Fostering a diabetic cat

D

dramamime

Member Since 2025
Hi there!

In a day or two, I am going to start fostering a diabetic cat called Abby as her current foster is not able to take care of her anymore.
She is on 3IU of insulin twice a day and is aged about 8 years old, she was dumped by her previous owners in a box :(

Does anyone else here foster a diabetic cat, and have any advice for someone just starting out? We've been trying really hard to get her adopted as she's been at the rescue for several months, but obviously it's tough with her medical needs. We are thinking maybe someone who has diabetes themselves, could be a good fit. She is an independent lady too, very regal looking but with a slight resting b**** face LOL! Adopt Abby on Petfinder

Luckily, I do have some experience with diabetic cats as I looked after my friends for a week or two. I am a little nervous though.
 
Oh, my heart. She looks like such a doll. I hope someone snaps her up soon! I can't understand how anyone could be so cruel as to just abandon a cat like that.

Anything in particular you're nervous about in terms of caring for her? There's tons of useful information and advice all over this forum, and folks here are very good about answering specific questions. (Speaking as a new person who has had a lot of questions!)
 
Hello and welcome. Thank you for fostering a diabetic. We've had numerous people foster a diabetic and several people who have adopted more than one diabetic cat. So someone with a previous diabetic cat is also an option. Hopefully one of them will stop by.

Can you tell us what insulin she's on? Also, what food she's eating? Do you know if her blood sugars are being tested? A good insulin for cats (preferably Lantus or Prozinc), a low carb diet, and home testing can get a cat regulated. There is a possibility of regulated cats going into diabetic remission. I remember one or two stories of people adopting or fostering a diabetic cat and "breaking" them. Meaning, they got them into remission, which makes for an easier adoption.
 
Thank you both for the replies! She takes a lantus pen. I haven’t used it before but it looks more convenient than a needle. I’m happy to know there are other community members with experience. I guess it’s just a bit more complicated with a foster. You are not able to rush them to the vet if they seem unwell; it has to be confirmed with the rescue (who are brilliant and responsive, but we are all volunteers). Also the feeling of being responsible for a kitty who is only temporarily yours and wanting to be sure they are safe with you.

I’m waiting to find out about her food, she is coming to me on Thursday. I know the last time she went to the vet was the end of October with some lethargy and dizziness, which resulted in her going up to 3 units and she was much better after that. I can’t see anything in her record about regular blood sugar testing, certainly she doesn’t have a monitor. Possibly that’s a cost thing, since any vet fees have to be fundraised for. I’ll find out about it, if the home testing with the ear stick is not too expensive I can probably cover that. It would make me feel more confident about looking after her!
 
Lantus is a good insulin for cats. Most of us shoot insulin with syringes. With pens, you can only go up by whole units, but cats are sensitive to even smaller dose changes, like 0.25 units at a time. You need 1/2 unit marked syringes and eyeball that small a dose change.

Home testing blood sugars is way cheaper than taking to the vet. In the US, a lot of people use the Relion Premier from Walmart, as the test strips are very cost effective.
 
We had great news today, she has an adoption application :) I will ask the person handling her the adoption if she can share this forum with the applicant.

She's been at my house for 2 days now. She was very stressed when she arrived, and was hissing/growling/swiping so I wasn't able to give her a shot. She has a crazy deep growl! Each meal she's gotten more relaxed. Today, I was able to pet her while she was eating and feed her a churu, so I am going to try to give her a shot tomorrow morning. If she is resistant, I will pick up gabapentin from the rescue for short term use. I have been doing ketone sticks once per day and monitoring her behavior.

Her previous foster didn't feel comfortable doing home testing with her because they felt she didn't like it, but they did send me a glucometer, so I'm going to check this out over the next few days as she gets more comfortable with me. I'm sure her adopter, with more resources, will want to do home monitoring!
 
So good to hear that she has an application! ❤️🤞

Good luck with the home testing, and I'm glad she's getting easier with you! If it's any help - I've always had great success doing the injections in my cat's scruff (he can barely feel it), usually approaching him when he's relaxed and dozing or similar. It can usually be done very quickly before there's much time for a reaction. Keeping her on the insulin as continuously as possible is important, so I hope it works out!
 
Many people here give the shot when kitty's head is in the food bowl. Paws crossed for the adoption application working out!
 
Ember is my diabetic foster kitty! Before her diagnosis I thought she'd get adopted really easily since she's super friendly and sweet, but she hasn't had any interest since her diagnosis. I've been taking her to adoption events still and she's been a great ambassador for special needs and diabetic kitties. She's pretty and outgoing so people come over to meet her and I tell them about diabetes and the type of care that she needs. I've had some great conversations with people but no actual interest.
 
Miss Abby got adopted! Her new mom is going to get her a CGM to do her glucose curve and work on getting her comfortable with testing once she’s settled in. I was able to start her shots on the 4th day. I miss her :( it truly takes one person, Elaine! We ended up finding her angel on Nextdoor. Posted videos of her sweetly taking her shot. Abby has been in the rescues care since March so it took a while, for sure.
 
What awesome news! Let the adopter know she's welcome to post here if she needs help or just wants to talk other caregivers of diabetics.
 
dramamime said:
Miss Abby got adopted! Her new mom is going to get her a CGM to do her glucose curve and work on getting her comfortable with testing once she’s settled in. I was able to start her shots on the 4th day. I miss her :( it truly takes one person, Elaine! We ended up finding her angel on Nextdoor. Posted videos of her sweetly taking her shot. Abby has been in the rescues care since March so it took a while, for sure.
Click to expand...
Oh, I'm so glad she found a home! Such good news. ❤️ It sounds like you did excellent work with her while she was in your care, too. Congratulations!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top