Overwhelmed Cat Owner

My cat, Sonic, was dx May 2017. At his annual check up, his BG was 400. AH! I had been feeding dry food (Best Breed) and 3 units of Novolin. I am switching him to wet food, but I am overwhelmed with the information. Right now, he's eating one 3 oz can and less than a 1/4 cup of dry food, twice a day. The dry food is more like something to hold him over between wet food meals. The vet suggested two 3 oz cans a day. I'm thinking this isn't right for him. The cat is always hungry. I was considering going to one 5 oz can, twice a day and ditching the dry food completely. According to the package directions, he should be eating three 5 oz cans a day. That seems like a lot! The latest wet food I bought is Friskies Pate Variety pack. It has low carbs, but I worry about the first ingredient being by products. I want good food for him, but not go broke doing it. What is the cheapest, wet food without so many by products?

Also, I was using a timer to feed him dry food, but not sure I can use it with the wet food. Is it ok to leave the wet food out?

Thanks for helping. I'm truly overwhelmed.

 

There is a lot to learn, just pick one thing at a time. There is no such thing as a stupid question here.
For the time being only if Sonic is always hungry go ahead and feed him more as long as you're following the testing guidelines. We feed six cats wet food, it's a huge mess and the sink is disgusting but it can be done. Dry food is not found in nature and it's a myth that their teeth will fall out etc. Most of us use Fancy Feast, I know it looks like pig slop but ours have always done well on it.

 

Welcome! I think most of us start out overwhelmed. It will get better! There is a cat food database that can help you find appropriate foods. There is a link to it in my signature below my comments. You can filter by protein, fat and carbs. The Dr. who made it suggests starting with "protein minimum of 40, fat maximum of 50, carb max of 10, and for cats with kidney issues....phos less than 300." You can pick out some options to look for at your store. A lot of people here feed Fancy Feast to their cats. There are also a lot of people that use auto feeders with wet food. If your home is cool, the food should be fine. If you are concerned, you can put an ice pack under it (if your feeder allows for that) or even freeze some of the food; it will thaw as it sets out.

It is fine to feed multiple times per day. The AAHA guidelines (link in my signature) talk about doing that. I feed my girls 4 times a day, every 6 hours. As far as how much, that depends. If he is underweight, he is obviously going to need more food than if he is not. I have read that about 20 calories per lb of ideal body weight is a good guideline for 'average' indoor cats. If cats are more active, they may need more calories. Until his diabetes is more controlled, he is going to be 'starving' and will need more food than he will once he is regulated.

The main health forum is the best place to post questions that you have. This forum is more of just an introduction/welcome area.

 

Thank you. I think I'm going to feed him 1 can of Friskies Pate twice a day, and give him some dry food to hold him over if he's really hungry.

 

Skip the dry and just give more Friskies. The second ingredient in the Best Breed is rice. High carb food.

 

Welcome. There is a lot to learn at first and it does seem overwhelming. But it gets better. Take a look around the forums and see the types of information that is available to you. You didn't mention if you were home testing or not. We can help if you are not yet and if you have questions or concerns. Home testing can be the most important tool in keeping your kitty safe, and helping prevent hypoglycemic events. Changing the diet to low carb can lower the blood glucose and you should know if that is happening.