OTJ cat seems to always be hungry

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chuchunga

chuchunga

Member Since 2014
My Tubz has been OTJ for well over a month now. I am still checking his BG daily (once daily) and it has been in the normal averaging low 60's on my at home relion meter. BUT he seems to ALWAYS be hungry. When I first started treating him (when he was getting insulin) he seemed happy with the twice daily feeding eating about 1-1 &1/2 cans of friskies pate classic a day. Now Every couple of hours he wants food. He is very vocal, he follows me around, runs in front of me and tries to trip me. He seems especially hungry at night and early early morning. To the point were some days he will wake me up at 4 and 5 am. My vet told me when he first went into remission that he could eat as much canned food as he wanted. But even if I put extra down at night before I go to bed it is all gone and he is ready for more just a few hours later. I should mention that he is a hefty 18lbs boy. He used to be 23lbs prior to getting sick and ending up diabetic. I know the vet doesn't want him to gain too much weight bc that can take him out of remission.

Anyone else having this type of issue? Any suggestions on things he might be able to eat that wont make him gain weight but might make him stay fuller longer? I should also mention that he does get bouts of constipation & adding psyllium husk and water to the food seems to help it.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
How is his weight doing? A common symptom of hyperthyroidism is hunger and losing weight. May be time for a vet visit
Click to expand...

He was just at the vet March 20th. His weight was finally under control. In fact he had put on .5 ounces which the vet was pleased with. Is hyperthyroidism something checked on routine blood work bc that was just done and vet didn't mention anything, or is that something you have to specifically ask for?
 
Sometime the thyroid value (T4) is included in blood work and sometimes not. I would call the vet and ask it it was and if it was what was the value.
To evaluate T4:
Comments:
1. Interpretive ranges:
<0.8 Subnormal
0.84.7
Normal
2.34.7
Grey zone in old or symptomatic cats
>4.7 Consistent with hyperthyroidism
Cats with subnormal T4 values are almost exclusively euthyroid sick or
overtreated for their hyperthyroidism. Older cats with consistent
clinical signs and T4 values in the grey zone may have early
hyperthyroidism or a concurrent nonthyroidal
illness. Hyperthyroidism
may be confirmed in these cats by adding on a free T4 or by performing
a T3 suppression test. Following treatment with methimazole, T4 values
will generally fall within the lower end of the reference range
(0.8 2.3).
TOTAL HEALTH
 
A timed feeder may help too. It spreads the feeding out into mini-meals so he never gets too hungry. Many of us use the Pet Safe 5, available through our shopping partner link above. It seems resistant to being opened by the cat, compared to some of the other automatic feeders out there.
 
Adding extra water to his food serves 2 purposes.
1. It can make him feel fuller. Try for somewhere between applesauce and soupy consistency on the wet food.
2. It can help to have more water in his system is he's prone to constipation.
 
Oh Heather I am going thru the same thing with my Scooter. He has also been OTJ for over a month maybe even two now.

In fact he will eat any carb in site. The list includes pizza, bagels, hot dog buns, bread ect. He acts as though I don't feed him 1/2 can of FF 5 times a day. Some ideas the folks in lantus land have given me are a toy with food inside, low carb crunchy treats, adding green beans to his food. Also I had his thyroid checked and he is fine but that would be where I would start for your kitty to.
 
My Lily has been OTJ for 4.5 months and I am going through the same thing! She wants to eat every time I go into the kitchen, scratching at the fridge door and whining. What seems to help is that I give her a half can of Friskies, and then about two hours later, a few tablespoons more. The same thing at night, half can and again a few tablespoons a couple of hours later. Her weight is fine, I weigh her weekly so I keep that in check. Couldn't find a auto feed dish for wet food though.
 
Hello,
you have some great suggestions. I would also consider the possibility that for a while, or forever, your kitty simply will need more food than he's getting. Just like some people need more than others. My Pudge, 14 y/o male, 15 lbs, very long and tall kitty, eats about 1 ounce per pound of his ideal weight (per vet that's: 14 -15 lbs), all his wet food is under 4% of carbs. Many kitties eat 1/2 ounce per pound of their ideal weight. Pudge is in his 2nd remission (May 2013), his 1st remission lasted about a year. He was 18 lbs at diabetes RX. No SS because for some years now, my fingers hit the keyboard with inconsistent touch resulting in gibberish. I write everything down by hand.
Best wishes,
Sophie
 
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