Glycemic Index Help

Diabetic cat weight gain. VERY concerned.?

My little female Russian blue mix 13-year-old spayed cat, who had to be encouraged to eat and tended to be low weight, became diabetic last November. She is on insulin injections twice daily. She is sedentary, though I do plan on taking her outside on a leash while I putter in the flower beds, etc. She is playful and fun. Her optimal weight is 9 lb 2 oz, but she has ballooned to over 11 pounds and doesn't seem to want to top out. I have reduced her caloric intake. I feed Merrick low glycemic index foods, flavors ranging from 140 to 160 kcal/can, one can daily, plus a tablespoon of grain-free, weight management, senior, kibble, and occasionally a half tablespoon of cat tuna. Restricting her caloric intake has not slowed her weight gain! I really love this delightful little spirit and I am terribly worried about this weight thing. I need to get her runaway gaining to stop, and then reverse. She is like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, always begging for food, and I simply force her to fast between meals and have limited her intake. I am reluctant to feed a prescription diet, because the ingredients of the prescription foods are not as good as Merrick. I do not buy into the Wysong philosophy of lots of protein and high fat. I do give her bits of raw meat from time to time, but I am not a devotee of the raw foods philosophy as a solution to diabetes. I have a wonderful veterinary clinic, but there are problems there, and I'm considering taking her to a clinic that specializes in cats. Her fructosamines are good, but this weight thing has aged her, slowed her down, and it will kill her. I would really appreciate input/responses from folks in the Answers community who are veterinary professionals or who have a beloved furball with whom they have had a similar problem. HELP! I'm very concerned. Thanks for any help.

Public Comments

1. Not a vet (sorry!) but I know that weight gain in human diabetics is caused by the wrong balance between calorie intake & insulin, so if I were you I'd take her to the vet straight away- a different one if you don't feel confident in your current one, but as they've been caring for her up to now & have all her records, I think they would be the best place to start. Hope you get things sorted out & that you have many more happy years with your furry friend.
2. I treated my own cat for diabetes for seven years, then took in four additional diabetic cats to foster. First off, what are you giving for insulin, and are you testing her? you don't mention what you are doing to treat her diabetes. most vets go right to injections, but some start out with pills, and some start out with a diet change (btw, do NOT feed prescription food, it is too high in carbohydrates to be healthy - for more on diet check out http://www.catinfo.org and http://www.felinediabetes.com - and forums there are VERY active with owners who have treated their diabetic cats for years) If you are not home testing her blood sugar levels (using a human glucometer and pricking her ear to get a blood sample - a lot easier then you would initially think) then there is a darn good chance you are giving her too much insulin. Because of this her blood sugar could be dropping very low causing her to be very hungry in response to trying to increase her sugar levels. A fructosamine will only give you an average over time so if she is dropping very low then rebounding very high, it wouldn't show that... but daily testing at home will. Generally I will test each morning before injecting and the same before the evening meal. When I am unsure of how the cat is responding to insulin I will do a "curve" and test every two hours (your vet does this too, but it is not as accurate as what you can do because cats are often stressed at the vet and as a result their blood sugar levels are higher) I can not recommend highly enough that you go to the feline diabetes website and sign up for the forums. So many wonderfully helpful people there can give you interactive advise to help you understand FD (feline diabetes) to help you treat your kitty more aggressively and get her blood sugars under control. Once you do her appetite should return to normal. And while I completely understand you concern about the weight gain, it is much more desirable for her to gain weight then to lose it while you are still trying to figure this sugar dance out.
3. Hi I am not a vet but an expert in feline diabetes and work with many diabetic cat owners world wide The weight gain does concern me but I am reluctant to discuss why right here and now as there are other things I would like to go over with you first. Fructosamines are only good for diagnosing and telling you whether your cat is still diabetic or not They only give an average for about a 2 week period not the highs and lows. A fructosimine can be great and a cat can be doing terrible and be at major risk If your vet raised doses based on this test then he has no clue on how to treat diabetes You need to test the blood at home. It is the only way to know if it is safe to give insulin as well as giving you the info to treat this correctly. I can teach you how There is no reason or need to feed prescription foods. They do nothing that proper food won't do and yes, they are terrible.quality That said, you seem to be feeding the wrong foods If you want, I will work with you to teach you what you need to know. You can email me direct at justken@rocketmail.com Let me know the insulin you are using, dose, how many times a day you shoot, and if there are any other health problems including back leg problems
4. Our diabetic cat also gained some weight but not a huge amount. With diabetic cats you NEED to feed a high protein diet, one with low carbs (carbs raise their sugar level) and LOW in fat. They also need to eat several times a day to keep their sugar stable, not spiking up and down from only 2 meals a day. HOWEVER this doesn't mean a cat has to eat a huge wad. A tablespoon is enough, or 8 pieces of kibble. Every few hours a small meal like this is enough. And of course eating just before you give the insulin is mandatory. There are comparison charts online, you can pick and choose which food fits yours best. Just do a google.com search for "Janet and Binky's lists', they have two for canned and one for dry foods, you can compare side by side. Ours did very well on Royal Canin Siamese 38, Royal Canin Diabetic Management (his numbers went up on the Purina DM), canned Fancy Feast 'feasts' without the gravy and the occasional baked chicken we'd give him. He was nice and stable, and with small meals throughout the day he did fine.