Welcome Steph & Java to Lantus Land! Sorry that you have to be here but you've found an incredible community of people who will help you learn to manage Java's diabetes.
You've gotten off to a great start. Thank you for getting your spreadsheet (SS) and Profile set up. It helps enormously!
As you're settling in, please read the starred, sticky notes at the top of the Topics section. There is a HUGE amount of information in those notes.
- Tight Regulation Protocol: This sticky contains the dosing protocol that we use here. There are also links to the more formal versions -- the Tilly Protocol developed by the counterpart of this group in German and the Queensland/Rand protocol developed by Jacqui Rand, DVM and published in one of the top vet journals.
- New to the Group: Everything you wanted to know about this forum and more. Info on our slang, FAQs, links to sites on feline nutrition and to food charts containing carb counts, how to do a curve and the components to look for, important aspects of diabetes such as ketones, DKA, and neuropathy, and most important, info on hypoglycemia.
- Handling Lantus: how to get the maximum use from your insulin and what to not do with it!
- Lantus depot/shed: This is an important concept for understanding how Lantus works.
- Becoming Data Ready: What data you need in order to be able to work toward remission or tight regulation.
To answer your question, most of us test, feed, then shoot while our cats are eating. It probably takes me under 5 minutes to do this. I have my kitties food prepped and the insulin is drawn when I test. When Gabby has her head in her bowl, she gets her shot. The food acts as a distraction. Since I feed several small meals, I often test before she gets her food, Gabby has learned to associate getting tested with food (or treats). Positive reinforcement works!
It will take 5 - 7 days for you to really evaluate how well Lantus is working. It takes this long for a shed (insulin depot) to form. You will want to hold your dose at the 1.0u you're giving until this point (unless numbers drop below 50 and Java earns a dose reduction). You will also want to be testing fairly often during these early days. The dosing protocol we use suggests you try to get mini-curves (i.e., testing every 3 hours) whenever you can.
From your profile, it looks like you're feeding low carb food. Many of us have found that breaking up our cats' meals into smaller portions and feeding over the first half of the cycle puts less pressure on the pancreas. It may be worth considering this for Java.
I also hope you've purchased syringes that are in 1/2 unit increments. Our dosing is done in 0.25 unit increments. It is less eye strain to use syringe in 0.5 units and this type of syringe will give you better accuracy.
Please let us know if you have questions. The people here are very generous with their time and knowledge. Please visit our condos (what we call our individual threads -- one condo, per cat, per day) and read our SSs, it's a great way to learn. I hope you'll continue to post regularly.
