Inappetance

Hi All-

I'm so glad I found this forum! It's nice to know I'm not alone in this "adventure".

My 15 year old male tabby, Kitten, was recently diagnosed diabetic. He went in yesterday for his first glucose curve. It was 293 at 7:30 AM. They gave 1 unit of Lantis. His "ending" reading was 169 at 5 PM. We brought him home yesterday and gave him his Purina DM and he barely ate anything. We did NOT give him his insulin.

This morning he, again, barely had a few bites and again we did not give his insulin. We've tried plain water packed tuna, Pro Plan, even turkey breast.

He's lethargic and "out of it". He is drinking his water.

Could his inappetance be from the stress of yesterday's curve testing? ANy tips or tricks to get him to eat something.

 

What food did he used to eat? The most important thing right now is to get your cat to eat. anything. He may not like the new food.

A cat not eating for a couple of days can lead to hepatic lipidosis.

Can you hand feed him?

Please smell his breath. Does it smell like acetone (nail polish remover) or a sickly sweet fruity odor? This is a sign of ketones and can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) , a life threatening and expensive condition to treat. No eating, not enough insulin and a possible infection are the perfect setup of conditions that can lead to DKA.

 

Thanks for the reply. I've tried hand feeding him and he only nibbles.

No acetone smell, thank goodness.

He used to eat Iams weight management, hairball formula.

I now know a low carb-high protein diet is best.

 

Welcome to the site.

Kitten won't the DM food from the vet; what were you feeding him before? Not alot of cats like that DM, and the good news is that you don't need to feed it to Kitten.
Here is a list of food compiled by Dr. Lisa Pierson... stick to low carb wet food under 10% and you will be fine.... most people just feed fancy feast or friskies pate flavors; stay away from the gravies and grilled and marinated, and remove all dry foods.
catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition

Next is home testing.... the stress would be from being stuck at the vet's office all day, not the testing, but YOU can pick up a meter, test strips and lancets at the pharmacy and test Kitten yourself at home where Kitten will not be stressed. Most people in the US just get a Relion meter at Walmart I think as it has the most economically priced test strips. Other meters are good like the Bayer Contour, OneTouch, Accu-Chek...just do not get any of the FreeStyle or TRU2GO as they give unreliable numbers.

Judging by the 2 numbers you gave from the vet curve, the 1u dose may be too much Lantus...usually, you may get a number like that 293 at shot time, then the insulin brings the number lower around mid-cycle and then, 12hrs later, the number may be close to the start of the 12hr curve... but yours was only 169 after 9.5hrs.

Kitten likely feels lousy..... taken to the vet, tested, given insulin,tested all day long, then the insulin wears off and he feels worse, but it's hard to tell without know what his numbers are.

If you were feeding wet food before, check for it on the list above. If it's 10% or less carbs, go back to your old wet food and return the DM to the vet saying Kitten won't eat it. Otherwise, pick up a can of a few flavors under 10% carbs on the list and find something that Kitten likes.
Next, get yourself a blood glucose meter and start testing Kitten. Most people here will have the same issues you may have and they have suggestions to help you.
Depending on the numbers you get, maybe Kitten needs less insulin.

Gayle

 

Does he like any of the Fancy Feast classic pates or the Friskies pates? Those are all low carb.

When the calorie intake is insufficient (starvation, diabetes, inappetance, etc), fat will break down for calories. In as few as 2 days, it is possible for that to overwhelm the liver, starting hepatic lipidosis which messes up the metabolism considerably, including the liver enzymes.

Some antibiotics can cause inappetance.
Pancretitis can cause inappetance. Is the cat 'meatloafing"?

About stimulating the appetite:
- Try warming the food. (I assume your cat is on wet food?)
- Try sprinkling the food with parmesan cheese if you have it.
- Try sprinkling the food with Fortiflora (a probiotic that can stimulate appetite) if you have it.
- Try another type of food.
- Sprinkle some freeze-dried treats (like Halo's Liv-A-Littles) on the food.
- Try hand-feeding.
- Offer any special-treat type foods: chicken meat (boiled/raw/cooked/fried in butter - whatever he'll take), a little canned tuna.

The most important thing right now is to get your cat to eat something. The home testing can wait.

Lets' concentrate on getting Kitten to eat.

 

Yes, the vet said to give him 1/2 unit 12 hrs apart. However, we have not yet given him any, as he hasn't eaten enough and I don't want to risk hypoglycemia.

At this point, we're trying to get him to eat ANYTHING. He did eat a few Temptations treats but that's it.

I have a testing meter but am hesitant to test him since he's so puny right now.

I'm so worried about how lethargic he is. I calle dthe vet and they said just to try and get him to eat anything. If he's not eating by Monday, to bring him in.

 

What is "meatloafing"?

 

Meatloafing:

 

No, no meatloaf position.

He is sleeping right now, and looks to be breathing fine.

I hate this helpless feeling and heve shed quite a few tears today. And I, as a man, freely admit it :mrgreen:

 

what was he eating before? if he won't eat what he was eating before all this diabetes stuff, it's not the food.

What test meter do you have.... since Kitten's sleeping and doing ok from what you can see, let's see if we can start on the testing...there are lots of people around and we can help you.

You have a meter, and the test strips for that meter as well as the lancets to put in the lancet device to be used to poke the edge of Kitten's ear?

Do you want pictures where to test and maybe some youtubes to watch?
Just let us know why your hesitation and we can help you overcome the problem

Gayle

 

Let Kitten sleep. Maybe try to get him to eat some food later.

Welcome to FDMB. The best place you never expected to be. We care for diabetic cats 24/7 and our collective knowledge is immense, especially with the day to day management of a diabetic cat.

Would you please tell us your name and where you live. We have members around the world, most in the US and Canada.

This can be a very stressful time for you as a new caregiver for a newly diagnosed diabetic cat. There is a lot to learn. I equate this with a crash course, college masters degree level in managing feline diabetes.

We try for some best practices here, a good long lasting insulin (lantus, check), good low carb food ( d/m, ok, check), the correct dose of insulin (1U, not sure yet, may be too much), home testing (not yet, maybe later)

Sometimes, a diet change from a high carb food to a low carb food can make all the difference. A cats BG (blood glucose) levels have been known to drop 100 points on diet change alone. Cats have been known to go into remission on this low carb diet alone.

Did your vet mention home testing?

 

You might want to try sryinge feeding.

Pick up a childrens's oral syringe at the pharmacy and then mask up some low carb canned food with warm water, suck it up in the syringe, and a small amount at a time, give the mushy food.

Watch for signs of nausea - lip licking after smelling food, then walking away, actual vomiting. Pancreatitis can cause inappetance, vomiting, and pain.

See my signature link secondary Monitoring Tools for additional methods of assessing your cat.

 

Thank you all for your responses!

I tested him this morning using an AlphaTrak, he had not eaten anything, and his BG was 198. I am hesitant to test him right now, as he's spleeping peacefully. I am fully confidant in how to test and my vet encourages home testing.

He did manage to eat about 2 teaspoons of warmed-up tuna (better than nothing) before sleeping. At this point I'll take whatever he'll eat.

If he doesn't eat later, what about some honey or Kayro syrup, just to get some calories in him?

 

Oh I'm Dan and my sweet boy is Kitten and we live in Tennessee.

 

Hi Dan from Tennessee. You are outnumbered here by the cat mamma's, although, we do seem to be getting more cat pappa's lately.

The honey or karo syrup will cause his BG's to go up. We only like to use that when a cat's numbers are too low and we are trying to get them higher quickly. I would rather see some solid food in Kitten.

I usually wait a bit until I ask for this but would you be willing to put some information in your signature? Sort of a list of details about you and your cat.

Would you please provide us with some more information and put this in your user control panel? It helps us to help you better.

Go to the upper left corner of your screen and click on the words, User Control Panel
On the next screen, a row of tabs is presented. Select the Profile tab
On the next screen, there are a number of choices along the left hand side. Select Edit Profile.
Go down to the location field and enter your country, state/province, and city if you are willing to share that info.
Click on submit to save this change.

Still in the User Control Panel, Profile tab, this time select Edit Signature from the left hand list of options.
A free form text box appears.
We like to see information like your name, your cats name age and sex, the diagnosis date for the diabetes like this (DX 4/30/13), what meter you are using for testing, what insulin you are using , what you are feeding (wet or dry, what brands/style of food), any complicating health issues your cat may have, any additional medications your cat is receiving. If you are using a pet specific meter like an Alphatrak or Ipet, please change the font size on that text from Normal to Large (using the drop down arrow list in the middle of the editing commands)

Click on submit to save this information. Now, this will appear at the end of every post you make. You can update the info when you need to.

Think of this as having some very useful information at our finger tips for those that are replying to your posts.

Would you please do those updates when you get a chance? Thanks.

 

Consider it done.

Thanks!

 

Thank you. For the info in your signature.

Are you interested in learning to home test the blood glucose levels?

ETA: I see that you already said you were confident in your home testing and have a supportive vet in that regard.

 

I think he is home testing, as had already been posted.... maybe you would like to suggest he set up a google spreadsheet to record the numbers?

Gayle

 

Yes. I am home testing. However, he was given his very first insulin this past Friday, 6/7/2013.

Since he's barely eating anything at all, I have not given him any Lantis today (Saturday).

He did just now (3:00 PM Central) eat a few bites of warmed tuna, but just a few.

 

Yes, I intend to do this, once I get him to eat and start his Lantis.

I'm just worried he's not eating and I've tried a variety of foods: Fancy Feast, his old Iams dry food, and tuna (which he did eat a little bit).

This is really emotionally draining :YMSIGH:

 

Hi Dan! Welcome! You may wish to try a few pieces of dry kitten food, that's what my Pudge ate after refusing everything else. Knocked him out of remission, but he lived. We're working on a 2nd remission right now. Dry kitten food is now part of my emergency kit. Best wishes, Sophie

 

I tried some of his old food, but he refuses to eat it.

 

My Pudge is 13 y/o so he hasn't been on kitten food in years, so I purchased a fresh box of kitten food (meant for the teeny munchkins!). Just want to make sure I made myself clear. I like your kitty's name, just want to make sure that I didn't mean what your Kitten usually ate. Best, Sophie

 

Gotchya.

Thanks, Sophie.

 

There is a website, devoted mainly to cats with CKD, but there are some good tips there for a cat that will not eat. http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

Is Kitten dehydrated? Pull up on the scruff. If it springs back, it's fine. If it stays up for a bit, sign of dehydration. Dehydration can effect the appetite.

 

No. Thankfully he is taking in water. I've seen him drink 3 times today.

And I am thankful for that.

I spoke to a vet at a local animal hospital (who also has a diabetic cat so she was sympathetic), She said it's fairly normal for a cat to refuse food at first and can be a pain in the rear. She said try a 1/4 of a tablet of Pepcid, as he may have an upset stomach. She also said to call her back if we had any further questions and she'd be there all night. That is somewhat reassuring.

Thanks for the link. I check it out.

 

You want the plain 10 mg Pepcid AC with nothing else added to it. Most useful when given 15-30 minutes prior to regular feeding times.

If he won't eat enough in today and tomorrow, you may need to start assisted syringe feeding, or possibly have a PEG tube inserted by a vet until he will eat on his own again.Two or more days of inadequate calories sets a cat up for hepatic lipidosis which can be fatal. Look for yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice).

There is a Feline Assisted Feeding support group on Yahoo that has been highly recommended by members of this board here that may help.

 

Well, I gave him 1/4 of the Pepcid by crushing it up, mixed it with a little water, then used a syringe to give it to him. He did not eat right away, but did nap for an hour.

When he woke up, he ate apprx. 1 oz. of Pro Plan chicken and tuna. Small victory?

 

Yes, small victory. The Pepcid should help with any nausea.

 

Thanks!

It's just so strange that yesterday morning, before he went in for his curve, he ate 1/2 of a 5.5 oz. can of DM with gusto.

Then when we got back home yesterday afternoon with him, he was just not interested in eating. I suppose the stress from being at the vet all day really affected him and, perhaps, still is.

I so appreciate everyone's responses.

 

Great! Sounds like the Pepcid helped. You can do that daily for a while, though do check with the vet on how long to continue it. There are some Rx meds for appetite and vomiting if the Pepcid doesn't do enough.

If you glucose test and find that he is over 200 mg/dL, a small dose of insulin (ex 0.25 - 0.5 units) may provoke more eating by lowering the blood glucose level and causing hunger.

 

BJM,

You mentioned earlier that pancreatitis can cause inappetance, vomiting, and pain. Kitten is not vomiting and I don't "think" he's in pain.

He ate heartily Friday morning before the vet curve visit. Could pancreatitis have manifested itself so fast or is it more likely he's still stressed out from his visit?

 

Stress from vet visits can really upset some cats. If yours has a history of this, that might be more likely. If this is new, it could be something different, or something triggered or aggravated by vet stress.

 

Good news!

This morning I awakened at 5:30, checking on Kitten. He greeted me at the bottom of the stairs with a "hey daddy...I could use a bite to eat." He ate 2 oz of tuna!

I went back to bed for a bit and then fed them (we have 4 additional cats) at 9 AM.

Kitten had 1/2 can of Fancy Feast Classic, sole and shrimp! We'll see if he'll eat again in a few hours or so.

He certainly has a spark back in his eyes and even a bit of attitude

 

Good news, indeed!

 

Good to hear that Kitten is eating again and seems to be perkier today.

 

I got him to eat about an ounce of Fancey Feast at 10:30 AM after his nap.

Considering he ate pretty decent at 5:30 AM and 9 AM and just now (10:30 AM), I'm feeling better about him.

My plan is to try and offer him small meals throughout today, perhaps every 1.5-2 hours. My thinking is small, frequent meals will be easier on his system and then we can get him up to more food volume per meal as we progress.

AGain, thank you all for the encouragement and sage advice!

 

Other than his regular vet checkups, he has, thankfully, never had an extended vet stay. His curve was the longest he had ever been at the vet's office.

He's a really laid-back easy going guy normally.

 

1. Even if you don't give the insulin, a test to see what his BG numbers are would be good. The food change to a lower carb food can make a big difference on it's own. You could try that for a few more days, just the food change, and get a BG test in the mornings and in the evenings.

This would tell you how the food change is impacting his blood glucose numbers.

2. If he's eating better, it may be time to start thinking about giving him some insulin. How do you feel about that?
I'm a little leery of starting the insulin myself at this point. I'd want to see a better appetite first.

 

Deb,

I agree completely! I'd like to see him continue to eat before I administer the insulin. If he eats well tomorrow morning, I'll take a BG level and go from there. I'm leery of testing him right now, just too concerned that it may stress him out.

Do you agree with my plan today of small frequent meals?

 

Yes, definitely on the small frequent meals. That way, he won't eat too much at one time and possibly vomit it back up. Let's take this slow and easy.

Does he like to have his ears touched and rubbed? You could start that step in the process of home testing. Getting him more familiar with having his ears touched. Give him a little treat after. Do you have anything that is pure meat? Fresh, cooked or freeze dried are good. Nothing with spices or too salty. Give that to him after the ear touching and tell Kitten 'what a good boy' he is.

Have you read this document on ear testing psychology, getting your cat more comfortable with the process? Written by member Kpassa. https://sites.google.com/site/michelangeloprofilefdmb/feline-diabetes/ear-testing-psychology

Might be good to read in case the appetite issue was stress related. We don't want the home testing process to be stressful.

 

I tested him this past Thurs and while he didn't enjoy it, he tolerated it. So I think we will get there. I have no compunction against testing him and am committed to doing what we need to.

I used a Kleenex, folded many times and held it on the inside of his ear so as not to prick myself. The two times I did it, I got good blood with "reasonably" minimal fussing.

Update: AT 12:15 (cst) he ate approx. an oz. of the FF food. So far today he's had 2 oz. tuna, and just under a full can of FF. I'd love to have him eat at least one more can of FF before tonight.

 

Dan, Thank you so much for popping in on new member Hurricanegirl's first post. It makes all the difference to hear from another new member.

Did you give him a little treat after the ear poke?

I use a folded up piece of toilet tissue paper. I find it to be the perfect size.

Me too. :mrgreen:

 

Absolutely on Hurricanegirl. You all were so encouraging with me yesterday, I wanted to let her know she's not alone.

I plan on giving a treat when I test to make him more receptive to it.

 

Dan,
Be VERY careful holding back the insulin.... 2 of the ingredients for DKA are not enough insulin and not enough food.
If he is eating some food, give him his insulin or you could end up with a very sick cat at the ER.
Withholding insulin is not a very good idea.

Gayle

 

Actually ... what is his current glucose level. Let's start there, now that he is eating again.

If it is over 200, it should be safe to shoot a small dose at what you want his regular shot time to be, to see how he does with it. I'm being conservative here, in suggesting to start low.

 

I'm just afraid to test him, for fear of upsetting him and he stops eating.

I swear, I am going to tell the vet tomorrow, it's not a good idea to do a glucose curve on a new diabetic on a Friday. I have too many fears and unassured and would be nice to be able to talk to the vet.

 

Why would testing the cat cause the cat to get upset and stop eating?
My cats usually came to me to remind me it was time for testing, or they just slept through my poking their ears, and many other cats also get used to a routine, a special testing spot, and they just go there on their own.

Don't forget to factor in the 50points or so when testing with your pet meter..... you number will be higher than what others mention.

Go ahead and test; he won't stop eating.

Gayle

 

Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be!

That's a valid concern. Is he a lap cat at all? Will he willingly sit next to you or on you? One thing you can do is prepare both of yourselves with getting ready for testing. When he's near you or around you, just start casually playing with his ears. Don't try to test or anything, just fiddle with his ears and see if you can spot the Marginal Ear Vein that runs along the outer edge of the ear. Fold his ears down and up and every which way to determine which angle might be best for you to spot the vein. Then, give him a few treats and cuddles. Just keep doing that all day long till you're both feeling comfortable and then proceed to the next step (maybe clicking the lancing device in his ear if you're using one).

It's helpful to know that their ears are less sensitive than our fingertips, so they feel it even less than you do. The stress comes from the cat picking up on your stress, from having their "routine" change, and even from simply being restrained. If you can figure out techniques to work around those stressors first, then you'll both be much happier.

 

I'm not afraid of testing him. He was diagnosed on Wed. Had a glucose curve at the vet's on Fri. (he ate at 7AM) and didn't eat Fri. night and only ate a bit on Sat.

Today, he is doing quite a bit better, havng taken in so far about 6-7 oz of Fancy Feast and a little tuna. I've been feeding him a little bit every 2 hours or so.

I've already tested him and am very comfortable doing it. Given his calorie deficiency yesterday, I just want to ensure he keeps eating today.

I got him off the dry junk cold turkey, so I suspect his system is a bit "off". Tomorrow, I plan on testing him and if he eats decently, give him his insulin (1/2 unit).

 

That's great news! Remember, if he tests under 200 tomorrow, don't feed and don't give his shot, but post here for advice first. If that happens, there are a few options available (stalling, skipping the shot, etc...), but we can cross that bridge when we get to it. :thumbup

When was the last time he received insulin and how much?

 

He received one unit of Lantis on Fri. morning for his curve testing. I have not given any since then, due to him not eating enough.

 

Good morning-

I went to test Kitten this morning and I dropped my meter and it broke ohmygod_smile . I really wanted to test him this AM prior to giving his first Lantus injection.

He only ate 1 oz. of food ( I used a postal scale to measure and track the amount). I calle our vet and he said it would be fine to give him his 1/2 unit. Then try to get hime to eat in abut 1.5-2 hours later.

I've already ordered a replacement AlphaTrak (couldn't find anyone local with one in stock).

Fortunately, I work from home most of the time and can monitor him today.

Since this is his first injection by me, I am one NERVOUS daddy. I will say he took it with zero objection, although it was really, really intimidating to measure 1/2 unit. It's like hardly anything in the syringe. I wonder if a magnifying glass might make it easier to see the dose.

 

Ouch! on dropping and breaking that Alphatrak. You found out the hard way this morning why many of us have a back up meter.

Most of us here use the human glucometers. They do read differently then the pet specific ones like the Alphatrak but the difference is 30-40%. At the low range, that is 30 points. One of the main reasons we use the human glucometers is the cost of the test strips.

An alternative to the expensive Alphatrak meter, is one of the Walmart Relion meters. Relion Confirm and Micro ($16) have interchangeable test strips, $18/50 or 36 cents each. Relion Prime ($16) has the least expensive test strips, $9/50 or 18 cents each. Alphatrak test strips are $1 to $2 each from what other people have said. Confirm 0.3 blood drop, Prime, 0.5 blood drop.

Here is the consumer reports reviews of glucometers with some added notes from people on certain glucometers that do not work well for cats at the higher numbers http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=70140 You may want to consider a backup meter from this list.

The reason I had you make the Alphatrak in large text in your signature, was because most of us do use the human meters. We have to adjust our thinking a bit when looking at the numbers to put them in the correct ranges for the dosing protocol and for what may be a hypo situation.

p.s. I used the Alphatrak to start, but convinced the cat shelter to switch to the less expensive Relion Confirm meter with it's lower test strip cost. You can look at Wink's SS and see some parallel testing I did. First row for a date is with the Alphatrak, second row for a date is the Confirm.

 

Hi Deb,

I tried explaining to my wife that it was OK to use human meters. She said the vet recommended AlphaTrak and that's what we're using. I've learned that when my wife puts her foot down, it's likely in my best interest to listen to her, LOL.

Deb, do you have any tips I can use to get Kitten to eat more at each meal? The vet recommended 1.5 cans of the 5.5 oz. per day.

 

I understand you on the meter and why you will be sticking with the Alphatrak. Thought I'd give you another, less expensive option, and maybe a backup meter so you wouldn't have a repeat of this mornings broken meter problem.

Be sure to always have plenty of test strips on hand. At least a box of 50 unopened, in case of emergency. You can go through the strips really fast, especially during a hypo emergency. Murphy's law number 692, you will run out of test strips when you really, really need some and the vet will be closed for the holiday weekend and you can't get any more test strips for 3 days. And then find out the vet is out of stock too. Our shopping partner, ADW, has one of the lowest prices for the Alphatrak test strips that I have seen, just a little under a buck a piece. If you use the link at the top of the page to order, FDMB gets a little bit of money to help keep us going.

Are they any treats that Kitten likes? What are his favorite flavors?

My cat Wink will do anything for Halo Liv-a-litte freeze dried chicken treats. They crumble very easily into powder and I sprinkle them over the food. Maybe topping the food with a teaspoon of a Fancy Feast appetizer if Kitten likes those. Some plain tuna in water, 1 teaspoon on top.

Bonito flakes, Pure Bites Freeze Dried chicken, Whole Life freeze dried liver or beef or chicken treats. My civie Delta loves the freeze dried liver treats. Pieces of plain unspiced chicken pressed into the top of the food. A bit of ground turkey cooked and crumbled if he likes that.

There are syringe magnifiers available that clip on to the barrel of the syringe.

How much does Kitten weigh? 8.25 ounces may not be enough food, especially for an unregulated diabetic kitty. Which food are you feeding so we can look up the calorie content. I know you mentioned the Fancy Feast, but which ones?

 

Has Kitten always been a grazer or has he only had two separate meals? For diabetics, it's often suggested to allow them to graze throughout the day, especially when they're first unregulated as they're literally starving. Are you worried because he still seems to be having some appetite problems? Grazing might work better, especially if he's nauseated because it will allow him to eat smaller bits throughout the day instead of a big meal (which might upset his tummy further).

Another trick that works ridiculously well in my house is sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top or, as Deb mentioned, the "dust" from their treat bags or even some plain boiled chicken breasts.

 

Hi Deb & Kpasa,

I have plenty of strips, which is a good thing.

He is eating, but only about 1/2 an ounce each time. Kitten weighs 10.8 lbs. He used to be about 13.5 lbs.
I'd love to get about 10 oz. or so in him daily for now. I've been giving him Fancy Feast Classic: Cod Sole Shrimp, Tender Beef & Liver, Tender Beef Feast, and Savory Beef.

He used to be a dry junk (yes, that's how I refer to it now) grazer. My wife and I were complacent and left the dry junk buffet open 24/7, although we did watch how much we were giving them.

We have 5 furry babies and we've switched ALL of them to wet only and we switched all of them cold turkey. We're still feeling out who likes what flavor. Three of them have adapted pretty easily...finishing their entire portion. If I left out some soft for Kitten to grazo on, I'm sure someone else would scarf it down.

But one of them, Oliver, who was a stray who came around our house and we took him in, is eating like Kitten. He too is only taking in 1/2-1 oz. or so and I'm worried about him too. He is not diabetic, but is overweight.

 

If you're going to stick with that, make sure you have at least 50 test strips on hand at all times, so if your cat goes hypoglycemic, you can test until he is out of danger. You cannot get these over the counter, and vets aren't open 24 hours a day.

Alternatively, pick one up as a back up meter, such as the Arkray USA Glucocard 01 from American Diabetes Wholesale (aka Walmart ReliOn Confirm). Both are shopping partners, so if you use the links on the page, it helps support FDMB.

From the University of Queensland, Dr Rand at the Centre for Companion Animal Health is an expert in feline diabetes. These 2 documents provide reference ranges for using human glucometers.
http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link4.pdf
http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link3.pdf
Its like reading temperature as Celsius vs Fahrenheit. She and the online Diabetes Katzen forum in Europe developed the initial Tight Regulation Lantus protocol using human glucometers.

 

Just wanted to say Hi! and intro myself. I'm just right down the road from you in Birmingham AL.
I have had a sugar cat (diabetic) for 1 1/2 years. Without the folks here I'd never be where I am today!
More importantly - I don't know where my cat would be today!! She is alive because of the help of all of these wonderful people!
Just like me-you found the right place for you and Kitten to be!
Welcome aboard!
Terri

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

 

Not a great day today! I've only managed to get him to eat about 4 oz. of food all day. He's due to get his insulin now and he only ate .8 oz of tuna a few minutes ago.

I am so frustrated and scared for him!

I don't think he's had enough food today for a second injection.

 

If in doubt I would skip since you can't test.. Can you test his urine for ketones though?

 

I don't have the strips, unfortunately.

 

Ok then. Shopping trip tomorrow!! It's important to test for ketones a couple a times a week. Diabetic ketoacidosis is an expensive and dangerous condition that you do need to watch form especially when kitties are over 350.

Anyway for tonite you are likely better skipping, better to be too high for a day than too low for a minute.

Wendy

 

I am just SO worried about him not eating enough. It breaks my heart. :YMSIGH:

 

What kind of food are you feeding right now? Anything he will eat?

 

hello and welcome to the board!
if you're only getting about 4oz into him you might want to ask your vet about an appetite stimulant such as cyproheptadine (cypro) or mirtazapine. alex didn't react well to mirtazapine so we give her cypro if needed. most vets seem to prescribe a half tab every 12 hours as needed, but we found less is better. we give her 1/4 (or less) of a 4mg tab of cypro. any more than that and she appears nervous... paces... and is very vocal.

an insufficient supply of insulin + inappetance + infection or systemic stresses = a recipe for developing Ketoacidosis. he needs to eat... even if it's his old dry food.

where in TN are you? i'm just south of Nashville.

 

I've literally tried all varietes of Fancy Feast, plain tuna, parm. cheese sprinkled on them, chicken broth...pretty much all the tricks.

The thing is he'll eat a little bit then stop. Yesterday, i was able to get him to eat about 8 oz. of various foods.

Today, bad luck.

 

Dry food?

 

hello-

We live in Nashville. I'm going to call the vet first thing in the morning about this. He's not interested in his old food either.

Did the app stimulant work well with your cat?

 

Yes, he's not really interested in it either.

 

it's better than nothing... especially when a caregiver can't shoot.
kitty HAS to eat. not eating plus not being able to give insulin is leaving the door wide open for diabetic ketoacidosis to come walking in.

 

yes, it worked very well... and still does when i have to give it to her. she has several other problems besides diabetes.



edited to add: i'm in franklin. holler if you need anything.

 

That's good to know.

Strange this is, he had a good appetite with canned food. He was didgnosed last We. I immediately put him on wet food, lo carb and high protein and he ate it with gusto. Then on Fri. morning he ate 1/2 can of DM, then he went to the vet's for a curve and Fri. noght was not interested in food at all.

 

Thank you.

My boy has a bit of arthritis and vey mild asthma (so mild he doesn't need any treatment). Other than those (and of course now diabetes) he's always been a healthy boy.

 

some cats will like DM initially and then they won't touch it.
pick up some ketostix from any drug store to test his urine for ketones. alex lets me stick an old soup ladle under her when she pees. that's how i collect her urine for testing. follow the directions on the ketostix bottle carefully.
you don't want to see him throwing ketones.

in the meantime, i'd let him eat whatever he wants/will eat until you can ask the vet about an appetite stimulant.

 

Maybe it's all stress and your stress may be stressing him out too. He ate 4oz today so he got some food into him so try not to worry. Maybe give him and yourself break now, try him once more before bed and let him be. Leave the dry and some wet out all night.

Many cats get sickof the DM quick so I wouldn't bother with that. Also I would put food in front of him and not hover, it could stress him out too, or he could be thinking something better might be coming..

Also get yourself a new meter ASAP, because with data we can then know whether you can shoot anyway even though he isn't eating well enough.

 

That's so funny! I collect their urine the exact same way...an old ladle! We have 5 cats total and when they have a checkup, that's how we collect a sample. Some are easier than others.

I'll offer him some more food in a bit, he's sleeping right now.

 

More ideas

powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.

other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
trader joe tuna for cats
baby food -- beechnut or Gerber Stage 2 -- you want a baby food that is only a protein + broth (although the Gerber contains cornstarch). It should have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
kentucky fried chicken
deli turkey /chicken
plain cooked ( boiled or baked ) chicken breast
canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
chicken broth -- low sodium

My boys also like cream, ice cream, cookies, shortbread, cheeses poof chips.. Which I would crumble in top of regular food in very very small amounts..

 

i grind up dry food in a coffee grinder and sprinkle it liberally on alex's canned food whenever she won't eat. some people use cat nip,oregano, or cheese. is there any junk food he likes? alex LOVES cheetos and cheeze-it crackers! if all else fails i'll crumble one of those up and put it on top of her food. sometimes all it takes is a couple of bites to get them eating again.

 

I ordered a new meter today ( I dropped it this morning ohmygod_smile It's suppose to arrive tomorrow.

Yes, I need to focus that he at least ate something today. I'll try your suggestions.

Thank you.

 

Tiggy likes olives, olive oil, chips (more the vinegar on them!), any kind of cheese

He doesn't get any of it.. But worth a try when not eating..

 

I've tried most of that. Again, he eats, just a small amount each time.

 

all you can do is keep trying as you have been. if your vet will give you an appetite stimulant i think the problem will be solved.

 

Is he sniffing and licking his lips and walking away?

Eating a little is interesting, I wonder if he is just hoping for something else new.. Hence the idea to do what you used to do, put food down and go off and leave him and try and pretend lack of interest...

 

Yes, I put it down in a seperate room so he won't be bothered (we have 4 others) and close the door.

When I "pop" the can, he comes to the kitchen and meows.

 

Well, some good news this morning. Last night, he ate about 1 oz. before I went to bed (and I actually got a decent night's sleep; I have been so exhausted).

This morning, I got my sweet Kitten to eat 2.2 oz. of food at 6:30 AM! That's the most he's eaten at one sitting since last Friday.

Also, his stool has firmed up quite a bit as well. He has been a little pudding-like, so I'm wondering if his system is adjusting to being off the dry junk and adapting more to the wet.

ALso, the new BG meter is due to arrive this afternoon, so I will test him then. I also will be getting some ketone strips today.

Again, thank you all for the advice and encouragement.

 

Yay that he's eating again! You might be right about his system needing time to adjust. Let us know how it goes and if you were able to test yet with the new meter.

ETA: just saw your new post. :thumbup