Newly diagnosed with diabetes

C

Catcrazy

Member Since 2025
Hi,
My cat Stewie is a Norwegian Forest, male , neutered , and is 15 years old. I noticed over the past few months increased appetite and increased urination. He also started to vomit but not excessively. He didn’t appear to be in any pain, but I still became suspicious this was diabetes, Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we took him to the vet. After 1200.00 dollars in blood work and urinalysis the diagnosis was confirmed. He had high sugar in his urine, 1000mg/dl. After getting this devastating news, my knee jerk response was to consider euthanasia, but the very thought made me shake all over and I decided I couldn’t do it. He had been hiding under the bed all day and the vet said it might not be realistic to administer insulin injections so she recommended Bexacat . What a horrible mistake this oral medication was for Stewie. He developed severe diarrhea and became severely lethargic. We rushed him back to the vet and they suspected DKA but ketones were negative. It was the Bexacat and as soon as we stopped it , he began to improve. The vet asked us if we wanted to try the Lantus, and we said yes. He started December 1, 2025 and we noticed immediate improvement however he was never able to take the second dose because he wasn’t eating enough to sustain the dose Even with the one unit in the morning I have had to administer honey 6 times this month because he dropped quickly to a blood glucose level of 61.
In spite of this we see less urination and less thirst, but decreased appetite. I have tried fancy feast pate, even baby food, and just ordered Hills glucose control dry food. He seems disinterested in eating . He ate ravenously before the one unit of insulin. Even today I could not administer his shot because he didn’t eat enough.
I was fearing pancreatitis however no vomiting or diarrhea. All I do is look at him and cry. He is wearing a Libre Freestyle monitor so we see his levels 24/7.
What is happening ? I am not sure he is going to get through this. He seems more irritated and wants to be left alone .
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1170.jpeg
    IMG_1170.jpeg
    2.6 MB · Views: 9
Welcome to FDMB
Stewy is beautiful, It is overwhelming when we get the news about Feline Diabetes, but the good news is that is manageable, it was a great choice switching to Lantus is one of the best insulin for cats as well as ProZinc they are a 12-hours insulin and easy on the cat The Fancy Feast was also a Great choice switching the the Hills, was not, diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can food or raw between 0-10% carbs switching to the Hills food was not a good choice ,it is very high in carbs Most of the US members use FF pates between 0-10% carbs most feed up 5% carbs, Continued Glucose monitor such as Libre is a great idea although it is Also good to have a manual glucose human monitor such as the ReliOn Premier monitor and strips, is very accurate, and inexpensive the Libre has a set back, in case of a low BG ,in two digits it will read it much lower than reality, so is good to test manually to get a real reading, they can fall off or stop working before the 14 days so always have an extra one handy. And of course is needless to say if the vet recommends a curve is, Stewy is doing a curve daily, which means testing every two hours for a cycle (12)?hours. you can ask the vet to prescribe MIRATZ is a small gel tuve where you rub a tip of pin size on one one of the l inner fold of the ear switching ears every day for 5 days , Stewy will devoured his food probably on the next feeding, as long as Stewy eats something you can give the insulin, also several meals or snacks during the day to hold the insulin depot, and you may think it’s the end but with these recommendations, Stewy will regulate. I will tag a member that can assist you with Lantus and DKA and dosing You’re in the right place, we are here’re you are not alone in this journey, continue to post any question, concerns. Also I will tell you what I was told as well: “ Take a step back, breath in breath out. Cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress Stewy will Stress”🤗
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Diane Tyler's Mom GA
 
Last edited:
Thank you so much for your kind support. What is bizarre is that Stewie is dropping on his own without insulin. I have been very consistent about his diet and only give him a tablespoon of dry food just to entice him to eat his pate but still no good. Is the stuff you are suggesting for his ear an appetite stimulant?
If so I will call my vet today and request it.
I am wondering if he is one of these cats that is already showing signs of remission.
As far as the monitor it is steadfast . Vet applied it with surgical glue and Stewie isn’t bothering it. Not sure I could prick his ear on a regular basis. He’s already irritable. I scan him every hour. He went from 218 to 176 without insulin.
Also the vet sees his readings in real time because she is linked in through her practice.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0014.jpeg
    IMG_0014.jpeg
    476 KB · Views: 3
Yes the MIRATZ is an appetite stimulant a non diabetic cats glucose is in a range between 50-99.so no I cannot say if is remission or not or that he’s getting used to the insulin, I do not give dosing advice I did tag two members will soon plug in with about it and the DKA, you can apply the sensor yourself at home is easy however gluing is not a good suggestion, it extremely irritates the skin and Stewy will have shaven patches all over his fur you can get a 1/2 sweater if he want to mess with it, pricking the ear regularly will not be the case it would be in case the LIBRE reads two digits, you want to confirm with the manual meter to compare, which will be the accurate reading
 
Last edited:
Did your vet show you how to measure 1 unit correctly? 1 unit is tiny, just past the zero line.

49823063143_3437e9e997_o.jpg



And you are using U100 insulin syringes?

How many hours after the 1 unit of Lantus did you get 61?

Dry food just keeps blood glucose levels too high. Food specially marketed for diabetes are useless, even the prescription ones. They have no special ingredient that helps a diabetic. Fancy Feast and other commercially available canned foods are fine as long as they are low carb.

For an inappetant cat, you do want to get any food into the cat though. Not enough calories can result in fatty liver disease. The vet has to figure out the reason for the inappetance too. Pancreatitis is common in diabetic cats. There's info here: Info - A Primer On Pancreatitis The vet can diagnose this with a specific FPLI blood test.
 
My husband is diabetic and has complete knowledge of syringes
He has been diabetic for 4O years and yes he fills the syringe correctly.He dropped to 61 about an hour and a half but not directly after the shot. He was 196 at 3:44 am and 61 at 6:52 am. We get up early and he gets his shot around 4am.
We are frustrated. He still hasn’t had his shot today because he isn’t eating . Those logs I sent you are yesterday.
He isn’t vomiting or diarrhea and is not howling or vocalizing. Right now he us just quiet and wants to sleep.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    3 MB · Views: 8
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.6 MB · Views: 7
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.5 MB · Views: 6
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 6
Catcrazy said:
Stwey is ad
Catcrazy said:
Thank you so much for your kind support. What is bizarre is that Stewie is dropping on his own without insulin. I have been very consistent about his diet and only give him a tablespoon of dry food just to entice him to eat his pate but still no good. Is the stuff you are suggesting for his ear an appetite stimulant?
If so I will call my vet today and request it.
I am wondering if he is one of these cats that is already showing signs of remission.
As far as the monitor it is steadfast . Vet applied it with surgical glue and Stewie isn’t bothering it. Not sure I could prick his ear on a regular basis. He’s already irritable. I scan him every hour. He went from 218 to 176 without insulin.
Also the vet sees his readings in real time because she is linked in through her practice.
Click to expand...
Stewy is adorable
Thank you so much for your kind support. What is bizarre is that Stewie is dropping on his own without insulin. I have been very consistent about his diet and only give him a tablespoon of dry food just to entice him to eat his pate but still no good. Is the stuff you are suggesting for his ear an appetite stimulant?
If so I will call my vet today and request it.
I am wondering if he is one of these cats that is already showing signs of remission.
As far as the monitor it is steadfast . Vet applied it with surgical glue and Stewie isn’t bothering it. Not sure I could prick his ear on a regular basis. He’s already irritable. I scan him every hour. He went from 218 to 176 without insulin.
Also the vet sees his readings in real time because she is linked in through her practice.
Click to expand...
 
Good to know :) This board has had newbies in the past who were using the wrong syringes or were incorrectly measuring insulin.

The numbers from yesterday are good healthy numbers. Have you tried 0.5 units of insulin twice a day? 1 unit is definitely too much if it dropped your cat to 61 around +3 after insulin. You'll need to get insulin syringes that have half unit markings.
 
I just put in a call to the vet. My Stewie is a mystery right now. I just felt his belly and he is bloated. Possibly constipation from diet change ?
My husband knows how to measure a half unit but he still hasn’t eaten.
I appreciate all your help. I am so overwhelmed with everything and so afraid for my cat.
Maybe he isn’t hungry because he’s feeling bloated. Will discuss with vet. This is a scary time for me and my cat. Hope we have a good outcome.
 
When you’re with the vet be sure to express what you have learned here, don’t get intimidated, you know Stewy best, make sure he understand your concerns and your comfort zone, if you sound too anxious he can take that as an advantage, go in calm and sure of yourself, you got this! Let us know how it goes, good luck
 
Write down the question you want to ask one by one, wait for an answer, clarify, discuss, and you do what’s best for Stewy,,be careful for extra unnecessary tests, better yet, follow your instincts
 
Welcome to FDMB.

You mentioned that Stewie had a small fortune in lab tests run when he was diagnosed. Frankly, diagnosing diabetes via urinalysis is not the best method for diagnosis. If you have his lab work, can you look to see if there are results from a fructosamine test? The fructosamine test is roughly the equivalent of what a hemoglobin A1c is for humans. It provides an average of blood glucose over a period of several weeks. Having the fructosamine test will let you know if, in fact, the high blood glucose is due to diabetes or if there was something else going on.

We ask that members log their cat's blood glucose test numbers on a spreadsheet. This will allow you to track Stewie's progress and it will also allow us to follow along. It's not safe for us to offer suggestions about dose without seeing what your cat's numbers look like. We also ask that you put information about your cat in your signature. It's helpful because otherwise, we'll keep annoying you by asking a lot of the same questions over and over again. The information you'll need is in this post on helping us to help you. Given that you noted that Stewie's numbers haven't been in a diabetic range, it would be very helpful to see the larger picture so the spreadsheet will be an enormous help.

One additional point to keep in mind. Typically, Lantus had a nadir (lowest point in the cycle) about half way through (around 6 hours after a shot). However, not all cats read the rule book. Some cats have an early nadir and some a late nadir. In addition, the nadir can and does move around. My cat had an early nadir except for those times when she didn't. (Did I forget to mention that cats don't seem to like to be predictable?) The drop at 3 hours after insulin may be that Stewie has an early nadir.

One other thought.... Before Stewie was diagnosed, how did you feed him? Did he graze? Subsequently, did the vet tell you to feed your cat only twice a day? In addition, if Stewie was used to eating at his leisure and you were told to feed him only twice a day, he may still want to graze. It's fine to allow him to eat when he wants to. To be honest, I'm not a fan of telling members to ask for a prescription drug for their cat. Mirtaz is the drug mirtazapine (Remeron). It's an antidepressant/antianxiety medication and one of the side effects is increased appetite. I'd be more interested in knowing why Stewie isn't interested in his food. One of the differences between Lantus and other insulins is that for most cats, it doesn't start to work until about 2 hours after a shot. It's not critical if he's not eating a full meal at shot time. It's important that he eats but it doesn't need to be all at once.
 
Hello and Good morning,
As you can see we are up very early. I will try to answer your questions.
First of all, I respect the idea of a spreadsheet but I will not be pursuing that . I won’t open a google account because we have already been compromised online and I know google has had its share of issues.
Stewie is on a CGM and he will stay on one as long as he tolerates it.
I can send you his logs by photo.
As far as Stewie’s eating patterns , yes he is a grazer , and always seems to eat at night. I chased him around all day yesterday and he just wouldn’t eat so he could not get his one unit. Looking at his log he never reached critical blood glucose levels even without his insulin!
I called the vet and she looked at his log from yesterday, because she is linked in and sees it in real time. She wasn’t alarmed. She told me to wait a day about the appetite situation. No she never said he could only eat twice a day . Just the opposite. She agreed with you that getting the shot immediately after eating is not necessary, however agreed that no shot should be given if he is refusing food. Today he did nibble on some high protein pate but we administered the shot around 3am.
I just scanned him and here we go again. He went from 239 to 88 in two hours. The left picture is yesterday and the right is from 4:30 am this morning. Wow….
No he didn’t get a A1C…but I do believe he is diabetic, will discuss with vet.
Don’t understand what you mean about posting under my signature.
Not computer savvy so you need to explain.
Is 88 critical and pointing straight down? Should I correct or wait?
What is critical?
Thanks, Mary
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.5 MB · Views: 8
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 8
See Corky's and Sienne's posts above (or most any other FDMB member's). At the very bottom of their post, there is a signature with info about their diabetic cat. A quick glance at a post gives anyone basic info about the cat so they can better answer someone's question or concern.


Make sure your signature is up-to-date.

  • In the top right, click on your username, and then Signature. This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback. There is a limit of two lines which may include two links; you may separate pieces with commas, dashes, | etc. This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
  • Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • Country
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
[/LIST]
Click to expand...


Normal cat blood glucose levels are roughly 60 to 150 mg/dl. 88 is fine depending on when in the cycle it was. Was the 88 at insulin time or some time after insulin was given? How long after insulin?

For newbies, it's not recommended to give insulin if the cat is at 150 or below because you don't have enough data to know how the insulin and dose works for your cat yet.

The cat equivalent of theAC1 is called a fructosamine.

Here's the info on hypoglycemia which you should print out:

Sticky - How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!!
Sticky - jojo and bunny's HYPO TOOL BOX
 
Mary -

The rationale for a a Google spreadsheet is that if you want any assistance with dosing, we need to see what is going on with your cat's blood glucose. We have been using the spreadsheet template since I've been here (2009) if not before. The CGMs are a fairly new innovation and do not provide the same detail as the spreadsheet since what you're posting is roughly a day's worth of information. It's important for us to see trends rather than an isolated day at a time. Not all of our members have Excel but that would be a better option than the CGM information and we do not have a template for Excel. You would need to duplicate our spreadsheet on your own. And yes, we are probably a bit set in our ways but the spreadsheet gives us common ground for communication around a cat's progress and dosing. Without the spreadsheet, we are truly hampered from providing any input that could have an impact on dose. It would be irresponsible and potentially jeopardize your cat's safety if we gave dosing input without adequate data.

The pharmacology of Lantus is such that it is a depot type of medication. Routinely skipping doses means that the depot never stabilizes and you lose the benefit of using a long duration insulin.
 
Thank you for all your support and information.
Stewie went down quickly right after the shot and I brought him back up with honey. He was 239 this morning before his shot. He even went down to 68 but he is stable now.
I will have the vet do the cumulative blood test
Everyone has been wonderful here but this will be my last post.
I can’t follow through with how the site works so I suppose I will have to end here.
Thanks to all who replied and best of luck with your fur babies.
I know I have challenges ahead with Stewie and it may be a very sad time in the near future.
I am trying to prepare myself that Stewie may not get better being a 15 year old cat. He isn’t playing with me like he did and he seems so much less active. I am hoping for the best but preparing myself for the worst.
Take care everyone and Happy Holidays
Mary
 
Aww don't leave :( @Bandit's Mom can help you with the signature and setting up a spreadsheet. It might be a few days so have patience. The board tends to be slow around holidays.

Here's info on how to use this board Sticky - HOW-TO USE THE FDMB: The Basics

Take some time to just navigate the board while logged in. Visit the various forums, view the profiles of other members, edit your account, etc.

Honey works in a pinch but doesn't last too long. Gravy based canned food works well because of the carbs and lasts longer.
 
@Catcrazy if the Google spreadsheet is your biggest challenge right now, there are ways around it. Bandit’s Mom or myself can help you find a solution. But Sienne is right, we need to try to keep a standard here otherwise we risk things slipping through the cracks.

I hate to see people struggling and as a result their cat not getting the help it needs. It might be hard to trust an internet stranger, but please consider trusting me when I say the overwhelm stage you’re in right now will get better. Stewie can live many extra years with feline diabetes with the right treatment. And the people here have practiced that treatment for 30 years.

So, the decision is ultimately yours. And no judgement either way. You’re clearly a loving caregiver because you ended up here, I would just hate to see you get tripped up on such a small thing.

If there’s anything else technically about the site that you’re struggling with, let me know. I can make a personal video for you and try to show you how things work. Although I would probably share that via Google (🙃), we can figure it out.
 
I agree with the other members posts we would hate to see you go, this is not only a Forum that is Worldwide and has so many years of experience in saving cats, and for support, when you cannot get a hold of the Vet, they do not work 24/7, We are here 24/7, if you happen to have an urgent matter we can be here for you free of charge, and guide you to stabilized Stewie in case of need, and for love to our fur babies, and all of us here feel a very special connection with all the members from the get go, since most of us had had a desperate moment not knowing what to do out of stress, and not knowing what to do at the time of need, I am one of them, been here for since Jan 2023 and I learn something new every day, and still have concerns now and then. We hope you stick around, hoping that an emergency does arrive and you mare left stranded, we are here, Happy Holidays 🫶 :bighug: 🎅 🎄
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top