I've struggled with feline diabetes for 5 years. My vet discourages home testing, and I find it so difficult to try to get a blood sample from him; it's torture for him. So after our recent glucose curve test, he was labeled somewhere between "regulated" and "poorly regulated". I follow the vets instructions and still once or twice a year the cat gets some sort of expensive illness. I have two credit cards maxed out with vet bills only. I keep trying to get him well and nothing is working. The last time he went to the vet he had 5 teeth pulled and the vet cracked his jaw. My little guy can't catch a break. He always seems starving although I give him the recommended amount of food. He wakes me up several times each night begging for food. My other cat goes hungry often, she's a grazer and leaves food in her bowl so I have to put it away when she walks away from it or the diabetic cat will eat it in two seconds if I turn my back. He's on Lantus, which is nearly $400 a vile and we're almost out. I'm freaking out a little bit. I'm stuck between two hard spots- my money situation and how bad the cat really feels. I don't want to euthanize, I don't even think it's the right time. I have searched high and low for a new home, hoping another diabetic pet owner would take him on out of the kindness of their heart. Someone who knows how to give him better care than I can. I cry every day over this, it's something that has me deeply depressed and feeling backed into a corner. I'm so lost and confused on what to do with him, since he's such a sweetheart and he's got such a wonderful personality.
At the end of my rope - help needed in Kansas City
- Thread starter KelleyAnn
- Start date
- Status
MrWorfMen's Mom
Member Since 2015
KellyAnn, You are obviously frustrated and need some help. 
It's entirely up to you whether you test at home or not. What you do at home is your business and hme testing is the best way for you to get kitty on a better path. We can help you learn how to test so that it's not so stressful for you or your kitty and many folks here order their Lantus from Canada for considerably less than you are currently paying. We have all sorts of cost saving tips and can help you work toward getting your little guy better regulated. It would be very sad for you both if you had to re-home him and I think with some assistance we can help you get to a much more positive place.
I strongly suggest you post a thread of your own on the Health Board to get more attention to your situation/concerns. Anyone checking this thread will likely be doing so based on the location mentioned and subject matter. i.e Kansas City vet. so there will be a limited number of folks visiting here and we don't want to hijack Teresa and Poopy's thread.
It's entirely up to you whether you test at home or not. What you do at home is your business and hme testing is the best way for you to get kitty on a better path. We can help you learn how to test so that it's not so stressful for you or your kitty and many folks here order their Lantus from Canada for considerably less than you are currently paying. We have all sorts of cost saving tips and can help you work toward getting your little guy better regulated. It would be very sad for you both if you had to re-home him and I think with some assistance we can help you get to a much more positive place.
I strongly suggest you post a thread of your own on the Health Board to get more attention to your situation/concerns. Anyone checking this thread will likely be doing so based on the location mentioned and subject matter. i.e Kansas City vet. so there will be a limited number of folks visiting here and we don't want to hijack Teresa and Poopy's thread.
Jill & Alex (GA)
Member Since 2009
I've started a new thread for Kelly Ann and sent her a PM with it's location.
KellyAnn is located in Kansas City... if anyone can help.
Intro thread:
End of my rope
KellyAnn is located in Kansas City... if anyone can help.
Intro thread:
End of my rope
MrWorfMen's Mom
Member Since 2015
KelleyAnn, We will do all we can to help you and your kitty get sorted out.
You indicated you are almost out of Lantus. Please check in the Supply Closet HERE as there may be some Lantus available at considerable savings. For the future, Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada is used by many members here as the price of insulin here in Canada is considerably less than what you have been paying. We suggest buying the SoloStar pens which come in a pack of 5. They have tiny vials in them containing 3ml of insulin and we use syringes to draw out the insulin. Buying the pens is much more economical because you won't end up with any waste as is usually the case with the larger vial because unless kitty is on a large dose of insulin, the insulin in the 10ml. vial loses it's effectiveness before it's used up.
The fact that you are trying to regulate your kitty based on BG readings taken at the vet may be a big part of why you are having trouble getting him regulated. Most cats get very stressed at the vets and this caused their BG to go up. The vet then prescribes a dose of insulin based on elevated BG levels and having kitty on too much insulin can often look like too little. This unfortunately sets you into a vicious circle. We can help you figure out what is going on and how to fix it.
On the home testing front, there are a number of things you can do to help get a sample. Check out HOME TESTING for lots of reading material and videos. Below are some quick tips.
1. Make sure his ear is warm. Many folks make up a little rice sock and heat it in the microwave and apply that for a bit before testing.
2. Use lancets with a gauge of 26-28.
3. Put a thin skim of Vaseline on the spot you intend to poke for the sample. This helps make the blood bead up rather than settling into the fur.
4. Use a meter that requires a small sample of blood. It appears you have a meter but if it take too much blood that could be adding to your diffculties. Let us know what meter you are using. Popular meters here are the Relion Confirm and Micro which meet this requirement and have reasonably priced test strips.
5. Relax! If you get worked up about testing, kitty will get worked up. They can be like sponges when it comes to our emotions. Some folks even sing while testing just to keep themselves calm!
6. Finding one spot in the house where you have good light and can comfortably test kitty helps too. Kitty gets used to coming to the spot for testing and of course a little treat bribery goes along way too!
Once you start home testing, you can set up one of our spreadsheets which are available to members here so that we help you figure out what's going on and make suggestions to help get your kitty better regulated.
In the meantime if you could set up a signature (the light grey text below my response) so when folk are responding, there is some basic information always available. It makes it easier on you so we don't keep asking the same questions. You can include your name, your kitty's name, the glucometer you use, type and dose of insulin, diet, any other health conditions kitty is dealing with, and your general location. To set up a signature, hover your mouse over your user name up in the upper right screen area. This brings down a menu from which you select Signature from the left column. This opens a text box for you to input the info you wish to share. The signature can only be 3 lines long, so if you have a lot of info, you can separate pieces of info with a slash or "|". Remember to scroll down and click on "Save Changes" and you're done.
I'll leave it there for now because I don't want to overwhelm you. I am confident we can help both you and your little furry friend start feeling better very soon.
We will do all we can to help you and your kitty get sorted out.You indicated you are almost out of Lantus. Please check in the Supply Closet HERE as there may be some Lantus available at considerable savings. For the future, Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada is used by many members here as the price of insulin here in Canada is considerably less than what you have been paying. We suggest buying the SoloStar pens which come in a pack of 5. They have tiny vials in them containing 3ml of insulin and we use syringes to draw out the insulin. Buying the pens is much more economical because you won't end up with any waste as is usually the case with the larger vial because unless kitty is on a large dose of insulin, the insulin in the 10ml. vial loses it's effectiveness before it's used up.
The fact that you are trying to regulate your kitty based on BG readings taken at the vet may be a big part of why you are having trouble getting him regulated. Most cats get very stressed at the vets and this caused their BG to go up. The vet then prescribes a dose of insulin based on elevated BG levels and having kitty on too much insulin can often look like too little. This unfortunately sets you into a vicious circle. We can help you figure out what is going on and how to fix it.
On the home testing front, there are a number of things you can do to help get a sample. Check out HOME TESTING for lots of reading material and videos. Below are some quick tips.
1. Make sure his ear is warm. Many folks make up a little rice sock and heat it in the microwave and apply that for a bit before testing.
2. Use lancets with a gauge of 26-28.
3. Put a thin skim of Vaseline on the spot you intend to poke for the sample. This helps make the blood bead up rather than settling into the fur.
4. Use a meter that requires a small sample of blood. It appears you have a meter but if it take too much blood that could be adding to your diffculties. Let us know what meter you are using. Popular meters here are the Relion Confirm and Micro which meet this requirement and have reasonably priced test strips.
5. Relax! If you get worked up about testing, kitty will get worked up. They can be like sponges when it comes to our emotions. Some folks even sing while testing just to keep themselves calm!
6. Finding one spot in the house where you have good light and can comfortably test kitty helps too. Kitty gets used to coming to the spot for testing and of course a little treat bribery goes along way too!
Once you start home testing, you can set up one of our spreadsheets which are available to members here so that we help you figure out what's going on and make suggestions to help get your kitty better regulated.
In the meantime if you could set up a signature (the light grey text below my response) so when folk are responding, there is some basic information always available. It makes it easier on you so we don't keep asking the same questions.
You can include your name, your kitty's name, the glucometer you use, type and dose of insulin, diet, any other health conditions kitty is dealing with, and your general location. To set up a signature, hover your mouse over your user name up in the upper right screen area. This brings down a menu from which you select Signature from the left column. This opens a text box for you to input the info you wish to share. The signature can only be 3 lines long, so if you have a lot of info, you can separate pieces of info with a slash or "|". Remember to scroll down and click on "Save Changes" and you're done. I'll leave it there for now because I don't want to overwhelm you. I am confident we can help both you and your little furry friend start feeling better very soon.
- Status