Hi Christine,
I'm in Toronto and would be happy to talk on the phone and answer all of your questions. It's too bad I'm heading to Ottawa today, otherwise I'd offer to come over with my supplies and show you some tricks for hometesting, etc. A lovely member here did the same for me (when I still lived in Ottawa) when mine was first diagnosed four years ago so I like to pay it back to the community. Just a few high-level points (can go into more depth over the phone)
- Is your vet sure it's diabetes? There is one member here that when I started talking to her on the phone and helping her with home testing, we found out that it wasn't diabetes and she was injecting her cat unnecessarily with insulin, leading to BG surges which made him look diabetic. Did your cat have the frequent urination, drinking a LOT, lethargy, weight loss, etc?
- You can also get the Lantus vial (not pens) for $76 at Shoppers. I don't get the pens as they are more expensive, but don't last longer (overall expiry is the same, and a vial once open lasts six months in the fridge). I always plan on getting my cat off of insulin and diet controlled, so don't need as much insulin

Ditch the caninsulin - as the name suggests, it is for dogs. If I listened to my vet upon first diagnosis, my cat would be dead. Not have spent most of the last four years in remission. and any new vet, I don't really listen to either lol. Only found one that is up to date on the research, and am tired of bringing articles from the Canadian veterinary journals to the vets for their own education.
- I buy Friskies at Costco or Wal-Mart. In my signature below you'll find a (high level) carb calculator that I started and many other Canadian members have contributed to. Anything less than 10% carbs is good. It's not perfect (the calculation), but it's a good guideline to get a general idea of safe foods.
- You have to start dosing small (1 unit) and yes, I know it is tricky when you work during the day and can't check. This is the first time I'm in that boat, so I set my alarm for 1 or 2am and test nadirs at night sometimes when I am worried. If you start the dosing small and work your way up, and stay consistent, there is lower risk of a hypo. Leave out food and the cat will eat during the day which helps, plus they do have a natural mechanism to give themselves more BG when it is too low (you'll just have a BG surge for the next day), so I wouldn't stress too much. It's riskier when your cat starts to recover and the numbers start to drop, but not so much when you're increasing the doses to find the right one upon first diagnosis.
- Home glucometer: Yes, you can use a human meter. If you can drive to the US and get the RelioOn micro or confirm meters that would be good. I'd just advise getting anything that only takes 0.3 microLiters of blood. Any meter that requires more will lead you to wasting many test strips since you didn't get enough blood out of your cat. I test on the tip/edge of the ear. My cat takes it like a champ, too. Just plunk him on my lap like a baby and test away. I personally like the Freestyle Freedom Lite (many members here will disagree) since it is small blood drop size, and easy to hold and use. I also have the Bayer Countour Next USB, but I waste test strips just trying to use the darn thing. Either they weren't stuck in firmly enough and don't turn on the machine, and then I get a used test strip error since it thinks I used it when I didn't, or I don't get enough blood in time. It's also bigger and more difficult to use. Anyway, for either of those, it's best to go to Costco for strips. $75/$75 for either Bayer or Freestyle at Costco, vs $86 at Rexall vs $90 at Shoppers.
If you can go to the states, here are the meters and strips I think people here recommend - I hope to be able to pick some up myself in a few weeks
http://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Micro- ... ethod=p13n
Or this one in pink or blue:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Confir ... ethod=p13n
Test strips boxes of 100.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Confir ... t/16795579
Anyways, I'll PM you my number and would be happy to chat. And you can find my spreadsheet (in mmol - international units as well) below to get an idea of what you're in for :mrgreen:
Sophia