How much food is enough?

Sidney is 11.7 pounds. Pre-diagnosis, he was eating a half can of FF every four hours. Now that he's had a few insulin doses, I've noticed he doesn't eat as much. I'd like to switch him to every six hours, but I don't know how much to feed as a meal. I want to make sure he's getting enough food on board for the insulin. Thanks.

 

It’s more important that he’s getting the calories he needs. Once you know how much that is, then you can determine a feeding schedule.

We usually recommend you weigh him, feed him as you are currently doing for a week, and then weigh him again. If he’s gained weight, you’ll want to cut his calories back but only by a small amount at a time. If he loses weight, you’ll want to increase. You’ll want to read Dr. Lisa’s website on feline nutrition. Typically, you would want to feed 25-30 calories/pound but it also depends on how active he is.

Once you figure the amount of calories he needs, then you might want to feed a few mini meals before midcycle. Start by dividing his total calories for a day by 2 so you’ll feed half in the a.m. cycle and half in the p.m. cycle. Divide the number of mini meals by the amount for each cycle.

Many members whose cats are on Lantus feed at Preshot, +1, +2, +3 but he may or may not need the same schedule. It takes investigation on your part Of course, we are also happy to help once you have some data and we can see how the insulin works with his meals.