I am desperate for help with my cat Ozzie and not sure what to do next. This is our story ... I have three cats, all males, 11, 14 (ozzie) and 18. Ozzie was diagnosed with diabetes in the fall of 2007, shortly after my divorce, after he started urinating on my new dining room carpet all the time and drinking tons of water. He was prescribed with PZI insulin and it worked well. Being a single mom (I have a young son) and money being tight I turned to the internet and began reading about diet to help regulate him. The constant vet visits and insulin was expensive. I found a dry food that worked great and a year after his diagnosis (Oct 2008) he was honeymooning. 
Life was good.
In Feb 2009 I woke up one morning to find my my oldest cat, Caeser, bleeding rectally. He had been losing weight over the last six months or so, but I attributed it to old age. He was diagnosed with an impacted bowel. After a week in hospitalization the vet told me he had high blood pressure. He said between the BP and bowel problems he could be treated but didn't expect him to live six months, and at his age, he would understand if I wanted to euthanize him. Medication and vet visits weren't cheap but this was my baby, and I had to try. Two months into treatment he was diagnosed as hyperthyroid. A month later with CRF and I began giving him fluids daily. His "levels" were improving significantly but he wasn't the same cat. He laid around all day without moving. He was miserable and dying a little more every day. I charted all of the changes that were made in the household leading up to his illnesses and came up with the change in cat food. I immediately changed his food back to the original and began decreasing his medication. It was like he was a 10-year old again. The vet said they'd never seen anything like it. By Winter of 2009 he was off all of his medication.
While Caesar began improving, Ozzie began urinating again and he went back on the insulin. This time he also began losing weight and was also diagnosed as hyperthyroid. His thyroid runs terribly high and his blood sugar level would fluctuate from nearly 400 one day to 80 the next. It became more and more difficult to control his diabetes and he went hypoglycemic a number of times. I tried going back to the old food and Caesar's health immediately began to fail. I've tried many other foods too without success. This past summer he began soiling my basement floor so I found a new type of litter and added another box. This fixed most of it. But this past Christmas he began peeing again on another of my rugs and is now back on insulin.
This is my problem. I can't seem to get ahead. I am a mom with a mortgage and health issues of my own. My illness is made worse with his messes and cleaning up after them many times sends my own health plummeting. I'm tired all of the time and I know I can't continue to care for him. My paychecks have shrunk with the downturn in the economy and just paying the normal bills has gotten more difficult. I've completely depleted my savings caring for their illnesses and now I can't afford to do this. I know he needs to see the vet but I can't afford it. I'm in a position where I have to choose between my own medical care and his. He's a great cat otherwise. He's never scratched nor bitten anyone in his entire life. He's sweet and just wants to be loved. It breaks my heart knowing that I can't care for him anymore and I need to ask for help. All of my time is spent cleaning up after him or recovering from getting sick from the clean up. I'm tired all the time and hardly get to spend time with my son. I'm constantly worried that he's going to get sick. I hate having to yell at my son to not play in that corner because there might be pee. I'm mom and I should be able to take care of everyone but with things the way they are I can't seem to take care of anyone too well.
I contacted the SPCA to formally adopt him in 2007 after my divorce because my ex-husband adopted him from them in 2001. (He washed his hands of him when he moved out.) But they told me that I couldn't do that I would have to return him to them. They even admitted that he was older and would most likely be euthanized. So I really don't know where to turn. I know that he would make a great cat to someone who has the time and money to care for him. I just don't know where to find that person. If there's anyone who can offer me some advice, I'd be very grateful.
Life was good.In Feb 2009 I woke up one morning to find my my oldest cat, Caeser, bleeding rectally. He had been losing weight over the last six months or so, but I attributed it to old age. He was diagnosed with an impacted bowel. After a week in hospitalization the vet told me he had high blood pressure. He said between the BP and bowel problems he could be treated but didn't expect him to live six months, and at his age, he would understand if I wanted to euthanize him. Medication and vet visits weren't cheap but this was my baby, and I had to try. Two months into treatment he was diagnosed as hyperthyroid. A month later with CRF and I began giving him fluids daily. His "levels" were improving significantly but he wasn't the same cat. He laid around all day without moving. He was miserable and dying a little more every day. I charted all of the changes that were made in the household leading up to his illnesses and came up with the change in cat food. I immediately changed his food back to the original and began decreasing his medication. It was like he was a 10-year old again. The vet said they'd never seen anything like it. By Winter of 2009 he was off all of his medication.
While Caesar began improving, Ozzie began urinating again and he went back on the insulin. This time he also began losing weight and was also diagnosed as hyperthyroid. His thyroid runs terribly high and his blood sugar level would fluctuate from nearly 400 one day to 80 the next. It became more and more difficult to control his diabetes and he went hypoglycemic a number of times. I tried going back to the old food and Caesar's health immediately began to fail. I've tried many other foods too without success. This past summer he began soiling my basement floor so I found a new type of litter and added another box. This fixed most of it. But this past Christmas he began peeing again on another of my rugs and is now back on insulin.
This is my problem. I can't seem to get ahead. I am a mom with a mortgage and health issues of my own. My illness is made worse with his messes and cleaning up after them many times sends my own health plummeting. I'm tired all of the time and I know I can't continue to care for him. My paychecks have shrunk with the downturn in the economy and just paying the normal bills has gotten more difficult. I've completely depleted my savings caring for their illnesses and now I can't afford to do this. I know he needs to see the vet but I can't afford it. I'm in a position where I have to choose between my own medical care and his. He's a great cat otherwise. He's never scratched nor bitten anyone in his entire life. He's sweet and just wants to be loved. It breaks my heart knowing that I can't care for him anymore and I need to ask for help. All of my time is spent cleaning up after him or recovering from getting sick from the clean up. I'm tired all the time and hardly get to spend time with my son. I'm constantly worried that he's going to get sick. I hate having to yell at my son to not play in that corner because there might be pee. I'm mom and I should be able to take care of everyone but with things the way they are I can't seem to take care of anyone too well.
I contacted the SPCA to formally adopt him in 2007 after my divorce because my ex-husband adopted him from them in 2001. (He washed his hands of him when he moved out.) But they told me that I couldn't do that I would have to return him to them. They even admitted that he was older and would most likely be euthanized. So I really don't know where to turn. I know that he would make a great cat to someone who has the time and money to care for him. I just don't know where to find that person. If there's anyone who can offer me some advice, I'd be very grateful.
