Ninja's numbers haven't been the most steady lately. I'm guessing that it's caused by me having to skip a dose when he was low one morning and then doing a reduced dose on a different morning. I sent in the numbers to my vet, per her request and she's still pretty adamant about getting his weight under control. She wants him at about 200 calories per day and wants me to reduce his insulin to 1.50 while we do this in case the reduced calories and drop in weight causes his BG to go down. I'm so torn. I understand that him being overweight (16 lbs, the vet wants him at 13 lbs) is not helping the insulin situation... but on the other side of things - I am concerned about cutting his food down so much. He's currently maintaining his weight at around 330-360 calories per day. He is scheduled for a dental in October, which she also wants him thinner for that as well (being put under). If he wasn't diabetic, I would put him on a diet without so much concern... What do you all think? Yay? Nay? Any experience with intentional weight loss while trying to regulate insulin? And if the answer is nay, how do I defend that to the vet? Thank you all for all you do. Not sure what I'd do without you all to keep me sane
Look at the weight loss and diabetes sections on felineinfo.org. I think that’s too big a drop in calories. She has a forumla to determine how much to cut. Too fast weight loss can lead to hepatic lipidosis. I recently posted an article on weight loss on the main health forum.
The rule of thumb is 20 calories per pound of ideal weight. 13x20=260. Look at the calories in the food you're feeding. 200 cal is not enough.
I would reduce his food as they've mentioned one spoon at a time is better for them to loose weight very slowly, and regarding the insulin dose, since you are monitoring him I'll leave the dose as it is and reduce if his numbers tell you so not because of the food reduction
Why is your vet trying to starve your cat?? One month is much to short of a time period for your cat to loose any weight. IMO: I would not "defend" anything to this vet. I would fire her and find a new vet with some common sense. Read below for more info. https://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/ https://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/#Implementing_a_Safe_Weight-Loss_Program Per above info a safe weight loss is 1-2% of CURRENT weight per week. Therefore: 16pounds x 16ounces = 256ounces x 2% = 5.12 ounces per week maximum weight loss. Best of luck on your journey.
Don't do anything to your kitty that is making you uncomfortable, just because they think you should (your Vet).
Above it was mentioned a "Teaspoon" so I would try to measure more accurately with a proper measuring spoon. I would be more inclined to calculate the exact calories needed so you can be sure you are not under or overfeeding. Reduction per meal also depends on how many meals you feed per day. If you wade through all the info given on the "catinfo" site I referenced above, you will find a few options for calorie reduction. You will certainly need a calculator and large piece of paper for all the math! I am in a different boat; I am trying to put weight on 3 thin cats.
The key is for weight loss to be a gradual process so it doesn't cause any problems. Just like with humans, there are many conflicting opinions on weight loss for cats. Remember, formulas are general and do not take into consideration a cat's metabolism and/or activity level. Just a suggestion... read Dr. Lisa Pierson's section on Feline Obesity very carefully. She talks about several safe weight loss methods including the following formula for safe weight loss: "Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70" Note she specifies "optimal lean body weight" -- not actual weight when using the formula. She also makes a general comment and I found this this to ring very true with my own cats, "In my experience, I need to get patients down to ~180 calories/day, or even less, before they lose weight." Your vet may not be as far off as some think. Just sayin'...
To add to Jill’s post, Dr. Lisa also says: The best way to monitor this is buy a cat scale and weigh him every 3-4 days to make sure he isn’t losing weight too fast.
One other consideration... Calories aren't the only issue when it comes to test numbers. You need to factor in the carbohydrate content of what you're feeding. If you gave your cat the same calories of 5% carb food vs 15% carb, the numbers will be higher on the 15%. Also, don't assume all low carb food is low in calories. For example, the variety of Wellness that I fed Gabby was low carb but higher in calories than many other low carb foods. You may want to look at the fat content of whatever brand of food you're feeding your kitty and lean more toward foods that are higher in protein and lower in fat.
You should never have to defend your position to a vet. If we were discussing chemotherapy then micrograms and millilitres would be relevant. No two cats are the same and Ninja cannot simply be plugged into a formula that will result in the mythical "ideal" weight. Cats evolved in a different environment than the one we have now placed them in altering their metabolism and the food they eat. I would start with the scale and a gradual weight loss program. It's not a contest.
