4/4 Ivy Amps 67,+2 53,Libre +3.75 Lo L/132 C, +4 Lo L/117 C, +7 49, +10 104, Pmps 400,+3 298,+9 61 L

[Staci & Ivy]

4/3/24
Amps 76
Good morning, well that was a late nadir this morning around +10 (4 am) the Libre woke me up, she dropped below the threshold of 69, but on the Libre, so still a very safe number. Just a heads up she was dropping.
Very happy to get the alert to know what’s going on.
Decided to feed a little higher carb of 9.25% this morning since she’s on a downward trend. She’s been bopping down to Lo (very brief, so fast I couldn’t even test since she bounced up) and up to 115. I expect an active cycle this morning. I will be home to monitor.

Still not eating all on her own. Will eat some when I put her bowl down. Then I hold the bowl for her to eat the rest. At least she’s eating.
Have a good day all and safe surfing

 

[Alicia & Kit cat (GA)]

Woah, what a nice start! I hope she stays steady and doesn't go up or down (ah, the dream!).

I didn't even think about it, but wanted to send out solidarity about the eating. I didn't even clock that I was doing it, but if Kit doesn't want to eat when I need her to (that schedule of trying to get her to eat at +1 and +1.5 sometimes isn't something she's super thrilled about since she's already been eating since shot time), I will hold the bowl in front of her face until she eats. And my patience thus far has been surprisingly stronger than hers. So team sit and hold the bowl so the cat will eat the thing you want them to here.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Woah, what a nice start! I hope she stays steady and doesn't go up or down (ah, the dream!).

I didn't even think about it, but wanted to send out solidarity about the eating. I didn't even clock that I was doing it, but if Kit doesn't want to eat when I need her to (that schedule of trying to get her to eat at +1 and +1.5 sometimes isn't something she's super thrilled about since she's already been eating since shot time), I will hold the bowl in front of her face until she eats. And my patience thus far has been surprisingly stronger than hers. So team sit and hold the bowl so the cat will eat the thing you want them to here.

Yes…totally. Sometimes I feel like she looks at me like “really we just ate like it felt like a minute ago and I’m totally not hungry” as I come out here with a bowl in front of her face again.
So yes to team “sit and feed in your face” united. Thanks for the support, Alicia.
I guess many of us are doing it and driving them all a little bit nuts, but what are you gonna do? We gotta get them to eat. Whether they want to or need to… so thank you for letting me know you’re doing it too.
Hope you guys also have a very safe day.

 

[Alicia & Kit cat (GA)]

I guess many of us are doing it and driving them all a little bit nuts, but what are you gonna do?

I mean, turn about is fair play, right?

 

[Staci & Ivy]

She’s teetering in the very low range this morning on the Libre. When I tested her “Lo” recently it was a 132 on the Contour meter. Not bad but not green. If she hits Lo again later I will try to test again. Maybe she’ll have a lower nadir?

I have to make my way around the painters to get to her room where she’s just chilling today. I’m sure they’re not thrilled…I have to ask them to let me go past them on the steps 20 x an hour

 

[Staci & Ivy]

I mean, turn about is fair play, right?

Sooo true

 

[Jack & Mopem'sMom]

Oh nice colors today Ms Ivy! maybe she is starting to feel better and her numbers are coming into a better zone. HUGS on the hold the bowl- I do that too, these cats just don't appreciate what we go through! Glad she is eating on her own though, syringe feeding is no fun. Continued prayers for you both!

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Her SS is looking so much better. One thing that would be great to see is where she is on the Contour when she’s in mid to high 100s on the Libre. I was surprised to see a Lo on the Libre as a 132 on the Contour. That’s a bigger spread than usual. If she comes back up into mid to high 100s in a bit and you’ve not had to poke her for a LO, maybe grab a test so we can see if she’s getting up into yellow or if the L is closer to the C at higher ranges. Yes, we primarilyndose on the nadir but we also need to see if she’s bouncing up or if she looks as good as we think.

I’m glad she’s eating if you have to hold her bowl. We do concierge feeding around here too, but it has more to do with their little flat Scottish Fold faces. With pollen in the air, they often can’t breathe as well with their faces all the way down on the plate.

Speaking of which….when you say a bowl, have you ever heard of whisker stress? I don’t know what kind of bowl you use but many if the holistic vets I follow and get newsletters from, say using a flat plate is best to avoid whisker stress. I use these from Crate and Barrel. They are inexpensive and the cats have better access to their food.

 

[Alicia & Kit cat (GA)]

Speaking of which….when you say a bowl, have you ever heard of whisker stress? I don’t know what kind of bowl you use but many if the holistic vets I follow and get newsletters from, say using a flat plate is best to avoid whisker stress. I use these from Crate and Barrel. They are inexpensive and the cats have better access to their food.

Hijacking Staci's thread a bit - Kit's bowls are relatively shallow, but I wonder if they're shallow enough sometimes. How wet do you make your cats' food? I tend to make Kit's pretty wet to give her added liquid, and I worry about it slopping over the edges.

 

[Karolina & Nestle]

Whoa whoa whoa what a start this meowning. Looks like it will be a busy day for you both.
Will check back later on to see what she decided to do. Sending some CATpuccinos so you can get through today

Have a magical Thursday

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Her SS is looking so much better. One thing that would be great to see is where she is on the Contour when she’s in mid to high 100s on the Libre. I was surprised to see a Lo on the Libre as a 132 on the Contour. That’s a bigger spread than usual. If she comes back up into mid to high 100s in a bit and you’ve not had to poke her for a LO, maybe grab a test so we can see if she’s getting up into yellow or if the L is closer to the C at higher ranges. Yes, we primarilyndose on the nadir but we also need to see if she’s bouncing up or if she looks as good as we think.

I’m glad she’s eating if you have to hold her bowl. We do concierge feeding around here too, but it has more to do with their little flat Scottish Fold faces. With pollen in the air, they often can’t breathe as well with their faces all the way down on the plate.

Speaking of which….when you say a bowl, have you ever heard of whisker stress? I don’t know what kind of bowl you use but many if the holistic vets I follow and get newsletters from, say using a flat plate is best to avoid whisker stress. I use these from Crate and Barrel. They are inexpensive and the cats have better access to their food.

Hi Marje, I just tested her again since the Libre was without data for about 45 minutes, then it came back with a Lo. And she was 117 on Contour.
(again, testing my theory that when she stays in lower numbers for extended periods of time, Libre tends to go to sleep or some weird thing. I’m always just praying it doesn’t decide to crap out.)
I will try to grab a test now and then in the mid to high 100s just to see where that really puts her on the color wheel.
Maybe not today only because I’m giving her a good amount of poking and I have a feeling we’re not done with the pokes yet today because she seems to be staying in the Lo zone.
As far as the bowls, she uses a stainless steel metal bowl which fits into the elevated feeder.
It’s sort of a teardrop shape and because her food is soupy a flat plate might not be best for her food.
I add 3 ounces of water to every feeding to increase her water intake. (I’ve been doing that for years so she’s very used to it ) but it’s possible I could find a very low wide ceramic bowl that would do the same thing as you are suggesting so that whiskers wouldn’t touch any edges.

And Lol on the “concierge feeding”. What a term. I’m adopting that one

Here’s her current Libre app “reports”. They’re definitely looking better and better. Although the data is as we know somewhat skewed, but her average was always over 200 and now it’s under 200 and her time in the bg ranges is much improved. So just in general I can see improvement just from that information as well. Kind of mimics the improvements we are seeing on the SS.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Hijacking Staci's thread a bit - Kit's bowls are relatively shallow, but I wonder if they're shallow enough sometimes. How wet do you make your cats' food? I tend to make Kit's pretty wet to give her added liquid, and I worry about it slopping over the edges.

Same here, Alicia. We feed soupy meals too

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Oh nice colors today Ms Ivy! maybe she is starting to feel better and her numbers are coming into a better zone. HUGS on the hold the bowl- I do that too, these cats just don't appreciate what we go through! Glad she is eating on her own though, syringe feeding is no fun. Continued prayers for you both!

I hope she’s feeling better, Christine. Not back to her norm yet. And hand feeding most snacks. Takes a lot of time but what can you do!
Hugs to you, too. We need all we can get. Very tired mamas here

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Whoa whoa whoa what a start this meowning. Looks like it will be a busy day for you both.
Will check back later on to see what she decided to do. Sending some CATpuccinos so you can get through today

Have a magical Thursday

View attachment 69756

Very busy day here. Ivy is being entertained by the Spanish speaking painters outside her bedroom door. She’s seems to enjoy listening to their banter. They’re very nice and call her “gato meow” when on a rare occasion they see her. It’s so sweet.
My son and I have adopted calling her that. It’s a lovely name.
Hope you are having a great day and Ivy is definitely checking out Nestle today at the beach!!

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Hijacking Staci's thread a bit - Kit's bowls are relatively shallow, but I wonder if they're shallow enough sometimes. How wet do you make your cats' food? I tend to make Kit's pretty wet to give her added liquid, and I worry about it slopping over the edges.

I make raw, balanced food and I add extra water to the food when I make it. When I thaw the serving, it always has some “juice” that comes out which contains the taurine so all of that goes back into the meat when I serve it. Occasionally, I might add a tsp of water but my cats hydrate themselves pretty well by drinking water from their water bowls.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

I make raw, balanced food and I add extra water to the food when I make it. When I thaw the serving, it always has some “juice” that comes out which contains the taurine so all of that goes back into the meat when I serve it. Occasionally, I might add a tsp of water but my cats hydrate themselves pretty well by drinking water from their water bowls.

Ivy has never been a drinker (like at all...before FD) and I've been adding water for years to get her more hydrated when we saw she had some kidney issues. That was actually my tip off about FD, she started asking for water from our bathtub and I said to DH...something is WRONG. She had NEVER done that in her entire life.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Hi Marje, I just tested her again since the Libre was without data for about 45 minutes, then it came back with a Lo. And she was 117 on Contour.
(again, testing my theory that when she stays in lower numbers for extended periods of time, Libre tends to go to sleep or some weird thing. I’m always just praying it doesn’t decide to crap out.)
I will try to grab a test now and then in the mid to high 100s just to see where that really puts her on the color wheel.
Maybe not today only because I’m giving her a good amount of poking and I have a feeling we’re not done with the pokes yet today because she seems to be staying in the Lo zone.
As far as the bowls, she uses a stainless steel metal bowl which fits into the elevated feeder.
It’s sort of a teardrop shape and because her food is soupy a flat plate might not be best for her food.
I add 3 ounces of water to every feeding to increase her water intake. (I’ve been doing that for years so she’s very used to it ) but it’s possible I could find a very low wide ceramic bowl that would do the same thing as you are suggesting so that whiskers wouldn’t touch any edges.

And Lol on the “concierge feeding”. What a term. I’m adopting that one

Here’s her current Libre app “reports”. They’re definitely looking better and better. Although the data is as we know somewhat skewed, but her average was always over 200 and now it’s under 200 and her time in the bg ranges is much improved. So just in general I can see improvement just from that information as well. Kind of mimics the improvements we are seeing on the SS.
View attachment 69758

View attachment 69759

3 ounces of water to every meal?? That is a lot of water. Look at the math:
There are 18 tsp of water in 3 oz. Then there are 5 mls of water in each tsp which means you are adding 90 mls of water per meal x 4 meals which is 360 mls per cycle or 720 mls per day. When we give our cats subq fluids, for example, for CKD, we give generally 100 mls per day.

Generally, cats should have a minimum of 2 oz of water per 2.2 lbs of body weight. Ivy weighs 14 lbs so that’s 6 ounces a day. She is getting 24 ounces a day if I read you right because she has 4 meals per cycle so 4 cycles x 3 = 12 x 2 cycles = 24 oz. Even if we look at the higher end, for her weight, it would be 10 oz a day.

Tanya’s on CKD states to maintain adequate hydration a cat needs a max of 30 mls of water daily per pound body weight so that would be 420 mls for Ivy. That is the equivalent of about 14 oz daily for her size.

It’s pretty amazing she is concentrating her urine so well with that amount of over hydration. While she has no evidence of any heart issues, we always need to keep that in mind because overhydration in cats with specific heart conditions can cause congestive heart failure.

 

[Alicia & Kit cat (GA)]

I make raw, balanced food and I add extra water to the food when I make it. When I thaw the serving, it always has some “juice” that comes out which contains the taurine so all of that goes back into the meat when I serve it. Occasionally, I might add a tsp of water but my cats hydrate themselves pretty well by drinking water from their water bowls.

Kit is pretty hit or miss on her fountain. She's currently boycotting it for a cup of water because I cleaned it. She'll ignore it for a couple of days, and then go back to the fountain (I deep clean it once a week and do a quicker wash a couple of other times, and she always refuses it after the deep clean. )

 

[Alicia & Kit cat (GA)]

Same here, Alicia. We feed soupy meals too

Mine are slightly less soupy I think - I usually am just mixing in a tablespoon or so of water, and usually only with the pates (the 7 and 9% foods aren't pate style).

 

[Marje and Gracie]

BTW, I’m not saying you should change her bowl. That’s up to you. If she’s been eating out of it by herself, she’s probably ok with it but just throwing that info out there for “general” audiences.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

3 ounces of water to every meal?? That is a lot of water. Look at the math:
There are 18 tsp of water in 3 oz. Then there are 5 mls of water in each tsp which means you are adding 90 mls of water per meal x 4 meals which is 360 mls per cycle or 720 mls per day. When we give our cats subq fluids, for example, for CKD, we give generally 100 mls per day.

Generally, cats should have a minimum of 2 oz of water per 2.2 lbs of body weight. Ivy weighs 14 lbs so that’s 6 ounces a day. She is getting 24 ounces a day if I read you right because she has 4 meals per cycle so 4 cycles x 3 = 12 x 2 cycles = 24 oz. Even if we look at the higher end, for her weight, it would be 10 oz a day.

Tanya’s on CKD states to maintain adequate hydration a cat needs a max of 30 mls of water daily per pound body weight so that would be 420 mls for Ivy. That is the equivalent of about 14 oz daily for her size.

It’s pretty amazing she is concentrating her urine so well with that amount of over hydration. While she has no evidence of any heart issues, we always need to keep that in mind because overhydration in cats with specific heart conditions can cause congestive heart failure.

No. Sorry I didn’t explain what I do correctly.
I mix up her batch of food with 3 oz water and supplements. Then I pull out 4 ounces (already mixed with the water) and feed that 4 ounces of food/water divided to about 1.5 tbsp each at +1,2,3.
Is that better? Or still confusing and too much water?

 

[Mikanmama (Mikan GA)]

Wow Ivy's on the move! Great cycle Staci!
The bowl issue is interesting - I have all kinds of shape and size - they like some at some point and others at other time, of course, CATS
Hope Ivy surfs safe and sound today and you won't have to stress too much!

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Wow Ivy's on the move! Great cycle Staci!
The bowl issue is interesting - I have all kinds of shape and size - they like some at some point and others at other time, of course, CATS
Hope Ivy surfs safe and sound today and you won't have to stress too much!

Hi Kit, I knew it would be active from that 4 am wake up alert. (Fun, right??)
I actually wanted to test her again in the past hour as she dropped to Lo, but I couldn’t get past the painters. (They need to finish and get out of here for good).
Hope all is well in Mikan world today

 

[Marje and Gracie]

No. Sorry I didn’t explain what I do correctly.
I mix up her batch of food with 3 oz water and supplements. Then I pull out 4 ounces (already mixed with the water) and feed that 4 ounces of food/water divided to about 1.5 tbsp each at +1,2,3.
Is that better? Or still confusing and too much water?

Yes but it depends on how much food you are making (how much meat, is in a batch), right? For example, for my food, the recipe calls for 8 oz of water per pound of food I make.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Yes but it depends on how much food you are making (how much meat, is in a batch), right? For example, for my food, the recipe calls for 8 oz of water per pound of food I make.

I need to edit what I said earlier. I pull out 2 ounces/4 tbsp of food and that becomes her +1,2,3 snacks.

I’m actually not sure how to answer your question.
I follow a recipe to make a batch of food which last approximately 2.5 days. And when I pull out each portion/ serving size (meal) that is when I add the 3 ounces of water to each meal, (i.e. breakfast or dinner), Which includes the +1,2,3 snacks.

 

[Heike & BInie]

So happy there are improvements day by day! And "gato meow" really made my day!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Afternoon Staci, wow what a nice start this morning, I hope she continues to surf safely. At least she's eating her snacks when you hold the dish up to her, gotta do what you gotta do ,as long as she eats. Sending positive vibes she will just start eating in her own more often .
What we have to do for our furbabies. I always add water to Tyler's wet food, and if I see it starts to dry up , I'll add more water or else he won't eat it. If I miss seeing that it dried out he will sit by it meowing non stop. So I add water and of course I have to warm it in the microwave or else he won't eat it. He will sit my the microwave waiting.
How I love to be woken up at 3:30 or _4:30 AM to do this
They are something else aren't they.
I'll check back later .
Hopibg you can get some rest today

 

[Staci & Ivy]

So happy there are improvements day by day! And "gato meow" really made my day!

Thanks, Heike, still hoping for more and better eating independently. But as long as she eats!
Glad you like her new name

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Afternoon Staci, wow what a nice start this morning, I hope she continues to surf safely. At least she's eating her snacks when you hold the dish up to her, gotta do what you gotta do ,as long as she eats. Sending positive vibes she will just start eating in her own more often .
What we have to do for our furbabies. I always add water to Tyler's wet food, and if I see it starts to dry up , I'll add more water or else he won't eat it. If I miss seeing that it dried out he will sit by it meowing non stop. So I add water and of course I have to warm it in the microwave or else he won't eat it. He will sit my the microwave waiting.
How I love to be woken up at 3:30 or _4:30 AM to do this
They are something else aren't they.
I'll check back later .
Hopibg you can get some rest today

Thanks, Diane. We appreciate your caring. It’s funny that Tyler tells you what he wants. He’s one smart guy.
Ivy had a nice cycle. Just hoping she continues this trend and surfs safely.
Hoping for a decent sleep tonight. Last night I was trying to work out some stuff about how to handle our next vet visit and that was working on my mind and kept me up most of the night. I’m hoping exhaustion takes over tonight and Ivy surfs safely so I can sleep.

Hope you have a nice night ahead. At least we had sunshine today, right?

 

[Gravy and Vicki]

Ivy is busy today! Safe surfing.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

I need to edit what I said earlier. I pull out 2 ounces/4 tbsp of food and that becomes her +1,2,3 snacks.

I’m actually not sure how to answer your question.
I follow a recipe to make a batch of food which last approximately 2.5 days. And when I pull out each portion/ serving size (meal) that is when I add the 3 ounces of water to each meal, (i.e. breakfast or dinner), Which includes the +1,2,3 snacks.

Ok so it sounds like you are adding 6 oz of water a day. It doesn’t matter if you add if when you prepare the batch, as I do, or when you serve it as you do. For her size, that would be close to a minimum and she probably drinks some as well. Sorry…I didn’t mean to get off on all that but when you said how much you gave her, I thought you meant every mini meal So it’s all good.

Well, gee, she lost duration a bit early today but she’s been having some great cycles!

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Ok so it sounds like you are adding 6 oz of water a day. It doesn’t matter if you add if when you prepare the batch, as I do, or when you serve it as you do. For her size, that would be close to a minimum and she probably drinks some as well. Sorry…I didn’t mean to get off on all that but when you said how much you gave her, I thought you meant every mini meal So it’s all good.

Well, gee, she lost duration a bit early today but she’s been having some great cycles!

Lol. No problem. Thanks for asking all the good questions to make sure I'm not over hydrating her. Some days she drinks some, other days none. I measure her bowl at each meal so I track her intake. (There is a minimal amount of water that goes into the batch when I prepare it, part of the recipe, but only 8 tablespoons for 5 meals).
Thanks for checking to make sure I’m not doing harm. Better safe…

She does tend to lose duration when she’s been lower for a long stretch. So I wasn’t shocked when she did that.
I wonder why that happens??

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hoping for a decent sleep tonight. Last night I was trying to work out some stuff about how to handle our next vet visit and that was working on my mind and kept me up most of the night. I’m hoping exhaustion takes over tonight and Ivy surfs safely so I can sleep.

Hope you have a nice night ahead. At least we had sunshine today, right?

Staci , how/I hope you can get a good nights sleep and Ivy surfs safely .
Yes some sun today ,but it was still sort of cold and breezy.
Did you get those crazy winds last night and all that rain.
The wind was unbelievable