On Lantus, cat still losing weight and hungry

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CathyCats

Member Since 2017
Hi, all -

I've been a lurker for the past year. I'm posting now because I need advice.

Background: In November 2015, my cat, Mr. Kitty, started showing signs of diabetes (urinating outside his litter box, large quantities of urine, drinking lots of water). At the time, the vet said that while his sugar was high, he was young, and so we should start by modifying his diet. Back then, Mr. Kitty ate dry cat food. He hated wet food.

In March 2016, we moved from Arkansas to Texas. One month later ... hello, scary episode of DKA. Mr. Kitty was hospitalized for several days. Upon his release, we started him on Lantus. We started at one unit and moved gradually to three units. By then, I could see a difference. He was playful again and not hungry all the time. His urine output decreased as well. At that same time, we weaned him off the dry food and started feeding him one can of Fancy Feast canned classic food twice a day.

In August 2016, we moved back to Arkansas. For the next seven months, we remained at the 3-unit dose. And then, in April 2017, Mr. Kitty started losing weight and acting desperately hungry all the time. Since then, we've moved up to 7 units. Still, he is skinny and hungry. His most recent glucose test was last week. He goes back in three weeks.

So here's my question. How much should I be feeding him? Right now, he gets one can of Fancy Feast Classic in the morning and a second in the evening. (I give him his insulin as he starts to eat.) In the past few months, I started feeding him a can and a half in the evening because he was still so hungry. (He can topple a trash can and plow through it like a pro. We have to put the trash away each night to keep him out of it.)

He's a long and large-boned cat. It pains me to see him skinny and hungry. And yet ... we're trying to get his insulin regulated.

Is a can in the morning and a can and a half in the evening wise? Should it just be one can at each feeding?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
First of all welcome !

I've got to saying you've arrived to a great place there are really wonderful people here that can help you.

One of the signs of unregulated diabetes is that they're hungry all the time, because of the high levels of glucose his body does not assimilates what he eats so it keeps asking for the nutrients he needs and isn't getting

While Babu was unregulated and since he was like Mr Kitty underweighted I just gave him as much food as he wanted .

That being said in my opinion since the constant hunger is probably because of his diabetes, It would be good if you gave more information(the results of your glucose test) to help the people here see what's going on, so they can help you

There are other conditions that can cause him to be hungry all the time like hyperthyroidism so you may want to get him tested if he hasn't already

There's a lot of information in the stykie notes in this fourm that I will really recommend that you read

Does he have other health issues?
Are you home testing ? if you are I would recommend you to fill the spreadsheet that we use here with the information that you have and if you are not I do suggest you start doing it that's what is going to give you the information that you will need to help him with his diabetes
 
Use your scale to determine how much he should eat. If he is underweight, feed more. Has your vet given you an ideal weight for Mr, Kitty?

And since he got up to seven units of insulin, I would seriously consider having him tested for two high dose conditions, acromegaly and IAA (insulin auto antibidies, think like an insulin allergy). Acromegaly is the result of a benign tumour on the pituitary gland that causes excess growth hormone to be produced. It causes the diabetes and the growth hormone means their bodies are growing and they have tremendous appetites. Once he gets regulated, his hunger will reduce, but could still be there if he has a crimegaly. My Neko tested positive for.both high dose conditions. One in four diabetic cats has acromegaly.
 
Thank you so much!

In recent weeks, he was at 410 (at the insulin's peak time) and then, after we upped the dose from 3 1/2 to 5 1/2, it dropped a tad, to 380.

After that, the vet told us to go up to 7 units ( that was last Wednesday), and to bring him back for another curve test in a few weeks. She tested his thyroid in late April and the results came back normal.

I'm now going to research the acromegaly possibility you suggested. Hadn't heard of that. Are there any other symptoms?

Again, thank you!
 
For what you say I'm guessing you do not home test, and the curves were taken at the vets office, what to you mean by insulin's peak time?

You upped the dose 2 units at once and a few days later another 1 1/2 units?
 
CathyCats said:
Hi, all -

I've been a lurker for the past year. I'm posting now because I need advice.

Background: In November 2015, my cat, Mr. Kitty, started showing signs of diabetes (urinating outside his litter box, large quantities of urine, drinking lots of water). At the time, the vet said that while his sugar was high, he was young, and so we should start by modifying his diet. Back then, Mr. Kitty ate dry cat food. He hated wet food.

In March 2016, we moved from Arkansas to Texas. One month later ... hello, scary episode of DKA. Mr. Kitty was hospitalized for several days. Upon his release, we started him on Lantus. We started at one unit and moved gradually to three units. By then, I could see a difference. He was playful again and not hungry all the time. His urine output decreased as well. At that same time, we weaned him off the dry food and started feeding him one can of Fancy Feast canned classic food twice a day.

In August 2016, we moved back to Arkansas. For the next seven months, we remained at the 3-unit dose. And then, in April 2017, Mr. Kitty started losing weight and acting desperately hungry all the time. Since then, we've moved up to 7 units. Still, he is skinny and hungry. His most recent glucose test was last week. He goes back in three weeks.

So here's my question. How much should I be feeding him? Right now, he gets one can of Fancy Feast Classic in the morning and a second in the evening. (I give him his insulin as he starts to eat.) In the past few months, I started feeding him a can and a half in the evening because he was still so hungry. (He can topple a trash can and plow through it like a pro. We have to put the trash away each night to keep him out of it.)

He's a long and large-boned cat. It pains me to see him skinny and hungry. And yet ... we're trying to get his insulin regulated.

Is a can in the morning and a can and a half in the evening wise? Should it just be one can at each feeding?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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Hi and welcome. In my opinion that seems like very little food. I have a cat that had diabetes in 2014 and went into remission after going to wet food. Now he has Triaditis and Diabetes and he went from 16 lbs to 9 and looked emaciated. Long story short...we are back up to 11.8 lbs in the past few weeks. My guy eats 2 cans of D/D wet, 1/4 cup of Ultamino and Stella and Cheweys raw about 10 nuggets 2x day. I also suggest testing yourself at home if you can. 3 weeks seems like a long time to be going w/o knowing what his levels are. Others with more experience can chime in but that really sounds like to little food for him. How many kcals in a can? Look at what his ideal weight should be and how many kcals he is eating a day. People here have been very helpful to me. Your in good hands.
 
Let us help you start home testing.....
You could be missing some very valuable information and it will save you lots of money from paying the vet to do it.
we have so many tricks to share that most kitties will actually run to their testing spot when it's testing time.


my normal 12 lb cat ate the equivalent of 3 fancy feast cans a day.
 
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