Sam and Billy
Member Since 2017
I was very happy to find this forum. I have a cat named Billy who will be 10 next month. He was diagnosed with diabetes in October. I've had him since he was 10 weeks old, and he's always been full of personality and attitude. He likes to torment his mild-mannered sister, jump into boxes while I'm trying to pack and rub against the legs of people wearing flannel pyjamas.
I first noticed an issue last summer when he was peeing outside the litter box. I tried for weeks to figure out which cat was doing it and why. I spent countless hours and hundreds of dollars trying to figure out the problem and clean up after him. I had a urinary analysis done at the vet, but not blood work. I went away for a week and my mom watched him and noticed he was drinking a lot. She googled and told me she thought he was diabetic. The vet did blood work and that's what it was.
I live alone and figuring this stuff out by myself has been an emotional experience. We're on regular insulin now (Prolinx: 3 units in the morning, 4 in the afternoon) and doing regular glucose checks. He goes up and down. My goal is remission one day. He has arthritis too, and we just started him on gabapentin last week. The change has been remarkable. He's climbing the stairs for the hell of it now, cleaning his hind quarters, sleeping on the back of the couch again, etc. That stuff works wonders.
My other cat is 13 and, knock wood, healthy as a horse.
Anyway, nice to meet you all!
I first noticed an issue last summer when he was peeing outside the litter box. I tried for weeks to figure out which cat was doing it and why. I spent countless hours and hundreds of dollars trying to figure out the problem and clean up after him. I had a urinary analysis done at the vet, but not blood work. I went away for a week and my mom watched him and noticed he was drinking a lot. She googled and told me she thought he was diabetic. The vet did blood work and that's what it was.
I live alone and figuring this stuff out by myself has been an emotional experience. We're on regular insulin now (Prolinx: 3 units in the morning, 4 in the afternoon) and doing regular glucose checks. He goes up and down. My goal is remission one day. He has arthritis too, and we just started him on gabapentin last week. The change has been remarkable. He's climbing the stairs for the hell of it now, cleaning his hind quarters, sleeping on the back of the couch again, etc. That stuff works wonders.
My other cat is 13 and, knock wood, healthy as a horse.
Anyway, nice to meet you all!
