Questions questions multiple cats and feeding??

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Ross's mom

Ross's mom

Member Since 2016
Ok so I've only been here a few days but already got some great help so here's yet anther question I'm looking for advice so we have Joey, chandler and Ross who all used to eat free I just kept the bowls full Ross was diagnosed with diabetes on the 1st of April and put on special food well here is the hard part Ross used to come to his own food bowl to get the new food however I'm catching him eating joey and chandlers food as well what would be best to take everyone's food away and do a timed feed for all of them? Or is there a food I can change them to that's kinda OK for Ross to snack on?? The vet food is a bit pricey to just fed it to all three of them any advice with feeding schedule for Ross with needles and how to go about it with 3 cats?? Thanks so much for your help!
 
Most of us that have multiple cats feed them all the same food. A low carb/high protein diet is beneficial to all of them. You do not need to feed Ross prescription food.

Many of us feed our cats Friskies or Fancy Feast canned food. Pate flavors are generally lower in carbs. Anything with gravy in them is higher in carbs. Dry food is also high in carbs and should also be eliminated from their diet. However, if Ross is on insulin and you are not hometesting, do not remove the dry until you start testing. A food change could drop the glucose levels significantly and you do not want to risk hypoglycemia.

Changing the diet for all of your cats will also reduce the risk of anyone else developing diabetes.
 
Mine only get fed twice a day and then get fed in separate spaces. That way I can monitor how much they eat. If I did not do that some would become fat and others starve.
I can't leave food out since only a few would et them, including my dog.
 
I have 4 kitties, and I have to separate them all when they eat, too, or they will all eat each other's foods and nobody will get the proper amount of calories. I feed 3-4 times a day, with snacks thrown in. I wash lots of kitty bowls each day, lol!
 
Squalliesmom said:
I have 4 kitties, and I have to separate them all when they eat, too, or they will all eat each other's foods and nobody will get the proper amount of calories. I feed 3-4 times a day, with snacks thrown in. I wash lots of kitty bowls each day, lol!
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I have 7 cats so I know how you feel about washing the kitty bowls.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Mine only get fed twice a day and then get fed in separate spaces. That way I can monitor how much they eat. If I did not do that some would become fat and others starve.
I can't leave food out since only a few would et them, including my dog.
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So most everyone uses just soft food for all feedings? Me vet put Ross on diabetic hard food and to give him a half can of soft food before injections and my other cats are pretty over weight anyway so some food control won't hurt them once bit
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
I have 7 cats so I know how you feel about washing the kitty bowls.
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My dog does a very good job of cleaning the bowls. Cleans the cans
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too.
 
The Rx dry food is loaded with carbs. I wish vets would better educate themselves on the products they are selling! In most cases (since it is so expensive) you can return it, just tell them your cat didn't like it. There are only two brands of dry cat food that are lower in carbs, but since they are still moisture-depleted, the benefit is debatable. Cats really should be eating low-carb canned/wet food for optimum health, and definitely even more important to a diabetic kitty!
 
Ross's mom said:
So most everyone uses just soft food for all feedings? Me vet put Ross on diabetic hard food and to give him a half can of soft food before injections and my other cats are pretty over weight anyway so some food control won't hurt them once bit
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Yes, when China got diagnosed, I put all my cats on low carb canned. My 2 civvies (non-diabetics) were chubby but they've lost several pounds since being on only canned and they're looking so much healthier

The "prescription" foods are really garbage...especially the dry. It's high carb, made with inferior ingredients and does nothing for your sugarcat but drain your wallet.
 
Thanks everyone I thought my Vet seemed to know what he was talking about and I always thought hard food was good for the teeth so of course I listened to the vet and just changed but at 55.00 for 4kg I kinda wanted to cry but I think I'll change things around a lil bit Ross is still under weight and Joey and chandler are fat so I think this will help all my fur babies as for the dogs in this house they will est just about anything left out and love the cat bowls after as well
 
I had the same issue. My kitties were already getting wet food occasionally so switching them is fairly easy. As soon as my dry food runs out we are going to be wet food only. I feed two of my kitties together and then Dust Bunny gets fed separately so I can monitor it. I did free feed until Dust Bunny was diagnosed on Monday and I went crazy researching online and found this place. Because of this site I am home testing and not so frantic about it.
 
Ross's mom said:
I thought my Vet seemed to know what he was talking about and I always thought hard food was good for the teeth ...
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You're not alone there. :( When I adopted my first two rescues I asked the vet what was the best diet for them and was told the same thing. Instinctively I thought it was a bit weird that dry food should be better but I trusted the vet completely about everything and didn't do my own research. Rookie mistake - and boy! did my cats pay for it (one with her life - she was only six). :oops: :(


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Critter Mom said:
You're not alone there. :( When I adopted my first two rescues I asked the vet what was the best diet for them and was told the same thing. Instinctively I thought it was a bit weird that dry food should be better but I trusted the vet completely about everything and didn't do my own research. Rookie mistake - and boy! did my cats pay for it (one with her life - she was only six). :oops: :(


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Well I'll be looking for kinds of canned food that are okay I'm not too sure of what's good ingredients for my baby. If you know any kinds that I can get to try please let me know! So sorry about your kitty!!
 
I ignored it when the vet told me my home testing was causing Shaak cystitis. I ignored her, continued to test frequently, I did take the antibiotics and Shaak healed and we have not had an issue since. Now I only tested frquently for about five weeks, after that it was only a couple times a day because she went into remission and now it is twice a week. She did have a couple of scary days near the end of giving her insulin shots daily because she was going into remission and it was hard to know how much insulin she needed. If I had not been testing she would have hypo'd severely as several times I had to feed her to get her BG above 50. I say several, I think it was four different times. However, one time is too many and thank goodness for testing or she could have died, and all because she was going into remission,dying because she was getting better seems an awfully high price to pay for a loved one.
 
thats my worry about not testing. In the mornings I give her the insulin and then head to work. The vet told me her symptoms would show if she was low or not but im just like wtf? Im not rich and I cant stay home with her 24 hrs a day to read ever single symptom. Some people have to work for a living. I dont need her to hypo while im gone for a 10 hr shift.
 
DustBunnyMomma said:
The vet told me her symptoms would show if she was low ...
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There is no guarantee of that. It is a complete mistake to rely solely on clinical signs as a sure indication that a cat's blood glucose levels are OK: a cat can be hypoglycaemic and completely asymptomatic - and that's when you're actually there to witness any potential display of symptoms. What about when a person isn't there at all to spot any symptoms?

Home testing can not just catch low numbers when you perform a mid-cycle test, tracking the BG data can help you to deduce that the cat may be going too low between tests. It's a no-brainer which method of monitoring is superior in terms of keeping a cat safe and making sure that it is neither over- nor underdosed.


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@DustBunnyMomma - you really need to get some mid-cycle tests to see how fast BG may be dropping and also how low the dose is taking Dust Bunny in order to determine:

1. that the current dose is safe.

2. whether Dust Bunny's response to the current dose is causing bouncing.

Also, check the moon phase (affects some kitties) and whether or not she may have got into any carby contraband.


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