Diabetic Cat Needs To Gain Weight Fast

[Solarrra]

I have a 3 year old male cat recently diagnosed with diabetes Can I add KMR to his wet cat food? Anyone know if its carb free or extremely low carb? Anyone have a high calorie low carb homemade cat food I can give him until he gets back to his normal weight? Any help is appeciated. Vet recommended a 12 pack of cat food for 45 dollars and I just cant do that right now.

 

[LTS3]

I recommend that you also post on the FelineDiabetes.com message board for more help. The members there are experienced with diabetic cats and can better help you.

3 years is awfully young for diabetes. Juvenile diabetes can happen, though. Did the vet say that is what your cat has? How was your cat diagnosed? A simple blood glucose test that is included with regular blood work isn't helpful to make a diagnosis.

For home made food, it's easiest to use a pre-mix such as EZComplete with boneless meat of your choice. Until you can learn more about home made diets, just feed your cat low carb canned food. Some Fancy Feast varieties are good: Wheat gluten free, low carbohydrate Wet Food There are many others which you can ask on the FDMB board about.

 

[Solarrra]

They did a complete work up on him and the insulin and b12 shots are helping him. He's not losing anymore weight but he's not gaining either. He's on wet food, high protein-lowcarb, already I just need to add something more so he can gain some weight.

 

[di and bob]

Check into senior cat supplements, usually in a tube. Inexpensive and very high in calories and nutrients. You can research the carb content on the internet. You usually only give a 1/2 teaspoon once or twice a day. Try mixing it in a little food first. I have to give it to my cat by rubbing it in his front leg fur so he licks it off, he is too picky of an eater.Good luck!

 

[Solarrra]

The only ones I've seen are filled with sugars which he can't have.

 

[LTS3]

KMR dried milk and cream which naturally contains sugars which you don't want to give to a diabetic cat. I really recommend asking on the FelineDiabetes.com message board for suggestions on how to help your cat gain weight. I found these old threads that may be helpful:

? My Diabetic Boy Needs to GAIN Weight | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
Help with weight gain for diabetic cat | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
Tiggs Needs To Gain Weight | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

How much weight does your cat need to regain?

 

[Solarrra]

I did and about 3 lbs.

 

[Tobermory]

Here's a really helpful chart of canned food, created by Dr. Pierson, a feline nutritionist, that shows protein, fat, carbs and calories per ounce among other information:

http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I referred to it constantly when I had a diabetic cat.

And I'll echo what several others have said, FelineDiabetes.com gave me so much information and support when Max was struggling. The insulin support group (I used Lantus) kept me sane.

 

[jen]

I have a cat who was diabetic, usually they are fat and need to LOSE weight! But I fed her Fancy Feast Classics which is extremely low-no carb. Only the classics I believe. Follow the link mentioned above, you will learn a lot from Dr. Pierson!

 

[Solarrra]

Thanks, I have been using that site since he was diagnosed. I'm just looking for something to add to his diet until he get his weight back to normal. He's only 3 and was not overweight, vet thinks maybe hereditary.

 

[Tobermory]

Thanks, I have been using that site since he was diagnosed. I'm just looking for something to add to his diet until he get his weight back to normal. He's only 3 and was not overweight, vet thinks maybe hereditary.

Max was never fat, either. Rawz canned food, particularly the turkey and chicken varieties, are not only low carb and higher protein but also have a higher fat content. High quality ingredients with no fillers or questionable thickeners.

 

[lisahe]

LTS3 suggested EZ Complete, which makes very good food and can be used with any boneless muscle meat. One of the pluses there is that you can use as much or as little fat from the meat as you want to vary calories.

Tobermory 's suggestion of Rawz and jen 's of Fancy Feast Classics are also very good. Both are high-calorie and appealing and I've seen other mentions of feeding Fancy Feast to diabetic cats. Some Wellness Core foods (like the one with venison) are pretty high-calorie, too, though watch out because some have potato in them, which raises the carbs.

All that said, part of the trick here may be to get the cat to eat a greater volume of food, whether that's through feeding something with moderate calories that the cat loves but will eat a lot of and/or adding toppers to entice the cat to eat more. All the highest-calorie foods in the world won't do any good if a cat doesn't like them!

 

[klmd302]

Just a little plug - Dr Lisa's chart is also available in an interactive version: Cat Food Database

S Solarrra , any chance you are located near the SF bay area? I have 16 cans of ProPlan DM from my diabetic cat who passed away last year. They are good until Dec 2018.