First cat who has diabetes

[RionKatt]

Oscar is my first cat who has had diabetes and I don't know if I'm doing right by him.

His hunger is substantial; to the point where he demands to be fed every 4 or so hours. I feed him about 3oz of wet food each time.

I usually feed him Nature's Recipe Grain-Free trays or Fancy Feast Classic when I don't have time to run to a pet store. I top the wet food off with bonito flakes for two of the many meals I give him a day.

Currently the vet has him on Novalin N @ 3 units twice a day. I'm looking to switch vets since she had told me to feed him only twice a day @ 66 kcal a meal.

I'm also looking for a specialist since Oscar is sick (also has FIV, possible FIP and is about 2-3lbs less than what he should be). I don't know what's a good place since none of my friends has had diabetic cats either.

Should I change his diet? Can anyone also suggest any specialists or vets in my area? I live near Salt Lake City.

 

[Mogmom and Goofus]

Welcome! Just short note to let you know that you should be feeding only foods with 10% or less (less is better) carbohydrates. For a list of these foods, go to catinfo.org

I'd suggest reading thru other posts that are from people who have just joined, there's a ton of info and it'll really help you emotionally as well. Also, there's nothing wrong with feeding your kitty more often, but you could give him plain, cooked chicken in between meals, it'll last longer in his tummy and has no carbs.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Welcome to the FDMB!

It's not at all unusual for non-regulated cats to be constantly hungry....Until they're better controlled, they eat huge amounts of food. Without insulin, the glucose from the food they eat can't get into the cells. (think of insulin as a "key"...there are locks on the doors of the cells...without the "key", the glucose can't get in and the cells are starving and the glucose just stays in the bloodstream....thus the high blood glucose numbers)

There's really no such thing as a "diabetes specialist" for cats but there are "cat specialists"....look at the AAFP website and put in your zip code to find vets near you.

Call and ask them to have the vet call you back after hours (or when they have time). Ask how they treat their diabetic cats. What do they feed? (it should be a low carb canned or raw diet with less than 10% carbs...not any fancy prescription food). Ask what kind of insulin they prefer? Are they willing to look into other insulins? Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are the 3 that work best in cats. Do they support home testing? If so, do they insist you use a pet meter or is it OK to use a human meter? (human meters are much cheaper to use and our protocols are all based on human meter numbers) Will they accept bloodwork from your current vet as long as it's recent?

By asking a few questions, you should be able to get some good ideas on who you might want to try.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

The Fancy Feast pates and Friskies pates are good, inexpensive low carb choices. N is a difficult insulin to regulate with - it tends to be harsh, have a fast onset and not last 12 hours. There might be ways you can work with it if you test at home, so you can stop on top of his levels and adjust the food and insulin to compensate. Not very people use N. We do have a primer that might help.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/humulin-n-primer.303/

The biggest thing you could do for Oscar is to test his levels at home. You can be sure before you give insulin that the dose you want to give is safe, and you can test to see exactly how the insulin is working.

We have taught hundreds of people how to test; we'd be happy to teach you. Let us know how we can help.

 

[jayla-n-Drevon]

Hi--welcome
Lots of very skilled people here…. I learn more every day and am always so grateful for the care the experts will give to help you. You have come to the right place and do not be surprised if your vet is defensive, we have all been thru the vet ego
That being said your vet may be very open just don't want you to feel like they know everything--they only know what they have been taught…. this group has real life experience and take every cats safety very seriously. Good luck to you!

 

[Critter Mom]

Hi RionKatt and Oscar. Welcome to you both.

First up, you have already starated treating Oscar's diabetes and you are finding out all you need to know about how to help him feel better. You're also searching for a vet with whom you will be able to work in partnership to get the best care for your boy. In my book, that means you are very much doing right by Oscar. There is a lot to get one's head around in the early days of looking after a diabetic cat, but you will grow in confidence as you learn more about diabetes - and you've found a great place to learn and also get some bit of support.

I think you are right to be concerned about only feeding an underweight cat 132kcal per day (assuming there is no compelling medical reason to do so). Other members have explained why poorly-regulated diabetics are hungry most of the time. To help, here is a body condition chart to help you assess Oscar (and maybe use as a basis for discussion about ideal weight and calorie requirements with your current vet).

Body Condition Chart

In addition to the vet interview questions Chris suggested above, I'd suggest also telling potential new vets about Oscar being underweight and asking them what their feeding recommendations would be. (Be sure to ask them how food quantity impacts Oscar's other health issues, too.)

I am assuming that you're not yet home testing Oscar's blood glucose levels. If you're not already doing so, if you could measure how much water he drinks every day that would be helpful in getting a rough idea of what's happening to his blood sugar levels at the moment. You might also consider testing his urine for ketones and glucose (using Keto-diastix or similar test strips - usually available at pharmacies or other places that sell diabetic supplies).


Mogs
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[Larry and Kitties]

Currently the vet has him on Novalin N @ 3 units twice a day. I'm looking to switch vets since she had told me to feed him only twice a day @ 66 kcal a meal.

3 units of N is a high starting dose. the 66 kcal twice daily is way not enough. The rule of thumb is 20-30 kcal/lb daily. An unregulated diabetic cat requires more food an if you want a cat to gain weight you feed more.

 

[minxkohl&mush]

Oscar is my first cat who has had diabetes and I don't know if I'm doing right by him.

His hunger is substantial; to the point where he demands to be fed every 4 or so hours. I feed him about 3oz of wet food each time.

I usually feed him Nature's Recipe Grain-Free trays or Fancy Feast Classic when I don't have time to run to a pet store. I top the wet food off with bonito flakes for two of the many meals I give him a day.

Currently the vet has him on Novalin N @ 3 units twice a day. I'm looking to switch vets since she had told me to feed him only twice a day @ 66 kcal a meal.

I'm also looking for a specialist since Oscar is sick (also has FIV, possible FIP and is about 2-3lbs less than what he should be). I don't know what's a good place since none of my friends has had diabetic cats either.

Should I change his diet? Can anyone also suggest any specialists or vets in my area? I live near Salt Lake City.

You came to the right website.. Follow what the ladies say, my mush was diabetic, and i was in panic mode.
This website is a godsend. Keep carbs low, I had mush on prozinc, I fed him 3 times a day, but I pulled his food up 2 hours before feeding him
for his shot. Fed him, pulled his food up for 15 minutes, gave him his shot & put the food back down again for him to finish.
As a result, mush has been in remission since september. I owe it all to this website as the vet never told me about low carbs & to take away the dry.
Good Luck & everything will be fine!

 

[Dyana]

Oscar sure is cute Kisses and skritches to him. And, thank you for helping him

I hope you will keep posting and asking questions as we can you help you with him. Good luck finding a vet.

I remember when I was new (a decade ago ) and I kept searching for a vet that I felt knew something about feline diabetes. I finally gave up and used this site. The people on this site, have a wealth of knowledge about feline diabetes that vets do not have time to acquire.