I would like to introduce my owners, Marissa and Dean

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marissa2c

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My name is Gimli and I would like to introduce my owners, Marissa and Dean. They've been acting really strange lately. I think it was because I was using the litterbox all the time and was drinking a lot of water. What can I say, I like to drink when I'm thirsty and boy have I been thirsty lately.

For some reason, they've been taking me to the place where they stick me with needles a lot. And there are a lot of big doggies there. The good news it that I've been getting to eat a lot of canned food. I loooovvvveee canned food. But, they only feed me twice a day. Before, I could dry food whenever I wanted. But I do love canned food, so I guess it's ok.

And, they've been poking my ears a lot. It doesn't hurt, but it is kind of annoying to be held down like that. Boy, do I hate to be restrained. I do love all the attention and all, but it's been too much. Haven't been getting much beauty sleep as of late.

Please say hi to my owners and help them out.

Thanks,
Gimli
 
Hi Marssia and Dean,

Welcome to FDMB! Once things start moving around here you will get lots of help concerning Gilmi's diabetes. Glad to hear that you have learned hometesting. It's the safest way to give your cat insulin and you can chart his progress.

What kind of insulin is Gilmi's on? My cat Sara is on lantus 2 times a day.

I'm guessing that you are feeding canned from the vet. There are less expensive canned foods that are low carb that you can feed. Here is the link to Janet and Binky's canned food chart. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html

I feed my cat throughout the day. Having insulin on board makes this inportant so they don't go to low.

Do you give your cat a treat after you test. Most cats will willing let you test because a lot of them love their treats. Some even jump up to the testing spot. It becomes part of their routine.


Again welcome, and ask questions. There are many concerned and caring people here to help you out.

Good luck with your Gilmi.

jan and sara
 
Welcome Marissa and Dean. Scritches Gilmi.

It sure sounds like your folks (we call them Beans around here, for human beans) know alot about how to safely make you feel better. You say you were thirsty, but I bet you've been feeling kind of tired too, and maybe not walking as high on your toes as you used to. The wet food (which you can have all day) and the pokes and the sticks will all make you feel much better soon.

There's lots of good information here about your dire beasties (that's what some call feline diabetes) like the FAQ. I also was going to tell you about the pretty spreadsheet your beans could make for you, but they are pretty smart and already have made you one. In fact, I see that they have found the FAQ and the "protocol," so you must be getting Lantus.

I am glad to see that your beans have brought your insulin dosage down from 2U. You may have needed 2U when you were at the vet because you were stressed out (stress makes your BG levels go high), but you are way less stressed now that you are home with Marissa and Dean.

Do you like the Purina DM? Some cats don't. And some beans save money and give better-ingredient food to their sugar cats (that's what we call cats with dire beasties) by using a commercial cat food. There's charts called Janet and Binky's Food Charts that your beans can look at to find you good food with low carbohydrates.

Gimli, did you have a steroid shot anytime in the past year? And how old are you? Are you a boy cat or a girl cat?

We are happy to see you all here, even though we are sad to see that you are sick, Gimli. I'm sure you will be feeling so much better soon. We like not only to hear about the numbers, but also about the "whole cat."
 
Hi Gimli!

Really glad to see you brought your beans here, good job! They will get lots of help here. Sounds like you have already been training them very well in how to take care of you. I know that those ear pokies can get really annoying, I don't much like them myself, but my mommie gives me a nice tasty treat afterwards so I guess they are okay. Plus she says it helps her feel safe that I'm okay.

They have a special list of foods here called Binky's list it has some really yummy flavors on it, much better than that nasty stuff the vettybean told my mom to get...it was icky, not even the tuxie twins here would eat it and they will eat ANYTHING.So mom just printed out that Binky's list took it to the store and got me lots of good food, that my brothers and sisters liked as much as I did.

You can also tell your beans that they don't really need to take you back to that place with the big doggies unless you are really sick, now that you got them here, we can help them do alot of that stuff right at home. Which is really better because if you are like me, I get all stressed out at the vettybean's and my BGs got way up. At home I'm all nice and relaxed, so I give mom better numbers.

Now lots of folks here will want to know what insulin you are on, cuz it helps them know who can be the most help to your fur-parents. Plus they will want to know how much and how often you have to get shots.

I'm a lucky boy, my mommie doesn't have to give me shots anymore, cuz I'm in something called remission. So she can't help you mom and dad much, with things like dosing, but said to tell them to hang on others will be along shortly to help out.
We just wanted to stop by and say hello.

Max and his mom Mel
 
Welcome to FDMB.

You can feed more than twice per day, it's better to do that. My own cats have 4 scheduled feedings and Tucker gets a little more than that because he takes other meds too.

What type of insulin and what dose are you on? What type of food did you use before the switch? Anything else going on? Were the teeth checked? Any infections?
 
Thanks for all of the warm welcomes. It sounds like there are a lot of cool kitties and beans around here.

A little more information about myself. I think I’m 8 years old. My first set of beans didn’t like me very much. I even have a BB stuck in my body that the vetbean saw on an x-ray once. So we had a “mutual” parting of the ways and I wandered around the neighborhood when I was 2. One day, I was sunning myself by the mailboxes and all of a sudden this pretty bean walks by. It was love at first sight. I have a thing for blondes just like the Gimli in Lord of the Rings.

I have two older step-brothers too – Patches and Tiger. They are both almost 14. Patches still acts like a little kid. He really loves mommy Marissa. He’s always sleeping on her. Sometimes he comes up to me and I get to lick him on top of his head – hmmmm, taste like chicken. ;-)

Tiger, though, acts like a grumpy old man. I guess you can do that when you get to be as old as him. He and I don’t get along even though it’s been forever - 6 years (24 in human equivalents). Sometimes I like to go and pick a fight with him just to show him who’s boss. But I’ll tell you, he fights really good for an old man.

My beans tell me that I’ve been getting this insulin called Lantus. I don’t mind going to see the vetbean except for the big doggies. He’s actually pretty cool. We’re buds. He likes all kinds of animals. He’s even treated the really big kitties, horsies, snakes, and birdies (yum-o). He talks to my beans all the time.

Gotta run. Just got my food (finally!) and off to catch some morning rays..

TTFN,
Gimli
 
Hey Gimli,

You sound like you've had quite an adventure before finding that pretty bean and saving her, good job, man. I can relate to being a traveling man, myself. See I was a Katrina kitty, then went to Mass, around the Boston area, this nice lady adopted me, then she got sick and had to go to a nursing home,for awhile they kept telling me I was tired and I needed to go to sleep, but I didn't want to go to sleep. So the nice people here found me my new mom & dad. I now have 6 step-brothers and 4 step-sisters. I even have to live with one of those great big doggies. You know they are kind of spitty and loud, but they aren't too bad, and he is really warm to curl up on.

Tell your beans Lantus is a really great insulin for you. I had to take it for a little bit myself. How much are they giving you? You can also tell them that your brothers can eat the same stuff your eating, they don't need to feed you all different stuff if they didn't know that yet. There is also a really really helpful bunch of kitties and their mommie's and daddy's over in the Lantus Support group, there is lots of good sticky notes from them to read over there as well.


Mel & Max
 
You can free feed the canned food and you can also serve "mini meals" throughout the day, so you don't necessarily have to limit to only 2 feedings a day. There is no right or wrong when it comes to feeding and the feeding schedule.

In our house, we are free fed and get a buffet of canned and raw food options.

What you do want to do is feed low carb foods - by low carb - we mean under 10%. Some cats are very carb sensitive and low carb is 0-5%. (see Janet's chart)

In our house, we stick with the 0-4% carbs and everyone eats it without issue.

Remember, when lowering the carbs, you need to test, because the amount of insulin needed may also need to be reduced.

If you haven't already, be sure to visit the lantus forum and read the "stickies" starred information at the top. This will help you to better understand the insulin.

Welcome to the group.

Oh and Gimli - Marissa and Dean are not your owners - they are your servants - don't ever forget that!

Signed, Maui the Magnificent
 
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