Hi! I'm new

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Anna K

Member Since 2014
Hi!

My dear 13 year old cat Bruno was just diagnosed with diabetes (among other things).

Does anyone here feed their diabetic cat Tiki Cat? It looks very good, better than the m/d that my vet prescribed.

http://www.petropics.com/Hawaiian.htm

No carbs. It's basically chopped up fish. He loves it!

Bruno was diagnosed two months ago with small cell lymphoma. This is a slow growing cancer in the small intestine which is managed with Chlorambucil (a chemo pill) and prednisone. A cat can live many years on this protocol. But unfortunately, two months of prednisone caused diabetes in my formerly non-diabetic cat. So he has tapered off the prednisone and is now on Budesonide. Budesonide is also a steroid which can also cause diabetes but not so bad as prednisone. He needs to be on steroids for his lymphoma. In addition, he has a heart gallup and he is hemopheliac (managed with Vitamin K daily).

Bruno is a 13 year old Devon Rex cat. We have one other cat and two dogs.
 
Hi and Welcome! Generally we suggest fish be served a couple times a week at most because of the mercury levels, but not as a sole diet. You might look at our food list and see if you can find some other tasty choices also. We like to stay in the 8-10% range.

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Purina DM wet is not a horrid choice, but cats often tire of the liver taste. And we see nothing "prescription" about it except the cost. :-D
 
Thanks! I did not know about the mercury. One more thing to worry about, LOL. We have been alternating food for other reasons (taste). Unfortunately Bruno does not like chicken. I think because it doesn't have a strong smell? He prefers fish or liver. But mostly, he wants variety.

I have another question-- the vet told us to put some ketostix in his litter box. But reading on the internet I've seen people actually collecting urine samples and dipping the sticks in there. Eww! Is it enough to just leave some sticks in the litter box every day?
 
Yes, we do get urine samples. With our cat, who would not pee if anyone was in the room, we put aquarium gravel in a clean litter box and left him alone. He couldn't stand a clean box, so we could sweep in after and get a sample that wasn't absorbed.

BUT that indicator is hours after the insulin is injected. We test our cats before each shot, to be sure the amount we are planning to give is safe, and midcycle, to see how low the insulin is taking him. (the same way we would treat our 2 legged children :-D ). We know shooting insulin blind isn't safe. We have taught hundreds of people how over the internet. If you'd like to learn how, just ask.
 
Welcome!

We feed Tiki Cat in our rotation mixed with Fancy Feast. We also feed Weruva Cats in the Kitchen varieties, which are a little bit more economical than the Tiki Cat, good quality meat source, and lots of low carb, grain/gluten free options. Weruva's own line, and their Best Feline Friends (B.F.F.) lines also have a lot of low carb options and are a little bit less spendy than the Tiki Cat.

Regarding the ketostix, that's to test for ketones in the urine. The presence of ketones in the urine can be a medical emergency. We definitely encourage you to begin testing blood glucose at home. It sounds daunting at first, but it's the best way to keep your kitty safe, and to closely monitor how well a particular dose of insulin is working.
 
Thanks Jen! Yes of course we will do glucose blood testing. That is a different issue.

My question was: Is it OK to just scatter some Ketostix in the litter box. This is what my vet said to do. But everyone here seems to be collecting urine and dipping the stick into it.



Thanks,
Anna
 
There is a special litter that you can use that just involves putting it in the litter box. But as far as I am aware, using the ketostix either involves sticking the strip into the urine stream or collecting a clear sample right after. Some people have had success burying saran wrap in the area (with a section on top of the litter) where he usually pees and using whatever collects there.
 
Your best data on how well the diabetes is controlled is through home testing. Being able to do that may save you lots, as you can do curves at home, where vet stress won't artificially elevate the levels from 100 to 180 mg/dL.

We suggest using an inexpensive human glucometer with pet-specific reference numbers (below). One many of us use is the WallMart Relion Confirm, or Confirm Micro, which is also sold at American Diabetes Wholesale as as the Arkray USA Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini (same manufacturer - Arkray USA). It uses a tiny blood droplet and the cost is significantly lower for test strips (like $0.36 each).

Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​
Examples of using the chart:

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)
 
The ketostix have to be read in a certain time frame after they are in contact with the urine. So no, leaving the ketostix scattered in the litter box will not work.

Here are more urine collecting tips for you.
 
My cats LOVE the Tiki Cat Chicken ones but they're twice the price of the seafood ones. Even still, I buy it for them as an extra special "treat," usually when Mikey is running in higher numbers because they're 0 carb. If I had the money, that's all I'd feed them.

...well, actually, if I had the money, I'd feed them homemade raw. :lol:
 
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