Hi to everyone,

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Annie&Charlie

Annie&Charlie

Member Since 2017
New to this board and forum. Annie from Canada. Have a male nineteen year old diabetic sterilized moggy, named Charlie who is black and white and fading in front of my eyes.

Have been treating him with lantus for eight years.

After a recent Vet visit, they upped his lantus dosage, after a curve. From 4 cc per day to 5 cc.

Do any of you have any experience with a cat of this age?

His reaction to the higher dosage, was to become more lively, at first, for several weeks. Jumping, even a little running, but more seeking of my lap twenty to thirty times per day. His last blood test (1 week ago) indicated that his kidneys are working at twenty percent.

In the last few days, he's stopped eating at regular times. Now he is absolutely starving about midnight, but won't eat more than a few mouthfuls throughout the day.

Any thoughts? He's lost a lot of weight in the last year, beginning to think there is something else involved.
 
Just read this in the FAQ's, it worked! Thank you to whomever put this in place. I've syringe fed him before, when he was a kitten with an abscess in his nose, and would not eat as he was unable to smell his food. Hadn't thought of this. From now on, close attention to this. Going off to buy some chicken, fish, that I can puree.

"Your vet may recommend syringe-feeding. Sometimes, if you put some food in the cat's mouth by hand (behind the teeth is fine), this will be enough to jump-start his appetite a little. If this doesn't work, buy an oral syringe (usually in the baby supplies at the grocery or pharmacy). Dilute a smooth food such as baby food with a little water and put it into the syringe (it may help to pack it from the top and shake it down). Put the syringe in his mouth, sideways, behind her back teeth, and slowly deliver the food (give him time to swallow!). Give the cat as much as he will eat, but don't force too much, because he may not be able to tolerate more than a tablespoon or so of food at a time. Many small feedings may be necessary. If all else fails, your vet may need to prescribe appetite stimulants or even install a feeding tube (in the case of hepatic lipidosis). For more ideas, see Louise & Chorniy's syringe-feeding FAQ.​


You may need to give a reduced insulin dose or even skip a shot, because blood glucose is related to food intake. However, it is dangerous to skip many shots, because ketones may develop. Monitoring your cat's blood glucose at home can be very valuable in helping you and your vet make this decision."
 
Welcome. Hope the syringe feeding helps! There are several folks here that have kitties with diabetes and kidney problems. One thing you can do is look for a food that is low in carbs and phosphorus and always add as much water to it as he will tolerate. Please come to the Main Health Forum and start a post so others with similar problems will see it and give you more suggestions.
 
When you were 32 did you ever think you'd someday be 51? Never mind having that was once a kitten become a senior citizen. I had a nine-lives cat that lived just past his 23rd birthday so you've still got 4+ years to go. Everyday is a blessing. Best of luck.
 
Noah & me said:
When you were 32 did you ever think you'd someday be 51? Never mind having that was once a kitten become a senior citizen. I had a nine-lives cat that lived just past his 23rd birthday so you've still got 4+ years to go. Everyday is a blessing. Best of luck.
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Wow, 23??? The cat I had as a child lived to 21.
 
I assist fed J.D. You want to make sure Charlie gets the nutrients he needs. Just chicken and fish won't have all he needs, like Taurine.
 
Dyana said:
I assist fed J.D. You want to make sure Charlie gets the nutrients he needs. Just chicken and fish won't have all he needs, like Taurine.
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He does eat about 1/2 can of low carb canned food per day, at this age and with the difficulties he's having eating, I'd give him an old poached anything if I thought he would eat it. I may see the Vet about an appetite stimulant.
 
Noah & me said:
When you were 32 did you ever think you'd someday be 51? Never mind having that was once a kitten become a senior citizen. I had a nine-lives cat that lived just past his 23rd birthday so you've still got 4+ years to go. Everyday is a blessing. Best of luck.
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I didn't realize it was a contest. Thanks for your best wishes.
 
Annie&Charlie said:
I didn't realize it was a contest.
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I don't know what you mean. Your profile lists your birthday so at the time of your first post you were still 51. Charlie was 19 so you got him when you were about 32. What I meant was that when most of us were younger we could not conceptualize ever being 30 or 40 or 50+. In my case I had long hair, lived in a hippie house, worked 70 hours a week and one day two kittens were plopped down in a cardboard box and it was "Take them now or it's off to the pound". They got fed Pig-Slop and stayed out all night when I rented a shack on a tree farm. Eventually I smartened up, learned what "forever home" meant and they flew with me 3,000 miles to their new home. They were brothers, one lived to 17, the other to 23. I'm not smarter than anyone, it was genetics and dumb luck. We're good?
 
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