Previously: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/02-20-buddym-9-125-amps-100-4-54.243437/ I haven't posted in a few days, but we've been cruising along for the most part on the 0.1 dose. We had a couple of higher blips. My Monday morning 3am was 149. He got a lot less food than normal Sunday eve because of the calories he had through the day. On Tuesday he had a 152 AMPS. He was in crazy mode that morning. Bad mood. He ate lots of grass and I couldn't get a fasting test, but he was still higher than I would expect with food in him. Yesterday he was definitely feeling better. More interested in playing and sweeter. This morning I somehow slept through the 5am (+9) auto feeder! Or I woke up and just went straight back to sleep. It's a mystery how I managed that. I woke up at 6am grabbed a test and went for my own bathroom break - Buddy did the same. So I brought his food to the kitchen and assumed he would eat while I tried to get a few more minutes of sleep. (I felt like I really needed it) Well when I came to the kitchen at 7:15 I saw he had barely touched it. Maybe he had two licks. His +10 was 111 and AMPS 108. Which I don't think is too bad considering. I want to try to skip the auto feeder tonight and see where he lands tomorrow morning. If he can stay under 120 without the midnight snacking I'd be pretty happy. And it would be a huge improvement in my quality of life if I can get a few good night's sleep. Negative news this morning was his weigh in. He has reached an even 19 pounds. I feel bad complaining about his appetite because so many of you struggle with your kitties' appetites. But Buddy is really insatiable. He wants food all day and despite my efforts he's still slowly gaining. It's no fun managing his persistent complaining. I try to distract him - let's go outside and explore. Try to play. But he'll just sit there next to his plate like a little prima donna. Not interested in anything else until he gets some food. Thank you so much to @Marje and Gracie for checking up on us to make sure we were doing okay. I can't say how much I appreciate the support. Here he is outside, showing off his little belly:
Max gained weight as well. He went from about normal to obese It’s hard to get them to lose when feeding the curve. Cat info.org has a formula fir how much to feed to lose. I have read Lantus causes some people to gain. Max didn’t play or move much so maybe that was part of the issue. He looks s comfy.
Unfortunately I don't find it so easy to just feed him less. That's really my problem. I know I need to feed less, it's just that I find it almost impossible to go much below 300 calories. He should be about 14 pounds. But if I can just get him down to the 18 he was when he was diagnosed that would already be a start. According to the Second method on catinfo for 14 pounds that would be 260 calories. For 18 pounds it would be 315 calories. I do manage to keep him slighlty under 300 most days. The recent exception was Sunday when I started the Wellness Core95 which drove him crazy for more. That day he had 339. I actually try to give him some stuff he's not so crazy about to slow him down - like the Koha rabbit. I thought at first it was the insulin as well, but he's getting such a tiny dose now. But it could be that. I wonder if getting neutered late in his life may have played some havoc with his hormones. Of course with him having been feral and fending for himself all those years he could have developed a different food drive than other cats too.
I don’t know. Max was neutered at 5-6 months. I couldn’t get him to lose. He was 14 pounds at diagnosis but up to 17 after diabetes
Needless to say I am jealous of your Buddy’s appetite! But being overweight has its issues too so I understand your concern. Weruva has a lot of low calorie foods. Some of them are just 15 calories an ounce, so you’d get away with feeding him more possibly with less gain? PS: love the photo!
I know. I was thinking of Ruby when I was writing that. I do have the Weruvia Meal or no deal that's pretty low cal. But it seems all moisture in there. It doesn't fill him up. The Weruvia lamburgini is doing a slightly better job at filling him up. So I'm glad I discovered that one. Are there any other ones that you know of off hand that's good?
The Cats in the Kitchen cans are definitely better than the pouches because they contain less moisture and all are low carb. If you look at Ruby’s spreadsheet and go to the Food tab I have I think all of them with their calories per ounce if you want to find others that are low cal. Lamburgini is one of Ruby’s faves.
Thank you! I'll go study it. Thinking of you guys today. I do hope you can get some answers about what's been bothering her.
Love the picture. Have you tried feeding him freeze dried treats in between meals? They are low carb and I don't think they'd add much to weight gain.
Thank you Yes Buddy does get some freeze dried treats. He has minnows, chicken and beef liver. I try not to give very often because of his weight. So maybe just when he's complaining a lot or with shots or tests.
