Newly Diabetic Cat still losing weight

[Emilyplusfourcats]

Hello everyone

My orange boy Hossy was diagnosed with diabetes about a month ago and he was started on 1 unit of Vetsulin 2x daily along with a diet of free-feeding kibble (Purina DM or Hills Science Glucose Control kibble) and two meals daily of Tiki Cat canned food (partial can). The reason we originally got him tested was because he had a respiratory infection a few months back which required steroid treatment and since his illness he lost 5 lbs and was very lethargic.

Since starting insulin he has been much more active, playful and happy, and eating a lot. He was drinking a lot in the beginning of his insulin regimen but seemed to slow down a bit a few days after adjusting. He was recently increased to 1.5 units 2x daily after his 1 month checkup showed his glucose was a bit high still but he also lost over 1 lb in just a month long span since starting insulin. Mind you he’s a big guy to begin with, and his normal adult weight has been 22 lbs. His diagnostic visit he weighed in at 17.9 lb and his follow up 16.6 lbs. Also note, he is a very large framed cat and at 16.6 lbs his ribs stick out when he shows his belly. The vet said the weight loss is good because his diabetes is being managed well now, but I am concerned that it is so rapid and continues even after getting everything ‘under control’ or at least what seems to be under control. Thoughts?

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Welcome to the forum Emily and Hossy
It is not uncommon for diabetic cats to loose some weight in the beginning or before diagnosis. Did the vet say what his ideal weight was?
A diabetic cat should be getting low carb food. This is food that is 10% or under carbs and ideally wet / canned food.
The kibble you are feeding is high carb food even though it may be called diabetic or diatetic food. I would recommend you look at feeding a low carb wet diet to your boy.
One word of caution though, the blood glucose will most likely drop lower when you feed a lower carb diet and you would need to reduce the insulin dose. To be safe doing this, I would recommend you think about home testing the blood glucose. Sounds scary but it is not and it is by far the best way to manage a diabetic cat. You dont need your vets permission to do this and we can help you with it. Let us know what you think.
Here is a link to suitable foods

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

Hello everyone

My orange boy Hossy was diagnosed with diabetes about a month ago and he was started on 1 unit of Vetsulin 2x daily along with a diet of free-feeding kibble (Purina DM or Hills Science Glucose Control kibble) and two meals daily of Tiki Cat canned food (partial can). The reason we originally got him tested was because he had a respiratory infection a few months back which required steroid treatment and since his illness he lost 5 lbs and was very lethargic.

Since starting insulin he has been much more active, playful and happy, and eating a lot. He was drinking a lot in the beginning of his insulin regimen but seemed to slow down a bit a few days after adjusting. He was recently increased to 1.5 units 2x daily after his 1 month checkup showed his glucose was a bit high still but he also lost over 1 lb in just a month long span since starting insulin. Mind you he’s a big guy to begin with, and his normal adult weight has been 22 lbs. His diagnostic visit he weighed in at 17.9 lb and his follow up 16.6 lbs. Also note, he is a very large framed cat and at 16.6 lbs his ribs stick out when he shows his belly. The vet said the weight loss is good because his diabetes is being managed well now, but I am concerned that it is so rapid and continues even after getting everything ‘under control’ or at least what seems to be under control. Thoughts?

Hi and welcome to the group. Was Hossy's diet changed when the diabetes diagnosis came in? If he is now eating a much lower-carb diet with more wet/canned food than before, that could definitely impact his weight. We saw that when we switched our entire multi-cat household to canned or raw food, our largest kitty was around 14 pounds and she lost about a pound a month until she stabilized around 11 pounds.

It would be good if you can get an idea of how many calories he is taking in. A rule of thumb is about 20 calories per pound of a cat's ideal weight. Has the vet mentioned what they believe his ideal weight is? If they are pleased with the weight loss, they should have a target weight, I would think. Let's say for example it is 15 pounds, then he should be eating 300 calories a day to maintain that and not gain or lose.

Hard to do if you are free-feeding kibble though. Have you considered switching to more consistent meal times and eliminating the free-feeding? Dr. Pierson has some great detail here: https://catinfo.org/

Here is a quote, and in fact this is what happened in my cat's situation:

"There are countless cases of successful diabetic remission when cat caregivers remove all dry food and all high carbohydrate canned food from their cat’s diet."


She goes on:

"In addition to the issue of carbohydrates and how they affect the blood sugar level of some cats, dry food is very calorie dense, is very palatable, and is usually free-fed. This often leads to obesity.

Fat cells produce a substance that makes the other cells in the body resistant to insulin. This promotes the diabetic state."

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB.

I had similar thoughts about what you're feeding Hossy. If you transition to a lower carb food, please start home testing. Vetsulin is a fast-acting, harsh insulin that can drop a cat into low numbers very quickly. The best way to keep Hossy safe is to home test. Many of our members use the Walmart brand, Relion meter as the strips are inexpensive. The only way you will know how well managed your cat's diabetes is is if you home test.

Also, as an FYI, Vetsulin is not recommended by the American Animal Hospital Assn for the treatment of feline diabetes. Either glargine or Prozinc are the two types of insulin that are recommended. It may be something to discuss with your vet.