New member, diagnosed in May.

[Cat Lady Dee]

Hi there. I have 7 cats. Eli, is 7 years old and just diagnosed with diabetes. It was 348 when first diagnosed. No ketones.

1. He has adjusted well to the lower carb fancy feast.
2. He still nibbles kibble ( i know this is the worst ) still trying to figure it out with the other cats in the house. 3. He is so skinny you can feel his bones, any advice to plump him up? I'm not sure if that's from the diabetes or just age. All blood work was fine. No thyroid issue.
4. Are the urine test strips easy? I don't think I'm ready to prick is feet or ear for blood. We've been taking him to the vet every 6 months for a check.
5. We give him a little more than 2 units.
6. He has had diarrhea for a couple of weeks, we need to rule out parasites but is diarrhea a side effect?

I want to check his blood at home so we can manage it better, any advice there would be appreciated.

We are lucky that he has adjusted to the shot well. 2 times a day. I love him and I want to make sure he has the longest life he can have.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Diabetic kitties who are not regulated are often skinny and often very hungry. This is because all the nutrients in the food are not being absorbed properly.

The urine test strips for checking glucose are not nearly as good or reliable as testing the blood with a glucose meter. That’s because the urine sits in the bladder sometimes for up to 12 hours until the cat decides to pee. So the result of the urine test is a mix of all the hours since the cat last peed.

I would recommend hometesting. It is the best way to keep your kitty safe. It doesn’t hurt the cat and they get very used to it quickly especially if you give treats each time you test.

I would recommend buying a human glucose meter as it’s much cheaper to run.
Insulin doesn’t cause diarrhoea. Have you tried giving a little boiled mashed plain pumpkin in the food?
I will post a link to home testing the blood glucose

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

[Cat Lady Dee]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Diabetic kitties who are not regulated are often skinny and often very hungry. This is because all the nutrients in the food are not being absorbed properly.

The urine test strips for checking glucose are not nearly as good or reliable as testing the blood with a glucose meter. That’s because the urine sits in the bladder sometimes for up to 12 hours until the cat decides to pee. So the result of the urine test is a mix of all the hours since the cat last peed.

I would recommend hometesting. It is the best way to keep your kitty safe. It doesn’t hurt the cat and they get very used to it quickly especially if you give treats each time you test.

I would recommend buying a human glucose meter as it’s much cheaper to run.
Insulin doesn’t cause diarrhoea. Have you tried giving a little boiled mashed plain pumpkin in the food?
I will post a link to home testing the blood glucose

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

This is awesome. I have a glucose meter for myself, can I use it to read my cats levels? All the videos say we can use a human one but Google says different. I might buy the relion one from Walmart for him. I will attempt his ear prick!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

You can use a human meter with no problem whatsoever. I used one for 6.5 years with my kitty!

What insulin are you using?

 

[Cat Lady Dee]

Prozinc what i know for sure. I'll look on the bottle and respond better when I get home.