay from Sunday-today, she sniffs him and either hisses or goes into a low growl. Is this normal? Maybe he just smells unfamiliar because of the other pets at the hospital?

Thanks again, everyone.
 
Mike Stauner said:
THEY GOT HIM EATING AGAIN!
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WOO HOO!! That's great news!!!

Mike Stauner said:
I was wondering since the vet didn't specify, when in relation to giving him the insulin should we actually be feeding him?
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It depends on which insulin you're using......one thing that IS important is that you're home testing and that you take the food up for the 2 hours before shot times so that when you test, you get a number that's not influenced by food. Let us know which insulin so we can answer the question about when to feed better

Mike Stauner said:
doesn't recognize him after his stay from Sunday-today, she sniffs him and either hisses or goes into a low growl. Is this normal? Maybe he just smells unfamiliar because of the other pets at the hospital?
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Exactly!! One of my civvies was only gone from Wednesday morning to evening and China hissed at her for 2 days.....she's just today getting to where Cleo can be in the same room with her without hissing and growling.
 
Well, it's Vetsulin (porcine insulin zinc suspension) and he's to take 4 units every 12 hours, and this vet also gave him some amoxicilin in a dropper to continue to combat the bladder infection. As for testing, strangely the vet didn't speak much at all on that. I'll give them a call in the morning.
 
A lot of vets don't mention testing.....either they think people will think it's too much work or they're under the false impression that it will somehow traumatize your cat....I assure you that it's vitally important to home test...it's the only way to keep M&M safe!

4 units is a HUGE dose....most of us start at 1 unit and through testing see how the cat is responding before going up in dose....and we only increase in .25 to .5 unit increments. I'd be sure to get a meter and start testing ASAP if you're going to start at that high a dose. His life literally could depend on it.

Luckily you don't need your vets permission or blessing to home test. We can help you learn how and there are lots of video's on YouTube too!

If you live in the US, WalMart has their Relion brand Confirm or Micro meters that are used by a lot of us here.....they take the smallest sample size and the strips are affordable ($35.88/100)

It's important if you're using Vetsulin that they have a good meal on board about 20-30 minutes before giving the insulin because Vetsulin is a harsher insulin and when it hits, it hits hard. We've had some people who used Vetsulin with success, but it's really more of a dog insulin. It tends to drop them quickly and early and then wear off long before the next shot time.
 
Mike, this is wonderful news about M&M! :cat: I've been worrying about how he was doing. Thank you so much for letting us know he's eating again and regaining weight!!

((((((M&M))))))))

:bighug:


Mogs
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Thank you for the tips, I'll be picking up a meter later today from Walmart then. And yes we're feeding him a half hour before we give him the insulin. I'll check back either tonight or tomorrow morning. When should I be testing? What sort of numbers should I be looking at? I'm sure the vet could probably answer, but it'd probably be easier just to ask here rather than take up more of the vet's time
 
Did the vets who treated M&M say anything to you about diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or M&M being positive for ketones at any point, Mike?

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You need to be able to force feed him when he won't eat or drink. More than 24 hours with no food can be fatal. I almost lost Merlin earlier this year because of it. He bounced back after a few weeks of force-feeding and liver medication. It was rough but he's doing so well now.

Ask the vet near you for some needleless 10cc syringes. Beech Nut has a "Stage 1" food that's just meat and broth. I've also used dilute bone broth. Gerbers 2nd Foods has cornstarch so you might want to avoid that but I have used it with success. The key here is NO fruit, onions, or garlic on the label. The less seasonings the better. Baby food needs a tiny bit of extra water usually. You could also puree poached chicken breasts and mix with some water. I heat a small amount for a few seconds in the microwave. Always test the temperature. I just taste it. Fill the syringe then coax it into the corner of your cat's mouth while holding his chin up. He'll open reflexively so you need to squirt pretty quickly towards the back side of his mouth. Don't squirt it directly down his throat. Try 3-4cc at first then up to 10 as he keeps it down. Don't rush; an hour or two between feedings is best in my experience.
 
Mike Stauner said:
When should I be testing? What sort of numbers should I be looking at? I'm sure the vet could probably answer, but it'd probably be easier just to ask here rather than take up more of the vet's time
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you ALWAYS test before shooting....so with Vetsulin, you'd Test, feed, wait 30 minutes and shoot (If he's high enough for insulin)....at first, if you get a number under 200, you don't shoot.

Normal numbers are 50-120, but with Vetsulin, since it can be so harsh, we usually like to see them in the 80-100 range at nadir (nadir is the lowest point in the cycle)

After the Pre-shot test, it's best to get another test in about 2 hours later to see how quickly the numbers are dropping....depending on how fast they're dropping will dictate when you'd need to test again
 
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