Diabetic Cat

[Stephanie Howard]

Hello my fellow animal lovers. My cat Jay J had a anal gland pop about 2 weeks ago. It was very infected and at 1am we took him to an emergency vet to get him some help. Around 3am I was called and the vet informed me that Jay J was diabetic . I had no idea and if it wasn't for this infection we would have never known. We noticed about 6 months ago he was looking skinnier but thought because of age that maybe his weight had dropped but other then that he was normal and still being a little asshole . Surgery was put off til the following day because of sugar levels and insulin began that morning. For the last 2 weeks we have been doing insulin twice a day (Humilin R, I believe is the name) and diet has been changed. Stiches for his incision were removed this morning 10/10. Grateful for this page.

thank you

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Welcome to FDMB Stephanie and Jay J....the best place you never wanted to be. It's funny how sometimes we miss the signs of diabetes and can often chalk them up to "normal" stuff. I had been trying to get my girl to lose weight and thought I was meeting with some success until I suddenly realized by picking up her little brother and her in succession, that the amount of weight she had lost was much more than I thought. And I chalked up the excess piddles in the litter box to my geriatric guy whose kidneys don't concentrate his urine as well as they once did. When we spend everyday with them, sometimes it's hard to see those subtle changes that suggest diabetes.

One thing to be aware of is that Jay J's need for insulin may diminish slightly when he has fully recovered from his surgery as stress of any kind can cause elevated BG levels and if readings are only taken at the vet's office, that too is stressful for our kitties as most don't find those visits a happy experience.

We strongly recommend home testing to ensure dosing is based on BG levels that are not stress influenced and to keep kitty safe by knowing when it is safe to give insulin. We can help you learn how to home test and most folks here use a human meter. If you are located in the US, many use the Relion Micro or Confirm meters available at Walmart. If you are located elsewhere, we can help you find a suitable meter.

I'm sure your head is swimming with questions so come join us over on the Health board HERE and ask away. The knowledge in this community, gained from hands on experience, is amazing not only for feline diabetes but for all things feline.