? Food Help

Hi Everyone!

Cookie and I really appreciate the warm welcome and great advice we have received on this site since he was diagnosed earlier this month. Cookie's BG levels seem to be doing well. We did our first curve last week and plan to do another tomorrow. I am a bit concerned about his eating habits though.

Before being diagnosed I fed Cookie and his sister, Sassy (non-diabetic), a mix of kibble with Friskies wet with gravy. They both love it and ate it with no problems. Right before Cookie was diagnosed I purchased 100 cans of the Friskies wet with gravy (Black Friday sale). Since Cookie's diagnosis I have switched him to the Friskies pate or Fancy Feast pate and continued to feed Sassy the Friskies with gravy (just until all the cans are gone then I will switch her to pate as well). I have stopped dry kibble for both. He will take a few bites of the pate and then take Sassy's food with the gravy (she is a little timid). If I feed them separately he will only eat a few bites of the pate and then stop. When this happens I usually allow him to eat whatever Sassy has leftover just so he will have something before I give him his shot.

Cookie is a big boy (18 lbs) and has never been a picky eater, but he is not a fan of the pate. I've seen a product called broth bowls that can be used on top of kibble but wasn't sure if it would be good for a diabetic kitty. Is anyone familiar with this product or any low carb food toppers I can use to make the pate more appetizing?

 

None of our cats are real excited about the Frisky's pate. They all go crazy over the Sheba pate, which is a bit more expensive but it is a net of 3% carbs. If you only have a few cans of gravy left, they are extremely handy to have on hand when you hit lows, so if they are not going out of date any time soon, you could stow them. If you need to get rid of them, though, maybe you can feed them in different rooms?

I will say, we saw a marked difference in Frank when switching from gravy shreds to pate. Also when switching Boozle to Sheba, which has even less carbs. Looking at your spreadsheet, it is my feeling that you'll want to keep an eye on those BGs as you reduce carbs and keep some of that higher carb food on hand, in case you see dips.

 

Have you tried adding warm water to the pate to make it's own "gravy"?

 

What a great idea! I didn't think of that. I will have to try it with his dinner tonight. If that doesn't work I will try the Sheba pate like Fatina Marie suggested. It's just strange to me to have him not inhaling his food

 

Always best to try the easiest thing first!

 

I use the Fancy Feast classics chicken Pate, but do the same adding some water to make a thick “soup” my kitty licks up every drop. It is also good because you are adding more water to his diet, which is good. If you have leftovers that have been in the fridge, warm in micro for 4-5 seconds and stir to get out any hot spots. Cats tend to prefer room temp or slightly warm to cold, especially if they are on the picky side.