Do cats get diabetic neuropathy?

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bigdogmom1

Member Since 2013
My old boy Simon was diagnosed with feline diabetes about 3-4 months ago. He is a blue point siamese about 16 years old. He is doing well on his insulin and is easy to care for. About 2 weeks ago I thought I noticed a little weakness in his hind legs but I wasn't really sure so I decided to keep an eye on him. I did notice a couple of instances when he seemed a little weak but it was nothing really obvious or "crippling" seeming. Yesterday when I took him to the vet for his monthly check-up we got to talking about other things regarding Simon and I totally forgot to ask about the possibility of the neuropathy.
I have noticed today that his back leg problem seems a little more pronounced, in that when he first gets up he walks a little low on his hocks (I don't know how else to put it!). I will surely talk to my vet Monday morning about this but in the meantime if there is an expert out there who has an extra minute or two to let me know about this? I don't want to take up anyone's valuable time for more critical matters. Thank you for any response (or not! :D) Linda and Simon
 
They can definitely get some diabetic neuropathy. Many cats here have (or have had) it. Fortunately, there is an OTC pill for it called Zobaline (http://www.ilifelink.com/zobaline-for_d ... blets.html ). My Dusty is on it and I've seen some improvement. It can take a while for it to really kick in and be effective, though, and getting the cat regulated is an important component of the overall treatment for it.
 
You can treat it by using methylcobalamin B12

Methylcobalamin is a cobalamin used in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy, and as a preliminary treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

you can purchase the human version at any store - just be sure it contains Methyl B12 only as there are several types of B12 and this is the only one for neuropathy.

you give between 3-5 mg once a day - you can mix in the food and anyone can consume it. whatever the cat doesn't need in its body it will pee out.

If you get capsules, just open and mix in food, if you get tablets, melt in water and mix in food.

depending on the severity of the neuropathy, improvement may be slow going. at a minimum it can help prevent further deteroriation
 
I am positively thrilled with the differences I have noted with two of my cats who started on the Zobaline roughly a week ago because of weakness in the back legs..... So thrilled in fact, that I've just started adding it to all of my cats' food, and .... Surprise, it turns out they LOVE the taste of it, even to a point of eating foods they were kind of trying to ignore or in some cases .. bury :lol:
I can't say enough good things about this amazing supplement... wow, if only I'd known sooner.
 
Thank you everybody for your quick responses! And thank you Michelle and Hope for the links.
I feel like my vet and I are a team working to get Simon's diabetes in the best control possible and I will be sure to bring him the posts I have received about methylcobalamin B12. It really sounds like a miracle treatment. The weakness in Simon's back legs isn't too bad yet so hopefully this treatment will stop the progress of his neuropathy.
Thanks again to everybody who posted. You're always great to answer quickly and intelligently which I really appreciate. Simon and Linda
 
Hillary & Maui said:
you can purchase the human version at any store
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Please be careful if you buy the human version to avoid any that contain XYLITOL (an artificial sweetener), as it is toxic to cats. Many brands of Methyl-B12 DO have xylitol so you need to make sure to read the label.

I hope it helps your kitty!
 
Hillary & Maui said:
this is the one I bought and used and it doesn't contain anything bad ---

http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitami ... 0-capsules
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Just wanted to point out... and it makes no sense, but its a great deal..... they have (vitacost) two size bottles... 100 caps for $24.99 or 60 for $15.99 ..... HOWEVER if you buy the 60, you get a second bottle for only $8, so if you buy two 60's instead of one 100, you pay less and get 20 capsules more ..... go figure.
 
Thanks Hillary and Maui. I love the picture of your beautiful black cat BTW. I have two feral blacks, Black Bart and Black Molly who populated the neighborhood before I caught them and had them "fixed." I have four of their (grown) kittens in the house - Black Jack, Blackberry, Basic Black (Kitkit) and Buddy. They are all great cats and I thought I would find homes for them so easily as tamed kittens - boy was I wrong! Nobody wants black cats it seems. I guess it goes back to the old witch, bad luck thing. I don't find them any different than any other cat except it's hard to see their faces when their eyes are closed! Yay for black cats!
Sorry, I digressed but thanks again to you and all the other board members who answered my inquiry. I have a lot to talk to my vet about Monday. He is really a great vet and I know he will want to do what is best for Simon. Thanks again to all, Linda and Simon
 
bigdogmom1 said:
I have two feral blacks, Black Bart and Black Molly who populated the neighborhood before I caught them and had them "fixed." I have four of their (grown) kittens in the house - Black Jack, Blackberry, Basic Black (Kitkit) and Buddy.
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Wow! A very warm welcome to another member of the FDMB 'Black Cat Club'!!! bcatrun_gif

My Bertie (also black!) had bad neuropathy when he was diagnosed with diabetes. The methyl B12 worked amazingly well for him. His neuropathy resolved fast even though his blood glucose remained high for a long time.

Eliz
 
More than half of my crew is black also, it's so sad that they get treated so differently for a story they didn't even have anything to do with creating :(

I had the same issue, nobody wants a black cat :(
 
Good morning Linda. Are you hometesting? Neuropathy usually occurs when the gluclose levels are not under control. Even though you are giving insulin, it is possible that the dose you are giving is not correct and controling Simon's glucose levels. Hometesting is the best way to determine if the dose is correct.

Once you get the BG levels under control and start Simon on the Methyl B12, you should see some significant improvement. A few years ago, I adopted Spot, who was an untreated diabetic with severe neuropathy. She could barely walk and definitely could not jump. Within a few weeks of insulin and methly B12, she was running and jumping. 6 months after I adopted her, you would have never known she had previously been in such bad shape when I adopted her.

Make sure the B12 you get has the active ingredient is Methylcobalamin and not cyanocobalamin. The 2nd version does not work for neuropathy. You will probably only find the methyl B12 either in health food stores or online.
 
Barb & Mr. Frog said:
More than half of my crew is black also, it's so sad that they get treated so differently for a story they didn't even have anything to do with creating :(

I had the same issue, nobody wants a black cat :(
Click to expand...

I love black cats. My Mischief and Witn (GA) are black cats. Right now there is a solid black kitten at my parents house that is in the litter that I have to catch. If I did not already have a houseful of cats, that kitten would be coming to my house permanently. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
I love black cats. My Mischief and Witn (GA) are black cats. Right now there is a solid black kitten at my parents house that is in the litter that I have to catch. If I did not already have a houseful of cats, that kitten would be coming to my house permanently. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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I Love them all really, without regard to color... more than people usually.
 
Barb - vitacost is having a bogo sale and it's only on certain size bottles - which makes it a great deal, normally the larger size is a better buy, except when they do this once a year sale. I get other vitamins from them when they did a buy one get two free sale and it was on smaller size bottles too, yet came out as a better deal than the larger size bottles - indeed go figure, but will happily take advantage of any deals

oh and do a coupon code search, sometimes you can find an additional discount and if you are on ebates or fatwallet, they have a % money back deal going too.


and honestly, I'm prone to black/white tuxie cats, and originally adopted Maui from a shelter to give her to my brother. I brought her home, she was so sick, I got her well and told my brother to find his own cat, she is mine and home. Maui has a very distinctive purrsonality and isn't afraid of anything. She loves to go outside and lay in her chair on my porch/deck and she is the only one that I can actually trust to be outside like that (with me on the porch with her of course), but I can step into the apartment for a few minutes and know she will stay put. I can't and could not do that with any of my others.

to me there is something very special about black, black/white cats and I will gravitate to them over a tabby or colored cat any day!

good luck with your vet appt tomorrow.
 
Weng Chiang (my diabetic Siamese in the '90s) had it badly before diagnosis, and so did a friend's cat. They both walked, or more like crawled, on the flats of their back feet. Both got over it entirely and rather quickly once they were on the right dose of insulin. Ragnar was diagnosed sooner, so it didn't progress that far.

I hope your cat also recovers quickly and spontaneously!
 
My cat is not under control yet and does show mild to moderate signs. Would this be ok to give to make him feel better while I work on getting him under control? Anything I should worry about?

Dorothy
 
Lexifilly1 said:
My cat is not under control yet and does show mild to moderate signs. Would this be ok to give to make him feel better while I work on getting him under control? Anything I should worry about?

Dorothy
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This is a natural vitamin and therefore it is safe to give to your cat. You need to make sure that you are giving the correct version of B12 (methyl.....) as I listed above. You give this in conjunction with insulin and can continue using it for the entire time the cat is on insulin.
 
Thanks,
It is on the way. My brother in law is a nutritionist and has been tying yo get me to have some allergy related testing done for myself. I ad hin get me it, as I'll get it at cost though I had to promise I'd save as much $ for the testing. He does not understand how easy it is to give all you have to your pets, keeping just enough to give them a home if necessary. Oh I miss my free veterinary care from when I worked at a veterinary hospital. The number of strays I saved and the love they gave me was wonderful.
 
bigdogmom1 said:
Thank you everybody for your quick responses! And thank you Michelle and Hope for the links.
I feel like my vet and I are a team working to get Simon's diabetes in the best control possible and I will be sure to bring him the posts I have received about methylcobalamin B12. It really sounds like a miracle treatment. The weakness in Simon's back legs isn't too bad yet so hopefully this treatment will stop the progress of his neuropathy.
Thanks again to everybody who posted. You're always great to answer quickly and intelligently which I really appreciate. Simon and Linda
Click to expand...

How are things going for you guys? Were you able to get him on the zobaline for his neuropathy?
 
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