Quesion about Feeding

Status
Not open for further replies.
RockStar033

RockStar033

Active Member
I always free fed my 2 cats. since switching their food to wet i've been time feeding them. I feed them about 1/4 can in the morning, and i also shoot Annie at this time, i feed them a bit more then that in the afternoon, then half a can at night. I think this isn't enough, they are constantly crying for food everytime we walk around. Should i be feeding them more at these times? should i be feeding them as much as they can eat? i want to make sure they are eating enough. they both gorge on the food when i put it out and it's gone in seconds.

please advice thank you, i feel like i'm not feeding them enough, this is all new to me
 
RockStar033 said:
I always free fed my 2 cats. since switching their food to wet i've been time feeding them. I feed them about 1/4 can in the morning, and i also shoot Annie at this time, i feed them a bit more then that in the afternoon, then half a can at night. I think this isn't enough, they are constantly crying for food everytime we walk around. Should i be feeding them more at these times? should i be feeding them as much as they can eat? i want to make sure they are eating enough. they both gorge on the food when i put it out and it's gone in seconds.

please advice thank you, i feel like i'm not feeding them enough, this is all new to me
Click to expand...

I would feed more often. How many ounces are you feeding in a day per cat?
They may be eating all the food right away because they are starving.
When my cats were unregulated, they were eating up to 30oz and 24oz a day, but once regulated, they were down to maybe 10oz and 8oz. Annie needs more food right now.

Try to increase the amount of food but also the number of times you feed.
When I was working, I used an auto feeder with the 5 sections for during the daytime. The meal with the am shot was separate from the feeder, and the pm shot and evening meals were also separate from the feeder.
I would say that I fed small amounts maybe 8times a day or even more.
The amounts can be just 1tbsp and then no more for an hr or two. Spreading out the food will improve the leveling out of the BG test numbers as well.
 
They could be crying for food because they simply like to eat and/or like their food very much!
To know if you are feeding them enough look on the cans of food what is the daily recommended feeding amount and stick to it! But of course to determine that you have to know how much each of your cat weights and if they need to loose, gain or maintain their actual weight.
What exact food are you giving them?
 
Well... how big are the cans and what brand of food is it?

Janet and Binky's food chart have calories per can on it: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

I believe cats need between 20-30 calories per pound of ideal weight per day... so a 9 pound cat would need 180 - 270 calories, which is about 2 - 3 cans of Fancy Feast chicken a day.

You have to remember that unregulated diabetics are very hungry and they shouldn't be too restricted on diet. I fed Scooter as much as he wanted to eat until he got regulated just recently. Now he gets 3 cans a day. He's about 12 pounds.
 
Ok.

I can't get a timed feeder till Monday, so right now I'll up their food but due to work schedules we can only feed them the 3 times.

Explain to me about the frozen food please? What do I put it in to freeze it? Will it be too cold for them? It will only be for a few days till I get the timed feeder. Where can I get a good timed feeder in Canada?

Thank you
 
Annie my diabetic is 9 lbs now, and my other kitty is way less and always has been small but not sure her weight.

They are both on wellness chicken, turkey, and beef
 
Petsmart has the most commonly used feeder.
Petsafe 5-meal Auto Feeder

Remember, it is not so much the quantity of food, but more the frequency to help her keep her BG numbers more level.
I would give mine their usual 2 main meals at shot times, and then put a couple tbsp in each of the 5 sections for during the days I was away, for just Shadoe, but once they were both regulated, I just left the day's allotment of food for both out to free feed... there was no way to keep them from eating each other's foods, but for the most part, they did respect the other. Shadoe was a bit of a thief because she kept thinking that Ollie had something better... that's why they always got the same foods.
 
Right!

Also, I shouldn't give them food 2 hours prior to pre shot right?

It's extra hard for me to get a blood test from her pre shot because she's all fidgety and anxious about being fed so I can't keep her in one spot. Can I feed her a little bit so I can get a test before her shot?

If you look at my spreadsheet, I can't seem to get the test in the amps therefore I get panicky about giving her a shot. :(
 
Try getting tests at different times so that she gets used to being tested.
If you are waiting till ps to test and you are nervous, then of course she is going to be upset.
Now, skipping so many of her shots is not good for her at all; the numbers over 500 are just dangerous.

I don't see any numbers where she is low that you should be worrying enough to skip her shots; that's just not good for her at all. If you think that 2u is too high, then give her 1u, but don't be skipping her shots if you can help it.
She needs her insulin and she needs more food, or you could end up at the ER with a seriously sick girl because of not enough food and insulin and if she gets an infection, you could have issues with ketones / DKA.

Get some more testing on her; get comfortable with the process. Don't show her food when you are testing; she is likely hungry and will not sit still at all for the test. Besides, if she were to test too low, maybe you would need to delay food and see if her number comes up.... no feeding at ps until you know if you are giving a shot or not.
 
ok i just got a test pre shot of 324. now i still have to feed her, she is supposed to be on 2u of caninsulin, which has a huge drop, can i give her 1u at 11 which is her shot time? or do i give 2u? i'm home till 5 so i can test her throughtout the day till then, then i have to go to work and my hubby gets home at 7.
 
For sure give her the 2u ... you will see big and early drops in BG numbers as that's just how caninsulin works... it may be OK for dogs, but not great for cats at all, so you will see better results from a longer lasting and more gentle insulin like Lantus, Levemir, or PZI.

While caninsulin does not last the full 12 hours, go with whatever times are good for you two, if it's 11am / pm, that's fine.
 
I have two of these feeders and like them a lot: http://www.amazon.ca/Automatic-Reco...P7A0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334333245&sr=8-2

It's a little harder to learn to program than the petsafe feeder at first, but it's very sturdy (Most cats are fine with the PetSafe, but Bandit ripped his apart). And inexpensive. I also like that you can record a voice message, and there's a compartment for an icepack if you want to set the feeder for sooner than it would take time for frozen food to thaw.

I used to have 2 cats, so what I did was get one feeder for each cat, and I feed them every meal (feeder or no) at opposite ends of the kitchen. I would program the feeders to go off at exactly the same time. That way, when the feeders would go off they would each run to their respective feeders. Bandit is an aggressive eater and Gabby wasn't, so it was the only way for me to insure both cats got fed.
 
ok, i just tested her bg and it's at 149(lowest number yet), and i know it's still dropping so i'm going to test her again in a half hour and see. should i feed her again? she has no food out right now. I gave her 1u instead of 2u this morning, i felt safer giving her the 1 right now and i wanted to get something into her rather then nothing.
 
if you are delaying a shot because of a low number, and hoping to test again soon to watch for a rising number, then no food.

if you have tested and given the 1u already, then sure, you should feed.
 
i gave her the 1u, her pre shot was 324, i tested her at +2 and it was down to 149, i just tested her again, and it's at 129... i hope it doesn't dip too much further! i gave her a bit of food, but she's very nauseous right now ... she seems very tired right now! i'm going to test her again at 3:00

i'm actually kinda panicking right now.... i haven't had her in this range yet and i'm very scared! I have to leave for work at 5, and if her numbers aren't on the rise, what do i do?
 
RockStar033 said:
i gave her the 1u, her pre shot was 324, i tested her at +2 and it was down to 149, i just tested her again, and it's at 129... i hope it doesn't dip too much further! i gave her a bit of food, but she's very nauseous right now ... she seems very tired right now! i'm going to test her again at 3:00

i'm actually kinda panicking right now.... i haven't had her in this range yet and i'm very scared! I have to leave for work at 5, and if her numbers aren't on the rise, what do i do?
Click to expand...

What time was her pre-shot?
324 - what time
149 - +2
129 - +?
3:00 is +?

Caninsulin is like that... big harsher drops in the start of the cycle and then up again high, maybe by +8 or something.
Can you give all of your numbers in +hrs because we can't say how the cycle could be going by 5:00 if we don't know where that time falls in the cycle.
 
We shoot her at 11/11.

I just updated her ss. I also fed her 1/4 a can wet at +4. And fed her 1/3 can at +6.
I feel like I made a giant step just being able to BG test her that much today because usually I can't.

I feel more confident now. I was panicked when she dipped to 126 I thought shed keep going down.
 
you asked about freezing food. Here is how to do it:

open the canned food and mix with water

place the mixture in one of the following:

- plastic baggies (like ziplocs) - once frozen turn baggie inside out and food plops out
- ice cube trays - once frozen pop them out like you would if getting ice cubes and place in plastic storage bag or container and keep in freezer until needed
- small plastic containers - may need a knife to loosen the frozen mixture to get it out

And put the frozen food out in the feeding dishes - it will typically take a few hours to thaw and then it will be ready for cats to eat - some cats can't wait for it to thaw and will eat it frozen, others wait until it gets to be room temperature.
 
I was panicked when she dipped to 126 I thought shed keep going down.
Click to expand...
You seem to worry a lot about low levels but never about high levels!! Look at your spreadsheet. April 13th was the only day your cat spent half of her day not completely hyper! Look at the code colors on your spreadsheet if it's not blue or green your cat is not feeling well, therefore you should not skip a shot. I already told you that, but it seems like you got used to high and very high levels to a point where every level getting closer to "normal" is making you freak out!

At 378 yesterday you definitely could have given more than .75
At 324 1 or even 1.5 was ok
And on the 11th and the 12th you really took weird decisions:
340 and 322 with no insulin
414 and 308 and still no insulin!!

I hope you manage your fear of hyperglycemia soon and allow your cat to receive insulin TWICE a day until she has normal BG levels
 
I know you may be worried about lower numbers, but the 126 was a pretty good number and nothing to fear. One of my civies tests around 42 and 48, so a 126 was just fine.

What you need to worry about as well is letting Annie stay in numbers above 250 because those high numbers are harming Annie's organs. So anytime you get a test at shot time that is over 250, you need to give Annie a shot.

On your sheet for Annie, today was an awesome day.... very nice numbers.
I know that the 129 may have scared you, but the numbers you saw today is exactly how caninsulin works:
there is a big harsh drop on the first 4hours, and then the numbers start to rise.
I am glad you got this curve today because now you can see how this insulin works with Annie.
Please know that you are aiming for numbers under 100 and even as low at 50, so don't worry too badly.

One suggestion I have is to get a test just before you go to bed. Many cats go a bit lower at nite, so it's good to see how your pm shot is working.

Now see if you can stick with the 1u dose am and pm because Annie really needs to get the insulin or you risk her organs being damaged by numbers constantly too high.

In time, testing will get easier for both of you.
 
i was at work for her pm shot, so my hubby gave her .75 instead of 1! i told him earlier to give her 1u.

i know i've been a bit panicked but also because most days, we aren't here when her insulin peaks, and i know it has a big drop, i'm gonna try a lot harder to get her and keep her in good numbers. the 1u shot seems to be good right now i'll try and check it periodically today, and then maybe i'll push it up to 1.5u.

I really appreciate everyone's help, you don't know how much it means. I actually do suffer from panic disorder, and the stress from my poor Annie and all the changes etc, has brought it on a bit, so i'm really trying.
 
RockStar033 said:
i was at work for her pm shot, so my hubby gave her .75 instead of 1! i told him earlier to give her 1u.

i know i've been a bit panicked but also because most days, we aren't here when her insulin peaks, and i know it has a big drop, i'm gonna try a lot harder to get her and keep her in good numbers. the 1u shot seems to be good right now i'll try and check it periodically today, and then maybe i'll push it up to 1.5u.

I really appreciate everyone's help, you don't know how much it means. I actually do suffer from panic disorder, and the stress from my poor Annie and all the changes etc, has brought it on a bit, so i'm really trying.
Click to expand...
I always try to look for the upside in things and think you are very lucky to have someone for support and to share the care of Annie! How wonderful Annie got her shot last nite as you were and work. And as for the dose, well it sounds like he is caring and worried so he erred on the safe side! It's really OK.

Lots of people make errs in dose, so maybe you guys can look at your methods of sharing Annie's care. What if you two could keep a journal and have it open by your testing/shooting spot. That way you could write down a note to give 1u dose tonite unless Annie is below 125, or some kind of low number, and he can check the journal at test/shoot time. I am sure that the two of you can come up with a system so that sharing Annie's care will go smoothly. You can also think about dose changes only when she needs them and if you have info from tests during mid cycle to show how low she is going.

Big pats for Annie; I am sure she will start to show you signs of improvement each day.
 
i just tested her and she is at 234. I won't be home to watch her today till about 4 so do i still give her 1u(which drops her considerably), or can i give her .5?
 
it is important to say how long after the shot is your test number.
Put something like the below...
AMPS 7am - 325 gave .75u shot
+2 / 9am - 234

that way, people can see right away how the dose is working, and how quickly.
it's best to stick to a dose for a few shots unless you are getting too low of a number.

You had decided that the 1u dose was good but the last shot given was only .75u.
I would stick with the 1u or even the .75u if you are worried, but there is no point in going too low... remember that your insulin just works that way - a big drop in the first 4 hours and then back up high.
If you were able to switch to a longer lasting insulin, I think you would have more level curves and less of the big drops, but while you are on this insulin, you will just have to accept how it works.
don't forget, your drops have not been low... they have been nice numbers, so that 1u dose should be just fine.
 
ok so even if she drops to say 40..... and i'm not home..... will she be ok if she's already about to come on the rise?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top