New Member 28/08 - recently diagnosed diabetes + tumour, unsure whether to start treatment

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Megan Rose

Megan Rose

Member Since 2020
Hi there,

Firstly I'm really glad this forum exists! I've been scrolling through it for a while now and decided to seek help on my specific situation because you all seem so kind + helpful :)

My cat Onyx was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He's a rescue, so I'm not sure exactly how old he is, but I would estimate somewhere around 13. He's my little man and I absolutely adore him, but unfortunately he has a complex set of health problems, on top of our challenging family situation which makes it difficult for us to treat him. He's completely changed recently - hiding constantly, weeing all over the house, not sleeping where he used to, not interacting with his brother (they used to play and sleep together), etc. As I'm sure you understand, it's really upsetting to see him this way :(

Onyx has a cancerous growth in his jaw which sadly has resisted treatment. I know this isn't a community of vets, so of course I can't expect anyone to know how that will interact with diabetes, but there is an issue around eating. He has lost a lot of weight, which suggests that he isn't able to eat as well as he might want to. I'm concerned that this would affect him badly in trying to treat diabetes, because he needs to eat properly in order for the insulin to be safe. The tumour is likely to limit his life expectancy as well as quality of life, so I'm having an extremely hard time determining whether it is kind to put him through treatment for diabetes when he may not be long of this world anyway. As I say, I know this is a question for vets, as well as my own soul-searching, but I would be really grateful for any advice. Is it distressing for cats to start insulin treatment? Our vet hasn't mentioned anything about home testing, and he does not like travelling to the vets, but she has suggested we go for fortnightly blood tests. Does this upset cats?

In terms of our ability to provide care, I'm quite concerned. Onyx lives with my mum (and our other cat, his brother) and she lives alone with them, so there is only one human in the house to treat him. The rest of the family lives on the other side of England (about 6 hours and £100 of train fares away!), so we are sadly unable to help. My mum is also a nurse, which means that - especially at the moment - her job is time-consuming and can be odd hours. While it is horrible to say, I think her job has to take priority, and it is incredibly demanding at the moment. I'm just not confident that she can care for Onyx to the extent that will be needed, as she cannot guarantee that she will be able to commit to regular injections. On top of this, with his other health problem (the tumour), he may struggle with adjusting to insulin. He is very reluctant to take pills, and while he is generally more amenable to injections, I am very worried that my mum would struggle to cope with him alone. Is it difficult to administer treatment on your own? Any advice for handling it?

Another problem is travel. Like I say, my brother and I live across the country, as do many of my mum's friends. How do people with diabetic cats manage to leave the cat? Can you get cat sitters who will do injections? As she lives alone, I feel it would be unfair to ask that she never come to visit us, or other loved ones, in order to look after Onyx.

So! A very difficult situation. Thanks a million to anyone who has read this far. I guess to summarise, the main options for us are starting insulin treatment to see how he fares, but perhaps be unable to administer proper care because of my mum's job, or (and I'm welling up as I type this) let him go. I'm sure many of you will press for the first option, and if so, any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you so much x
 
Welcome to FDMB. We are glad you founds us. First off Let me say I am very sorry for this compounded DX. You are in a pickle to be sure.
I think I'm not quite understanding is Onyx your cat or your mums? Regardless... There are many cats here with multiple issues some with cancer. I'm not sure which ones they are but amending your title including the word tumor will bring them forward.
Please hold on for more replies. I need to take care of some business will be back in a few minuets . Hopefully others can come with advice. biab.
 
Thanks for the advice, have amended the title :) He is our family cat from when we were kids, but my brother and I are both students and moved out to uni last year, hence him now living solely with my mum. It's midnight here so will not be awake to see replies until the morning, but thanks v much for your swift response!
 
It depends on what is causing the oral tumor. What type of cancer it is. A biopsy would be needed to determine that.

I've actually had 2 cats with oral cancer. Both of them were civies, or non-diabetic cats. In both cases, it was oral squamous cell carcinoma, as the biopsy showed. An aggressive form of oral cancer with a poor prognosis.

The first cat, it was pretty advanced when found, and the vet said there was nothing that could be done. She let me take my cat home, make some lasting memories, and then a few days later, we went in to have her euthanized. Still miss her all these years later.

The second cat, Monet, was my "heart kitty". The vet sent us to a dental specialist, in case the tumor was operable. It was not, so I decided to do hospice care, since the radiation and/or chemotherapy treatment would not likely extend his life. Plus, chemo and radiation makes you feel like crap, so I did not want to put him through that, with such a poor prognosis for extending his life. He was on pain meds for months, until it became time to help him on to the next stage of his life's journey, to euthanize him 4 months later.

There is no one right answer. You need to discuss this with your family, and then decide. Be aware that an untreated feline diabetic will be literally "starving to death" without treatment. There are also additional risks with not treating a feline diabetic, namely the production of ketones that can lead to a life threatening condition called DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis).

Hope some of this helps you.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Plus, chemo and radiation makes you feel like crap,
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In humans, this is usually true (although new treatments and meds are making it a little better) but cat's seem to tolerate chemo quite well.

Megan Rose said:
Is it difficult to administer treatment on your own? Any advice for handling it?
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Once you have a routine, caring for a diabetic isn't any more disruptive than brushing your teeth. The needles are very tiny and the majority of cats don't even notice their insulin shot.

ProZinc is a good insulin for cats and has a little more flexibility in shot times than other types. While in a perfect world, shots should be 12 hours apart, we've had people do 11/13, even 10/14 shot schedules.

It's a tough decision you're going to need to make but don't let fear of "traumatizing" him by treating his diabetes sway your decision.

If you choose to not treat the diabetes, please make the humane decision to release him. Dying from untreated diabetes involves starving to death which is not a way I'd want a beloved pet to go.
 
Has Onyx's jaw growth been biopsied and diagnosed as cancer? My Neko had a jaw growth (due to her acromegaly). The dental specialist vet removed it, sent a sample off for analysis, was 99% sure it was cancerous and preparing me for the worst. Treatment would have been removal of part of her jaw - cats don't do well with that. Anyway, happy long story short - it was not cancer! Just a bony growth from her acromegaly. (a benign pituitary tumour that causes excess growth hormone to be produced). She was later on chemo for small cell lymphoma and just did OK on it. I had to give her antinausea meds pretty much most days. Of course, she also had a heart condition and kidney disease then too - both of which can contribute to nausea. Since then I have more experience with a cat and chemo (sigh!) and happily deal with it rather well with some meds just before and a couple days after.

As for treatment of diabetes - your mum might want to inquire at the local vet clinics and see if there is a vet nurse or technician willing to make some extra money by coming in and treating the cat when your mum travels. If your mum has some odd shift work, that might also be a source of help. I luckily have a petsitter who has given insulin shots before. Cats can die of starvation without treatment for diabetes. You don't need him to be regulated, but giving insulin shots can be part of "making him comfortable" with the time he has.
 
I'm sure the mouth is causing problems, but to be kind to this kitty he needs insulin. Prozinc, is an insulin that does not have to be every 12 hrs it can vary. My cat was on Prozinc at one time and his schedule did vary from day to day, because of my schedule. When Buddy 1st became diabetic it was over Christmas and i could not get him in to see a vet, without insulin he was in terrible shape. When we started his insulin he came back to his self, please help him.
 
Last year my cat Peggy Sue was diagnosed with Oral cancer. She had 3 treatments with chemo that was injected directly into the mouth tumors. She did well with the procedure.( the tumor continued to grow slowly, oral cancer is nasty Even surgery will not usually help) I think what helped the most was giving her 4 drops of a good CBD OIL every day.

The CBD oil gave her a good appetite. She lived for a year after she was diagnosed & the CBD kept her eating till the day she died, at home with me.

I wish you Luck with whatever you decide to do. :):bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Firstly a huge thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. Sounds like many people have had a hard time with oral cancer in cats, I'm very sorry to hear of people who have lost their friends :( I guess we sign up for loss by having pets, but it's worth it for the good bits! You have all shared some very helpful advice, many thanks xx

Chris & China (GA) said:
ProZinc is a good insulin for cats and has a little more flexibility in shot times than other types. While in a perfect world, shots should be 12 hours apart, we've had people do 11/13, even 10/14 shot schedules.
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that's useful to know, thank you! Would be very useful if the injections didn't have to be quite so strictly regular

Wendy&Neko said:
Has Onyx's jaw growth been biopsied and diagnosed as cancer?
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Not yet, though the vet seemed fairly confident it is malignant based on a physical exam. Definitely sounds like the next step is to get it checked out for sure, thanks for sharing this experience :)

Wendy&Neko said:
see if there is a vet nurse or technician willing to make some extra money by coming in and treating the cat when your mum travels
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Also very useful to know that this could be an option, thank you!

Overall, the takeaway for me from this thread is that we can't let Onyx go on without insulin. While that is tough to hear that he has been suffering, I am very thankful that y'all have made it so clear.
 
Megan Rose said:
Firstly a huge thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. Sounds like many people have had a hard time with oral cancer in cats, I'm very sorry to hear of people who have lost their friends :( I guess we sign up for loss by having pets, but it's worth it for the good bits! You have all shared some very helpful advice, many thanks xx


that's useful to know, thank you! Would be very useful if the injections didn't have to be quite so strictly regular


Not yet, though the vet seemed fairly confident it is malignant based on a physical exam. Definitely sounds like the next step is to get it checked out for sure, thanks for sharing this experience :)


Also very useful to know that this could be an option, thank you!

Overall, the takeaway for me from this thread is that we can't let Onyx go on without insulin. While that is tough to hear that he has been suffering, I am very thankful that y'all have made it so clear.
Click to expand...
:bighug:
We ARE a caring community. Keep asking questions and best wishes for the best possible out come!
jeanne
 
Many of us work. I worked (and still work) a full time job throughout Gabby's life. My job is rarely an 8 hour day. There were times I would leave work to come home, give Gabby her shot, and go back to the office. (I was fortunate to not live too far from the office.) I also used a vet tech who could give shots when I was travelling and she was as neurotic about caring for my kitties as I am.

I won't lie -- the beginning of learning how to manage feline diabetes is overwhelming. As Chris said, it quickly becomes routine. Your mum will have an advantage given that she's a nurse. There isn't a huge difference between treating a cat and treating a human.

The cancer may have an influence on the diabetes. Cancer likes sugar. It can "suck up" the glucose in the cat's system so insulin dosing should be approached cautiously. It also raises the question as to whether this is a bony growth like with Wendy's cat or a malignancy.

One other FYI. For many years, Caninsulin was the insulin of choice in the UK. Recently, Prozinc has been an option. Caninsulin is a faster acting insulin that can drop blood glucose numbers quickly especially as compared to Prozinc. There has been a shortage of Prozinc in the UK. I don't know if the shortage has been resolved but it would be the insulin I would encourage your mum to ask for.
 
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