Newly Diagnosed Cat & Have Many Questions & Concerns

samirr12

samirr12

Member Since 2026
Hello Everyone!

I apologize if this is not the correct place to post these questions, I am still new and navigating the forum. My baby girl was just diagnosed with diabetes mellitus after receiving bloodwork back that she had done at her vet appointment earlier this week. (For reference she is a 15 year old orange tabby) She had a blood glucose level of 411 and 3+ glucose reading in her urine. Based off of these results and her current symptoms they have determined she has diabetes. (Current symptoms are increased thirst--she has been drinking bowls a day. More frequent urination, lethargy, and her back legs have been seemingly more stiff and unstable lately, like it is harder for her to walk normally. she isn't dragging her legs or anything, but still noticably is walking different with her back legs. She has also been different personality wise lately.

They had me come in yesterday night and did a insulin demo with me on how to properly adminster insulin (Prozinc) to her and what to look out for. They are starting her on 2 units, twice a day, after meals (12 hours apart). I am supposed to start her tonight (Friday) because I did not want to start her during the week when i work and can not monitior her properly. The weekend will allow me to watch her and make sure she is responding okay to the insulin.

Here is my concerns:
-They never did any other tests to double check and make sure. They showed me the demo using sterile water not insulin so that i was aware on how to administer the shot. Before i left they also never retested her blood glucose levels. ?
-They told me we will check back in 2 weeks and see how she is doing and if dose needs to be adjusted. We scheduled an appoinment in two weeks for a Blood Glucose Curve. My concern is that they are not having me monitor her blood glucose levels at home. Is this safe? I keep reading and seeing how it is extremely important to monitor the levels but when i asked about it they said it was not necessary for me to do that and they will check her levels when we come back for the blood glucose curve.
-After researching, I am also considered with the amount of Prozinc they have prescribed for her. Many sources say 1 unit/twice daily is the recommended starting dose. I am thinking maybe because her levels were so off and symptoms what they were that maybe that is why?
-They also told me NOT to change her food right now and just start with the insulin. She is on 'Orijin Guardian Senior' dry cat food. I typically would give her a 1/4 scoop in the morning mixed with some water and then at night i would giver her a little less than 1/4 scoop dry food mixed with some water and 1/2 a can of 'Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers' canned wet food. I have been reading how it is important to get them on a better diabetic diet and in many cases, off of dry food completely and only wet. And I have seen many times it is better to start with a change of diet before starting insulin however, this option was not offered to me by the vet so again, I think I am just a little overwhelmed, concerned, and confused.

-She is also a grazer and does not typicslly finish her food in one sitting but likes to go back to it throughout the day. I was thinking of giving her a set amount to make sure she eats it before I adminster her insulin and then afterwards putting the rest of her food in her bowl to finish as she usually does. The vet said it is most important to make sure she is getting the same amount of calories a day and eating at least a third of her food before the shot. I would like to ideally give her the shot WHILE she is eating, in hopes it will distract her but when I asked the vet they said i really needed to make sure she at enough before giving it. Does anyone also have advice for this kind of situation?

*They do suggest i get Keto-Diastix which I already ordered but is that really enough to monitor her? And how often should I test with them?

I am also such a little wuss with anything that remotely hurts and brings her discomfort so everyone please wish me luck:( She is my whole world, literally my best friend for the last 15 years (half my life). I hate the thought of bringing her discomfort but know it willl be worth it when she is feeling so much better and herself. ANY ADVICE AT ALL would be extremely helpful. This forum has already begun to teach me so much.

Thank you all!

**Edit: I also want to add that she is not and has never been over weight and always had a pretty good diet. So the diabetes diagnosis came as quite a shock. She is only 9.3 pounds right now (she lost weight recently rather quickly due to the diabetes) but usually she has been around 10 pounds her whole life.
 
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Welcome to FDMB
You are in the right place, you were prescribed a good insulin it is a 12 hour insulin that is easy on your baby’s system, however, home testing is highly recommend, you do not want to give insulin without knowing the glucose level,,to avoid hypoglycemia, the protocol for ProZinc are test feed shoot, as well as several 3-4 small snack or meals during the day, ProZinc hits the system in about two hours so is important to test two hours after the shot and at least 3 times during the day. Regarding diet, neither “prescribed” foods or the fancy feast gravies are good for diabetes they are high carbs between 16-24%, a diabetic cats should have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, most members feed Fancy Feast Pates between 0-10% carbs most feed up to 5%, home testing does not hurt her, most members use the ReliOn human monitor and strips (Walmart) no need to purchase an expensive pet meter, also the transition from dry/ high carbs food has to be a slow one you do not want to upset her stomach or cause a fast dip in her BG, so home testing while making the transition is important, also you do not need to take your Kitty to the vet for a curve, save your money, a curve is testing every 2 hours for a cycle(12 hours), cats are very sensitive to stress, therefore their BG levels will be much higher than reality, causing a possible increase in dose I will tag a member that can assist you with any concern you may have and dosing advice, make sure your vet is well informed with Feline diabetes ask a lot of question every concern you posted are very real, always follow your instincts, good job ;)
@Suzanne & Darcy
 
CORKY said:
Welcome to FDMB
You are in the right place, you were prescribed a good insulin it is a 12 hour insulin that is easy on your baby’s system, however, home testing is highly recommend, you do not want to give insulin without knowing the glucose level,,to avoid hypoglycemia, the protocol for ProZinc are test feed shoot, as well as several 3-4 small snack or meals during the day, ProZinc hits the system in about two hours so is important to test two hours after the shot and at least 3 times during the day. Regarding diet, neither “prescribed” foods or the fancy feast gravies are good for diabetes they are high carbs between 16-24%, a diabetic cats should have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, most members feed Fancy Feast Pates between 0-10% carbs most feed up to 5%, home testing does not hurt her, most members use the ReliOn human monitor and strips (Walmart) no need to purchase an expensive pet meter, also the transition from dry/ high carbs food has to be a slow one you do not want to upset her stomach or cause a fast dip in her BG, so home testing while making the transition is important, also you do not need to take your Kitty to the vet for a curve, save your money, a curve is testing every 2 hours for a cycle(12 hours), cats are very sensitive to stress, therefore their BG levels will be much higher than reality, causing a possible increase in dose I will tag a member that can assist you with any concern you may have and dosing advice, make sure your vet is well informed with Feline diabetes ask a lot of question every concern you posted are very real, always follow your instincts, good job ;)
@Suzanne & Darcy
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the information! So you do suggest I monitor her blood glucose level even though they told me I did not need too? I thought it was a little abnormal not to monitor the levels bc I know diabetics have too so why wouldn't my cat. They told me to just be aware of the signs that she could be have responding adversely. Would you also suggest I get her off the fancy feast gravy wet food asap or should i wait for her to adjust a little to the insulin first? Lastly, if i never have done blood glucose testing, should i go to my vet for a demo? They do offer it.
 
Hi! My cat literally is going through the same thing. Shes 12 and 8.2 lbs. I'm leaning toward doing home testing as well even though the vet test suggested I not do this, while the doctor suggested I do for financial reasons. They said that they'll do a demo so I'm considering taking on that offer and I think you should too.
 
Earth2rai said:
Hi! My cat literally is going through the same thing. Shes 12 and 8.2 lbs. I'm leaning toward doing home testing as well even though the vet test suggested I not do this, while the doctor suggested I do for financial reasons. They said that they'll do a demo so I'm considering taking on that offer and I think you should too.
Click to expand...
Awe I'm so sorry to hear about your baby:( it is very nerve racking and scary. I think I will do the demo too. Better to be informed correctly. I just wonder why my vet office is not insisting that I monitor her levels everyday before insulin. Did your vet suggest doing testing everyday?
 
Like wise to you! She was put on insulin last week, and had her glucose curve yesterday. They upped her units to 2 and suggested another curve next week, but I just don't have another $180 at disposal. So that's when they suggested the home tests as another form of the curve to see how the new insulin amount is doing. They didn't mention doing it everyday, but i wouldn't be surprised if they did suggest it whenever i administer her insulin. I think I may do it every 12 hours whenever i give her the insulin, just because I am in college and not at home all day. I hope everything goes well for your baby and she goes into remission 🩷
 
Earth2rai said:
Like wise to you! She was put on insulin last week, and had her glucose curve yesterday. They upped her units to 2 and suggested another curve next week, but I just don't have another $180 at disposal. So that's when they suggested the home tests as another form of the curve to see how the new insulin amount is doing. They didn't mention doing it everyday, but i wouldn't be surprised if they did suggest it whenever i administer her insulin. I think I may do it every 12 hours whenever i give her the insulin, just because I am in college and not at home all day. I hope everything goes well for your baby and she goes into remission 🩷
Click to expand...
Thank you! Wishing you and your girl the same❤️
 
samirr12 said:
Hello Everyone!

I apologize if this is not the correct place to post these questions, I am still new and navigating the forum. My baby girl was just diagnosed with diabetes mellitus after receiving bloodwork back that she had done at her vet appointment earlier this week. (For reference she is a 15 year old orange tabby) She had a blood glucose level of 411 and 3+ glucose reading in her urine. Based off of these results and her current symptoms they have determined she has diabetes. (Current symptoms are increased thirst--she has been drinking bowls a day. More frequent urination, lethargy, and her back legs have been seemingly more stiff and unstable lately, like it is harder for her to walk normally. she isn't dragging her legs or anything, but still noticably is walking different with her back legs. She has also been different personality wise lately.

They had me come in yesterday night and did a insulin demo with me on how to properly adminster insulin (Prozinc) to her and what to look out for. They are starting her on 2 units, twice a day, after meals (12 hours apart). I am supposed to start her tonight (Friday) because I did not want to start her during the week when i work and can not monitior her properly. The weekend will allow me to watch her and make sure she is responding okay to the insulin.

Here is my concerns:
-They never did any other tests to double check and make sure. They showed me the demo using sterile water not insulin so that i was aware on how to administer the shot. Before i left they also never retested her blood glucose levels. ?
-They told me we will check back in 2 weeks and see how she is doing and if dose needs to be adjusted. We scheduled an appoinment in two weeks for a Blood Glucose Curve. My concern is that they are not having me monitor her blood glucose levels at home. Is this safe? I keep reading and seeing how it is extremely important to monitor the levels but when i asked about it they said it was not necessary for me to do that and they will check her levels when we come back for the blood glucose curve.
-After researching, I am also considered with the amount of Prozinc they have prescribed for her. Many sources say 1 unit/twice daily is the recommended starting dose. I am thinking maybe because her levels were so off and symptoms what they were that maybe that is why?
-They also told me NOT to change her food right now and just start with the insulin. She is on 'Orijin Guardian Senior' dry cat food. I typically would give her a 1/4 scoop in the morning mixed with some water and then at night i would giver her a little less than 1/4 scoop dry food mixed with some water and 1/2 a can of 'Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers' canned wet food. I have been reading how it is important to get them on a better diabetic diet and in many cases, off of dry food completely and only wet. And I have seen many times it is better to start with a change of diet before starting insulin however, this option was not offered to me by the vet so again, I think I am just a little overwhelmed, concerned, and confused.

-She is also a grazer and does not typicslly finish her food in one sitting but likes to go back to it throughout the day. I was thinking of giving her a set amount to make sure she eats it before I adminster her insulin and then afterwards putting the rest of her food in her bowl to finish as she usually does. The vet said it is most important to make sure she is getting the same amount of calories a day and eating at least a third of her food before the shot. I would like to ideally give her the shot WHILE she is eating, in hopes it will distract her but when I asked the vet they said i really needed to make sure she at enough before giving it. Does anyone also have advice for this kind of situation?

*They do suggest i get Keto-Diastix which I already ordered but is that really enough to monitor her? And how often should I test with them?

I am also such a little wuss with anything that remotely hurts and brings her discomfort so everyone please wish me luck:( She is my whole world, literally my best friend for the last 15 years (half my life). I hate the thought of bringing her discomfort but know it willl be worth it when she is feeling so much better and herself. ANY ADVICE AT ALL would be extremely helpful. This forum has already begun to teach me so much.

Thank you all!

**Edit: I also want to add that she is not and has never been over weight and always had a pretty good diet. So the diabetes diagnosis came as quite a shock. She is only 9.3 pounds right now (she lost weight recently rather quickly due to the diabetes) but usually she has been around 10 pounds her whole life.
Click to expand...
Hello and welcome to the FDMB. So she did not have a fructosamine test? That would give you a number which would be an average of her blood glucose over the last few weeks. It’s better than just a single “spot check” at the vet because BG can be elevated due to stress at the vet. I am not doubting that she is diabetic, but just would like a better idea of her average blood glucose.
 
As for diet. The foods you are feeding her are far too high in carbohydrates. That certainly will have contributed to her diabetes. If you want to give her the best chance at becoming regulated on the ProZinc or even getting her into remission, you will want to start her on a low carb wet food diet. You can probably transition her over a period of about a week. Any foods under ten percent (dry matter basis) are considered low carb. An easy way to begin is to try Fancy Feast classic pates. They are low in carbohydrates. You definitely will not want to give her the Gravy Lovers FF because it is quite high carb. Don’t throw those unopened cans away though because they can be part of your “Hypo Kit.” FF Gravy Lovers are one of the foods members here frequently use to raise BG quickly when numbers drop too low.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Hello and welcome to the FDMB. So she did not have a fructosamine test? That would give you a number which would be an average of her blood glucose over the last few weeks. It’s better than just a single “spot check” at the vet because BG can be elevated due to stress at the vet. I am not doubting that she is diabetic, but just would like a better idea of her average blood glucose.
Click to expand...
I do not believe she did. I just looked at her blood work and it says "Urinalysis, Total HealthTM Plus with Free T4" but nothing about fructosamine.
 
If you are planning to begin insulin and begin the food transition at the same time, please do not start her at 2 units. I would hesitate to start any newly diagnosed cat on 2 units without knowing the Fructosamine number. I also would not start the insulin until I learned how to test her at home. It’s not safe. We often see dramatically lower BG when cats are switched to low carb food. Really, you could take a week to learn testing (I would recommend just getting a ReliOn meter from Walmart and a container of 100 test strips) and during the week you could transition her to the low carb food. I bet you already see improvement in her water drinking during this time. Now, if you find she has high ketones, we would not want to wait before beginning insulin. I would recommend testing for ketones once a day if you can catch her at the litter box.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
As for diet. The foods you are feeding her are far too high in carbohydrates. That certainly will have contributed to her diabetes. If you want to give her the best chance at becoming regulated on the ProZinc or even getting her into remission, you will want to start her on a low carb wet food diet. You can probably transition her over a period of about a week. Any foods under ten percent (dry matter basis) are considered low carb. An easy way to begin is to try Fancy Feast classic pates. They are low in carbohydrates. You definitely will not want to give her the Gravy Lovers FF because it is quite high carb. Don’t throw those unopened cans away though because they can be part of your “Hypo Kit.” FF Gravy Lovers are one of the foods members here frequently use to raise BG quickly when numbers drop too low.
Click to expand...
Firstly I want to say that I really thank you so much for taking the time to respond.
Would you suggest transitioning her while on the insulin? I was going to start the insulin tonight. Or should i wait to start the insulin and try to get her on a better food first? Or is it okay to switch now while also starting her on the insulin? Should I try switching only the fancy feast gravy lovers to the pate and leave her dry food as is or switch both at once? I am sorry if this is so many questions.
 
It sounds like she has diabetic neuropathy. You will want to start her on a methylcobalamin supplement as soon as you can. Zobaline is highly recommended for this.
 
1770406049226.jpeg

samirr12 said:
Firstly I want to say that I really thank you so much for taking the time to respond.
Would you suggest transitioning her while on the insulin? I was going to start the insulin tonight. Or should i wait to start the insulin and try to get her on a better food first? Or is it okay to switch now while also starting her on the insulin? Should I try switching only the fancy feast gravy lovers to the pate and leave her dry food as is or switch both at once? I am sorry if this is so many questions.
Click to expand...
Never too many questions! I love the name Kitty Munchkin Moo Moo! ❤️
 
samirr12 said:
Thank you! Wishing you and your girl the same❤️
Click to expand...
We base the dose of insulin on how LOW the dose is taking the kitty. That is very important to know because if they drop too low they could have a symptomatic hypoglycemic event. We do everything in our power to prevent that from happening. You cannot know the correct and safe dose without knowing the nadir (lowest point in the cycle.). Even with a preshot test, you are just blindly giving insulin if you have no idea of the nadir. Doctors would never allow their human patients to do this!

Also, if you track your cat’s BG at home you will not need to pay for a glucose curve at the vet. In addition, stress can substantially elevate BG above what it is at your home. Doing a curve at home (and reporting it to the vet if you must) is going to be much more accurate.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
We base the dose of insulin on how LOW the dose is taking the kitty. That is very important to know because if they drop too low they could have a symptomatic hypoglycemic event. We do everything in our power to prevent that from happening. You cannot know the correct and safe dose without knowing the nadir (lowest point in the cycle.). Even with a preshot test, you are just blindly giving insulin if you have no idea of the nadir. Doctors would never allow their human patients to do this!

Also, if you track your cat’s BG at home you will not need to pay for a glucose curve at the vet. In addition, stress can substantially elevate BG above what it is at your home. Doing a curve at home (and reporting it to the vet if you must) is going to be much more accurate.
Click to expand...
I did ask the vet tech why further testing doesn't have to be done and he said the combo of sysmptoms along with the glucose present in urine and blood in such a high amount is a definite indicator or diabetes. But now that you just pointed it out , it makes sense. How can they accurately prescribe her a proper dose if they don't even know her average levels lately.

I'm not really sure where to go from here. I am not sure if i should try and find another vet and get a second opinion and a more informed doctor. I was going to start the insulin tonight but now I don't know if I should focus on switching her food up first like you suggested for a week and then seeing.
 
samirr12 said:
I did ask the vet tech why further testing doesn't have to be done and he said the combo of sysmptoms along with the glucose present in urine and blood in such a high amount is a definite indicator or diabetes. But now that you just pointed it out , it makes sense. How can they accurately prescribe her a proper dose if they don't even know her average levels lately.

I'm not really sure where to go from here. I am not sure if i should try and find another vet and get a second opinion and a more informed doctor. I was going to start the insulin tonight but now I don't know if I should focus on switching her food up first like you suggested for a week and then seeing.
Click to expand...
I would not start in the evening. At the very least, I would start in the morning on a day I could be with her.
 
A bright light like a headlamp helps a lot. And so does getting the larger lancets at first. Later you can transition to the Ultra Fine lancets. Warming the ear helps a lot. Using your hand to hold the lancet and not using the loud clicky lancing device will give you more control. Hold the lancet at a 45 degree angle. Those are some tips for when you get started!
 
samirr12 said:
Thank you so much for the information! So you do suggest I monitor her blood glucose level even though they told me I did not need too? I thought it was a little abnormal not to monitor the levels bc I know diabetics have too so why wouldn't my cat. They told me to just be aware of the signs that she could be have responding adversely. Would you also suggest I get her off the fancy feast gravy wet food asap or should i wait for her to adjust a little to the insulin first? Lastly, if i never have done blood glucose testing, should i go to my vet for a demo? They do offer it.
Click to expand...
if a human checks their glucose level before administering insulin, so does the cat, you do not want to be at the vets' office every other day stress yourself your pocket and your sweet cat I am sure, so you test, hypoglycemia is dangerous, it can be avoided with regular testing, especially when you start your cat on insulin, you want to see the days process on how it reacts in his body
 
samirr12 said:
Firstly I want to say that I really thank you so much for taking the time to respond.
Would you suggest transitioning her while on the insulin? I was going to start the insulin tonight. Or should i wait to start the insulin and try to get her on a better food first? Or is it okay to switch now while also starting her on the insulin? Should I try switching only the fancy feast gravy lovers to the pate and leave her dry food as is or switch both at once? I am sorry if this is so many questions.
Click to expand...
here is a Drs approved food chart, the third column contains the carb %, many brands and flavors to choose from, Fancy Feast is US made, is regulated, so no waste goes into the food, always pates in any brand, sauces, gravies, are as S8uzanne said high on carbs, no grazing either, no kibbles (dry food) and as Suzanne explained is best for you to learn how to test for about a week, since you want to transition first, as she explained the dose is way too high, without testing you are taking a very high risk for a hypoglycemia episode, and continued visits to the vets office, only causes stress, inadequate levels, and dose increases. I will say that I trust this Forum and the members blindly, they saved my Corkys life, I trust them more than any vet., my point of view only

Info - Dr. Pierson - new Food Chart
 
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samirr12 said:
I did ask the vet tech why further testing doesn't have to be done and he said the combo of sysmptoms along with the glucose present in urine and blood in such a high amount is a definite indicator or diabetes. But now that you just pointed it out , it makes sense. How can they accurately prescribe her a proper dose if they don't even know her average levels lately.

I'm not really sure where to go from here. I am not sure if i should try and find another vet and get a second opinion and a more informed doctor. I was going to start the insulin tonight but now I don't know if I should focus on switching her food up first like you suggested for a week and then seeing.
Click to expand...
Suzanne has assisted me from the beginning, she has taken Corky to become a healthy diabetic, she knows her stuff, if you see Corky's Spreadsheet, in blue below, see this years glucose levels, this is where a diabetic or non diabetic cats' glucose levels need to be between 50-120 to have a healthy pancreas, stick around, since we are very numbers oriented, we can help you regulate your cat and assist you with dosing and any other concerns that might come up, we would like you to create your signature, this way we can all be on the same page, and also create a spreadsheet so you can log in the daily BG's links below, if you have trouble creating the spreadsheet we can create it for you, the spreadsheet is a great tool for you and us see how the insulin reacts during the day, since all cats are different, is also a tool for you to learn how your cat "ticks" on insulin, you will begin to see a pattern

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

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