Jinx seems like he is starving

Jinx has been otj since sept 2010. I check his bg regularly even though he is otj. Lately he is acting like he is sooo hungry he cant wait to eat. Im feeding him 3 times a day. One 5.5 oz can and then a half of can. Am I not feeding him enough? His bg is between 50 and 70 every time I check him. Any suggestions will greatly be appreciated.
Angi and Jinx

 

Those are excellent non-diabetic numbers. The amount you are feeding seems about right. How is Jinx's weight and general condition doing? One common (but not always) symptom of hyperthyroidism is loosing weight, coat becoming poor and being hungry. Maybe a vet visit is in order.

 

He hasn't lost any more weight since the initial dx. His coat seems normal as well. I will make an appt with the vet just to make sure everything is ok. Thank you for you input. Much appreciated.
Angi and Jinx

 

Yittle's the same way - he went from being a 2 main meals a day plus a few kibble snacks type eater to during the height of his diabetes weight loss - eating 12 times a day. Yep - 12, every 2 hours, 24 hours a day for MONTHS. I was as sleep deprived as a new mother. Now that he's off insulin he's settled in at around 6x a day, sometimes 5, sometimes as much as 8 - depends partly on our schedule and if he likes the food etc.

But - for those 6 meals he's getting fed almost the same quantity of food as your Jinx is. For each meal he gets either 1/4 can of Friskies or 9-Lives carb-suitable food or 1/2 can of Fancy Feast carb-suitable food. Either way we mix some water in so its a nice thick stew texture. He just prefers to eat every 3-4 hours and it seems to keep his blood sugar nice and level.

 

if the doctor runs thyroid tests and other tests and everything comes back normal, you might want to consider deworming for round worms.

When my Em was dealing with this issue, I went to a vet who told me that round worm eggs can sit dormant in a cat for many years. She suggested we deworm Em and her appetite almost immediately diminished after that.

Connie

 

my thought is that if the vet finds nothing wrong, maybe you can give him a little extra from time to time. Those are excellent non-diabetic numbers. Is it possible he's going a little low that you are not catching? The reason I ask is that was Pooka's first sign, she was really hungry.

 

Thank you everyone for the info. I am also sleep deprived, but whatever it takes for him to be ok. I never even thought of worms. I will have the vet check that as well. Will update after the vet appt. Thanks again
Angi and Jinx

 

You can also do the frozen food trick. Mix up the appropriate food with a little water, then line some sort of disposable plastic container with a bit of plastic wrap (margerine tub, those reuseable ones they sell lunchmeat in etc) and dollop in the food and freeze it. It takes about 2 hours to defrost and stays fresh for another 2-3. We'll often leave a puck or two down when we're sleeping or have to be away so that Yittle (and the others) can get a snack while we're asleep/gone. It also works great when we have my parents feed the cats while we're away. It means I can have them in 2-3x a day versus 4-6.

 

I've had the same problem with Bandit...he acts like he's hungry all the time but he's been checked out at the vet and he's fine. He was tipping over the garbage and getting into food he shouldn't eat. However, I don't want to give him any more food, because he has a history of obesity. He's maintaining a healthy weight on the amount of food I give him, and I feed him four times a day.

My vet suggested that I add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his diet each day. I was wary at first but it didn't cause higher BG numbers and it seemed to fill him up because it's high in fiber. Sometimes I mix it in with his food and sometimes I feed it straight to him as a snack (both my cats love the taste of the pumpkin). If you're sure there's no underlying problem causing the hunger, maybe you could try the pumpkin.

Just make sure that you read the label and that there's no artifical sugar added to the canned pumpkin when you buy it. My local supermarket has an organic section, so that's where I buy mine.

I also freeze cat food so my cats get their second meal while I'm at work. Unfortunately, if I leave the frozen food out in a dish they will both lick at it for hours until it melts, so I bought a couple electronic feeders with timers. By the time they release the food, it's unthawed and ready to go.