Hello!
I am desperately seeking help!
My cat is a British Shorthair mix; he is a male, neutered, and will turn 9 in August. He was diagnosed with diabetes in April 2025 and has been on Levemir insulin for the past year and a half.
Over this time, we found a food that kept his blood sugar levels within the 6.5–8.0 range, though I still administered a minimum dose of 0.25 units. I gave the injections in the rib area.
Around the beginning of June, his blood sugar levels started fluctuating—sometimes 8.9, then 6.4, then 9.2; by the end of June, they were reaching as high as 10.0.
The most confusing part began in July. Here are the blood sugar reading times and the dosages administered (in parentheses):
July 1 at 07:00 – 11.6 (0.35 units)
July 1 at 20:25 (0.3 units)
July 2 at 06:49 – 12.7 (0.35 units)
July 2 at 20:35 (0.35 units)
July 3 at 08:24 – 14.9 (0.4 units)
July 3 at 20:21 (0.4 units)
July 4 at 09:11 – 12.3 (0.35 units)
July 4 at 21:04 (0.35 units)
July 5 at 08:15 – 11.1 (0.35 units)
This is where I made a huge mistake: in the evening rush, I mixed up his bowl with the other cat's bowl, and my diabetic cat ate a portion (20g) of *dry* Royal Canin Urinary food! Accordingly, realizing that the blood sugar level was about to spike, I administered the following doses:
July 5 at 21:16 – 0.5 units
July 5 at 23:59 – 18.3
July 6 at 07:01 – 18.1 (0.35 units)
July 6 at 20:29 – (0.35 units)
July 7 at 07:05 – 18.6 (0.4 units)
July 7 at 14:46 – 17.7
July 7 at 20:39 – (0.35 units)
July 8 at 09:15 – 19.2 (after this, we went to the vet clinic for a CBC and biochemistry panel; upon returning home and eating, I administered the dose at 11:57 – 0.5 units)
July 8 at 20:37 – (0.5 units)
July 9 at 08:46 – 14.1 (0.5 units)
July 9 at 20:00 – 9.1 (0.45 units)
July 10 at 06:58 – 10.1 (0.45 units)
July 10 at 20:25 – 17.8 (0.5 units)
July 11 at 08:04 – 12.4 (0.5 units)
July 11 at 20:05 – 20.8 (0.5 units)
July 12 at 07:52 – 13.2 (0.5 units)
July 12 at 15:22 – 24.4
July 12 at 20:20 – 21.4 (0.5 units)
13.07 at 08:25 - 11.4 (0.5 units)
13.07 at 14:24 - 11.5
13.07 at 20:31 - 12.9 (0.5 units)
14.07 at 08:27 - 20.5 (0.5 units)
14.07 at 14:21 - 21.4
15.07 at 06:52 - 16.2 (0.5 units)
15.07 at 14:29 - 18.3
15.07 at 06:52 - 19.0 (0.55 units)
16.07 at 06:54 - 6.8 (0.45 units)
16.07 at 14:18 - 8.8
16.07 at 06:52 - 21.8 (0.55 units)
17.07 at 08:26 - 24.6 (0.55 units)
17.07 at 14:18 - 23.6
17.07 at 20:40 - 19.3 (~0.65 units)
18.07 at 08:25 - 9.1 (0.55 units)
18.07 at 20:00 - 14.6 (~0.65 units)
19.07 at 08:37 - 16.6 (0.8 units)
19.07 at 14:17 - 21.8
The blood test results came back good, according to the vet. There is no inflammation; the kidneys and liver are normal.
I tried changing the injection site; we usually administered it in the area... ...ribs; I decided to change the injection site—moving it toward the hind legs, then the front legs, and even trying the scruff—but it doesn't seem to be yielding any results...
I have some questions:
- What on earth has been happening over the last 10 days? What are these strange fluctuations?
Why is the blood sugar around 9–11 one day and around 20 the next, despite using the same dose?
What caused such a sharp spike—going from 6.8 in the morning on July 16th to 21.8 by the evening? The same thing happened on July 19th: 16.6 in the morning, rising to a peak of 21.8 during the day?
- Why is the blood sugar level higher at the insulin's peak action time than it is in the morning before feeding or in the evening before feeding—when, logically, it ought to be lower?
Also, I blame myself for accidentally mixing up the cats' food bowls; the diabetic cat ate the dry food, and it feels like something "broke" after that. It’s been 10 days since then, and I don't understand: should his blood sugar have stabilized by now despite that mistake, or did that incident actually trigger these ongoing issues?
All in all, I’m really asking for help because I don't know which direction to take... I’ve wondered if the dose is too low and needs increasing,
but I’ve also considered the opposite—that the dose might be too high, causing the blood sugar to spike at the peak due to hypoglycemia. Basically, I’ve worked myself up into a state of confusion. I realize that without a specialist's help, I might do more harm than good, but staying on the 0.5 dose doesn't seem to make sense either, given how wildly the blood sugar is fluctuating...
I would be grateful for a reply and some recommendations—just to understand the right course of action for our situation.
I am desperately seeking help!
My cat is a British Shorthair mix; he is a male, neutered, and will turn 9 in August. He was diagnosed with diabetes in April 2025 and has been on Levemir insulin for the past year and a half.
Over this time, we found a food that kept his blood sugar levels within the 6.5–8.0 range, though I still administered a minimum dose of 0.25 units. I gave the injections in the rib area.
Around the beginning of June, his blood sugar levels started fluctuating—sometimes 8.9, then 6.4, then 9.2; by the end of June, they were reaching as high as 10.0.
The most confusing part began in July. Here are the blood sugar reading times and the dosages administered (in parentheses):
July 1 at 07:00 – 11.6 (0.35 units)
July 1 at 20:25 (0.3 units)
July 2 at 06:49 – 12.7 (0.35 units)
July 2 at 20:35 (0.35 units)
July 3 at 08:24 – 14.9 (0.4 units)
July 3 at 20:21 (0.4 units)
July 4 at 09:11 – 12.3 (0.35 units)
July 4 at 21:04 (0.35 units)
July 5 at 08:15 – 11.1 (0.35 units)
This is where I made a huge mistake: in the evening rush, I mixed up his bowl with the other cat's bowl, and my diabetic cat ate a portion (20g) of *dry* Royal Canin Urinary food! Accordingly, realizing that the blood sugar level was about to spike, I administered the following doses:
July 5 at 21:16 – 0.5 units
July 5 at 23:59 – 18.3
July 6 at 07:01 – 18.1 (0.35 units)
July 6 at 20:29 – (0.35 units)
July 7 at 07:05 – 18.6 (0.4 units)
July 7 at 14:46 – 17.7
July 7 at 20:39 – (0.35 units)
July 8 at 09:15 – 19.2 (after this, we went to the vet clinic for a CBC and biochemistry panel; upon returning home and eating, I administered the dose at 11:57 – 0.5 units)
July 8 at 20:37 – (0.5 units)
July 9 at 08:46 – 14.1 (0.5 units)
July 9 at 20:00 – 9.1 (0.45 units)
July 10 at 06:58 – 10.1 (0.45 units)
July 10 at 20:25 – 17.8 (0.5 units)
July 11 at 08:04 – 12.4 (0.5 units)
July 11 at 20:05 – 20.8 (0.5 units)
July 12 at 07:52 – 13.2 (0.5 units)
July 12 at 15:22 – 24.4
July 12 at 20:20 – 21.4 (0.5 units)
13.07 at 08:25 - 11.4 (0.5 units)
13.07 at 14:24 - 11.5
13.07 at 20:31 - 12.9 (0.5 units)
14.07 at 08:27 - 20.5 (0.5 units)
14.07 at 14:21 - 21.4
15.07 at 06:52 - 16.2 (0.5 units)
15.07 at 14:29 - 18.3
15.07 at 06:52 - 19.0 (0.55 units)
16.07 at 06:54 - 6.8 (0.45 units)
16.07 at 14:18 - 8.8
16.07 at 06:52 - 21.8 (0.55 units)
17.07 at 08:26 - 24.6 (0.55 units)
17.07 at 14:18 - 23.6
17.07 at 20:40 - 19.3 (~0.65 units)
18.07 at 08:25 - 9.1 (0.55 units)
18.07 at 20:00 - 14.6 (~0.65 units)
19.07 at 08:37 - 16.6 (0.8 units)
19.07 at 14:17 - 21.8
The blood test results came back good, according to the vet. There is no inflammation; the kidneys and liver are normal.
I tried changing the injection site; we usually administered it in the area... ...ribs; I decided to change the injection site—moving it toward the hind legs, then the front legs, and even trying the scruff—but it doesn't seem to be yielding any results...
I have some questions:
- What on earth has been happening over the last 10 days? What are these strange fluctuations?
Why is the blood sugar around 9–11 one day and around 20 the next, despite using the same dose?
What caused such a sharp spike—going from 6.8 in the morning on July 16th to 21.8 by the evening? The same thing happened on July 19th: 16.6 in the morning, rising to a peak of 21.8 during the day?
- Why is the blood sugar level higher at the insulin's peak action time than it is in the morning before feeding or in the evening before feeding—when, logically, it ought to be lower?
Also, I blame myself for accidentally mixing up the cats' food bowls; the diabetic cat ate the dry food, and it feels like something "broke" after that. It’s been 10 days since then, and I don't understand: should his blood sugar have stabilized by now despite that mistake, or did that incident actually trigger these ongoing issues?
All in all, I’m really asking for help because I don't know which direction to take... I’ve wondered if the dose is too low and needs increasing,
but I’ve also considered the opposite—that the dose might be too high, causing the blood sugar to spike at the peak due to hypoglycemia. Basically, I’ve worked myself up into a state of confusion. I realize that without a specialist's help, I might do more harm than good, but staying on the 0.5 dose doesn't seem to make sense either, given how wildly the blood sugar is fluctuating...
I would be grateful for a reply and some recommendations—just to understand the right course of action for our situation.
