Hello. Im new here

[EightCatsGirl]

Hello...Happy New Year.

Sooo...we just found out from the vet (she took a blood test and a urine test)that my cat has diabetes and her sugar level was high. Im not sure how that happened though. Ive owned her since 2009(she came to me as a stray)and shes been eating Friskies canned and dry food since then. So how come all of sudden her sugar level is high?

She is not over weight at all. Shes in good weight. (I don't have the weight number with me). So I don't understand this.

She went to the vet 2 weeks ago with an abcess on her face..she got a shot for that to clear it up...but came back with the diabetes stuff.

So the vet is ordering Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets DM Dietetic Management dry and canned for us. BUT on the FB group ive seen a lot of people saying that the vet food isn't good and friskies is fine for her. I don't know what to do.

Ive got 8 cats total (including her)...So I can not stop giving dry food to her because I keep dry food down for my other cats. It would be hard to feed her special food for her and not let the other cats get into it.

im a bit worried about this food thing for her.

thanks.

 

[Charlotte and Lucky’s mom]

Hi and welcome! I am not a senior member on this board but my kitty was a diabetic and she recently went into remission. There are a lot of great people on this board that can assist you and your kitty with her new diagnosis. They are all over the world so I sure at some point they will chime in. I know they will want you to set up a spreadsheet. There are a whole bunch of sticky notes with a lot of good info for you to read and get accustomed with feline diabetes. Please read them thoroughly!!

So I am presuming before the abscess on her face, she was not drinking or peeing more?? Hadn’t lost any weight for no reason?? Was the “shot” an antibiotic or steroid or both? Trying to see if they were any clinical signs that with a little hindsight would have been pointing towards possible diabetes? If so, her recent infection may have been the culprit into pushing her over the edge and into the diabetic realm.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

So how come all of sudden her sugar level is high?

It could be the infection from the abscess....or if the shot they gave was a steroid, that's enough to push a pre-diabetic into full blown diabetes....but also, there's a strong genetic component to diabetes too so it may be that she was pre-disposed to diabetes and was going to become diabetic at some point no matter what you did or didn't do.

With multiple cat households, the best thing you can do is switch everybody to low carb canned. Friskies makes 12-13 ounce cans as well as Special Kitty pate's from WalMart (which is also low carb). That way you don't have to worry what your sugarcat is getting into as well as giving your other cats the best possible chance at never becoming diabetic in the first place.

If that's totally out of the picture, you may need to get your other cats used to the idea of timed meals instead of free feeding and then feed your diabetic separately from the others.

 

[Dana & Ninja]

Hi there! Welcome! I was right where you are a month ago. Although I only have three I had the same food dilemma. Vet wanted Royal Canin glycobalance but I too found out that was not highly recommended. I learned a lot from all the wonderful people here. I decided all my cats would make the switch, they all deserved to eat better. Switched them to Fancy Feast twice a day. They get fed every 12 hours right after I check Ninja’s blood sugar. It took a little adjusting but they really like the wet so that helped. They too all used to free feed dry, and it was suggested that I try Dr. Elsey’s or Zero Mature as they are the only dry low carb food. Dr. Elsey’s was a bust. They all turned their noses up at it, but they love the Zero Mature. I leave out one bowl during the day and night for them to nibble on during the day. I do pick up all the food 2 hours before I check Ninja’s blood sugar pre shot as I was told you don’t want food to influence that reading. They have all adjusted and I will say Ninja’s “it’s time for Fancy Feast” face is adorable!!

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hello and welcome to the message board. Would you introduce yourself and your diabetic cat?

Even with 8 other cats, there are ways to manage feline diabetes in a multi cat household.

Are some of your other cats 'dry food addicts' or will they eat canned food?

 

[EightCatsGirl]

Hi and welcome! I am not a senior member on this board but my kitty was a diabetic and she recently went into remission. There are a lot of great people on this board that can assist you and your kitty with her new diagnosis. They are all over the world so I sure at some point they will chime in. I know they will want you to set up a spreadsheet. There are a whole bunch of sticky notes with a lot of good info for you to read and get accustomed with feline diabetes. Please read them thoroughly!!

So I am presuming before the abscess on her face, she was not drinking or peeing more?? Hadn’t lost any weight for no reason?? Was the “shot” an antibiotic or steroid or both? Trying to see if they were any clinical signs that with a little hindsight would have been pointing towards possible diabetes? If so, her recent infection may have been the culprit into pushing her over the edge and into the diabetic realm.

Charlotte...thank you for the welcome.

My cat weighed in at 7.14 and shes 11 years old. She got a shot of cefovecin(convenia) 8 mg of it. Its really helping out. her face is looking good again. I mean she has a bald spot now..but hopefully the fur will grow back. it looks much better then it did on January 1st!

Shes ALWAYS drinking and going potty normal. None of my cats have potty problems. she hasn't lost any weight .

 

[EightCatsGirl]

It could be the infection from the abscess....or if the shot they gave was a steroid, that's enough to push a pre-diabetic into full blown diabetes....but also, there's a strong genetic component to diabetes too so it may be that she was pre-disposed to diabetes and was going to become diabetic at some point no matter what you did or didn't do.

With multiple cat households, the best thing you can do is switch everybody to low carb canned. Friskies makes 12-13 ounce cans as well as Special Kitty pate's from WalMart (which is also low carb). That way you don't have to worry what your sugarcat is getting into as well as giving your other cats the best possible chance at never becoming diabetic in the first place.

If that's totally out of the picture, you may need to get your other cats used to the idea of timed meals instead of free feeding and then feed your diabetic separately from the others.

Chris and China The shot she got was cefovecin(convenia) 8 mg of it. her face looks soo much better now.

My cats already eat Friskies canned and Friskies Dry or the Purina Cat Chow dry--which ever bag happens to be opened.

First thing in the morning I put down dry food. There are 6 bowls in my bedroom. Then I pick them up around 1:30sih At dinner time (6:05) they get canned food--friskies then after they eat there dinner I will put down the dry food for them. the bowls stay down until midnight. I pick them up again so they are hungry in the morning. that is how I feed the dry to my cats. there are 2 bowls in the kitchen for my other 2 cats those bowls stay empty until I fill them.

 

[EightCatsGirl]

Hi there! Welcome! I was right where you are a month ago. Although I only have three I had the same food dilemma. Vet wanted Royal Canin glycobalance but I too found out that was not highly recommended. I learned a lot from all the wonderful people here. I decided all my cats would make the switch, they all deserved to eat better. Switched them to Fancy Feast twice a day. They get fed every 12 hours right after I check Ninja’s blood sugar. It took a little adjusting but they really like the wet so that helped. They too all used to free feed dry, and it was suggested that I try Dr. Elsey’s or Zero Mature as they are the only dry low carb food. Dr. Elsey’s was a bust. They all turned their noses up at it, but they love the Zero Mature. I leave out one bowl during the day and night for them to nibble on during the day. I do pick up all the food 2 hours before I check Ninja’s blood sugar pre shot as I was told you don’t want food to influence that reading. They have all adjusted and I will say Ninja’s “it’s time for Fancy Feast” face is adorable!!

Dana--- I have never herd of Dr.Elseys or Zero Mature dry. where do you find that? my dad does the cat food shopping. and he is very picky on the prices of the food.

 

[EightCatsGirl]

Hello and welcome to the message board. Would you introduce yourself and your diabetic cat?

Even with 8 other cats, there are ways to manage feline diabetes in a multi cat household.

Are some of your other cats 'dry food addicts' or will they eat canned food?

Hi Deb

My name is Laura and im from NY. My cat's name is Brinie. Shes 11 years old. A dilute tortieshell.

Ive got her and 7 cats.. 8 total. They are all on Friskies or Purina Cat chow dry and get Friskies canned at dinner time.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hi Deb

My name is Laura and im from NY. My cat's name is Brinie. Shes 11 years old. A dilute tortieshell.

Ive got her and 7 cats.. 8 total. They are all on Friskies or Purina Cat chow dry and get Friskies canned at dinner time.

Hi Laura forget about the Dr Elsey's Dry food and the Zero Mature its very expensive it would cost too much to feed your 8 cats, and you can only buy it on line.You said your dad was picket with prices so I don't think he would go for this . I agree with Chris and China about switching them all to wet food. Wet food is better for diabetic cats. It should be low carb. Do you know how many carbs are in the dry food you are feeding.

 

[Dana & Ninja]

Dana--- I have never herd of Dr.Elseys or Zero Mature dry. where do you find that? my dad does the cat food shopping. and he is very picky on the prices of the food.

I believe you can only order the Zero mature from their website. I just googled Young Again Zero Mature. I ordered the Dr. Elsey's from chewy.com. They are both more pricey than what I was paying, but I love my kitties and they are worth it too me. Hope it works out for you!! ((Hugs))

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi Laura from NY. Grew up in the western part of the state myself.

Would you please do something to help us help you better? You see those little bits of information at the bottom of our posts? That is part of our 'signature'. Being able to see that type of information at a glance is really helpful. Go to your user profile and you can update it. Thanks.

 

[EightCatsGirl]

Hi Laura from NY. Grew up in the western part of the state myself.

Would you please do something to help us help you better? You see those little bits of information at the bottom of our posts? That is part of our 'signature'. Being able to see that type of information at a glance is really helpful. Go to your user profile and you can update it. Thanks.

Why do you want a signature? I could easily tell you the info.

 

[Deb & Wink]

.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Because if you have an emergency, like a hypo or your cat is in really low numbers and you need help and want to know what to do, it saves time for us when trying to help you.

Because most people use human glucometers for testing their cats, but some use pet specific glucometers and it can make a big difference in knowing which type of meter you use so we can interpret the BG numbers.

Because knowing if your cat has any other medical condtions like heart disease or IBD could change what suggestions we give you.

Because knowing if there are other medications your cat is on besides insulin can make a difference. Why does your vet keep vet records?

Because knowing the time zone you are in is helpful to let me know how much longer I'll nneed to stay up past my usual bedtime.

Because if your cat is using lantus or levimir, versus Prozinc Vetsulin/Caninsulin or NPH insulins they act differently in cats. What suggestions/advice/ideas/brainstorming we provide is based on the insulin used.

Because we have lots of information to share and knowing more about what you need can guide us in helping you.

Because we have members all over the world and including someone from Australia,( @Bron and Sheba (GA) is her user name) may be helping you and answering dozens of posts from other members, if you have questions at night.

Because I have a horrible memory and when I'm helping 50 different people, it's harder to keep track of all the details. If I have to read back through all your posts to find that info, it takes more time to help each person.
Memory storage and retrieval system malfunctions on occasion(human brain).

Optional. You don't have to put any info in your profile at all. Or in a signature.
N
You don't even have to tell us your name. It's nice to be able to address someone personally by first name though I think.

Excellent description about the signature, I think her name is Laura and her cats name is Brinie just looked back at a#9

 

[EightCatsGirl]

her cats name is Bring, just looked back at a#9

Diane Tyler.... My cats name is Brinie. not bring!
Shes a dilute tortieshell. So its like a BRINDLE color So I named her Brinie. I also call her Brin for short.

Thank You!

 

[EightCatsGirl]

Because if you have an emergency, like a hypo or your cat is in really low numbers and you need help and want to know what to do, it saves time for us when trying to help you.

Because most people use human glucometers for testing their cats, but some use pet specific glucometers and it can make a big difference in knowing which type of meter you use so we can interpret the BG numbers.

Because knowing if your cat has any other medical condtions like heart disease or IBD could change what suggestions we give you.

Because knowing if there are other medications your cat is on besides insulin can make a difference. Why does your vet keep vet records?

Because knowing the time zone you are in is helpful to let me know how much longer I'll need to stay up past my usual bedtime if helping with a low numbers situation.

Because if your cat is using lantus or levimir, versus Prozinc Vetsulin/Caninsulin or NPH insulins they act differently in cats. What suggestions/advice/ideas/brainstorming we provide is based on the insulin used.

Because we have lots of information to share and knowing more about what you need can guide us in helping you.

Because we have members all over the world and including someone from Australia,( @Bron and Sheba (GA) is her user name) may be helping you and answering dozens of posts from other members, if you have questions at night.

Because I have a horrible memory and when I'm helping 50 different people, it's harder to keep track of all the details. If I have to read back through all your posts to find that info, it takes more time to help each person.
Memory storage and retrieval system malfunctions on occasion(human brain).

Optional. You don't have to put any info in your profile at all. Or in a signature.

You don't even have to tell us your name. It's nice to be able to address someone personally by first name though I think.

WOW-- That's a lot of *Becauses* Deb.

My cat is not on any medication. just this vet DM food that we started today. Im from NY

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Diane Tyler.... My cats name is Brinie. not bring!
Shes a dilute tortieshell. So its like a BRINDLE color So I named her Brinie. I also call her Brin for short.

Thank You!

Sorry the name was a typo

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Why do you want a signature? I could easily tell you the info.

The very simple explanation is because we won't have to ask you 1000 questions before we can help you each time!

What you're feeding, the type of insulin, the type of meter you're using, how long your cat's been diabetic, those are all things that go into helping to give you the best advice possible.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

The very simple explanation is because we won't have to ask you 1000 questions before we can help you each time!

What you're feeding, the type of insulin, the type of meter you're using, how long your cat's been diabetic, those are all things that go into helping to give you the best advice possible.

Hi Chris exactly

 

[EightCatsGirl]

The very simple explanation is because we won't have to ask you 1000 questions before we can help you each time!

What you're feeding, the type of insulin, the type of meter you're using, how long your cat's been diabetic, those are all things that go into helping to give you the best advice possible.

Hi Chris.

I don't mind answering the questions. It gives me something to do online. haha

This whole thing started last week and I started her on the vet DM canned and dry food. Shes not getting an insulin shot yet and we're not using a meter yet. She could of been a diabetic for a long time,but we didn't know about it until 2 weeks ago when she went to the vet for her abscess and then needed blood work done for a dental...so that's how we found out. then of course we had to order the DM food..so we had to wait. but now shes on this food and seems to like it.

Question----I have 8 cats total....I feed 6 cats in my bedroom....including the diabetic cat. If one of my other cats happens to eat the DM dry food...would they get sick from it?

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I don't mind answering the questions. It gives me something to do online. haha

Yes, but if it's an emergency, like if she's dropping too low, the time we waste finding out the answers to those questions could be the difference between her living and dying.

If one of my other cats happens to eat the DM dry food...would they get sick from it?

No, it won't hurt them.