Critter Mom said:
I'm starting to develop an identity crisis ... 
I am so sorry about that Critter Mom, your identity is just fine, it was all me, I had a crazy day yesterday and got all mixed up!Erm ...
That's twice in a week that someone's mistaken my post for someone elses.
Thanks for the great advice and btw, his throw up looked like his food, nothing unusual, just ate too fast. He did much better today with a larger meal (trying to cut back on feedings), so far no puking! 
Ah! A scarf 'n' barf merchant! (One of my boys sadly no longer with me, Psycho Fatboy the Third, was a divil for that.
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Thank you for the kind words, Lynn & will be thinking good thoughts for you & Rupert! (So glad he survived, despite his not exactly liking the wait.
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Lol @ Scarf n barf merchant! Also Pyscho Fatboy III name makes meAh! A scarf 'n' barf merchant! (One of my boys sadly no longer with me, Psycho Fatboy the Third, was a divil for that.
! I am doing the mini-curve you suggested today, hoping it will help me understand his cycles. You have been printed and taped to my fridge!
I heard that too, thought it would keep their teeth healthier.... the vetty beans insisted it was much better for her teeth and general health than the wet stuff.
PS...Pyscho Fatboy III name makes me
I actually feel very guilty for feeding my kitties the dry kibble all these years and I even knew better (or at least was on the right track) because last year I was reading stuff on the internet and I decided I would feed them correctly. I didn't go all the way (yep, I said that heehee) with feeding only wet food, but I started buying kibble with first ingredient listed as meat. I figured this would be as good as wet, right? Wrong. I kept that up for a few months, than I had to make a major move across country, dissolve a business, sell my house, buy a new house out of state...well you get the picture. So, I went back to the cheaper kibble (Purina Indoor) and figured "what's the harm really?". Poor Rupert ended up with diabetes at a fairly young age and he was never even over weight. He did eat a lot and being an indoor kitty didn't get much exercise, perhaps even the stress of the cross country move might have brought it on sooner. I agree with the cute, fat kitty image, they portray, I even tried to put weight on Rupert, I thought he was too lean looking and I wanted a chunckier kitty, more to love! *sigh* If we only knew then, what we know now. Your idea that his food is medicine, is a good one! I even did his BG test today with praise and petting, no treats. He seemed fine with that.Thank you for the kind words, Lynn & will be thinking good thoughts for you & Rupert! (So glad he survived, despite his not exactly liking the wait.
Looking back to the years before Bat-Bat was diagnosed, I now realize that if I had wrapped my head around looking at her food more like it's medicine, I would have paid serious attention to how I was feeding her back then. Because - if I'm brutally honest with myself - I know now that I was feeding her all wrong! (Just kept dumping "...a 'wee' bit more" kibble in her dish when she'd yowl, "Hey! I'm hungry!" because I was on deadline for a client, or late for a meeting, or distracted in any number of other ways.) I didn't pay all that much attention to actually measuring out the amounts of food she was given; I only "kinda" did that. She was fed some canned, but the staple of her diet was dry kibble because, well .. heck! It was organic! it was good for her! And because southwestern Colorado & northern AZ can get hot as blazes, I'd tell myself, "It's sooo hot out - no wonder she wants more water ..."
In my experience, most vets don't even mention feeding habits for our kitties until they're already obese! And look at how cats have historically been pictured in our culture: The plump kitty curled up on a chair, the plump kitty sitting by the hearth. (Anybody remember the cartoonist B. Kliban, whose cat drawings were so wildly popular in the 70's? The cats were all fat cats!) And don't even get me started on cat food commercials (Sorry, "Blue Buffalo" dry-food company ... but if your dry formula is soooo healthy, why did you refuse to give the carb info to Dr. Lisa Pierson?) We've been encouraged to free-feed our cats. But if we take a cold, hard look at that, dry foods were developed for human convenience - not because it was healthier for our pets. So then, not realizing what the consequences might be, we - as a society - bought into all that the marketing hype. I believe that we, as a culture, have come to perceive that it's okay when our cats begin to plump up a little, over time. We barely notice ... not until diabetes strikes.
For me, feline diabetes was an unfortunate wake-up call: Hey, Robin - treat the food as medicine, too! Measure her low-carb diet carefully, and monitor its consumption. Don't give in to that adorable kitty face when she begs for more ration than is correct for her optimal weight and her metabolism. (Bat-Bat doesn't get a treat in exchange for an ear-poke; she gets soft words before, during & after, then a nice scritch under the chin. (She's being treated for a disease; she's not being rewarded for cleaning up her room.)
There's a sticky on the Lantus forum titled, "Is Tight Regulation Possible with a Full Time Job? Yes!" (Sorry, I have no idea how to link to this; computer idiot, I am.) Looks to me like worthwhile reading for anybody who can't be home for testing throughout the day. That's the great thing about FDMB - we all share our ideas, and while we don't all have the same opinions on such topics as "how often to feed," etc., at the heart of every offering up of advice is the most sincere desire for success in restoring our beloved kitties to good health!
I am going to do a mini-curve that Critter Mom suggested today, hoping it helps me to understand his cycles. I have tested him pretty often, but I was not paying much attention to food intake, etc. We are having a nice, rainy day with no company, so it should be doable. Here's to lean, mean kitty machines!
Lol, I can just imagine what your neighbors thought! (probably that you were the psycho)I've arrived! Yay!!!
On the subject of his nibs, his sister was called Tara and he was supposed to have been called Conor but events overtook me. Imagine the scene at bedtime: The twilit calm of a quiet English village is shattered by this demented Irish bint standing outside her back door yelling, "P-S-Y-C-H-OOOOOO!!!" at the top of her lungs. Nearly made a similar mistake with another of my cats, but even I wasn't prepared to start calling out for Bo**ix to get his hiney indoors of an evening.
ps....I have a very crowded fridge right now, conversions charts, Critter Mom mini curves, Robin feeding program, BJM tips and info...there is no room for my cute magnets anymore! lol
You're a hoot!!! Reminds me of a friend, years ago, who told me his dog's name was Hemmer. When I remarked that it seemed rather an unusual name, he replied, "Actually, it's short for hemorrhoid ... because he's a real pain in the a**!"I've arrived! Yay!!!
You're a hoot!!! Reminds me of a friend, years ago, who told me his dog's name was Hemmer. When I remarked that it seemed rather an unusual name, he replied, "Actually, it's short for hemorrhoid ... because he's a real pain in the a**!"
By up-front feed, do you mean when I feed the two only meals tomorrow?
Ok, got it! Thanks Aine! (figured it was time I stopped calling you Critter Mom lol) Rupert had a low number at +5 (124) but was (220) at +6, fed a small meal after each test. I am wondering if the 124 was an error, it didn't register that on my meter, but I probably should have done another test to be sure. Or do they bounce that much sometimes?
Makes sense that different foods would affect numbers, I will be paying more attention to that in future. Mogs it is then! Thank you Mogs, you are terrific in my book, no matter what name you go by!
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with me too, Lynn.
One more thing I forgot to mention about preventing scarf & barf: I raised Bat-Bat's feeding plate (similar to the "raised feeding stations" for dogs. I just use a shoebox with a placemat over the top & sit her plate on that @ mealtime; in this way she's not eating with her nose down at floor level (which is also a lower level than her stomach, once I'd actually pondered that one ...)I am doing the Critter Mom mini curve with feeding small meals through out the day and then tomorrow, I am going to do the 2 meals only aka Robin feed method to see how he does with that. Should be interesting and hoping helpful!
What a marvelous film, that one!
