Timmie

[Jo-Anne Croghan]

My name is Jo-Anne. My 10 year old cat has had weight loss, and has been drinking more water. A full chem profile was done (non fasting) and the glucose was elevated, CBC normal, thyroid normal, cholesterol and triglycerides were elevated. The urinalysis was not done. He can be high strung and stresses going to the vet or being handled. I am working on picking him up more with positive reinforcement and he is responding well.
He can just be a grumpy cat.

The vet mentioned something about fructosamine testing. When I asked her what the test was, she stated she did not know. I obtained a copy of the labs, and there it stated stated the fructosamine test could be done from the same sample to help determine if the glucose level was due to stress. Might have been nice if I was told this and given that option. Is this test worthwhile?

He is now restricted to wet food and cooked chicken and beef. I know something is wrong. I am thinking of redoing testing, this time after fasting. I just don't know how long to wait. O f course the vet is suggesting a diabetic diet. From what I have read here, good quality canned food is fine.

Please redirect how I should proceed with him. His only other health problems include bad teeth....he only has four, so this is not much of an issue.

Where do I begin?

 

[Kris & Teasel]

The vet mentioned something about fructosamine testing. When I asked her what the test was, she stated she did not know.

It's a test that gives an idea of the average blood glucose levels in the preceding 2-3 weeks. The number it gives is compared to a scale to classify how high overall the BG has been. It's of limited usefulness.

I am thinking of redoing testing,

What was your kitty's glucose level when the vet tested it recently? Yes, the stress of a vet visit can raise it. A diabetic cat usually exhibits other signs like copious peeing, drinking lots of water, voracious appetite, weight loss, etc. Is your kitty showing any of these signs? Maybe your vet would lend you a pet glucose meter to test BG at home? The best time to test would be at least 2 hours after food. Food alone can raise BG.

From what I have read here, good quality canned food is fine.

Yes, low carb wet food is best. There's no need to buy expensive prescription food. Many of us feed the pate version of Friskies or Fancy Feast. Almost all dry food is too high in carbs for a diabetic, including those sold as prescription food for diabetics.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

A fructosamine test will give you the "average" bg for about the last two weeks. However, the fructosamine test value is not directly comparable to the results from a BG test. For comparison see:
http://www.caninsulin.co.uk/fructosamine.asp?context=management_cats

Bad teeth frequently raise BGs and make regulation harder.
Most of us here test our cat's BG using a human meter.

Also, an you edit the subject line to remove the "GA". GA here means that the cat has gone ahead .

 

[Jo-Anne Croghan]

I will edit "GA". Thanks! I had a mildly difficult time posting and learning to use the site. In answer to your questions, the non fasting glucose reading was 439. He was also agitated. He has gone from 15 to 12 pounds in the past year. Part of the reason was I had been pulling back on dry kibble....another one of my cats had a glucose reading of about 300, which is now normal. Timmie does drink quite a bit. I am not observing excessive urination. His appetite is normal. He is showing some signs diabetes, but his blood work is actually good, except for the elevated glucose. He has not been diagnosed with diabetes at this point, although this is certainly a concern. We are still going to do the urinalysis, and I am wondering if we need a redo on the blood work. I have purchased an Alpha Trac glucose meter and having the usual novice problems. I am determined to learn to use the meter. Is there an easier one to use? I am also giving him a lot of TLC and brief handling to make him easier to handle. This is going well. Any suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated.

 

[JanetNJ]

I will edit "GA". Thanks! I had a mildly difficult time posting and learning to use the site. In answer to your questions, the non fasting glucose reading was 439. He was also agitated. He has gone from 15 to 12 pounds in the past year. Part of the reason was I had been pulling back on dry kibble....another one of my cats had a glucose reading of about 300, which is now normal. Timmie does drink quite a bit. I am not observing excessive urination. His appetite is normal. He is showing some signs diabetes, but his blood work is actually good, except for the elevated glucose. He has not been diagnosed with diabetes at this point, although this is certainly a concern. We are still going to do the urinalysis, and I am wondering if we need a redo on the blood work. I have purchased an Alpha Trac glucose meter and having the usual novice problems. I am determined to learn to use the meter. Is there an easier one to use? I am also giving him a lot of TLC and brief handling to make him easier to handle. This is going well. Any suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated.

sorry to say but 439 is extremely high, and you have a diabetic cat on your hands there. Vet stress can raise levels, but "normal" is 68-150 vet stress can raise BG 100 points or so ... but No vet stress is going to raise it 300 points. That's the bad news. The good news is diabetes is very treatable and cats can live a long healthy life with the right care. First step is definitely eliminating all dry, which is sounds like you've done! good job. Do that for a few days and test again... The numbers may come down some... even a hundred points... but it's still way too high. Then you will want to start insulin therapy and learn how to home test... not as hard as you would think. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.

 

[JeffJ]

You are getting good advice from others. We can also recommend insulin and dosing. Janet is right that your cat is diabetic. And her video on testing is quite good.

Food - I feed all our cats Fancy Feast Classic. There are about 10 kinds and it is high protein low carb. You can also feed raw or cooked meat like you are already doing. Leo thinks cooked chicken is manna from the gods!