Feeding amount recommendation?

I'm trying to figure out how much to feed Gracie. When she was on dry food it was easier, as I just measured it . . . or just put some in a bowl and let her eat at her leisure.

Currently is she on FF 3oz cans. I do have a new box of Friskies 5.5oz.

She shouldn't be gaining anymore weight, or losing anymore weight.

 

The best way to do it is feed her as you have been and weigh her weekly to see if she's stable. Adjust food up or down based on the weights. A digital baby scale is a great piece of equipment to have and you can find them online for a good price.

 

I let Chloe eat as much as she wants at mealtime. She can devour a 5.5 oz. can, although I dilute it with some water a couple times and scrape it back in the middle of the bowl. I haven't been weighing her, but don't think she's lost any more weight.

 

Gracie stopped eating wet food if I added water. I didn't even add much . . . apparently she is above that.

You have to scrape it too? I thought I was the only one. Yes, Even in a 3oz can I still have to scrape the sides. Always wondered why it does that. But super glad I'm not alone.

 

I've been using a human scale. Should I invest in a baby scale? I mean they do the same thing though.

 

I bought this one a few years ago after Cooter got diagnosed, I like how easy it is. You weigh yourself (ugh!), then scoop up your kitty and step back on. It automatically displays the difference. Comes in handy for weighing luggage for travel as well It was easier for me to do it this way, no squirmy cat in a baby scale, and no math lol
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IZ6LH5I/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_in_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

If I add too much water, she won't eat it.

 

Currently out of stock. It must be popular. I might look into that option, as I'd be able to hold her.
I normally just step on my scale then step off. It calibrates it--then I get on her on it. Sometimes Gracie is good and stays put and other times she doesn't like it and tries to run off. So unpredictable our felines can be.

Chemistry was is minor for my first degree.It's just a bunch of math and elements. Math doesn't bother me, as long as there is a solution.

 

The issue with putting a cat alone on a human scale is that you're using the scale's lowest sensing range where it's less accurate. If you're watching the weight changes in ounces you need more accuracy/sensitivity and that's where a baby scale works better.

 

Hey Teenuh, guess what? Today is Day 14 without insulin. Around here Day 14 is a big day.

Day 14 is the day when you get to declare Gracie OTJ - Off The Juice!!!!!!!!!

For the next month or so, you only need to test once/week, or of course if there is ever anything that's concerning you.
After that, you can test every two weeks for the rest of ever. Put a reminder on your calendar, because as time goes by, it can be easy to start to forget.

Remember that Gracie will always be a diabetic, but now she is a diet-controlled diabetic. That means that you will always always always need to be vigilant about what you feed her and what treats she gets. And of course keep her away from those cupcakes! It can be tempting a year from now to start thinking you can sneak in some kibble, or relax about the treats, but diabetic cats can fall out of remission far too easily to do that. (first hand experience with that here!). Remember to not just rely on the packaging for nutrition information, but check the food list from Dr. Lisa, or contact the company whenever you are considering a food change.

Also keep an eye on her health in general. If she starts gaining weight, you'll want to jump on that right away. And if you can, start squirreling away a little savings account for her so that if she suddenly needs a dental extraction or has a medical issue arise you can take care of it right away. Teeth and UTI's are two of the most common reasons cats fall out of remission so it's important to stay on top of things like that as quickly as you can.

If you ever do test and get a number over 120, test again the next day. One high number might just mean she got into some cupcakes again. Two high numbers might mean something though, so if that happens post and ask for someone to take a look.

Congratulations on taking all of the time and effort to learn about how to take such good care of your sweet girl, and to guide her safely to this place. Your experience will be incredibly helpful as new folks join here and have to go through all of the stress and confusion and fears that you faced at the beginning. You can assure them first hand that even with a difficult schedule and a kitty that doesn't want to be tested, they really can get through this!

 

Hurray!! Gracie is !!!

 

Tha is guys.

I guess this will be my next investment.

 

She is just past a month of Dx too. Gracie is not nearly as excited as I am.
I seriously can't thank you guys enough. @Djamila @Critter Mom @Kris & Teasel @Rache. I love you all!

In a weird way I'm almost a little sad, but I promise I'm definitely not leaving. I'll be here!

I would add if she starts losing weight and drinking excessive amounts of water too? Odd question, but does this mean she will still have sugar in her urine? I only ask, as if they are in remission and there is supposed to be no sugar then I might switch back to clay litter--only because if the urine is sticky and HUGE like it was prior then that might also be an indicator.


I have set reminders in my phone and calendar for testing.

I updated my signature to reflect new change.

 

No, she won't have sugar in her urine, so switching to your preferred litter should be fine. And yes, increased thirst and urine are big hints that something has gone wrong, so those are good things to keep an eye on as well.

I'm so excited for you guys!!! And no, you certainly shouldn't go away now! You can be a huge help to other folks here!

 

Yes. I think I'll switch back to clay--only because I clean it daily, and if if starts getting sticky and large I'll know something is going on.

I'm excited for us too. It felt weird not testing before leaving earlier. A little taste of freedom!

 

Woohoo OTJ!!!!!! We're so excited for you!!!!!!

 

Delighted to see that Gracie is officially in remission! Woot!!!

(((Gracie)))


Mogs
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@Djamila did you jinx me with money for Gracie?!? Take it back!!
Pretty sure Gracie decided she needed to cost me one more final expense. I mean part of it . . . well most of it is kind of my fault. I had a nice cup of coffee near my laptop this morning. She was being antsy and I was trying to remove her from my desk, as I had all my school stuff out. In the process of trying to pick her up some how my cup knocked all over my keyboard and killed my laptop.

So, I ran around all morning trying to find a laptop and trying to some how save my old files on my computer.

My scream probably scared her enough to not come near my coffee for awhile.

 

If you take your coffee black and sugarless then there may be a chance your laptop could start working again if you can get it dried out.


Mogs
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If only I was that brave! I'm I use a tiny bit of sugar and half and half.

 

I'm not even sure how one would make any kind of jinx, let alone one that specific!

I really hope you can get it dried out and fine it magically working again soon. That's awful!

 

Oh, dear! Spragged.


Mogs
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Me too!

 

Re the data recovery, if there's a computer repair shop in your area they might be able to take the drive out of the damaged laptop and transfer the data to a flash drive/USB external drive for you.


Mogs
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Dang! I hope you can recover those files!

 

I didn't have any luck today. I didn't have enough time to buy a new laptop and spent much time searching for someone/company. I'm going to try again on Monday.

 

If not it'll just be a tough lesson. I've been warned several times to have a back system for when stuff like this happens. I never listened.

 

Serious question guys. So, what do you guys do when your feline won't eat? I left out a new kind of FF today. It was one of the seafood kinds. Apparently, she didn't like, as she acted as if she was starving. Meowing extra loud by her dish.

So, part of me thinks . . . if you are hungry enough you will eat it. I'm a sucker and just dump it and give her new food.

 

It depends on how badly I want them to eat it. If it's just a flavor thing, I dump it and go with the flavors they like. If I'm trying to get them onto something new (like transitioning off of kibble, or moving towards more raw), then I'll do the slow and steady approach where I mix a tiny tiny bit of the new food into the old food, and gradually over time shift the proportions to more and more of the new food and less and less of the old food.

Or I just sprinkle a bunch of fortiflora on top and that is usually enough to convince Sam to eat anything. Atticus is super cautious about his food. Every single meal, every single treat, he stands over the food and sniffs it thoroughly, then ever so cautiously takes a teeny taste, then look at me sideways for a minute, and then he'll finally eat. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm trying to poison him.

 

Congrats on the remission!!!! Gracie sure seems like a handful between the cupcakes and now the laptop, lol!

 

Thank you Sarah! She has definitely turned into a brat.

 

Your cats are so funny. Hearing their opposite personalities makes me want to adopt a second one.
I'm such a push over. I think I went through 4 cans last night trying to get her to eat. I gave up. I'm taking back the FF Seafood Pate.

 

Luckily I've never had that problem except for when Gypsy was very sick. I don't try a lot of new flavors though. We did try to feed seafood friskies once, but it made my cats sick, so I never used it again. I think if you find a flavor they won't eat, I'd just not feed it again. Cats can be picky and if there is something they prefer to eat that's just as good, I'd go with that.

 

I should really know better than the change her food. I think I'm going to donate to the shelter I got her from.

 

Guys, I'm having BS testing withdraws. Ok, not seriously, but I feel odd not testing. It almost makes me antsy when I see my old merrell shoe box (that box holds testing supplies) just hanging out on my desk not open.
Is this normal?

Then to top it off my co worker gave me her old AT lancets and testing strips. There isn't much, but at least it is something.

 

Totally normal. And it's okay to test if it makes you feel better

 

I think I might tomorrow AM before I feed her.

The new bottle of strips from my co worker . . . will I need to re program the strips? or just verify that the number on the bottle matches my AT.

I don't even know why I'm going to use the AT. If/When she comes out I'll go back to human meter.

 

@Djamila @Rachel @Kris & Teasel @Critter Mom

Help! I need advice on a couple of things.

Almost called the vet, but then wanted to reach out to you guys first.

She has gained about 5oz since her last vet visit. Less than a week ago. BS appears to be within normal range. 44 today before she ate. This is concerning right? I'm still feeding FF back to her normal flavor. The amount I feed has not increased or decreased.

FF canard 30z's. I give about 3-4 cans a day.


She ate her food. Shortly after she used the restroom (normal for her). I just happened to look in the right direction and noticed she was dragging her behind on the floor. This is the first time I've seen her do this. Could it be worms? I'll be gone today from about 11-5 then home from 5-8:30 tonight.

Then she started to eat again--and threw up.

 

Hmmmm....well first off 44 is a fine number off insulin. It’s only a concern if on insulin...off it’s normal. She can’t hypo with no insulin on board so no worries!

As for the butt dragging...did you see if she had produced anything in the box? Cats can do that in several circumstances. Could be a bit of poop stuck to them, anal glands needing cleaning out, urinary issues, worms, etc. The throwing up is concerning...was there a hair ball or anything? Has she eaten anymore? How’s she acting otherwise?

 

Chucking out ideas here.

Any chance Gracie might be a bit constipated? If her stools are a bit hard she might have had problems getting rid of part of a stool and that can cause butt scooting. Also, constipation can lead to vomiting (and if she is backed up that could potentially be showing in the weight gain). I'd suggest monitoring her poop frequency and consistency more closely. If her poops are on the dry/hard side then adding a little pumpkin to her food can help retain moisture in the stool without adding much bulk. The following site is very helpful:

http://felineconstipation.org/prevention.html

If in any doubt, or if Gracie goes longer than normal without passing any stools I'd recommend a vet visit for a physical checkup.


Mogs
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I didn't. I just happened to look over when she got out and saw the dragging.

I checked her behind and it looks clean.She hasn't gone since I've been home. Almost 2 hours ago. She ate a little, but not much.

Her vomit looked a little stringy. Not all of it, but parts of it are definitely string-like.

I don't think she feels good. I can't put my finger on it though.

She is on Revolution and that is a flea prevention . . . and if I'm not mistaken in order to get worms she needs to eat a flea or something like that?? Maybe I'm mixing the stuff up.

Ugh.

I just switched her little a few mins ago. I'm hoping when I come home tomorrow I can scoop out some poop to look for worms? Maybe that is a little extreme.

 

That is a possibility--I generally don't keep track of feline stools, but I guess I might want to start.

Always something with our felines . . .

 

I’ve done the check poop for worms before thing...the things we do for love!

 

The little notebook where i keep track of BG, meds, etc. also has an entry for which kitty has pooped (since occasionally both get constipated). As Rachel said, oh, the things we do....

 

Ha ha. I mean . . . I would check my own poop for worms if I thought I had them.

 

This is awfully sad. Are you double tracking your BG-- SS and Notebook? Djamila, you seem so organized.
In the beginning, I was keeping track of the food she ate, how much she ate all kinds of useful information in a notebook. I guess you can say I've stopped.

I'm off this weekend. I have to do some major studying, but I'm going to try to find some time to get her stuff in order again.

 

If you look at my ss, I'm usually a day or two behind. I used to just keep track on the ss, but the longer I've been at this, the lazier I get . I've found it's just easier to jot it down in the moment, and then add in the numbers to the ss later. So I don't know that it's organization as much as ease. And my ss doesn't have all the rest of the notes. I try to add in whatever might be relevant if i'm asking for advice, but not every little detail.

I'm sorry to hear that Gracie still seems off. I wish there was a way to figure out what's going on for her.

 

I've looked at your spreadsheet, but apparently not close enough to notice you are behind at inputting info.
Eh, I guess it could be ease too.

Not your fault Gracie still seems off, but I appreciate the support.

I suppose stuff like this comes with diabetes diagnosis. Not that any of this correlates to the diagnosis . . . but . . . there has sure been more stuff going since.

 

Saoirse's custom spreadsheet ... courtesy of her helicopter mom (old skool):




Mogs
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LOL...okay, now that's a lot of detail!

 

I'm Samhain-born and I adore black cats. Whaddya expect!


Mogs
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I had to google "Samhain". Learned something new today!

 

I did too!