The cat that meowed food

[CatMan_pdx]

Hey all -- I'm new around here. My 10 year old boy Rearden was diagnosed early this week. He's always been a big guy (15 pounds, as high as 18) and quite a gourmand so I've always sort of expected him to have issues some day.

So I'm slowly switching him to a no carb diet, which he loves. He never really liked having to crunch kibble. I'm currently on the fence over traditional canned stuff and a raw diet (Rad Cat is a local company that he likes so far).

I am giving him a 3 unit dose of insulin and monitoring his levels with home blood tests. So far so good.

Anywho, my main question is: how do I know he's actually hungry and not just whining? Early on I learned he certainly can't free feed; he can't stop once he starts (I'm pretty sure he gets that from me ;-). With his blood sugar issues I'm trying to be more sensitive to his needs and he may actually be hungry, but there's just really no way to tell.

My plan currently is to move him entirely to wet (raw or a good lo carb can) and be more regimented to X ounces at 7 am and 7 pm, where X will start out at 4 ounces.

Does that sound good? Is there a better way to know you're not over or under feeding your cat? Im also thinking about trying a feeder to space out the same amount over four meals instead of two.

It breaks my heart when he jogs over to his dish every time I stand up. I just can't tell if I'm a sucker or starving him! ;-)

 

[Callie & Patches]

Try keeping track of his weight. If he gains weight, cut back on his food a bit. If hr looses weight, you give him more. I bought a baby scale because my Callie was too thin. I weigh her once a week. Be sure to keep a close watch on his BG because more food might mean an increse in his insulin.

 

[Ozzy Pawzbourne]

Im also thinking about trying a feeder to space out the same amount over four meals instead of two.

With some diabetic kitties, it's good to feed them small mini meals as opposed to 2 large ones as small mini meals help to regulate the blood sugar and give the insulin more to work with.

My kitty Ozzy is a fattie (well was a fattie until he lost weight with his diabetes) and the vet said he should have 1.5 5.5 oz cans of food a day which is about 8.25 oz. There was no way he was going to be able to eat 4+oz of food in one sitting so I had to figure out a way to spread out his meals (for my other kitty Figgie, too). Folks on this site recommended an automatic feeder called the PetSafe5. I got one just last week on Amazon for $35. It has 5 small compartments that rotate around. I put room temperature food (just straight out of the can) in the first compartment or two, refrigerated food in the next compartment, and frozen pucks (just cut the can in half or 4ths and freeze in tuberware) in the last compartment or two and my kitties eat about every 3 hours. Then I rinse and repeat for the evening schedule. So far, my kitties seem to really like having food more regularly available to them and it sounds like Rearden might, too.

It breaks my heart when he jogs over to his dish every time I stand up. I just can't tell if I'm a sucker or starving him! ;-)

Sometimes when the insulin you are giving your kitty causes a huge drop in blood sugar, your kitty will get hungry to help slow his sugar drop. This is one reason why it is so important to have food for your kitty at more frequent times than just the 2xs a day breakfast and dinner time meals.

I also notice now since I got the feeder that my cats are not trying to sit on my head at 4 am waiting to be fed their breakfast. So that alone is an added benefit to getting an autofeeder!

So I'm slowly switching him to a no carb diet, which he loves. He never really liked having to crunch kibble. I'm currently on the fence over traditional canned stuff and a raw diet (Rad Cat is a local company that he likes so far).

Some cats may need less insulin as their high carb diet is switched over to wet food. In fact, some may even go into remission and no longer require insulin. It's great that you are home testing Rearden - this way you can make sure you are not giving him too much insulin if he does not need it.

The folks on this board are extremely knowledgeable and helpful and are able to answer any question you may have- I PROMISE. They have been invaluable to me in learning how to deal with FD (we are only 3 weeks new to this), and I know they will be able to help you if you need it too.

Good Luck and WELCOME!

 

[JanetNJ]

I agree with above. As long as you don't feed two hours before your preshot tests you can feed mini meals throughout the day.

2 4 Oz meals doesn't seem like enough for a large cat. My big guy eats more than that. Definitely get him off the dry. Most dry food is 30% or more carbs. And no wet food that has gravy ... Pate style only.

 

[JanetNJ]

unregulated cats need more food because their bodies aren't utilizing it optimally. Until the bg is controlled he will be extra hungry.

 

[StephG]

My cat eats 4.5oz and two hours later he's yelling at me for more. He knows I'm a sucker and feel bad that he's hungry. Sometimes I give him a very tiny amount of baby food mixed with half an ounce or 1 oz warm water to help keep him hydrated and fill his belly a little so he's not "starving" anymore. He can't free feed because he'd eat all of it at once. He has an auto feeder but I have yet to try splitting up his meals because I was worried it would drop him very quick in the beginning because he is on a higher than usual dose (5.6-6 units of ProZinc) and he also reacts to any food even plain baked chicken breast. He's the type that really can't have food after nadir because he races to the black numbers. He is also a bouncy kitty. So what works one cycle might be a mess the next.
I've read on here a lot that smaller more frequent meals are ideal so I think you're on the right track. Every cat is different and I would make sure you can be home to monitor if you decide to go from 2 meals a day to smaller more frequent meals. The data from monitoring is one of the best tools to see what works best for your cat.

 

[CassAndGordy(GA)]

The autofeeders are a godsend.

My sugar uses the PetSafe5 too and it goes pretty well. He is 17lb (now... he lost a few pounds in the beginning) and he gets about (roughly) 4 cans FF a day. Something I learned here -- if you want to use the frozen food method, use mini-cupcake tins. I was using my aluminum ones, but I went and got some mini-cupcakes from the store that come in a plastic container. I have just been re-using that now. Helps because the food doesn't get as freezer burned and the bendable plastic makes it easy to get out. Just a big 12.5oz can of whatever wet-food you're using and a little bit of water should fill it nicely.

 

[CatMan_pdx]

Four

The autofeeders are a godsend.

My sugar uses the PetSafe5 too and it goes pretty well. He is 17lb (now... he lost a few pounds in the beginning) and he gets about (roughly) 4 cans FF a day. Something I learned here -- if you want to use the frozen food method, use mini-cupcake tins. I was using my aluminum ones, but I went and got some mini-cupcakes from the store that come in a plastic container. I have just been re-using that now. Helps because the food doesn't get as freezer burned and the bendable plastic makes it easy to get out. Just a big 12.5oz can of whatever wet-food you're using and a little bit of water should fill it nicely.

of the small cans, right? The 3.5 oz ones?

 

[CassAndGordy(GA)]

Four of the small cans, right? The 3.5 oz ones?

Yup!
I really do the following (its not exact): he gets 2/3 a can at shot time, and my civvie also gets that. Then the remaining of the cans take up two slots in the auto feeder. Then i put the frozen pieces in the next 2 slota. He seems to be pretty sated with it. Only really cries first thing in the morning (always no matter what lol) and when he thinks I am holding out on him (he thinks everything in a bowl is ice cream and that it belongs to him).

Every cat is different! But if my method helps, then cool.

(The baby scale idea is a good one too.... i need to get one of those.)

 

[JeffJ]

I agree on the mini-meals. We feed multiple meals per day. Leo is our acro sugar cat. He acts hungry all the time. The disease makes him think he is always hungry. He sleeps in the kitchen and calls us all the time. Half the time we go in there, he gets a rubdown but no food. So it is positive reinforcement, but not always food.