Fostering a diabetic cat

Hi there!

In a day or two, I am going to start fostering a diabetic cat called Abby as her current foster is not able to take care of her anymore.
She is on 3IU of insulin twice a day and is aged about 8 years old, she was dumped by her previous owners in a box

Does anyone else here foster a diabetic cat, and have any advice for someone just starting out? We've been trying really hard to get her adopted as she's been at the rescue for several months, but obviously it's tough with her medical needs. We are thinking maybe someone who has diabetes themselves, could be a good fit. She is an independent lady too, very regal looking but with a slight resting b**** face LOL! Adopt Abby on Petfinder

Luckily, I do have some experience with diabetic cats as I looked after my friends for a week or two. I am a little nervous though.

Oh, my heart. She looks like such a doll. I hope someone snaps her up soon! I can't understand how anyone could be so cruel as to just abandon a cat like that.

Anything in particular you're nervous about in terms of caring for her? There's tons of useful information and advice all over this forum, and folks here are very good about answering specific questions. (Speaking as a new person who has had a lot of questions!)

Hello and welcome. Thank you for fostering a diabetic. We've had numerous people foster a diabetic and several people who have adopted more than one diabetic cat. So someone with a previous diabetic cat is also an option. Hopefully one of them will stop by.

Can you tell us what insulin she's on? Also, what food she's eating? Do you know if her blood sugars are being tested? A good insulin for cats (preferably Lantus or Prozinc), a low carb diet, and home testing can get a cat regulated. There is a possibility of regulated cats going into diabetic remission. I remember one or two stories of people adopting or fostering a diabetic cat and "breaking" them. Meaning, they got them into remission, which makes for an easier adoption.

Thank you both for the replies! She takes a lantus pen. I haven’t used it before but it looks more convenient than a needle. I’m happy to know there are other community members with experience. I guess it’s just a bit more complicated with a foster. You are not able to rush them to the vet if they seem unwell; it has to be confirmed with the rescue (who are brilliant and responsive, but we are all volunteers). Also the feeling of being responsible for a kitty who is only temporarily yours and wanting to be sure they are safe with you.

I’m waiting to find out about her food, she is coming to me on Thursday. I know the last time she went to the vet was the end of October with some lethargy and dizziness, which resulted in her going up to 3 units and she was much better after that. I can’t see anything in her record about regular blood sugar testing, certainly she doesn’t have a monitor. Possibly that’s a cost thing, since any vet fees have to be fundraised for. I’ll find out about it, if the home testing with the ear stick is not too expensive I can probably cover that. It would make me feel more confident about looking after her!

Lantus is a good insulin for cats. Most of us shoot insulin with syringes. With pens, you can only go up by whole units, but cats are sensitive to even smaller dose changes, like 0.25 units at a time. You need 1/2 unit marked syringes and eyeball that small a dose change.

Home testing blood sugars is way cheaper than taking to the vet. In the US, a lot of people use the Relion Premier from Walmart, as the test strips are very cost effective.