Insulin and picky eater

So, Remus has decided that he's going to start the food game. He has always eaten wet and dry but since his diagnosis we have cut out the dry and are feeding him the M/D that the emergency vets started him on. He was a bit of a stubborn eater in the past, despite his love-affair with food, but has been eating the M/D really well.... until this morning, when he flat out refused to eat. I don't think he is nauseous, I think it more the case they he wants to eat bad food.

So my question is, how do I handle his insulin when he is doing this... he refused again tonight, which is probably because he finally relented and ate his breakfast at noon.

Usually he eats and has his injection and we go to work.

 

Have you tried feeding Fancy Feast or Friskies pates? They're low carb wet foods and easy on the wallet.

 

I’ve found in the past my cats would quickly tire of the Hills food. I would try some Fancy Feast Classic. It’s lower carb than M/D and has lots of flavors to choose from so they won’t get bored.

 

It is my preference to get him on to these, for the low-carb benefit and we have tried them, but he rears his head back like I have just offered him the worst food in the world.

 

http://catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf
Might be some useful info in the article above.

 

Thank you, I will give that a good read.

Any tips on what I should do in the morning if he pulls the same protest? Miss a dose until I know he has eaten in the evening?

 

I’d avoid skipping the dose if at all possible. He has some high BG numbers and you don’t want to risk ketone development. Lantus onsets at 2 to 3 hours after the injection so aim to get maybe a tablespoon of food into him then give his shot. Try to get a little more food in over the next couple of hours after that.

 

I don't want to skip a dose, of course, but I have to leave to work after he is fed. Leaving him after his injection with no one being home scares me. Thankfully my husband was able to work from home today so we were able to give him his dose anyway but tomorrow he can't do that, so we are left with the choice of skipping or shooting and leaving the food down.

I really want to break him of this, he is very quick to manipulate and I don't want to give him any sense that he can win. Silly boy, does he not know we are trying help him!

 

If he’ll eat only a little and you have to leave you can try higher carb food to prop up his BG.

 

Can't you just leave the food out for him while you're at work?

 

Yes, I can, but I have another cat who has IBD and I would prefer she didn't eat it as it could unsettle her. Is shooting and leaving the food down something people would do, even if he hadn't eaten anything? We're still trying to get to grips on the do's and the don'ts.

 

My vet told me as long as they get a tablespoon of food at time of insulin, he'll be ok.

 

He doesn't have any others signs of being nauseated besides inappetance?

 

He is being his normal self in every other way as far as I can see. He did eat his PM food at 7.30pm, but I don't know what to do tomorrow if he tries it again.

 

yeah, I really don't have an answer. Rufus has been really nauseous all day and wouldn't eat him pm dinner. I ended up giving him deli turkey. You could buy them their own bowl/feeder if it comes to that. I just bought this https://www.target.com/p/ourpets-wonderbowl-selective-pet-feeder/-/A-23936762. There are more expensive more sophisticated bowls. Let's just hope he eats his food like he's supposed to

 

After another slow morning where he barely picked at his food, we fed him tonight and he ate every single bite plus a little of the FF as an evening snack. Hopefully, he's back on board and we won't have problems tomorrow morning. Thankfully hubby can work from home for the rest of this week so it'll be easier to make sure he gets his full dose.