Sharon and Poppy Intro - Libre vs Glucometer, Tips to Move to Can Food

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Sharon & Poppy

Sharon & Poppy

Member Since 2023
Hi, Everyone!

Poppy, my 10.5 year old Russian Blue, and I are on a new journey:feline diabetes.

Poppy was diagnosed a month ago and we have been slowly increasing her Lantus insulin from 1 unit to now 2. She seems to be insulin resistant right now. Still drinking a lot of water and eating a lot.

New vet today suggested that we do a Freestyle Libre. I did a little bit of reading and I am not sure of the benefits to non-benefits would be for Poppy. My understanding is that it is a non invasive way to track BG. (Benefit) But she may not be willing to keep the device on long enough to get data. (Non benefit). Also, the recurring cost is a non benefit. The vet said that it would be $40/month for his services. Would it be possible to tell me your experience with Libre? Also, what is better Glucometer or Libre

Of course she is a dry food kind of girl. But since she is eating so much I was able to introduce Purina DM - canned. She always eats the dry first. Vet said I have to get her off the dry. Any ideas on how to encourage Poppy to eat only can? She has lost so much weight. I am afraid to go cold turkey.

Lastly, the pee. Any good tips in how to get that out of furniture? I got the Nature’s Miracle and the scent is very strong and lasting. Is there a way to use it so it is not overpowering? Or is there any other way to get it out?

Thank you for your assistance.

Sharon and Poppy
 
Hi Sharon and Poppy,

you don’t want to switch her from dry to low carb if you’re not home testing as that can potentially drop a cat’s bg by as much as 100 points and you can end up with a hypo in your hands.

I’ll let others talk about the libre since I have no experience with it other than what I hear from member here, that it can fall off and can be glitchy. I’ve always used a human meter and most of us here use Walmarts ReliOn since the test strips are the most affordable. You don’t need a pet meter, most of us don’t use them.

Lantus is a great insulin for cats but feline diabtets is a marathon not a sprint and it can take a while for your cat to get regulated. The best chance for that is to home test so you can make the incremental dose adjustments because you can monitor how she’s reacting to each new dose.

With a diabetic cat you need:
  • A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
  • A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
  • We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
  • HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly
We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

Once you’re home testing and ready to transition her of the dry, I’d suggest mixing some of the dry with the wet or putting it on top to see if it entices her to eat the wet and then you can slowly decrease the ratio of dry to wet until you’re doing only wet.

FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and choose foods that are under 10%. You can try different brands to see if you find one she likes more that dry.

You will also need some higher carb foods for that hypo box..information in the help us help you link.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions.
 
A Libre is good for getting trends but the actual Libre BG can be off especially at the higher BG values. Thus one needs a hand held meter in addition to periodic use of a Libre. IN the US Walmarts Premier line of BG meters are commonly used by members of this group. Human meters read a little lower than pet meters. One can get 50 Premier strips for $9 while strips for the pet Alphatrak meter are about $1 each. For the Libre I recommend that you join this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/libreforpets
For oder elimination I like Pooph. YOu can get it from Chewy, Amazon and Walmart.
 
Ale, Bobo & Minnie,

Thank you so much for replying.

I will take all the help you are willing to give.

I went to Walmart for the Relion. There are so many. Some are fancy with Bluetooth. Would the Bluetooth be helpful? Also, it seems it is ala cart. I need to buy the device, the strips and lancers. Is that correct? Am I doing lancers for think or thin skin?

I will need help with the spreadsheet and the food. I looked at the food chart and I am having problems understanding how to use it. Also, I will need help will transitioning from dry to canned food.

It is so overwhelming in the beginning. But I keep saying “I can, I will, I must”

Please let me know your situation.

Sincerely,

Sharon and Poppy


Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Hi Sharon and Poppy,

you don’t want to switch her from dry to low carb if you’re not home testing as that can potentially drop a cat’s bg by as much as 100 points and you can end up with a hypo in your hands.

I’ll let others talk about the libre since I have no experience with it other than what I hear from member here, that it can fall off and can be glitchy. I’ve always used a human meter and most of us here use Walmarts ReliOn since the test strips are the most affordable. You don’t need a pet meter, most of us don’t use them.

Lantus is a great insulin for cats but feline diabtets is a marathon not a sprint and it can take a while for your cat to get regulated. The best chance for that is to home test so you can make the incremental dose adjustments because you can monitor how she’s reacting to each new dose.

With a diabetic cat you need:
  • A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
  • A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
  • We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
  • HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly
We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

Once you’re home testing and ready to transition her of the dry, I’d suggest mixing some of the dry with the wet or putting it on top to see if it entices her to eat the wet and then you can slowly decrease the ratio of dry to wet until you’re doing only wet.

FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and choose foods that are under 10%. You can try different brands to see if you find one she likes more that dry.

You will also need some higher carb foods for that hypo box..information in the help us help you link.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions.
Click to expand...
 
Larry and Kitties,

Thank you very much for the FB page. I have already requested to join them.

Thank you for the perspective. After careful thought, I want to start with the Glucometer. I feel there is too much uncertainty and may cause undo stress for Poppy. Your perspective made me feel that I may be on the right track for her.

Please tell me about your situation.

Larry and Kitties said:
A Libre is good for getting trends but the actual Libre BG can be off especially at the higher BG values. Thus one needs a hand held meter in addition to periodic use of a Libre. IN the US Walmarts Premier line of BG meters are commonly used by members of this group. Human meters read a little lower than pet meters. One can get 50 Premier strips for $9 while strips for the pet Alphatrak meter are about $1 each. For the Libre I recommend that you join this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/libreforpets
For oder elimination I like Pooph. YOu can get it from Chewy, Amazon and Walmart.
Click to expand...
 
Sharon725 said:
Ale, Bobo & Minnie,

Thank you so much for replying.

I will take all the help you are willing to give.

I went to Walmart for the Relion. There are so many. Some are fancy with Bluetooth. Would the Bluetooth be helpful? Also, it seems it is ala cart. I need to buy the device, the strips and lancers. Is that correct? Am I doing lancers for think or thin skin?

I will need help with the spreadsheet and the food. I looked at the food chart and I am having problems understanding how to use it. Also, I will need help will transitioning from dry to canned food.

It is so overwhelming in the beginning. But I keep saying “I can, I will, I must”

Please let me know your situation.

Sincerely,

Sharon and Poppy
Click to expand...

yes there are many Relions. You don’t need a fancy one and this is the one most of us use: https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...ng-System/552134103?athbdg=L1600&from=/search

you’ll need the test strips that go with that model: https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-P...100-Count/575088197?athbdg=L1102&from=/search

and lancets, but you can use any brand of lancet. We recommend starting with a 28 or 26 gauge as they make it easier in the beginning to get a decent size droplet: https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Thin-Blood-Lancets-100-Count/34088206?from=/search

you can order all of these online but if you go to the store, call first to make sure they have it.

I’m tagging @Bandit's Mom who can help you with setting up your spreadsheet.

for the food chart, you want to look at the carb % column (3rd one left to right) and choose foods that are under 10%. Most of us feed foods that are around 4-7%
 
It’s overwhelming at first but I found that being among the folks here helped me a great deal. I made a lot of mistakes with Minnie and it took a while to learn how to do things right, but Bobo benefited from all the knowledge I gained from caring for his sister and he’s now in remission. Feline diabetes is a marathon not a sprint so take a deep breath and take your time digesting all the info. The most important thing I believe is to not rush the process.

if she lost a lot of weight and needs to gain back, I’d feed her as much as she wants right now. Diabetic cats can’t process the nutrients in food well so they eat but are always hungry and will continue to lose weight. Once the diabetes is regulated, her behavior and apetite will normalize again.
 
Hello and welcome. This post might help you with the food transition: Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

We have quite a few folks using the Libre now, though it's still relatively new technology. But as Larry said, you'll need to keep a glucometer around anyway to verify some numbers. We've seen quite a few people notice the Libre reads lower than the hand held meter when numbers are low. Since we determine how to change the insulin dose based on how low it takes the cat, you do want to verify those numbers. Plus you want to keep her out of really low numbers.

And please, don't feed her as much as she wants right now. Many cats get diabetes because they are extra fluffy. Adding weight will not help. This post explains why. Feed Kitty As Much As They Want?
 
Ale, Bobo, Minnie, Larry & Kitties, Wendy & Nero,

Day 1 of Glucometer Testing has officially started at the Sharon & Poppy House. I was able to get all the supplies from Walmart tonight. Not sure why it is under lock and key at one Walmart and not locked up at another one that is 5 miles away. But I digress. We did the first test. Kinda confused the number was 121. Her Fructosamine test that we did last week had her at 499. Did I do the blood test correctly? How frequent do I do the testing? It seems the SS is setup for twice a day. Does it matter what time I do it?

I have copied the Spreadsheet and have put in my first entry. I have read Dr. Lisa’s paper on Transitioning from dry to canned food. That paper made me realized I was being played by Poppy. She could smell the dry food in the house and was trying to get more. Needless to say the remaining dry is in my car. And she has almost finished the canned that did have some dry mixed. So, the transition has started.

She needs to gain weight. She lost a lot of weight. She was not a Fluffy cat to start with.

Did not find the Poof at Walmart tonight. Will look online.

Would it be possible to tell me the next steps?

Thanks in advance for everyone’s help. Poppy and I would not have moved so far forward in a short time without your help.

Sincerely,
Poppy and Sharon
 
121 is on the low side. What we recommend when you get a lower than usual pre shot number is to stall for 20 minutes without food and retest. Sometimes I’d retest right away to make sure it wasn’t a glitch. Did you already give her the insulin?
 
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The spreadsheet is actually set up for every hour. Each column is an hour starting at +1 and all the way to +11. We recommend you test at least 4 times a day, at pre shots and at least once more during the day and at least a +2 overnight.

If you already gave her the 2 units, can you please retest her at +1 and post here? We want to make sure she doesn’t go too low overnight. I’m the beginning, if you get a number below 200 at pre shot, it’s best to stall without giving her food, post here asking for guidance, and retest in 20 minutes. We need to see where she’s going to be in an hour.

The fructosamine test is a 3-week average so it’s possible she wasn’t that high all the time. This is why it’s so important to do what you’re doing now which is home testing!
 
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Another thing to point out, if she goes below 90 at any point in time, you’ll want to reduce the dose to 1.75. I have a feeling she will and I have a feeling 2 units is too high a dose for her, especially once you remove all the dry from her diet.
 
Sharon, I hope you come back and see my comments. We really need to test Poppy again tonight before you go to bed. It’s been over an hour since you posted but I’m not sure exactly when you gave her the insulin. We need to get at least a +2, which is the reading 2 hours after the preshot test, since that’s when Lantus starts to work, 2 hours in. Please test and post here as soon as you can
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Sharon, I hope you come back and see my comments. We really need to test Poppy again tonight before you go to bed. It’s been over an hour since you posted but I’m not sure exactly when you gave her the insulin. We need to get at least a +2, which is the reading 2 hours after the preshot test, since that’s when Lantus starts to work, 2 hours in. Please test and post here as soon as you can
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Sorry. I was exhausted and went to bed. But I should have given you more info about the 121. It was at +3. So, it was 3 hours after we had given her the insulin. This morning I tested her at +11 from last night’s dose and she was 302. At +4 this morning she was 274.

The plan is to do it every two hours. I missed 8 am. But I did do it at 10am. Next, I will do 12pm, 2 pm, 4pm, 6pm today.

SS - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hfkUYFQxmZfkWz6NvoU8MUpCHnWSpMBBMub4yCHypQo/edit

What are your thoughts?
 
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You don’t need to test every 2 hours every day. You can if you want to, but it’s not necessary and it may be hard to keep up. That’s a curve and you only need to do it every 2 weeks. The 2 most important tests are preshot and for those, you need to make sure she hasn’t had any food for at least 2 hours. We don’t want food influenced results. So it should go test, feed and shoot in that order and it can all happen in minutes really. Then you want to test at around +4, +5, or +6 to start to get an idea of when her nadir is happening (lowest point the dose is taking her in a 12-hour cycle). And once more in the evening before going to bed like you did last night.
 
Sharon725 said:
Sorry. I was exhausted and went to bed. But I should have given you more info about the 121. It was at +3. So, it was 3 hours after we had given her the insulin. This morning I tested her at +11 from last night’s dose and she was 302. At +4 this morning she was 274.

The plan is to do it every two hours. I missed 8 am. But I did do it at 10am. Next, I will do 12pm, 2 pm, 4pm, 6pm today.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

did you get a pmps last night prior to the +3? It would be good to know how much she dropped when she got to the 121
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
did you get a pmps last night prior to the +3? It would be good to know how much she dropped when she got to the 121
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The reading last night was the first reading that I did with Poppy. We did not have the equipment until after her shot.

She does not like the testing. Because she has a beginner who keeps pricking her wrong. :) Unfortunately I need to practice. I do reward her with at treat.

Since this is our first full day of testing, I thought I would try to do it every 2 hours to get a sense of what her curve is.

Try my spreadsheet again. :)
 
Got it and it works now thanks!

for the testing, are you warming up her ear first? Most of us use an old sock we fill up with a little bit of rice and then nuke it for about 20-30 seconds. Then you hold it up against the ear until it’s warm to the touch. It gets the blood going and it makes it easier to get a good amount. I also used to hum a lullaby to calm both of us. And I used a light source like a flashlight to make sure I could see what I was doing. Lastly, you want to aim for the sweet spot:
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I’m going to give you a bit more homework. It wound be a good idea for you to go on the Lantus forum and read the yellow sticky notes. Lots of great info there about Lantus and the 2 dosing protocols we use here. Since you’re still feeding dry at the moment you’d have to follow the SLGS method but once you’ve transitioned her fully to low carb, you can follow the TR method since you’re willing to test often. It’s the one with the highest remission rate but it’s a bit more aggressive with the dosing.
 
Hi Sharon and Poppy. Good job getting the spreadsheet going! One thing I did was I added a row with the time of day at the top of Hendrick's sheet, so that my shot time was indicated as well as making it easier to know what a +7 was in actual time haha. You're doing a great job so far with the ear pricks and hometesting, that stuff took me forever to get the hang.

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Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
I’m going to give you a bit more homework. It wound be a good idea for you to go on the Lantus forum and read the yellow sticky notes. Lots of great info there about Lantus and the 2 dosing protocols we use here. Since you’re still feeding dry at the moment you’d have to follow the SLGS method but once you’ve transitioned her fully to low carb, you can follow the TR method since you’re willing to test often. It’s the one with the highest remission rate but it’s a bit more aggressive with the dosing.
Click to expand...

I will read the yellow stickies. She ate almost a full can of food yesterday. I got the Halo Liv Little treats yesterday. I am sneaking them in the food. She loves them and it gets more food in her.

I am in search of a Vet. I have been to two so far. One admitted that he did not have a lot of experience with Feline Diabetes and the other one has a style that would be difficult for me to work with long term. Do you have any ideas on how to find a vet with Feline Diabetes experience? Thanks.

I think we have figured out how to do the ear pricks. The singing was the trick.:). Thanks for the tip!
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
Hi Sharon and Poppy. Good job getting the spreadsheet going! One thing I did was I added a row with the time of day at the top of Hendrick's sheet, so that my shot time was indicated as well as making it easier to know what a +7 was in actual time haha. You're doing a great job so far with the ear pricks and hometesting, that stuff took me forever to get the hang.

View attachment 67113
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Kyle, Thank you very much for the support and the tip. I have been struggling with the times. It is so much easier to figure out with the times in the sheet.

How is Hendricks doing?

Sincerely,

Sharon
 
Sharon725 said:
Kyle, Thank you very much for the support and the tip. I have been struggling with the times. It is so much easier to figure out with the times in the sheet.

How is Hendricks doing?

Sincerely,

Sharon
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You're welcome! I used to get cross-eyed trying to figure out in my head what a +9 was or something like that.


Regarding my boy, Hendrick just celebrated his one-year anniversary of going into diabetic remission and becoming a diet-controlled diabetic feline! He is doing great, thanks for asking.


Sharon725 said:
I think we have figured out how to do the ear pricks. The singing was the trick.:). Thanks for the tip!
Click to expand...


I am so glad someone suggested singing a little song. This helped me and Hendrick SO much but I often forget to mention it to newbies. I made my own song, "Do The Hendrick Pokey" to the tune of "Do the Hokey Pokey" and would sing it to him as we went through the process. Actually I think you can just barely hear me doing so in the video in my signature.

{edit} Well I haven't watched that video in forever. OMG I am so clumsy, poking him in the eye and sort of manhandling his head there. This video was actually taken when I had only just learned. These days he doesnt get mauled like that lol, and of course I am only testing about once a month just to make sure he is still in remission.

Watching that old video brings me to tears. WHAT A GOOD BOY HE IS. Just putting up with me mauling him like that omg. OK I have to go find him and give him snuggles and cuddles immediately brb
 
Minnie and Bobo were great at putting up with all of it. Lots of pets and kisses afterward and verbal reinforcement like, you’re such a good girl! Who’s a good boy?! :bighug:

Happy to hear the singing helped!

glad to see you got an amps today. I’m wondering about those blues at +3 at night and wondering if it’s taking her too low. Are you giving her food at the +3? It would be good for her to have food then to slow down the drop. And are you able to leave some food or treats out for her overnight? I use an auto feeder or do it when I get up to go the the bathroom. Let’s see what her numbers are like today, but it felt to me like she was bouncing yesterday from maybe going too low overnight @Bron and Sheba (GA) wdyt? Anyway, this shows us she’s not insulin resistant so that’s good news!

we talk about bouncing a lot here and i's a kitty's self defence mechanism. Here is the description:

Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles), but every cat is different and it can happen faster.
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Minnie and Bobo were great at putting up with all of it. Lots of pets and kisses afterward and verbal reinforcement like, you’re such a good girl! Who’s a good boy?! :bighug:

Happy to hear the singing helped!

glad to see you got an amps today. I’m wondering about those blues at +3 at night and wondering if it’s taking her too low. Are you giving her food at the +3? It would be good for her to have food then to slow down the drop. And are you able to leave some food or treats out for her overnight? I use an auto feeder or do it when I get up to go the the bathroom. Let’s see what her numbers are like today, but it felt to me like she was bouncing yesterday from maybe going too low overnight @Bron and Sheba (GA) wdyt? Anyway, this shows us she’s not insulin resistant so that’s good news!

we talk about bouncing a lot here and i's a kitty's self defence mechanism. Here is the description:

Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles), but every cat is different and it can happen faster.
Click to expand...

I leave food down all day. She tends to eat more during the day and not so much at night. This morning she did not eat much. I think we are still having our difference of opinion on the canned food. I did some trick yesterday ie mixed her treats into the food. So, after the 12:00 Noon reading, I did the same thing. I wanted to see if she would completely commit to the can in the morning. She ate some of it. But not a lot.

What should I do if I can’t stop the bleeding? Of course I hit something today and I had blood all over the place. I tried pressure. But it was not working.
 
it is not recommended to just leave food out for a diabetic cat because eating causes blood sugar to rise. Feeding times should be a main meal every 12 hours with the shot and then maybe 2-3 smaller meals between shots, but generally speaking no food during the later part of the 12-hour insulin "cycle." Lantus has a 12-hour period of action called a cycle but by hour 8-9 usually it has mostly worn off.

So if you feed kitty towards the end of the cycle, it can cause a BG spike and no insulin still acting to help. I am not saying you have to change what you're doing instantly but it would be good to transition towards 3-4 meals a day
 
It happens to the best of us. I’ve had some big bleeders too. I would apply pressure with a cotton oval or ball until it stops. It can take a while depending on what you guys accidents. Just keep applying pressure as you would if you cut your finger. The spot may scab but it will heal relatively quickly.
 
Kyle - I will keep in mind to get her to 3-4 meals a day as a goal. She has lost so much weight. I want to allow her to continue to graze for now.

Ale & Bobo & Minnie - Thanks for the advice on how to stop bleeding.

Next question is the food - I look at the FDMB chart and it seems the dates they number were complied were a long time ago. In particular, I was looking a t Special Kitty. I need to fill in until the Purina DM shipment comes. I used the chart and I picked the Chicken Dinner that is 3 carbs.

Are the values on the chart still good? Thanks
 
That’s a valid point. I will sometimes contact the manufacturer and ask to double check because the formulation can change. Another thing I do is look up the food in chewy and then go through the questions asked and answered. A lot of times someone has already asked what the carb content on a dry matter is and the answer is there. If not you can also ask granted you have a chewy account.
 
regarding getting her to eat canned food only, and not just graze dry food....I can really relate. When Hendrick was diagnosed we were a six-cat household of free feeding kibble grazers. Transitioning to regular feeding times of only canned or raw food was challenging to say the least.

And Hendrick in particular did not seem interested in canned food when we would feed it now and then. So when I was faced with the challenge of getting all the kibble out of the house, hooo boy. What to do. We tried sooooooooo many varieties of food in order to find stuff that was good for him (low carb) and that he would also eat well.

And also we tossed out all our temptations and other carb-laden treats, replacing everything with freeze-dried chicken or turkey (Liv-a-littles is one fav). Whew. That was months of work let me tell you.

Today, I am proud to say we no longer feed any of the seven cats dry food. (yeah that's right seven....one more rescue came along...lol)

And then every night for dinner I make them food myself using raw chicken, pork and turkey and mixing it with E-Z Complete powder.

I guess the universe decided we were going to have these felines instead of offspring so my wife and I just do our best :)
 
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Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
regarding getting her to eat canned food only, and no just graze....I can really relate. When Hendrick was diagnosed we were a six-cat household of free feeding kibble grazers. Transitioning to regular feeding times of only canned or raw food was challenging to say the least.

And Hendrick in particular did not seem interested in canned food when we would feed it now and then. So when I was faced with the challenge of getting all the kibble out of the house, hooo boy. What to do. We tried sooooooooo many varieties of food in order to find stuff that was good for him (low carb) and that he would also eat well.

And also we tossed out all our temptations and other carb-laden treats, replacing everything with freeze-dried chicken or turkey (Liv-a-littles is one fav). Whew. That was months of work let me tell you.

Today, I am proud to say we no longer feed any of the seven cats dry food. (yeah that's right seven....one more rescue came along...lol)

And then every night for dinner I make them food myself using raw chicken, pork and turkey and mixing it with E-Z Complete powder.

I guess the universe decided we were going to have these felines instead of offspring so my wife and I just do our best :)
Click to expand...
No one can argue with the universe ;):D:p
 
What times are you feeding your cats the smaller meals?

Also, what can food are you using? I just called Walmart about the Chicken Dinner and the Chicken and Tuna Dinner and they have 2% carbs. The protein is 8% for chicken dinner and 4 for chicken and tuna?

Ale & Bobo & Minnie - What does GA mean to you? I know that it stands for Gone Away.
 
Sharon725 said:
What times are you feeding your cats the smaller meals?

Also, what can food are you using? I just called Walmart about the Chicken Dinner and the Chicken and Tuna Dinner and they have 2% carbs. The protein is 8% for chicken dinner and 4 for chicken and tuna?

Ale & Bobo & Minnie - What does GA mean to you? I know that it stands for Gone Away.
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Those are all low carb. Bobo won’t eat anything other than FF so I’m stuck with it.

I feed Bobo his main am meal around 7-8am, 1 can of FF split in 1/2 and he gets both 1/2s spaced in that hour. Then he gets another 1/2 at about 9-10. Snacks around lunch time. Another snack at about 4-5 and 1/2 FF again around 7 and the other 1/2 at about 9pm. He’ll have another snack before I go to bed and I leave another 1/2 can of FF for him overnight. It’s pretty much the same schedule I had with Minnie.

The GA is because I lost Minnie last June so a year ago now. She def lived all her 9 lives though. She had IBD, diabetes, back to back hospitalizations with pneumonia and a cardiac arrest, after which she had cardiomyopathy. Then asthma and finally probably intestinal cancer at which point her quality of life deteriorated severely and I made the choice to let her rest. She had fought too hard for too long and it was time. Bobo and I miss her terribly, but because of everything I learned about diabetes im treating her, Bobo is now in remission. Like Hendrick, he was also on the TR protocol :bighug:
 
Kyle and Ale - Thank you for all of your support this week. Poppy and I have leaped far in just a few days. We are all in with the monitoring! I put her in the sink to do the monitoring. She loves the singing so much she doesn’t want to leave after I do her test. (And my singing is nothing to write home about for sure). And we are officially on canned food. Found out she hated Purina DM. Loves Special Kitty. But I am going to get her FF today. To see if she will go for it.

I called Walmart about the Carb contents for two of the Special Kitty foods. For Special Kitty Cuts in Gravey Chicken Dinner (Carbs -2%, Protein - 8%, Fat-4%) and the Pate Chicken and Tuna dinner (Carbs -2%, Protein - 4%, Fat-4%).
 
If you have room, I recommend chewy. You’ll get the best price there it’s just that depending on the flavor, you may have to get 24 cans at a time. You can also set up an autoship to get it even more discounted and so you never run out!
 
I’m so glad to hear she’s doing so well with testing!! It sure makes life a lot easier! The numbers are also looking pretty good for a recently diagnosed cat. You’re getting some blues which is awesome, YAY
 
Sharon725 said:
Ale and Kyle - Poppy is fine with Fancy Feast. Where is a good place to purchase it?
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yeah I use Chewy or Amazon. Price varies but usually is a better deal buying the 24 packs than single cans at the grocery store which may be $.90 or more depending on where you shop.

just one word of caution on the Fancy Feast -- most of the varieties have very high levels of phosphorus, which you might want to limit as Poppy gets older.
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
yeah I use Chewy or Amazon. Price varies but usually is a better deal buying the 24 packs than single cans at the grocery store which may be $.90 or more depending on where you shop.

just one word of caution on the Fancy Feast -- most of the varieties have very high levels of phosphorus, which you might want to limit as Poppy gets older.
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What is older? She is 10.5. Is there a food that has less phosphorus that you would recommend? What is considered a good number for phosphorus? I did google that question. But was not able to get a good answer.
 
10.5 is considered a senior cat. There are plenty of foods with lower phosphorus. The food chart Ale linked in the second post here lists some of the common foods and their phosphorus values. This link contains the same data, but sortable to help you narrow down what you are looking for. As long as she doesn't have kidney disease, you can get away with a little higher phosphorus, but I'd still aim for under 300 when you can. Under 200 if kidneys are an issue.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
10.5 is considered a senior cat. There are plenty of foods with lower phosphorus. The food chart Ale linked in the second post here lists some of the common foods and their phosphorus values. This link contains the same data, but sortable to help you narrow down what you are looking for. As long as she doesn't have kidney disease, you can get away with a little higher phosphorus, but I'd still aim for under 300 when you can. Under 200 if kidneys are an issue.
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Wendy - Thank you very much for the information and the link. It is very helpful.

Would it be possible to tell me what can food you are using?
 
It's been several years since I had a kitty with kidney issues. And there have been changes since then in brands, formulas, so not so helpful for now.
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
yeah I use Chewy or Amazon. Price varies but usually is a better deal buying the 24 packs than single cans at the grocery store which may be $.90 or more depending on where you shop.

just one word of caution on the Fancy Feast -- most of the varieties have very high levels of phosphorus, which you might want to limit as Poppy gets older.
Click to expand...
What canned food do you use?
 
I feed my sugar boy weruva BFF Chicken Checkmate, BFF chicken duck & turkey take a chance, BFF chicken & beef best buds, & BFF chicken & turkey topsy tuvy. They are all 5% carbs & under 200 in phosphorus. I had a list of percentages written down but can't find it. You can get all of these from chewy. My sugar boy & my other boy also eat some Fancy feast flavors pates because my non sugar boy won't eat weruva & sometimes my sugar boy won't eat the weruva unless I sprinkle fortiflora on it. If your kitty will only eat fancy feast you can get a phosphorus binder to add to there food. Your kitty shouldn't need a phosphorus binder until she is definitely diagnosed with CKD. I will tag @Suzanne & Darcy to talk with you about CKD & phosphorus binders.
 
That’s exactly right and that’s what I’m dealing with. Bobo has CKD but won’t eat any of the lower phosphorus foods. Believe me, I’ve tried every single one of them. Thank God for Chewys amazing refund policy! He’s in early stage 2 so no need for the binder just yet but as his CKD progresses, I’ll have to add a binder to his FF.
 
Thank you everyone for the information. It seems the phosphorus information on mfg pages is in %. How do I translate to mg? Thanks
 
FYI. Since we started on the FF and this was the fourth food in a week. And she has diarrhea from all the food changes. I did a little research and saw that the FF Savory Salmon was 267 mg for Phosphorus and Turkey and Giblets is 355. Of the FF, they have the lowest phosphorus.

I am thinking until I can get her stabilized with food and insulin, I will keep her on the Salmon and Turkey of FF.

I did look in to Weruva. That is where we are headed next.

Poppy has been a champ since the last week of major changes (food, adding blood testing, listening to off key singing). She has brought good attitude by being patient as we try new things. In addition, she is not freaked out by all the change so fast. I know because she has resumed attempting fly catching and trying to drink my ice tea out of my cup. I would add that I am starting to see her bossy self emerge.

Let me know how Hendricks, Bobo and Nemo are doing?

We have a visit with a new vet on Wednesday. He will be the first one that we went to that has a Glucometer. It seems he treated a friend of ours cat that had feline diabetes. The vet involvement right now is minimal. Just need them for the scripts for the syringes and insulin. I have 3 refills right now. So, I am good until I find a vet. The food we now have control over.

We need someone for emergency situations and guidance when lowering the dose in the future. I hope this vet is good. But we have time to find someone.

Sincerely,

Sharon
 
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