Wet Food Questions

I like Tiki Cat! My diabetic cat (Jude) isn't always too crazy about it, but my other four cats like it a lot, and there are some good low carb options in the brand. Here (https://www.bizave.com/foodlists/Combined_Food_Lists_Feeding_Guide.pdf) is a list that was created for folks with cats that have chronic kidney disease, but the list also has the carbs % of calories (third column from the left), which is what we are looking for in terms of carbs for our diabetic kitty. I like this list because he updates it relatively frequently. To search the list, just use the "find" feature on your computer. The foods are organized in kind of an usual way, but if you search, you can find which Tiki Cat flavors are in the below 10% range, which is low carb. Also, the general food list on the forum is here, if you want to peruse it to look for Tiki and other foods: Links to FOOD CHARTS.
 
Mary & Jude said:
I like Tiki Cat! My diabetic cat (Jude) isn't always too crazy about it, but my other four cats like it a lot, and there are some good low carb options in the brand. Here (https://www.bizave.com/foodlists/Combined_Food_Lists_Feeding_Guide.pdf) is a list that was created for folks with cats that have chronic kidney disease, but the list also has the carbs % of calories (third column from the left), which is what we are looking for in terms of carbs for our diabetic kitty. I like this list because he updates it relatively frequently. To search the list, just use the "find" feature on your computer. The foods are organized in kind of a usual way, but if you search, you can find which Tiki Cat flavors are in the below 10% range, which is low carb. Also, the general food list on the forum is here, if you want to peruse it to look for Tiki and other foods: Links to FOOD CHARTS.
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Thank you so much!!!
Do I need to slowly introduce a new brand of wet cat food with her current wet cat food (like you have to with dry food/kibble) or can I just give her (Thunder) the new food (Tiki Cat)?
 
Alissa & Thunder said:
Thank you so much!!!
Do I need to slowly introduce a new brand of wet cat food with her current wet cat food (like you have to with dry food/kibble) or can I just give her (Thunder) the new food (Tiki Cat)?
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Most experienced people here suggest a slow introduction to new food as to avoid tummy upsets. And if the current food is higher carb than the new food, you want to be careful so that the kitty doesn't suddenly experience lower blood glucose numbers with the LC food.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Most experienced people here suggest a slow introduction to new food as to avoid tummy upsets. And if the current food is higher carb than the new food, you want to be careful so that the kitty doesn't suddenly experience lower blood glucose numbers with the LC food.
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That’s what I’m afraid of. I asked the internist about if the insulin dosage needs to be adjusted and they came back saying no. I think it should.
What do you do if your kitty doesn’t like the food? What do you give your kitty instead?
 
1) Are you home testing? If not, you need to be because that way you'll know if Thunder's blood glucose drops (as a result of a food change or as a result of anything else). We have a lot of instructions on the board here to help caregivers learn how to home test. You can start here: How to "Shoot" Your Cat and here: Hometesting Links and Tips

2) Here is a basic shopping list of items you'll need to care for Thunder's diabetes: Info - Getting started shopping list

3) Could you please put the name of the insulin you are using in your signature?

Alissa & Thunder said:
That’s what I’m afraid of. I asked the internist about if the insulin dosage needs to be adjusted and they came back saying no. I think it should.
What do you do if your kitty doesn’t like the food? What do you give your kitty instead?
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4) Here is a general discussion of how to stimulate a cat's appetite. Suggestions on How to Stimulate Kitty's Appetite. There are many low carb wet food options, and you might need to go through some trial and error to find one that Thunder likes. As I said earlier, Tiki is a good brand, and they have a lot of LC options. Many of us here feed Fancy Feast Classic Pates as they are an economically priced LC option, though they do tend to be higher in phosphorous, so if Thunder has kidney issues, you'll likely want to avoid that.

A lot of getting started with treating your cat can be overwhelming--there is a lot of reading and a huge learning curve. Let us know if you have any specific questions.
 
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Mary & Jude said:
1) Are you home testing? If not, you need to be because that way you'll know if Thunder's blood glucose drops (as a result of a food change or as a result of anything else). We have a lot of instructions on the board here to help caregivers learn how to home test. You can start here: How to "Shoot" Your Cat and here: Hometesting Links and Tips

2) Here is a basic shopping list of items you'll need to care for Thunder's diabetes: Info - Getting started shopping list

3) Could you please put the name of the insulin you are using in your signature?


4) Here is a general discussion of how to simulate a cat's appetite. Suggestions on How to Stimulate Kitty's Appetite. There are many low carb wet food options, and you might need to go through some trial and error to find one that Thunder likes. As I said earlier, Tiki is a good brand, and they have a lot of LC options. Many of us here feed Fancy Feast Classic Pates as they are an economically priced LC option, though they do tend to be higher in phosphorous, so if Thunder has kidney issues, you'll likely want to avoid that.

A lot of getting started with treating your cat can be overwhelming--there is a lot of reading and a huge learning curve. Let us know if you have any specific questions.
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Thank you. Thunder will NOT allow me to test her BG.
I edited my signature as you suggested.
 
You can also look into (CGM ) by ABBOTT, a sensor is placed on the Kitty, with a downloaded app you will get glucose levels you will need a prescription with many refills, since the sensor last 14 days, and sometimes it malfunctions or pulled out or falls is good to have a couple handy, easy to install, don’t get it or replace at the vet they charge for vist sensor and placement, when you can do it yourself, your Kitty is blessed to have a nurse as his mommie
 
CORKY said:
You can also look into (CGM ) by ABBOTT, a sensor is placed on the Kitty, with a downloaded app you will get glucose levels you will need a prescription with many refills, since the sensor last 14 days, and sometimes it malfunctions or pulled out or falls is good to have a couple handy, easy to install, don’t get it or replace at the vet they charge for vist sensor and placement, when you can do it yourself, your Kitty is blessed to have a nurse as his mommie
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I did put a CGM on her. The first one didn’t last even 24 hours before it fell off or she knocked it off 😂. The second one stayed on for over a week, with the help of wearing a little t-shirt (which she despise) before it malfunctioned and lost connection. I’m not sure it was reading so accurately. I get the CGM from my pharmacy but they are still very expensive.
I am starting to run out of money with all these costs and now I’m being told my Thunder needs a lot of dental work of pulling teeth and they won’t know how extensive it will be until the dentist gets in there. My baby is 14. I have had her since she was 2 1/2 months. She’s my everything. I don’t know who to listen to or what to do.
I’m sorry for venting. I’m just overwhelmed.
 
Even being a nurse, it is overwhelming to hear your precious kitty has been diagnosed with h diabetes, we feel inadequate, mad that we did not notice, I know the feeling very well, I’ve had Corky since he was 8 weeks old, he’s my everything, diagnosed at 10 and not knowing anything about any form on diabetes, I did not know the symptoms, I felt a lot of guilt, he just turned 14, and now he is tightly regulated (see Corky’s Spreadsheet below, ) there were many sleepless nights, crying and wondering to the point of a breakdown, when his 10 year Vet fired me, he wanted nothing to do with a diabetic cats, Corky spent 8 days hospitalized with 650 glucoses level, and $15,000.00 later, depleted my savings getting home with all the supplies a sensor that fell off the same day and insulin, I had no idea what to do for him I banged it for 3 months until searching on the net and found this forum! I owe this forum For Corky’s life, it gets better, I promise, I was told by a very wise member these words “ Take a step back, breath in and breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress they stress” so I began to listen and took every word and advice to the letter, and today Corky is healthy, although he will be a lifetime diabetic his pancreas are healed and he is healthy as a log a non- diabetic cats’ glucose is between 50-120, your Kitty needs you, you need to be ok for him to get better, keep posting, vent if you need to we have amazing knowledgeable members that can assist you with dosing advice or any concern you may have, please see our health Forum and sticky note there’s a lot of valuable information there
@Wendy&Neko
 
Great food- not the lowest in phosphorus due to so much organ meet in some of the types, like The Dark Series, but it gives pets a wide variety of novel proteins with less fillers and low carbs. You can also call customer service and they are good about giving you all the detailed nutritional information.

All you can do is the best you can. Our babies know we love them. They're here to walk through life with us and make up happy- there's no expectations or judgements from them.
 
Alissa & Thunder said:
Thank you. Thunder will NOT allow me to test her BG.
I edited my signature as you suggested.
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I tested on my babies little toe pads and he didn't care much. ( back leg)
Never had an issue with his toes due to testing. His history of ear infections due to seasonal allergies made ear tests impossible.
 
CORKY said:
Even being a nurse, it is overwhelming to hear your precious kitty has been diagnosed with h diabetes, we feel inadequate, mad that we did not notice, I know the feeling very well, I’ve had Corky since he was 8 weeks old, he’s my everything, diagnosed at 10 and not knowing anything about any form on diabetes, I did not know the symptoms, I felt a lot of guilt, he just turned 14, and now he is tightly regulated (see Corky’s Spreadsheet below, ) there were many sleepless nights, crying and wondering to the point of a breakdown, when his 10 year Vet fired me, he wanted nothing to do with a diabetic cats, Corky spent 8 days hospitalized with 650 glucoses level, and $15,000.00 later, depleted my savings getting home with all the supplies a sensor that fell off the same day and insulin, I had no idea what to do for him I banged it for 3 months until searching on the net and found this forum! I owe this forum For Corky’s life, it gets better, I promise, I was told by a very wise member these words “ Take a step back, breath in and breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress they stress” so I began to listen and took every word and advice to the letter, and today Corky is healthy, although he will be a lifetime diabetic his pancreas are healed and he is healthy as a log a non- diabetic cats’ glucose is between 50-120, your Kitty needs you, you need to be ok for him to get better, keep posting, vent if you need to we have amazing knowledgeable members that can assist you with dosing advice or any concern you may have, please see our health Forum and sticky note there’s a lot of valuable information there
@Wendy&Neko
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You are so sweet for saying all this. This site is great but a little overwhelming for me to figure out what to look at or where to look. There are so many links.
Also three different vets have told me not to listen to what everyone says about the food and stick with the RX Glycobalance wet canned food. The internist would prefer the Tiki cat wet food if I wanted to switch but she didn’t say which one is good for diabetes. So now I’m still at a loss. Do you know which Tiki Cat wet food is good for cats with diabetes?
Also, the dentist said that Thunder has tooth resorption. He won’t know which teeth need to be extracted until she is under anesthesia and he gets in there and I guess takes x-rays. Do I believe the dentist if he says that Thunder needs all her teeth extracted? It’s a fortune.
 
Si am cat mom said:
I tested on my babies little toe pads and he didn't care much. ( back leg)
Never had an issue with his toes due to testing. His history of ear infections due to seasonal allergies made ear tests impossible.
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Thunder does not allow me to touch her feet 😂. You are very lucky. She still growls while I give her her insulin shot. She even growls while she’s eating her treat and I’m giving her her shot.
 
We have several members on the forum who use CGMs, and they can offer some good advice.

We test at least once prior to each shot to ensure that our kitties are not too low to receive insulin. Otherwise, if they are too low and we administer insulin, we run the risk that they could experience a hypoglycemic episode, which can be life threatening.

In terms of food, I would take a look at the lists I sent, select a few low carb options and get a few cans for trial with Thunder. You are looking for a food that is under 10% carbs. I would avoid the Glycobalance dry because the carb value is high, around 23%. The Glycobalance wet is lower carb, but it's really not that great of a food, AND it's expensive.
 
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