Now his appetite is low

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Sgans and Eegie - GA

Sgans and Eegie - GA

Member Since 2015
Eegie still has a small appetite for what he wants - a little milk - an oz of homemade pork cat food (with liver and supplements) - but he's declining his steamed salmon (unheard of!) and not wanting the raw turkey he's been eating happily for several weeks.

I can't convince him that, now that he's on insulin, he needs to eat.

After over a year with IBD, I know how to deal with this... I can even syringe feed if I need to, but don't prefer it with all the other treatments and stuff he has to deal with between this, the testing and his other treatments for medical conditions.

This is only happening since this morning... he was pickier yesterday than usual, but today, just turns away.

Is this to be expected with lower glucose levels? Also, at first, he hadn't been laying at the water bowl - today he is again...
 
Pancreatitis is a fairly frequent condition which may happen with diabetes. The abdomen would be painful, the cat will often crouch in a 'meatloaf' position. Nausea and vomiting can happen.
 
This isn't pancreatitis. None of those symptoms. He's had that in the past, and this is not that behavior. Oy!

And, he's not even acting interested, unless I shove it at him. Then a few cursory licks and turns away.

He still wants milk, so he's not inappetent, just completely disinterested. I managed to get him to eat about an ounce or cooked pork, but he won't even touch his favorite steamed salmon. I supplemented with Viyo Recuperation, and will try again as soon as I get home.
 
Thank you, BJM! That is great info - but unfortunately it's the same info as with IBD.
I DID get him to eat some salmon a while ago... working on it! Also, the Viyo may help!
 
I feel a little better now - Eegie just ate a good meal - both his salmon and the raw turkey - almost 2 oz about 1 hour after PM shot. I didn't need Viyo this evening - Yay!

Also gave him some SEB with his meds tonight - no time for making the syrup, but syringed it with his Fortiflora. Hopefully, that'll help things in the IBD area. SO glad we can use that with diabetes!
 
I think that sometimes, just like humans, they just don't feel all that great and food isn't interesting to them. Glad to hear he's now eating. I wish I could get my cats to eat fish, but not a single one of them will touch it. Oddballs.
 
Eegie won't eat just any fish! He LOVES LOVES LOVES tuna - but it's so high in sodium, I avoid it. His usual go-to is the steamed salmon when he feels bad, so I worry when he won't touch THAT! This morning, he ate at his first (we call it the stomach-settling intro meal) both salmon and raw turkey. Post shot today - he ignored the salmon and ate a good meal of raw turkey. I've learned, after over a year of IBD - Eegie's eating is that of a weirdo! He also won't slow-switch food - ever! And, don't add anything (even when the say it's tasteless) he won't touch it! With IBD, it's bad to fast switch - but with him.... we do what we gotta do! :)

Curious on the fish... how do you prepare it? That may make a difference? He likes his steamed salmon a bit warm, so we add hot water. The raw (which they're supposed to like at "mouse" temperature) he likes almost frozen.

I love them - but cats.... are weird... :D
 
Boy, you're not kidding about cats being weird, and I put up with a lot more stuff from my kitties than I ever would from my children! Lol. As to the fish, doesn't mater what kind or how it prepared, one sniff and they squint their eyes and back away. Now, chicken, THATS another matter....
 
The worst part with the IBD is that we have to regularly switch proteins! He does love his chicken, but we can't keep him on that. With IBD, they want all sorts of odd proteins - fed raw. I was suprised how hard it is to find raw turkey breast (my prince prefers white meat turkey) in Los Angeles. The only stuff you find is ground and has added sodium! LOTS! I've sourced a few resources. He likes pork too - and LOVES lamb - but lamb is so fatty, it's not advised. I'm always a scared to do raw pork, although so many people, including the FDA says it's actually okay if kept in the freezer and thawed...

Oh - and that's why I don't have human kids. Only for my critters would I put forth this much effort and money! I don't even cook for me and my boyfriend - but spend hours prepping raw for the cats! The dogs.... they eat high quality commercial and are perfectly happy.... Oy!
 
A way to reduce the sodium content - slice very, very thinly (easiest if nearly frozen), place in distilled water with potato slices in the refrigerator. Osmosis will draw out the salt and the potatoes should absorb that. Then you have reduced sodium raw fish, plus chowder stock.
 
That is a GREAT idea, BJM! You don't think the potato starch'd be a big detriment as far as carbs? I wouldn't think so... I'm going to try that!

Oh - and Mogmom - that would be SO COOL to have a truck cat!!! Eegie would have been great at that!

I realized this evening - Eegie's appetite is GREAT when he's in the yellow - at AMPS and PMPS so far. He'll eat a good meal. When he's in the blue, he has barely any interest in food, and it's a giant job to get him to eat a little. What a PITA!
 
You take the potatoes out....they're going to be full of sodium anyway..and the fish shouldn't absorb the starch from the potatoes...as with a lot of stuff with this disease, you try it, see if the numbers improve or get worse and then try the next thing.....LOL

It's great to see a picture of Eegie too!! Such a cutie!! (I think it's purrfectly fine for boy kitties to be "cute"!)
 
@Sgans, here is another link with ideas to help stimulate your kitty's appetite: http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

For my kitty, Edwin, I ended up needing to add Cyproheptadine, which is an antihistamine that works as an appetite stimulant too. I think that it is a safer choice than mirtazapine, which is a tetracyclic antidepressant that is also used as an appetite stimulant for cats. I hope that the link that I gave you, or the one that BJM listed, will help get Eegie eating better so you don't need to use medication.
 
Hi. Thank you. These do help. We've done cyproheptadine. It worked at first, but then stopped (that ibd is a bit*h!). I do amytriptaline, which we'd started for inappropriate urination (before diabetes diagnosis), but it does really help with his appetite. Just not with this new insulin protocol.

Weird thing is, he's not totally inappetant during those times. Wants milk, and maybe something else. He just won't tell me what it is, so, like with the ibd, I try every thing for hours. I obviously won't give him much milk, so.......

I just don't want to give him big meals at high glucose time, so I have to go with my spoiled ibd prince's mood.
 
MChris, my boy is secure in his masculinity. He'll take "cute"!

My whole life with him now, is try one thing, then another. It's good to know the potato starch stays out of the tuna! That might be a new " go to"

What I need is a big freezer! Can't have one, but need one (with all the storage Eegie food takes"!
 
Sgans said:
That is a GREAT idea, BJM! You don't think the potato starch'd be a big detriment as far as carbs? I wouldn't think so... I'm going to try that...
Click to expand...
The potatoes and liquid are either dumped, or cooked up for a human's chowder.
 
BJM - I wish! My boyfriend wouldn't touch anything with fish in it - or fish flavor (he's like a 4 year old in a grown up body) :) Although... I might like it... but I'd be eating alone!

'Salright - Losing a few potatoes - that's not such a loss - considering that's the lowest of the expenses I'd incur! :cat:
 
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