Buddy 5/2 AMPS 88 - He's back...

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This cat. He just keeps me guessing. For three days, I thought he was at the end of his rope and then, for no apparent reason, he rebounds. And he has come back with a vengeance...requiring NO insulin since last Friday!!! I never dreamed Buddy might ever get OTJ but, maybe, just maybe, he will sneak in a brief remission and beat the diabetes before he loses the fight to cancer.

He is completely back to normal with a slightly reduced food aggression (still eats his food or that in any other bowl but has not taken off with a bag of bread or tortillas again YET). Amazingly, he's had several trips to the lagoon this week and it's so nice to be able to let him go and not worry about him going to low (since he's off insulin).

Don't know how long this will last but we're both enjoying the ride. Since he was off insulin and not eating much at all, I have cut his food back to 3 cans of LC Fancy Feast (appropriate for a 9-10 pound cat; he is 8) and stopped feeding the two additional cans of Friskies. I'm sure that has helped his BG readings and it doesn't seem to be making a big difference in his appetite.

So, thanks for all the support and kind words over the weekend; it's wonderful to have a group of people that "get it". I was broken-hearted and thought for sure his time had come. Evidently, I was wrong and Buddy managed to scrounge up at least one more life.

 

That is the best news ever!!!!!! So happy for you!!!!

 

I'm so happy that he has turned it around and is enjoying life again.
I never tire of hearing of his food antics, I have a great image of him running off with a bag of tortillas now.

 

Wonderful news.

 

I keep telling my son that I have to get a video of him going all ninja crazy for a bag of bread but I never have my camera when it happens and it takes both hands to get him to drop the food. I literally have to pick him up and restrain his paws so he can't grab the bag; he eventually has to open his mouth to try and bite the bread and the bag drops out. It's insane!

 

Love love love that great report!!!

Sending scritches and hugs to you both!!!

 

It's so nice to hear GOOD news!
I hope Buddy continues to feel good If it were me I'd let him eat as much as he wants.( A bit of extra weight is good to help when he doesn't want to eat )

I just looked at his SS. It's really difficult to tell what his BG would have been if he hadn't got into all the high carbs. If he's that hungry I really do think you should let him eat as much "good" food as he wants.

Maybe he got sick from getting into something that didn't agree with him?

 

What a relief! I'm so happy for you and Buddy... fingers crossed that he stays this chipper for a long time to come

 

Great news on Buddy!

 

Happy to hear

 

I haven't noticed you post any or update SS, so wanted to give you a preemptive *hug* just in case.

 

Thank you! This and the next two weeks are my busiest weeks of the year so I'm behind. So far, he still appears to be back to normal. Fingers crossed "this life" buys him several more months!

 

That's always been the problem with Buddy - he will eat himself sick with the good stuff. Early on, when he was so thin and food aggressive, I had him eating massive amounts of food - two small cans of FF and three large cans. His weight did not change, nor did the food aggression. I cut out one large can and saw no weight loss. Since that amount was still almost twice what his weight requires, I thought about reducing food intake a bit more but was already struggling to get him regulated.

Once he stopped eating and his BG was low enough that I skipped insulin, I decided to reduce food intake again. He has not lost weight and food aggression is about the same. I don't know what is best with him. If I thought I could feed him enough to satiate the hunger, I would try. Unfortunately, no amount of food seems to fill him up. I hate it for him (and me - as the one that cleans up never ending piles of poop. ).

 

George was pretty food aggressive, not to Buddy's level, but none the less he used to bite and swipe at us demanding food, unlike Buddy the food goes straight on to his hips. so it was really important even before his FD diagnosis to try and keep his calorie intake down.

We ended up using an autofeeder (before he became diabetic) that helped with his aggression towards us around food as he stopped associating us with food. Though we had to get inventive to stop him breaking into the autofeeder.

 

I use an autofeeder to space feedings out but it has had no impact on food aggression. Amazingly, he has never managed to open it (and I'm not so sure he really tries). I thought for sure he'd have it torn apart within a week.

Now, if I packed it with bananas and bread, he would probably eat through the plastic.

 

As I was writing I was thinking, 'she's probably tried and Buddy took a sledge hammer to the AF' I'm surprised he hasn't been bothered by it, probably because it's not full of Banana sandwiches and tortillas.

 

I just noticed he's Hyperthyroid. Is that causing the ravenous eating? Does he also have high blood pressure?
This article is from Cornell University about Hyperthyroidism in cats. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departm...ion/feline-health-topics/hyperthyroidism-cats

 

If hyperthyroid is under control they won’t be hungrier than normal, if they need an increase in their thyroid meds that could make them ravenous just like we see in diabetic cats before they are regulated.


My last kitty had hyperthyroid, this one the diabetes..