Louellen
Member Since 2015
Hello Everyone:
I'm new here to these forums and re-learning about feline diabetes. (I had a cat over 10 years ago who was also diabetic and gave twice daily insulin injections). My, how things seem to have improved since then! I need a refresher course now after all of these years.
I am now faced with our 9 year old (will be 10 in May) gray long furred cat, Morrigan who has just been diagnosed with Diabetes. She came to us at about 3 or 4 weeks old as a feral kitten, very sickly and we nursed her back to health. She has been robust and full of feisty nature all of these years. But, more recently, having lost another of our cats to CKD (at the ripe age of 18 years old), we started paying more attention to Morrigan (who was depressed while losing her "house mate").
We don't know how long she's been diabetic, in spite of many vet trips for check-ups etc. but, suspect that it's been more recently that it's turned into full blown diabetes as we noticed over this winter, more drinking and more urination (hard to tell in a communal kitty box with a CKD cat until he had passed on...THEN, we noticed!) So, off to the vet's we went and a lot of $$$s later, we found out through a full blood testing that she is diabetic.
She has never been easy to handle or deal with. Clipping her claws is like a 2 day process before we need stitches (anyone have a spare suit of armour for us to borrow?)
The first thing we did was read through everything that was talked about in terms of food. We decided, along with our vet, to give it another 10 days (up on "Easter Monday") to try to adjust to a new low carb food BEFORE we titrated what insulin would be required for her. Of course, the first thing was Prescription food...which she HATES!
We switched over to Fancy Feast Pates (something every cat usually loves) but, not her. We've tried Nature's Variety Instinct with little success. Purina Pro Plan pates, and even Merrick (the suggested flavours which are low carb). We've called manufacturers to ensure their formulas and carb counts. (We now have a small cat food store in our home pantry)
The bottom line is that she is a "Kibble Cat" who loved the NOW (Canadian made) dry food (way too high in carbs) and a bit of the Science Diet Mature Adult Turkey formula (maybe, about a quarter can/day if that). She does NOT like canned foods and barely eats the kibbled formulas for the lower carb versions. In short...she has been pretty much starving herself and only eating enough to exist. (Thankfully, NO insulin YET but, likely will be coming).
Have any of you been able to get a "Kibble Junkie" over to canned foods or even to EAT the "low carb" versions of anything when they haven't eaten it before? We are at our wit's end and ready to pull our hair out by the roots with over a week of this now. Please help if you can.
Nice to meet you all and I'll be doing more reading!
Thank you in advance for your help and understanding!
I'm new here to these forums and re-learning about feline diabetes. (I had a cat over 10 years ago who was also diabetic and gave twice daily insulin injections). My, how things seem to have improved since then! I need a refresher course now after all of these years.
I am now faced with our 9 year old (will be 10 in May) gray long furred cat, Morrigan who has just been diagnosed with Diabetes. She came to us at about 3 or 4 weeks old as a feral kitten, very sickly and we nursed her back to health. She has been robust and full of feisty nature all of these years. But, more recently, having lost another of our cats to CKD (at the ripe age of 18 years old), we started paying more attention to Morrigan (who was depressed while losing her "house mate").
We don't know how long she's been diabetic, in spite of many vet trips for check-ups etc. but, suspect that it's been more recently that it's turned into full blown diabetes as we noticed over this winter, more drinking and more urination (hard to tell in a communal kitty box with a CKD cat until he had passed on...THEN, we noticed!) So, off to the vet's we went and a lot of $$$s later, we found out through a full blood testing that she is diabetic.
She has never been easy to handle or deal with. Clipping her claws is like a 2 day process before we need stitches (anyone have a spare suit of armour for us to borrow?)
The first thing we did was read through everything that was talked about in terms of food. We decided, along with our vet, to give it another 10 days (up on "Easter Monday") to try to adjust to a new low carb food BEFORE we titrated what insulin would be required for her. Of course, the first thing was Prescription food...which she HATES!
We switched over to Fancy Feast Pates (something every cat usually loves) but, not her. We've tried Nature's Variety Instinct with little success. Purina Pro Plan pates, and even Merrick (the suggested flavours which are low carb). We've called manufacturers to ensure their formulas and carb counts. (We now have a small cat food store in our home pantry)
The bottom line is that she is a "Kibble Cat" who loved the NOW (Canadian made) dry food (way too high in carbs) and a bit of the Science Diet Mature Adult Turkey formula (maybe, about a quarter can/day if that). She does NOT like canned foods and barely eats the kibbled formulas for the lower carb versions. In short...she has been pretty much starving herself and only eating enough to exist. (Thankfully, NO insulin YET but, likely will be coming).
Have any of you been able to get a "Kibble Junkie" over to canned foods or even to EAT the "low carb" versions of anything when they haven't eaten it before? We are at our wit's end and ready to pull our hair out by the roots with over a week of this now. Please help if you can.
Nice to meet you all and I'll be doing more reading!
Thank you in advance for your help and understanding!
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I am waiting for samples of Young Again Zero Carb to arrive. But if she rejects that or it becomes difficult to get across the border in the future I have an alternative under 10% carb that she seems to like. 

.