KRams
Member Since 2019
Hi all,
My 9 yo kitty Xena (female domestic longhair) was diagnosed with diabetes about a week and a half ago (My intro post here). My husband and I are also kitty parents to 5 yo Xander (~12 lbs, male) and 3 yo Deedee (~13 lbs, female), both domestic shorthairs.
I picked up a human glucometer today, the Freestyle Freedom Lite, mostly because it seemed to require the smallest amount of blood (0.3 ul!). I checked out both Xander and Deedee's BG levels (both under 100, phew!) and of course had the most difficult time with Xena- she kept shaking her ear every time a reasonable drop of blood formed! And of course I made the rookie mistake (twice) of touching the blood to the test strip before pushing the test strip all the way in. I actually ended up trying twice, not getting enough blood at the right time in the right place, letting her chill until her PMPS measurement, and the process was still not great. I'm a bit daunted by the idea of doing this every two hours to get a proper curve. I would love to hear that this gets better- anyone?
With respect to food, all three cats had been accustomed to free-feeding throughout the day, pawing out dry food from little tube feeders (like the one here). This method had been working well for Xena and Xander with respect to weight but since Deedee seemed to be getting a little heftier than necessary (I suspect she should be closer to 12 lbs), I was already thinking that we'd have to switch things up.
Xena's diagnosis accelerated that process- we moved to twice daily feedings immediately. I realize in retrospect that this was probably a bit too much for the other cats (there have been a number of upset stomachs, at least once looked a bit like a stomach that got too acidic). In addition to upset stomachs, there has been some serious variability in appetite. At first, everyone was hungry (Xena was getting dry Hills i/d because of diarrhea, while Xander and Deedee stayed on their original food, dry Purina One Indoor Advantage). But after the first few days, sometimes one cat or another (usually Xander or Deedee) will take a nibble or two and then just ignore the offered food. We'll leave it out for 1/2 - 1 hour at a time. Does anyone have experience with this switch and how to potentially ease the transition? I've been hesitant to add an extra proper mealtime because my husband and my working hours are not particularly consistent.
Also, I don't know if this is related to the stress of new mealtimes, but now all three cats have diarrhea! (Important note- parasites have been ruled out already). I was able to pick up a probiotic and wet Hills i/d to feed to all three cats today. I'm not quite as familiar with how much wet food they have to eat as with dry but the three of them didn't finish a can, so I'm still not thrilled with their appetite. Any suggestions or advice? Have other folks had issues with upset stomachs and intestines during this transition period? How do you manage to get through it? I'm also open to advice about air freshers...
TIA!
My 9 yo kitty Xena (female domestic longhair) was diagnosed with diabetes about a week and a half ago (My intro post here). My husband and I are also kitty parents to 5 yo Xander (~12 lbs, male) and 3 yo Deedee (~13 lbs, female), both domestic shorthairs.
I picked up a human glucometer today, the Freestyle Freedom Lite, mostly because it seemed to require the smallest amount of blood (0.3 ul!). I checked out both Xander and Deedee's BG levels (both under 100, phew!) and of course had the most difficult time with Xena- she kept shaking her ear every time a reasonable drop of blood formed! And of course I made the rookie mistake (twice) of touching the blood to the test strip before pushing the test strip all the way in. I actually ended up trying twice, not getting enough blood at the right time in the right place, letting her chill until her PMPS measurement, and the process was still not great. I'm a bit daunted by the idea of doing this every two hours to get a proper curve. I would love to hear that this gets better- anyone?
With respect to food, all three cats had been accustomed to free-feeding throughout the day, pawing out dry food from little tube feeders (like the one here). This method had been working well for Xena and Xander with respect to weight but since Deedee seemed to be getting a little heftier than necessary (I suspect she should be closer to 12 lbs), I was already thinking that we'd have to switch things up.
Xena's diagnosis accelerated that process- we moved to twice daily feedings immediately. I realize in retrospect that this was probably a bit too much for the other cats (there have been a number of upset stomachs, at least once looked a bit like a stomach that got too acidic). In addition to upset stomachs, there has been some serious variability in appetite. At first, everyone was hungry (Xena was getting dry Hills i/d because of diarrhea, while Xander and Deedee stayed on their original food, dry Purina One Indoor Advantage). But after the first few days, sometimes one cat or another (usually Xander or Deedee) will take a nibble or two and then just ignore the offered food. We'll leave it out for 1/2 - 1 hour at a time. Does anyone have experience with this switch and how to potentially ease the transition? I've been hesitant to add an extra proper mealtime because my husband and my working hours are not particularly consistent.
Also, I don't know if this is related to the stress of new mealtimes, but now all three cats have diarrhea! (Important note- parasites have been ruled out already). I was able to pick up a probiotic and wet Hills i/d to feed to all three cats today. I'm not quite as familiar with how much wet food they have to eat as with dry but the three of them didn't finish a can, so I'm still not thrilled with their appetite. Any suggestions or advice? Have other folks had issues with upset stomachs and intestines during this transition period? How do you manage to get through it? I'm also open to advice about air freshers...
TIA!
