Pre-diabetic cat not gaining weight

mom of 4

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Two and a half years ago, my son rescued an abandoned Calico from the parking lot at his apt. Beautiful long-haired girl, huge head and large body, weighing only 6 lbs at the time of rescue. Amazingly healthy, all things considered.
At one point, she was up to 10 lbs. and looked great.

A month ago, he realized that she had lost some weight, even though she was eating a huge amount of food. She was down to 8 lbs. Throid panel was normal. The vet diagnosed her as pre-diabetic (based on the trend of the blood sugars) and put her on Purina DM. The starting dose was a 1/4 can twice a day, increasing to 1/3 can twice a day if she was starving. After 3 days, my son bumped her up to the 1/3 can, twice a day.

She now weighs 8 lbs. I really thought she would have gained a bit. I think her coat looks better, she seems happy. But she is more than lean.

So do we just have a skinny cat? Or is there something else we need to consider? She is due to go back in for her first follow up visit and I am looking for suggestions/ideas. I trust the vet, but this community also has a lot of valuable knowledge that might help her.
 

taterbug

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1/3 of what size can twice a day? To me,that sounds like it may not be enough,but if the vet is trying to control her weight to prevent diabetes,then it may be a different story.

It may just be me,but what the vet is saying just doesn't sound right? When I read your post,my first thought was tapeworm! Did the vet check her stool? Or ever treat her for worms? Usually one of the first symptoms of diabetes is drinking lots of water....not eating and losing weight. Guess that's what puzzles me. But I'm no vet.

I hope the follow up has good results!
 

jean44

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I also have a pre-diabetic cat so I've researched this issue. I'm not a vet either but I do have some thoughts.


Actually, increased appetite and weight loss are symptoms of diabetes. Due to lack of insulin or insulin resistance glucose is not able to enter the cells and provide nourishment for the cat. The cat feels hungry in spite of increased food intake. Because glucose cannot enter the cells to provide nourishment the cat loses weight even though she is eating more. Here's an easy to understand article about feline diabetes.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=199

Do you know what your kitty's blood glucose level was? Has it been tested recently? Did the vet do a urinalysis to determine if glucose was being spilled into the urine? That would indicate a high blood glucose level. Is kitty showing any other symptoms of diabetes- excessive thirst or urination?

I have to admit that I am not fond of any RX food. They generally contain too many carbohydrates, which a potentially diabetic cat does not need. After doing some research I started feeding my Eric a high quality all wet, grain free diet. His blood glucose dropped from 297 to 149 in three weeks. When I tested his BG today at home it was 101. I did tell my vet that I was changing Eric's diet. Here's a good article about diet and diabetes.
http://www.catinfo.org/felinediabetes.htm

Good luck to you, your son and his kitty. I hope the followup visit with the vet goes well. Positive thouhgts and hugs to all.
 
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mom of 4

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Thank you for replying.
Her three blood sugars were 119, 130 and 190 (over a year's time). The first two were late afternoon blood sugars and the last one a mid-morning. His concern was the pattern of increasing blood sugars. Since she wasn't fasting and I'm not sure when she ate, I'm not sure it is DM. But I don't know everything either.

She has been checked for worms.

The reason I'm okay with the Purina DM, for the shortterm, is the 46/47/7
ratio of protein/fats/carbs. My concern is 194 cal/can - that I finally found out this evening. That seems low. I think the cans are 5.5 oz.
Another link from the site indicates 15-25 calories per pound of desired weight. So we are feeding less the recommended amount on the site.

Stools seem fine. Water intake is about the same - but it's summer too.
Activity seems fine. She eats whatever you give her - not picky at all.
 

sharky

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THat is low cal but about ave for a can.... I would try offering her more
 
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