Hello and thank you ahead of time

[Richard P]

First of I want to say thank you to all on this forum. I hate to say this but I wish I wasn’t here. My cat “Big” has of course been diagnosed with diabetes. He’s about 5 years old (a rescue cat) gray and white short haired cat the size of a 24 pound turkey. He was able to beat feline leukemia (one of the rare ones), had a cancer growth removed last summer and now this. He is such a sweet boy that looks sad all the time. With that said he just started purring which he never use to do or I just couldn’t hear it. I’m hoping to get some guidance in the coming days from people that are experienced in this. I think that’s it. Just wanted to say hello. Thank you again.
Best to all,
Richard

 

[Richard P]

 

[Richard P]

 

[Idjit's mom]

Hi and welcome Richard and Big. I know you don't want to be here, but here is the best place to be right now. Big has overcome some pretty big challenges, and with the help you will find here, has every opportunity to overcome/manage this one. I just saw his picture and he is adorable.
Take some deep breaths, and take some time to learn about this disease and how you can help Big feel better. I suggest you return to the Home page and read the Getting Started and the Education sections on the right side of the page. Good foundation information you need. There is more information in the forums and you will get to that.
Then, create your signature so that we have Big's pertinent information with each of your posts going forward. Here is a link on how to do that: SIGNATURE
Please post on the Main Health forum HERE with questions and concerns. Tell us what you feed Big, is he on insulin, what kind,what dose, are you home testing yet? We can help you learn how to take good care of Big and manage his diabetes.
I'm looking forward to following Big's progress and helping where I can.

 

[JanetNJ]

Welcome.... He's so so cute. I had a huge grey and white kitty. Rip they are big love bugs.

Anyway we are here to help!

 

[Richard P]

Thank you so much. I’ll read everything I can to learn about this. I have to admit I’m overwhelmed right now. Doctor said to start insulin after Christmas since I’ll be away for a couple days. Not really happy about going away but family obligations and all. He tested at 380 so we need to get him down. I’m trusting the vet here. I’ll post all information as soon as I can. Here’s a new photo of him and his little guardian.

 

[Tom & Thomas (GA)]

Hi, Richard. I'm a big fan of gray tuxedos. Three of them here.

I'm no expert on anything but you might want to look into possible changes to Big's diet. Something you could do before starting insulin, and perhaps even good to work on before the insulin. You should check out Dr Lisa Pierson's great catinfo.org site, fantastic information about nutrition including in the context of diabetes. And if you already know the site, good for you! Folks here can offer lots of suggestions about specific food choices.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

I have to admit I’m overwhelmed right now.

Hello Richard, and welcome to you and to the absolutely gorgeous Big.
We all understand that it can be overwhelming at first. (((Hugs, hugs, hugs)))... But it does get easier. Honestly.

Doctor said to start insulin after Christmas since I’ll be away for a couple days.

Like Tom said in the post above, this could be a good opportunity to look into Big's diet.
If you're currently feeding a higher carb food then transitioning to low carb wet food at this point could make quite a difference to Big's blood glucose levels. And the diet change is much easier to do before actually starting insulin.

Eliz

 

[Richard P]

Thank you. I’ll look at the website. I’m not familiar with it. It seems that knowledge will be my friend here. Because of his size and his last doctors appointment before all this I put him on a vet diet formula of wet food and also classic fancy feast. If I can control this with diet I’ll do it, but I’m ready to step up with the insulin as well. It seems I’ll have to try a few things and observe. Everyone here is great. It means so much to me.

 

[Ti-Mousse (GA) Pepe (GA)]

Welcome Richard and little cute Big. We have similarities; I introduced my 5 year old Ti-Mousse yesterday, he was an outside cat that I rescued; he's got big sad eyes always wondering and he started purring only few months ago! I thought he could not. As Tom said, a wet low carb food is a good start and Dr. Pierson's chart food is a bible. Don't be afraid to ask anything as often as needed. There will always be someone to help you and little Big. This is an amazing and wonderful group sharing the same concerns!

 

[Coco’s Momma]

Welcome Big and Richard - this truly is a club no one hopes to join... but the forum is a great place for support with Big's diagnosis! I don't have the experience to offer advice other than come on over to the main forum and post any questions you may have. There are some great folks with a wealth of knowledge who can help!

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Welcome to you and your very handsome Big! We can certainly help you.