Our 12 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes about 3 weeks ago. Our vet put him on a diet of 1 1/2 cans of Hills W/D twice a day. He would not eat but one can so the vet changed his insulin for 1 can twice a day. Then he went to only eating 1/2 can, so again our vet changed the insulin. He then would not eat the W/D at all, so we changed his food. He then quit eating all together. He spent two days at the vet with them trying every food they could. Thomas still would not eat. We brought him home last Tuesday and he still is not eating. Obviously we can not give him insulin if he will not eat. Any suggestions?
Newly Diabetic Cat will not eat
- Thread starter cthomason
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Sue and Oliver (GA)
Very Active Member
You are right to be concerned. Not eating isn't good for diabetic cats. Some quick things that might help: warm the wet food up until nice and stinky in the microwave, pour tuna juice or parmesan cheese on it. Sometimes cats will eat dog food or baby food (meat flavors with no spices or flavorings).
You can also syringe feed : http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Inapp ... ge_feeding
Others who have more experience with this will chime in soon.
You can also syringe feed : http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Inapp ... ge_feeding
Others who have more experience with this will chime in soon.
Karen and Flo
Member
W/D is a poor quality, and expensive option. You want to feed a high protein, low carb., grain free canned or raw food to your cat. Here is a link to Janet & Binky's Food Charts: http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm
Go to the canned food section and look for something that is below 10% in the carbohydrate section. Wellness grain free canned is a great option, and there are several low carb, gluten free Fancy Feast varieties as well.
The vet probably tried as many poor quality "prescription" foods as they could, but not higher quality, species appropriate ones. www.catinfo.org is a great site for feline nutrition.
Go to the canned food section and look for something that is below 10% in the carbohydrate section. Wellness grain free canned is a great option, and there are several low carb, gluten free Fancy Feast varieties as well.
The vet probably tried as many poor quality "prescription" foods as they could, but not higher quality, species appropriate ones. www.catinfo.org is a great site for feline nutrition.
Nicole & Baby
Very Active Member
Welcome, as you know...we need to get Thomas eating. Switching Baby to canned only was a mess - she is very, very picky & not a big eater.
The suggestions given to me, were:
Parmasean Cheese
Kitty Shake (mix a can of food with some hot water & blend it..so it is the consistency of a shake..kitty will lap it up like gravy)
Tuna flakes sprinkled on top
Halo Freeze Dried Chicken or Pure bites sprinkled on top
Fortiflora by Purina
We tried them all, but the only one that worked for us was Fortiflora, spinkled on top (like salt & pepper to taste) very alluring to kitty & my Baby was hooked
Have you tried a few different flavors?
I know it is scary & frusturating for you & kitty... keeping you in my thoughts & prayers..
The suggestions given to me, were:
Parmasean Cheese
Kitty Shake (mix a can of food with some hot water & blend it..so it is the consistency of a shake..kitty will lap it up like gravy)
Tuna flakes sprinkled on top
Halo Freeze Dried Chicken or Pure bites sprinkled on top
Fortiflora by Purina
We tried them all, but the only one that worked for us was Fortiflora, spinkled on top (like salt & pepper to taste) very alluring to kitty & my Baby was hooked
Have you tried a few different flavors?
I know it is scary & frusturating for you & kitty... keeping you in my thoughts & prayers..
Gia and Quirk
Active Member
Most cats come to refusew the so-called 'prescription' foods. To properly feed your cat you need to know the basics of feline nutrition. they are at www.catinfo.org. Please read this site as soon as possible.
Victoria & Sundance
Active Member
Let him eat whatever he wants to eat. Also, try canned dog food. It is not appropriate for long term nutrition but it has given some cats without an appetite the will to eat. Eating - anything - is the important thing.
Michele&Molly
Active Member
I there and welcome! I can only imagine how scared you are right now, i'm so sorry. We're all here to try to help. I agree with Victoria - get Thomas eating anything you can. Have you tried the meat flavored baby foods? They have a pretty high success rate.
We have a vet, Dr. Lisa, who belongs to the group and just recently she explained how many cats will not go anywhere near the Hill's food. There are many other options that are less expensive and actually better for them.
First and foremost, try to get Thomas eating anything.
Keep us update, Michele
We have a vet, Dr. Lisa, who belongs to the group and just recently she explained how many cats will not go anywhere near the Hill's food. There are many other options that are less expensive and actually better for them.
First and foremost, try to get Thomas eating anything.
Keep us update, Michele
Pam and Layla
Active Member
cthomason said:
I'm sorry your cat isn't well, but with some TLC I'm sure you and your vet can get him back on track.
How is your vet treating your cat - what meds is he on besides insulin?
Which insulin is he on?
How is your vet addressing the non-eating issue? It is critical that your cat eats. Am I reading your post correctly that your cat hasn't eaten in a week? You really need to take him to vet and get this addressed now. Cats that do not eat can develop Hepactic Lipidosis (fatty liver disease). http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 27&aid=217
When did you last see the vet?
Did he test for ketones?
Again, I'm sorry your cat is not well but it seems to me he needs immediate medical attention.
Please keep us posted.
Pam and Layla
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JJ & Gwyn [GA]
Active Member
I agree with the suggestions so far to try to get your cat to eat and that eating is very important. I also completely agree that home-testing blood sugar is also important.
Three other things that occur to me are:
1. Are you testing your cat (what's his name) for ketones? Ketones are a not-common side effect of unregulated or under-regulated diabetes. Untreated ketones can lead to diabeteic ketoacidosis, which can become very bad pretty quickly. Low amounts of ketones may be treatable at home; high levels of ketones may require hospitalisation in a 24-hour care facility. Because of the ability to become serious so quickly, and because of the different levels of care involved in treating them, I encourage all newly diagnosed diabetic cats to be checked daily for ketones. (You can read more on ketones here http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Ketones )
To check for ketones, stop by the diabetes section of your local pharmacy or grocery store and pick up a product called ketostix. I think it's about $15 for 90 sticks? You expose the stick to fresh urine and, if ketones are present, the stick changes colour. If ketones aren't present, you breathe a sigh of relief and congratulate your cat
There are various tricks you can use to get a fresh urine sample; if you have difficulty, just come back and start a new thread labelled something like 'need tips for getting urine sample'.
2. My second thought is pancreatitis, which can occur in diabetic cats with more frequency than in non-diabetic cats. From the symptoms you describe, it doesn't sound like your cat has pancreatitis, but you're also not mentioning much of anything beyond the loss of appetite so it's difficult to tell. You may want to read up on pancreatitis here http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Pancreatitis and here http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-876722 ). One of the symptoms of pancreatitis is nausea, which can be treated by giving your cat small amounts of Zantac or Pepcid A/C (*not* Pepcid Complete).
As I said, from the brief description you've given, it doesn't *sound* as if your cat has pancreatitis, but we can't be certain. But if he does, or if he has nausea or some other digestive problem, then either Zantac or Pepcid A/C may be beneficial. Please talk with your vet about whether you should try this approach.
3. Eliminating the obvious. In this particular case, your cat is recently diabetic. Diabetes can be triggered by poor oral health. And now your cat is having problems eating. So: has a thorough dental exam been done to check for dental issues, such as dental caries, or broken or missing teeth?
Three other things that occur to me are:
1. Are you testing your cat (what's his name) for ketones? Ketones are a not-common side effect of unregulated or under-regulated diabetes. Untreated ketones can lead to diabeteic ketoacidosis, which can become very bad pretty quickly. Low amounts of ketones may be treatable at home; high levels of ketones may require hospitalisation in a 24-hour care facility. Because of the ability to become serious so quickly, and because of the different levels of care involved in treating them, I encourage all newly diagnosed diabetic cats to be checked daily for ketones. (You can read more on ketones here http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Ketones )
To check for ketones, stop by the diabetes section of your local pharmacy or grocery store and pick up a product called ketostix. I think it's about $15 for 90 sticks? You expose the stick to fresh urine and, if ketones are present, the stick changes colour. If ketones aren't present, you breathe a sigh of relief and congratulate your cat
There are various tricks you can use to get a fresh urine sample; if you have difficulty, just come back and start a new thread labelled something like 'need tips for getting urine sample'.2. My second thought is pancreatitis, which can occur in diabetic cats with more frequency than in non-diabetic cats. From the symptoms you describe, it doesn't sound like your cat has pancreatitis, but you're also not mentioning much of anything beyond the loss of appetite so it's difficult to tell. You may want to read up on pancreatitis here http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Pancreatitis and here http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-876722 ). One of the symptoms of pancreatitis is nausea, which can be treated by giving your cat small amounts of Zantac or Pepcid A/C (*not* Pepcid Complete).
As I said, from the brief description you've given, it doesn't *sound* as if your cat has pancreatitis, but we can't be certain. But if he does, or if he has nausea or some other digestive problem, then either Zantac or Pepcid A/C may be beneficial. Please talk with your vet about whether you should try this approach.
3. Eliminating the obvious. In this particular case, your cat is recently diabetic. Diabetes can be triggered by poor oral health. And now your cat is having problems eating. So: has a thorough dental exam been done to check for dental issues, such as dental caries, or broken or missing teeth?
Covert Ops
Member
Nicole & Baby said:
Is Parmesan Cheese ok for diabetic cats? I am feeding the evo 95% and mine is becoming picky (probably because it's bland).
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