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[Sheila Johnson]

I am a newbie today Rocky just got diagnosed with diabetes and I’m struggling with the fact that I have to give him two shots a day when I’ve had this cat for 14 years and now I feel like we don’t have the relationship that we used to please if anyone has any advice I would really appreciated any tips tricks anything because I really like to give my kitty the best life ever but I don’t know how to proceed because I feel like that we’re not connected anymore.Please help I’m bout to give up

 

[Heraldsmom]

Sheila,
I understand how you feel. Please don't give up, you will actually be surprised at how much you will bond with your Rocky again once you begin treating him. Our kitties do often become more distant from us when they're not feeling well, but that's their natural instinct to survive in the wild.
I haven't had a sugarcat myself for a while, but I have a large clan of kitties that I've rescued and many have had chronic illnesses so I I know you will feel closer to Rocky once you are in a habit of taking care of him.

Could you please post this on Health now as well-there are people chevking in here at all hours and someone who can help you more than I can, will be along soon to see your post.

Please hang in there, I know it's hard right now, but it will get easier. All the best to you,
Jillian

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi Sheila and Rocky and welcome to fdmb.
It is overwhelming in the beginning when you get an FB diagnosis. There is quite a bit to get your head around but it does get much easier and becomes just routine. I know that is hard to believe at the moment but I can promise you things will get a lot easier.
Please don't give up on your boy. You will find that you will have a much closer bond with Rocky as time goes on.
I became so much closer to Sheba than I thought possible and she also felt the same way.

Just take one day at a time and be kind to yourself .
I found learning about FD helped me to understand it all a lot more and I felt much more comfortable with it all. Not knowing what is going on is very unsettling. There is lots of great information here for you to read and learn.
Here is a link to FAQ
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/

What exactly are you struggling with? It is the fact you have to give the injections twice a day?
Can you tell us what type of insulin you are giving and what dose?

What are you feeding Rocky?
What you feed Rocky matters. Canned food that is 10% carbs or less is recommended. There is no need to feed expensive prescription foods from the vet.
Here is a list of suitable foods. Look for foods 10% or under. A lot of us feed food that is carbs around 4 to 7% carbs.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I'm going to ask if @Sienne and Gabby (GA) can move this thread to the main page for you.

Keep asking us lots of questions. We are very happy to help you. This is a very supportive community.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

I'm not Sienne, but I can still move things.

Hello and welcome Sheila. Over time you will find that your relationship with your kitty deepens. As they get better with treatment, they begin to understand that you are helping them. My girl started purring when she got her blood tests and when she got her injections. She got a treat with her blood tests and meals with her injections. She started to look forward to what I was doing. One of the most important things I had to learn was to just spent time with my girl, and let her be her, trying to forget that she was diabetic. It's hard because it's very stressful at first. But we can help you learn what you need to do to help Rocky.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Sheila --

If you look in my signature, there's a link to a post titled, Gabby's Legacy. Gabby was my diabetic kitty who crossed the Rainbow Bridge several years ago. Take a look at post #7 in that thread. I hope it addresses your concern about your relationship with Rocky.

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

I had the same problem with testing. Trouble absolutely hated it. But with time and a LOT of love Trouble stopped running away to hide. He started feeling better once we got his numbers to a lower level. Dont get me wrong he still HATED the tests. But he was no longer running away to hide. We gave him a couple his favorite treats after the test, so he looked forward to that part. LOL for him it was the reward was greater than the risk, I guess. Hang in there they seem like they hate you at first but once they start feeling better that changes.

 

[Sheila Johnson]

Hi Sheila and Rocky and welcome to fdmb.
It is overwhelming in the beginning when you get an FB diagnosis. There is quite a bit to get your head around but it does get much easier and becomes just routine. I know that is hard to believe at the moment but I can promise you things will get a lot easier.
Please don't give up on your boy. You will find that you will have a much closer bond with Rocky as time goes on.
I became so much closer to Sheba than I thought possible and she also felt the same way.

Just take one day at a time and be kind to yourself .
I found learning about FD helped me to understand it all a lot more and I felt much more comfortable with it all. Not knowing what is going on is very unsettling. There is lots of great information here for you to read and learn.
Here is a link to FAQ
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/

What exactly are you struggling with? It is the fact you have to give the injections twice a day?
Can you tell us what type of insulin you are giving and what dose?

What are you feeding Rocky?
What you feed Rocky matters. Canned food that is 10% carbs or less is recommended. There is no need to feed expensive prescription foods from the vet.
Here is a list of suitable foods. Look for foods 10% or under. A lot of us feed food that is carbs around 4 to 7% carbs.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I'm going to ask if @Sienne and Gabby (GA) can move this thread to the main page for you.

Keep asking us lots of questions. We are very happy to help you. This is a very supportive community.[/QUOTE

I am a newbie today Rocky just got diagnosed with diabetes and I’m struggling with the fact that I have to give him two shots a day when I’ve had this cat for 14 years and now I feel like we don’t have the relationship that we used to please if anyone has any advice I would really appreciated any tips tricks anything because I really like to give my kitty the best life ever but I don’t know how to proceed because I feel like that we’re not connected anymore.Please help I’m bout to give up

Thank you everyone for being so kind. I have been giving 2 injections daily since Saturday and to be honest I still am not sure if I am during it correctly. I have watch several you tubs videos on the technique. I just think I get to get more confident, but I am sure that comes with time.

The vet suggested a dry cat food-DM Purina and giving him cheese as a treat with injection
He is on Vestsulin . I have been reading on some of the thread of some have been testing on their own. I take Rocky next week to the vet to be tested.
He's blood sugar reading was 500 at the time of the visit. But I was feeding him regular dry cat food at the time because I thought he was losing weight and he would not eat anything else.

But since his diagnosis everything makes since, excessive thirst and always hungry and lots of urine in the litter box.

Thanks for being so supportive)

 

[Panic]

Thank you everyone for being so kind. I have been giving 2 injections daily since Saturday and to be honest I still am not sure if I am during it correctly. I have watch several you tubs videos on the technique. I just think I get to get more confident, but I am sure that comes with time.

I felt the same way starting, now I can "feel" the needle sliding in and out and know that I did it right but there is a learning curve, perfectly normal.

Many of our vets suggest Purina DM dry - it's lower carb than typical dry food from the store but that's it, no special ingredients and not quite as low carb as a diabetic kitty needs. DM dry is 18% carbs, Rocky needs to stay under 10% to help his pancreas heal. Common foods here are Fancy Feast Classics and Friskies Pate.

Cheese is fine as a treat, usually kitties don't even feel the injection. Since you're on Vetsulin you'll want to feed him 20-30 minutes BEFORE injecting. Vetsulin is very fast-acting unlike Prozinc or Lantus (if you want to discuss switching we can) so food already needs to be "on board". I would feed him and set a bit aside to feed him again at shot-time so he's distracted. You'll also want to be feeding him a "mini" meal again an hour after injection to slow the drop in blood sugar. Most of us either let the kitties free-feed if possible or use autofeeders to give them multiple meals during their cycle to balance the drop from the insulin.

Hope Rocky is doing well!

 

[Deb & Wink]

Sheila, is your vet still open? Many vets won't see pets, unless it is an emergency situation right now. State governments have shut down many non-essential services. Call your vet to verify what the situation is there.

We can teach you how to home test your cat, Rocky. All you need is a human glucometer, matching test strips, lancets for poking the ear, and some tips.

Would you like to learn how to home test? It can save you a lot of money, besides keeping your pet safe.

p.s. To reply to a post, you do not need to click on the word "Reply" in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
All you need to do, is start to type in the text box that appears at the end of your "thread."

 

[Sheila Johnson]

Sheila, is your vet still open? Many vets won't see pets, unless it is an emergency situation right now. State governments have shut down many non-essential services. Call your vet to verify what the situation is there.

We can teach you how to home test your cat, Rocky. All you need is a human glucometer, matching test strips, lancets for poking the ear, and some tips.

Would you like to learn how to home test? It can save you a lot of money, besides keeping your pet safe.

p.s. To reply to a post, you do not need to click on the word "Reply" in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
All you need to do, is start to type in the text box that appears at the end of your "thread."

I believe I do need to try to home test. I took him to the vet last week and they said blood glucose was 450 .
so she added a another unit.
But I am noticing he is having a difficult time jumping on the bed and he has been in the same spot for longer periods of time. So now I am feeding him the Sheba brand patate food and injecting 2 x 2 units a day.
I am wondering if I should call the vet about his difficulties jumping?

 

[Deb & Wink]

The blood glucose readings/tests/levels/results need to be put into context.
How long was it from the time you gave the insulin dose, until the time your vet got that 450 blood glucose (BG) reading? In + hours. +1 is 1 hour after the insulin shot, +2 is 2 hours after the insulin shot, etc.

Is your cat Rocky very calm and collected at the vet as well as on the ride there? BG (blood glucose) levels can be dramatically higher at the vet, then at home. That is why we are such strong advocates of home testing the BG levels.

What insulin are you using? What was the diagnosis date?

If you could please put some information in your User Id "Signature" that information would be at the end of all your posts. It takes about 60 seconds to add that information. Directions are here.
Editing your Signature, Profile, and Preferences

Your first name, your cat's name age and sex, diagnosis date, insulin used, meter used (when you get one), food fed, any other health conditions. Please, please add that information to your User ID "Signature". It helps us to help you better. Just like health care workers are overwhelmed trying to help people, so are we here. Please take that 60 seconds and update your User Id information. Please.