Oscar is really, really sick...

Oscar is really cute, and he's lucky to have you! I agree with feeding him as much as he wants. Right now I'm trying to put some weight back on my cat Mia and she wakes me up in the night for food too. I'm sorry he is sick. Thanks for taking care of him.

I should probably specify that I mean this kind of flaked tuna. Not the wet ones that some of you may think.

I've also been thinking about switching to Tiki Cat instead of Fancy Feast. Any thoughts or opinions?

Canned foods are actually all fairly high in protein. Almost always over 45% on a dry matter basis (which, OK, isn't really high compared to real meat but higher than almost all kibble for sure). But a little extra meat won't hurt! Poor little guy, I hope he has a few good years at least. He deserves a nice retirement .

RionKatt said:

 
I should probably specify that I mean this kind of flaked tuna. Not the wet ones that some of you may think.

I've also been thinking about switching to Tiki Cat instead of Fancy Feast. Any thoughts or opinions?

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Bonito (tuna) flakes are fine as a treat or food topper If it gets your cat to eat, then use it. If you have Asian supermarkets in the area, you can get a huge bag of bonito flakes for just a few dollars. Much more cost effective than a 1 oz container that costs $10 at the pet store. Just be sure the bonito flakes don't contain any other ingredient.

Tiki Cat is fine. It's mostly seafood based but there are a few non-seafood varieties. Weruva is pretty similar but has a good selection of meat based varieties. Soulistic is the less expensive version of Weruva (and made by the same company) that you can find at Petco.

Is Oscar eating well? There's a product called Carnivore Care that is for sick inappetant cats (and other obligate carnivore pets) or those who need an extra supplement. You can ask the vet about this product. It's for short term feeding under veterinary supervision.

The Catinfo.org chart is pretty detailed but for diabetic cat purposes, just look at the column for carbs. Any food that has a value of 10 or less is suitable for a diabetic cat to eat. Most gravy based foods are out since those are high carb, although you do want to have a few cans on hand to use in case your cat becomes hypoglycemic. The high carbs will raise blood glucose levels pretty quickly and keep it stable much better than quick but very short acting honey or syrup.

A new vet may be helpful. I switched vets for my diabetic cat. The first vet was ok but I felt that my cat would get better care elsewhere. I got a recommendation from the FelineDiabetes.com message board. The new vet was aweseome He had no problem with me switching insulins or what food I was feeding and dosage changes based on curves. I still use the same vet for my current two cats.

Can cats with diabetes have dry food or can they only have wet?

How I feed my resident and foster cat is I give them wet food in the morning and evening and then leave dry food out for them to free range on at night. I leave just enough that they'll be carried through till morning and still be hungry for breakfast. I do it also cause they're kittens and can use the nutrition, which it sounds like your boy needs as well. Plus, it might help keep him from waking you in the night. 

If he can't have dry food, there are apparently automatic food dispensers designed for wet food. Never seen them, but I read about them in a book. That could be an option for night time feeds, so he doesn't keep waking you.

Jahzara said:

 
Can cats with diabetes have dry food or can they only have wet?

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Ideally, only canned food (or raw or home cooked if you decide to feed those). Dry foods need starch to hold the ingredients in that kibble shape and starch means carbs. There is a dry food purported to have no carbs at all but that has been debated on the FDMB board. If some dry has to be fed, choose a fairly low carb grain free one. Or consider freeze dried or air dried raw for a healthier low carb option.

There are programmable feeders that can be used with canned foods. I like this one.

I really recommend commercial raw.  It can really transform a sick cat from what I've heard.  Primal raw frozen nuggets is what I recommend since it's more affordable out of commercial raw.  My kitten is on it 100% because it's the only thing that has helped his chronic diarrhea.

Ho

Jahzara said:

Can cats with diabetes have dry food or can they only have wet?
How I feed my resident and foster cat is I give them wet food in the morning and evening and then leave dry food out for them to free range on at night. I leave just enough that they'll be carried through till morning and still be hungry for breakfast. I do it also cause they're kittens and can use the nutrition, which it sounds like your boy needs as well. Plus, it might help keep him from waking you in the night. 
If he can't have dry food, there are apparently automatic food dispensers designed for wet food. Never seen them, but I read about them in a book. That could be an option for night time feeds, so he doesn't keep waking you.

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How old are your kittens? If they are under a year they can have dry food for free feeding all the time. Kittens eat a lot!

how is Oscar doing?

I've been wondering, too.  Please update us when you have a moment!

Oscar is doing well. I'm feeding him a high protein, low carb diet. I've stopped giving him his insulin, and it seems to have improved his mood and attitude.

RionKatt said:

 
Oscar is doing well. I'm feeding him a high protein, low carb diet. I've stopped giving him his insulin, and it seems to have improved his mood and attitude.

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Glad he's doing better

Sometimes a too high dose of a "harsh acting" insulin can make a cat feel crappy. A gentler insulin started on a lower dose will help. Talk to the vet about insulin choices. How has Oscar's blood glucose levels been? Daily testing of the levels at home gives you a good idea of how Oscar is doing overall. The right diet is great but many cats also need help from insulin.

Some cats can have their diabetes managed with just a high-protein, low-carb diet. But keep in touch with a knowledgeable vet about it! Not something you want to play around with too much.

so Glad Oscar is getting better and eatin. I concur with the above statements-I have a friend who stopped the insulin-please please do not stop insulin without tapering-their pancreas isn't functioning correctly so they need help=please take his levels daily and persue a new vet who actually deals with diabetic animals. He stopped the insulin and two weeks later his ketones were sky high. There was no option other than pts. Hopefully this helps, I agree with a better long acting insulin will help keep those levels stabilized.

let us know how he is doing.

How is Oscar doing?

He's up to mischief as always, depriving me of sleep. Otherwise, he seems to be doing fine. His glucose curve is on Tuesday. so we'll see how that's been going on.

Good! I am sleep deprived too. Oscar is so cute, he's worth it. Do you have more pics of him?

RionKatt said:

 
He's up to mischief as always, depriving me of sleep. Otherwise, he seems to be doing fine. His glucose curve is on Tuesday. so we'll see how that's been going on.

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Did you up his food intake? Just curious what your new vet thought of the starvation diet the previous vet had him on. Poor Oscar. But it sounds like you are doing wonders for him

I've been feeding him more than what the vet told me to. He eats about 12-18oz of wet food every day now. Once when I wake up and sleep (If I manage to) and throughout the day as he asks for it.

I just checked out all  his pictures, what a cute guy he is. Thank you for taking such good care of him