Hello New to this site

[Jordan's Step-mom]

Hello Everyone. Visited this site 3 yrs ago for help, but haven't been back until now...
My 10 yr old cat Jordan, diagnosed with diabetes over 3 yrs ago, is currently on ProZinc insulin. Amount varies, sometimes 5 units ( twice daily ) other days 7. We tried Humilin but it didn't work for him.
I'd appreciate any suggestions, ideas, help caring for Jordan, a rescue, diagnosed with IBS Aug. 2012.
Despite my best efforts he's in failing health. I'm worried sick. Just made appt with different vet for next wk. He saw this same vet 2 yrs ago. Traveling distance farther than current vet ( 35 mile drive one-way ). Must find better help for Jordan asap. He's reluctant to eat this wk. due to his tummy ache.
Jordan, approx B-day Oct 2002. I became his 'step-mom' March 2003. Neutered gray male, wt. approx 13 lbs, large paws, handsome boy, indoors only for ten yrs. My other cat, also a rescue, female age 10, lives indoors only too. They're never allowed outdoors. She is very vocal, Jordan is not. Unfortunately Jordan's never liked her.
Lately he tries to 'steal' her food, which I try to hide. His diet has been FF wet food, and limited amount of FF dry food.
He rarely meows, only when in car going to & from vet's office.
Current vet said to give him 2 cc's of Pepto Bismol, for 2 days only, to help relieve diarrhea. But again, Jordan's stools are loose, too frequent, getting worse, Going thru excessive amounts of cat litter daily.
I do not test his blood sugar daily. I can barely afford insulin and litter at this point.
Thanks to all who may offer ideas and help.

 

[MrsDudley]

Hi there. I completely understand your pain about not being able to afford anything. We used a gift card we received from our wedding shower to buy cat food instead of our food. I think we have better ways of finding food and such than our animals do .
From this board I have learned that you need to home test. (I still don't because I can't afford the 8$ yet). And Humilin is a bad choice (although I use it because it was one of the few things we found that worked for Springer).

From another place I read that we shouldn't feed diabetics the dry cat food.
I notice when Springer eats the dry food he has a diarrhea problem. Could some of that problem be due to the food?

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Welcome! You have done a lot right for Jordan - Fancy Feast wet is good - the pates, not the gravy types. ProZinc is a nice mild insulin - although your dose is higher than we see with most cats (unless they have other conditions) But hometesting would help him in several ways. We would encourage you to drop the dry completely - even a few high carbs can make a big difference. But I would wait until you are testing to be sure it doesn't drop him lower than you expect. If he is stressed at the vet, then the numbers the vet gets are likely to be higher than the ones you get at home. (Stress raises blood glucose levels) If you can get numbers at home, you can see exactly how the insulin is working and whether the dose is doing what it needs to.) Then the dose suggested by the vet may be too high and throw him into a constant rebound. You can read about it here: Rebound Testing at home will help you see whether he is indeed bouncing from a high number to a low one.

We have a free testing kit (picture above) but he might need help before it can arrive in the mail. The ReliOn from Walmart is inexpensive as are the strips (To get set up completely, maybe $45) If you can avoid another vet visit, you will have paid for it several times. Here is a shopping list:


What you need to start hometesting

A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. Some members stay away from any meter with True in the name and the Freestyle meters. Some people think they are unreliable and read lower than other meters. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around. Try the meter out on yourself or someone else before you try it on your cat. You want to be familiar with it before you poke the cat.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 26-28 gauge is good. Any brand will work as long as the lancets match your device.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking. You can also use a prescription bottle filled with very warm water. It provides a good surface to poke against.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And some lo carb treats to give your kitty, successful test or not Lo carb treats

We have taught hundreds of people how to test over the internet and would be glad to help you.

As far as the loose stools, we suggest Pepcid AC. I have heard that Pepto Bismol is not a good choice for felines.

 

[squeem3]

OP also posted here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=82274

"People food" can be fed but only as treats. Things like plain cooked chicken are great for treats :smile: Here's a list of other treats, some store-bought and others things you may already have at home like chicken: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

Don't feed any dry food, especially not the Fancy Feast dry food. Dry foods are one reason why some cats end up diabetic in the first place. Carb heavy foods puts a huge strain on the pancrease. Not sure of the exact carb content of Fancy Feast but with all those grains and poor quality ingredients, I would guess at least 20%+ carbs :shock: Think of it as Twinkies and potato chips for a Human diabetic. You can read Catinfo.org for more info about why dry food is so bad for cats.

Diabetic cats should not have more then 10% carbs in their diet. Canned Fancy Feast is just fine, just stick to the pate-style ones. Here is a quick list of low carb Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm You can also look at the first food chart link in this thread for other foods: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=79683 Any food with a number 10 or less in the carb column is good for your diabetic.

Here are some tips on how to save money on your diabetic cat's care: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/frugal.html

 

[Phoebe_TiggyGA_NortonGA]

DON"T make a food change without reducing insulin

If you suddenly change to lower carb food while not testing Blood Sugar and injecting the same dose of insulin -- you could have HYPOglycemia (low blood sugar)

 

[Jordan's Step-mom]

Re: Hello New to site/ THANKS TO ALL OF YOU

Thanks to each one of you who took the time to respond.
I just wrote a lengthy reply and it went Poof when I tried to preview it. I'll need to learn to use the boards better, just not at this hour and not today.
I will heed the advice on cutting out dry food. He does like the classic FF wet food. But I believe he may be having some dental issues, so I water it down for him to make it easier to eat.
His IBS has worsened.
The syringes used are called Ultra Comfort U-100 and hold 50 units, the needle part itself is small, former syringes the needles were just too large. He has a high tolerance level with me. Never meows, fusses and knows when it's time for his shots, so he lays very still, gets a little treat after his shots. He's such an incredibly mellow and good boy this is just killing me to see him so sick with diarrhea, I gave him- well tried, to give him, 2 cc's of pepto before getting back on here to check in. He's calmed down, he doesn't like taking meds orally but has no probs whatsoever with injections
I've learned to read his body language very well, the one time I tried to test his sugar level in his ear it was not pleasant and I was a nervous wreck. Both vets originally prescribed 10 units twice daily. I knew immediately it was too much, had to revive him with corn syrup. Twice in the past. 7 units with the Ultra comfort syringes seemed to be the perfect amount for him 90% of the time. When he drinks way too much water ( and pees like a race-horse ) I know his sugar level is too high. When he sleeps far too long and seems lethargic I know his sugar level it too low.
Am taking him next week to the vet who saved his life by prescribing ProZinc, as the other vet gave him Humilin and hadn't heard of ProZinc, that vet now prescribes is for other diabetic cats. But the most recent bottle ( just got it last week ) I am worried it is not the same as he was getting, this one made by a different manufacturer, am worried this bottle wasn't kept cold enough or something is wrong with it, which may be causing Jordans IBS ( diarrhea problem ) to be as bad as it is now.
Should I be testing his blood sugar daily? WIth the lances ?
To be very honest I can barely afford the cost of the insulin, the cat litter and the vet visit ( and tests) next week are going to be difficult to pay.
Thanks to one of you for posting a link on how to help me afford the cost of his care.
I often take Pepcid AC myself, but in pill form. Not sure how this would help his diarrhea.
I am open to all suggestions and I want to thank each of you for taking the time to give me such great responses and links to sites re: his food, costs and so forth. He is SUCH a mellow easy going cat, I call myself his step mom because he knows he had a cat mom once, and knows I'm his human mom. He is such a smart boy everyone who meets him just loves him.
Problem is no one will help so if I end up in hospital or an emergency situation, there is absolutely no one to help care for him. One family member offered to come in to feed my cats in a worst case scenario, but no shots and also they are not keen of cleaning the litter boxes ( two ) more than once daily. I have to clean them at least 3 times daily...
I'll check back in later in the afternoon of the Nov 1st and want to thank each of you again, for your time, concern and for sharing with me your wisdom, ideas and possible solutions. Jordan thanks you too.

 

[hmjohnston]

I've replied on the other post but can add on this one.

Testing is necessary. If you were nervous Jordan picked up on that and became nervous as well. Plus, cats don't like new things unless they are the ones to think of it.

I don't think pepcid AC should be used with cats- there are two kinds and one is not good while the other is okay. I'll try to find out about it.

If he is getting into the dry his numbers are up and he will become unregulated and will pee more and poop more. Dry food is like Cheetos without the cheese. Big puffs of air filled carb that take a lot to fill up a cat so they poop a lot. You should cut back on litter if you switch to canned food- don't take my word for it- MommaofMuse has 15 cats right now and they are all on canned. When she got some dry from a friend and fed her civvie cats they all did extra LB breaks for a while afterwards until it worked out of their system :? and was cleaning boxes much more frequently until they were done :lol: .

 

[MommaOfMuse]

Okay now that I have been outted on the number of cats here ... :lol: Yes, all 15 of mine are on canned food. And with 15 cats, 6 litter boxes we only go through 80lbs of litter a week. Okay that sounds like a lot of litter until you compare it to what I was going through when they were on dry food and there was few cats. Back when my first cat was dxed diabetic there was only 9 cats and all were eating dry food...back then we were still going through between 70-90lbs of litter, as well as having one cat that was going to the vet's every month for allergy shots and living on pred daily and another one that was so overweight that he was rubbing the fur off his back legs and couldn't sleep on his tummy.

Today I have 15 cats and my chubby boy is lean and sleek, my allergy ridden fellow is allergy free, and one of my diabetics ( I have 2) has been in remission and off insulin altogether for 2 years as of today. Not only did my cost in litter go down, but my vet bills as well. And of course the cost of insulin, syringes, & test strips for at least one of my diabetics has gone to zero.

Oh btw, I adopted both of my diabetics as diabetics so when I started testing them at home they didn't know me from Eve, and yet I have two very loving cats even if they are a little extra sweet. You have one step up on me with Jordan..he already knows and loves you! If I can test my two adopted furkids at home and still develop a loving relationship with them then with a little practice and lots of treats you and Jordan can get it down too.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

 

[squeem3]

I don't think pepcid AC should be used with cats- there are two kinds and one is not good while the other is okay.

Pepcid AC is fine for cats. The dose is 1/4 of a 10 mg tablet. It is typically used for nauseaus cats, like from a pancreatitis attack. I don't think it will help for diarrhea.

Pepcid Complete is the one that should never be used for cats. One of the ingredients in it is toxic.

.
I will heed the advice on cutting out dry food. He does like the classic FF wet food. But I believe he may be having some dental issues, so I water it down for him to make it easier to eat.

Adding extra water to the canned food is always good :smile: A well hydrated cat can avoid many common issues associated with dehdyration, like urinary issues.

My 10 yr old cat Jordan, diagnosed with diabetes over 3 yrs ago, is currently on ProZinc insulin. Amount varies, sometimes 5 units ( twice daily ) other days 7.

The syringes used are called Ultra Comfort U-100 and hold 50 units, the needle part itself is small, former syringes the needles were just too large.

Are you using the dose conversion chart in order to give the correct amount of insulin with the U100 insulin syringes? ProZinc is a U40 insulin so typically you would use U40 insulin syringes. But you can use U100 insulin syringes as long as you know to convert the dose. Here is the conversion chart: http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm What is your cat's current insulin dose? 5 units of Prozinc would be measured to the 12.5 unit line on a U100 insulin syringe. If you are only measuring up to the 5 unit line, your cat is actually only getting 2 units of Prozinc.

Are those Ultra Comfort insulin syringes made by Monoject? You can continue to use them but next time you buy more, buy the 3/10 cc (30 unit) ones with half unit markings. It will be much easier to measure small doses on a half unit marked insulin syringe. And some are available with the really thin 31 gauge needles. There are other brands of 3/10 cc insulin syringes you can buy. Many people buy from AmericanDiabetesWholeSale.com Others buy the Relion brand from a Wal Mart pharmacy.

Varying doses of insulin rarely works for cats. You need to stick with one consistent dose until a dose change is needed based on a blood glucose curve.

Should I be testing his blood sugar daily? WIth the lances ?

Blood glucose levels need to be tested daily, just like a Human diabetic. Always test before giving the insulin injection so you know what the blood glucose level is. Blindly giving insulin is dangerous and may result in a hypoglycemic cat a few hours later. It's generally recommended not to give any insulin if the blood glucose level is under 200 mg/dl and never ever if the blood gluocse level is under 100 mg/dl. Normal non-diabetic levels run about 60 to 15 mg/dl or so.

Random glucose testing is ideal to get an idea of how well the insulin and dose is working for your cat. Many people do a few random tests a day.

Here is the info on how to test: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Do you have a blood gluocse meter? If not, you can request one from here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=60261

There are members from all over the US and world here. What is your general location? There may be someone who lives nearby who can offer some help.

 

[Jordan's Step-mom]

Re: Hello New to this site/thanks again to all

Please bear with me as am not sure yet how to repy to each post separately...
THANKS to each of you for helping me and the excellent info on foods, litter, lancets, meds All of these things are important for me to know and never too late to learn.
I'd like to share update on the problem with the new ProZinc insulin ( BTW: yes, I did the conversion correctly, had vet make sure I was giving right amount using the U-100 syringes )
Here's the latest: vets office called earlier, I KNEW there was something wrong with new bottle of insulin and felt it was causing Jordan's diarrha. Vets office confirmed this today. They just ordered a new bottle from a different manufacturer, due to arrive at vets Tues. the 6th. At half price. They're basically replacing the 'bad bottle' with the better ProZinc so I won't have to pay for the extra 5 mls coming in. Will get the Normal 10 ml size bottle.
This 'bad bottle' was manufactured in NJ ( not sure if I should share name of company here or not ). It was shipped here the wk. before Hurricane Sandy hit east coast. Immediately after his first injection from a 5 ml ( not normal size 10 ml ) bottle, Jordan had diarrhea within half hour. After each dose afterward I noticed he ran to the litter boxes.
I hate to offend anyone here at all, but because I've not tested his blood sugar, only the once, and then at vets office when I take him in for visits. I read his body language. Very Closely. And constantly.
Today his sugar is high, which I know isn't good, but do know it's better than being too low.
It's higher today because:
A. a very low dose from older but still good bottle leftover ( from fridge) this morning
B. Because he is drinking so much water so often all day
C. He's more active, not napping as well
D. He is peeing like a race-horse again
E. he regained his appetite, sneaking into other cats bowl of wet food and finishing it for her. ;- )
He didn't have an appetite this a.m. refused to eat for 2 hrs. Finally ate enough FF wet food so that I could give him a small dose of the GOOD ( leftover bottle ) ProZinc I keep in fridge JUST in Case... for times like these I guess.
Because we live so very far from any vets I've always kept at least one bottle with a bit leftover. I always check exp. dates
Thurs. the vets nurse called & told me to give him his leftover Metronidazole capsules ( 5 mg's ) to help curb the diarrhea.
I tried in vain to give him these in August, he acted like I was torturing him & fought with me. So frustrating for us both. Tried liquid first, he spit all of it out, then tried capsules. He managed to spit those out, too.
He's normally so calm, doesn't flinch when getting injections, but trying to give meds orally such a struggle! Do any of you have good ideas how I can get capsules in him without The Big FIght? Vet said I could open capsules & sprinkle over his food, but Jordan caught on and refused to eat a bite. He's an extremely finicky eater to begin with. If I open classic beef feast which he normally loves, he refuses to eat. So I try can #2 turkey & giblets, usually go thru 2 or 3 cans a.m. & p.m. costing as much as it does I've been wrapping & freezing the unused, hoping he'll eat it some other time.
Any advice on getting the capsule to stay in him will be greatly appreciated. He loves plain yogurt, but if it tastes 'funny' or medicated he will refuse it. When I have more 'free' time I will try to learn how to post a photo of him here, and wish I could figure out how to add the Smilies etc but tried & didn't work... ? Could be my pc settings?
Thanks again to each one of you. I live in the boondocks. Moved here 11 yrs ago and do not want to knock it, but do not like it here At All. Am stuck for now though. Will move in 2013 if I can sell my small house.
Any tips on best litter to use? He seems to prefer A&H litter, unscented, no matter what brand, if not A&H I use Tidy Cat, or will mix generic Wal-Mart brand with others to make it last. Ideas are welcomed.
My free time is now up, am a walking zombie. I do wish I had help. I've missed out-of-state weddings, funerals etc. going on 4 yrs because no one will give Jordan his insulin. Boarding him, too costly for me. I seriously need a break.
Vet said to cease using the NJ made insulin and to use what's left of the GOOD ProZinc. The best news is he should be back to 'normal' when it arrives Tues.
I've taken everyones advice on dry food. Now there is no bowl of it sitting out. Am out more $, am wondering will it hurt my non-diabetic cat? She loves it. She is slim, healthy, always preferred dry over canned. She may eat 1 or 2 wet cans wkly. She likes 'human' canned tuna fish she eats it twice wkly. Will the FF dry food hurt her or should I stop feeding it to her, too?
So many questions... I appreciate all ideas, answers and the knowledge being shared here. Thanks again to each of you.

 

[hmjohnston]

Re: Hello New to this site/thanks again to all

Please bear with me as am not sure yet how to repy to each post separately...

When you hit reply and go down to each one of the messages there is a little bubble that says "Quote"- that allows you to copy the message into your own with who wrote it. (I just figured this out the other week :lol: ) You can edit inside it so the post isn't a mile long or you can leave it.

I'd like to share update on the problem with the new ProZinc insulin... Here's the latest: vets office called earlier, I KNEW there was something wrong with new bottle of insulin and felt it was causing Jordan's diarrha. Vets office confirmed this today. They just ordered a new bottle from a different manufacturer, due to arrive at vets Tues. the 6th. At half price... This 'bad bottle' was manufactured in NJ ( not sure if I should share name of company here or not )... Immediately after his first injection from a 5 ml ( not normal size 10 ml ) bottle, Jordan had diarrhea within half hour. After each dose afterward I noticed he ran to the litter boxes.

This is good to hear you have a definent decision on WHY. And we don't mind knowing the manufacturer as there are several on the board who use PZI and if they know there is a problem with a vial they can check on it before their kitties have the same problem as Jordan. But it is your call. I am glad you are getting it replaced.

I hate to offend anyone here at all, but because I've not tested his blood sugar, only the once, and then at vets office when I take him in for visits. I read his body language. Very Closely. And constantly.

You know your kitty and while most of us advocate home testing we do know some people can't do it. As you take away the little dry he gets and have a better insulin make sure to keep a very close eye on him for hypo in case the dose is too high.

If I open classic beef feast which he normally loves, he refuses to eat. So I try can #2 turkey & giblets, usually go thru 2 or 3 cans a.m. & p.m. costing as much as it does I've been wrapping & freezing the unused, hoping he'll eat it some other time.

Wrapping the food is good- since I have only one and she doesn't like to eat the whole can at a time I freeze the leftover in an ice cube tray, adding a little water, and once frozen pop it into a baggie or a container for later. We went from wasting half the can to very little waste because of this.

He's normally so calm, doesn't flinch when getting injections, but trying to give meds orally such a struggle! Do any of you have good ideas how I can get capsules in him without The Big FIght? Vet said I could open capsules & sprinkle over his food, but Jordan caught on and refused to eat a bite. He's an extremely finicky eater to begin with. Any advice on getting the capsule to stay in him will be greatly appreciated. He loves plain yogurt, but if it tastes 'funny' or medicated he will refuse it.

That's my girl. I finally sprinkled it into some tuna water that hid the smell/taste of the pill until she got used to it and then I was able to add it to her food about two weeks later. Pilling... no idea on that- others will have to chime in.

When I have more 'free' time I will try to learn how to post a photo of him here, and wish I could figure out how to add the Smilies etc but tried & didn't work... ? Could be my pc settings?

Smilies might be in your preferences in the User Controls- or look below the message when you type and see if the "Disable Smilies" box is checked.
And posting a photo- also down there is a tab for upload attachment and choose a photo to place in the message. As for the avatar... I'll have to research it. I know there is a topic that covers this in tech support.

Any tips on best litter to use? He seems to prefer A&H litter, unscented, no matter what brand, if not A&H I use Tidy Cat, or will mix generic Wal-Mart brand with others to make it last. Ideas are welcomed.

I use the Breeze pellet system myself- the upfront cost is around $40 (same as one large bag of worlds best kitty litter I was buying) and now it costs me $7.99/month for a new bag of pellets and I do Amazon and get 10 4/pk pee pads for $43 every two/three months or so. As apposed to the $40/month on the litter that kept getting tracked all over the house.
Others use the pine litter- if he does that apparently there is a horse style that is similar and way cheaper, corn litter, regular clumping litter. Possibilities are endless.

I've taken everyone's advice on dry food. Now there is no bowl of it sitting out. Am out more $, am wondering will it hurt my non-diabetic cat? She loves it. She is slim, healthy, always preferred dry over canned. She may eat 1 or 2 wet cans wkly. She likes 'human' canned tuna fish she eats it twice wkly. Will the FF dry food hurt her or should I stop feeding it to her, too?

If she ate it before she should adjust easier. If she really wants the dry you could give her small pieces over her wet to transition easier and when the bag is gone just not buy more. It will be healthier for her in the long run. Dry food is NOT good for any cat. It is the source of trouble with UTI's as well as FD. The human tuna- it is not a complete meal for a cat and lacks a lot of nutrients they need so i would not feed her more than once a week as a meal, and more often for snacks. However, if you can get Jordan to take his meds using a little tuna juice the same treat (minus meds) for her would be okay as well. Just a little bit- less than an ounce could whet her appetite if it is poured over the canned or taken singly before her regular meal.

I see this is another marathon post. Sorry about that :lol:

It does sound like you need a break. I hope you can find someone in the area who would step up and help.

 

[GregFurBall]

Hi, and welcome. The beginning of FD can be so overwhelming and there is so much information on this forum. I got so lost in all the links initially. Looks like you are getting some good information from others. That is just disheartening about your insulin but fortunately you were able to get a new bottle.

I wanted to give you a couple pointers that I found helpful.

We also like to post only one link per day and then link the previous days condo. It helps others when reviewing all your information to have it in one spot. Here's yours from Can someone please help?.
Previous Condo

The next time you post, open your previous condo in a separate tab. Go into the browser window and copy the URL.Go to the new condo you're opening.
In there, type the following:
Previous Condo
(If you want the link to have a specfic name, instead of "Previous Condo" you can type the name you want.)
Hit "Preview" - that will tell you whether you did it right.

Keep asking questions as there are so many helpful volunteers on this site. and consider yourself :YMHUG:

Karen

 

[squeem3]

I hate to offend anyone here at all, but because I've not tested his blood sugar, only the once, and then at vets office when I take him in for visits. I read his body language. Very Closely. And constantly.

Clinical signs do not tell you what the blood glucose levels are or how well the insulin is working. A cat may act normal but the blood glucose levels may be well over 400. Or very low but there are no hypo symptoms until the level gets dangerously low. Please consider testing your cat's blood glucose levels daily. Urine glucose testing with KetoDiastix can be done but is not as accurate because glucose builds up in urine over time so the reading will always be high.

He's normally so calm, doesn't flinch when getting injections, but trying to give meds orally such a struggle! Do any of you have good ideas how I can get capsules in him without The Big FIght? Vet said I could open capsules & sprinkle over his food, but Jordan caught on and refused to eat a bite. He's an extremely finicky eater to begin with. If I open classic beef feast which he normally loves, he refuses to eat. So I try can #2 turkey & giblets, usually go thru 2 or 3 cans a.m. & p.m. costing as much as it does I've been wrapping & freezing the unused, hoping he'll eat it some other time.
Any advice on getting the capsule to stay in him will be greatly appreciated. He loves plain yogurt, but if it tastes 'funny' or medicated he will refuse it.

Have you tried Pill Pockets? I believe the Pill Pockets for dogs (yes, dogs) in the duck/pea formula is diabetic-friendly. Thre are Pill Pockets for cats but they contain ingredients that are not suitable for diabetics. Here is a thread with info about Pill Pockets: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=71505&hilit=pill+pockets The dog Pill Pockets are larger sized and you only need enough to completely cover the pill or capsule to disguise any smell or taste.

Any tips on best litter to use? He seems to prefer A&H litter, unscented, no matter what brand, if not A&H I use Tidy Cat, or will mix generic Wal-Mart brand with others to make it last. Ideas are welcomed.

Dr. Lisa of Catinfo.org recommends Dr. Elsey's litter: http://www.preciouscat.com/ PetSmart and independent pet stores sell it and you can also buy it online from various web sites.

I've taken everyones advice on dry food. Now there is no bowl of it sitting out. Am out more $, am wondering will it hurt my non-diabetic cat? She loves it. She is slim, healthy, always preferred dry over canned. She may eat 1 or 2 wet cans wkly. She likes 'human' canned tuna fish she eats it twice wkly. Will the FF dry food hurt her or should I stop feeding it to her, too?

Your non-diabetic will be fine on canned food :smile: In fact, by removing all dry food you reduce her risk of potentially developing diabetes and other health issues in the future. You can read http://www.catinfo.org for why dry food causes all sorts of health problems. Most cats don't miss having crunchy hard food at all, really :smile: