I will repost what I shared on the Facebook group, with an update.
Hello! This is Eddie. We are new to this whole diabetic cat thing. A brief history. In February 2025, Eddie developed a urinary issue (frequent peeing, straining, doing tiny amounts). Took him to the vet, and he was diagnosed with cystitis. Over the past year, we have managed this with once-daily gabapentin. I was very excited when his pee spots got bigger and bigger (that's what you WANT with the condition!). He was eating urinary food, which makes cats drink more and therefore pee more. Well, fast forward to this year, when I noticed that Eddie was looking thin. He had been eating wet food (it took him FOREVER to choose that as his primary food, so I took it as a good thing) a LOT and still seemed hungry. I decided to weigh him and realized that over the course of a year, he had dropped from 14.6 lbs to 9.6 lbs! Immediate vet appointment, which was this past Saturday. They did blood work and a urinalysis. After waiting anxiously all day Sunday and Monday, the vet called around 4 PM and told me Eddie has diabetes. He recommends 1 unit of Lantus every 12 hours, which he prescribed. I feel bad because all the symptoms were masked and viewed through the lens of cystitis and urinary food: increased drinking, increased urination, and increased wet food. All viewed as GOOD things. My concern is that I have 5 cats in my household and two are hard and fast kibble eaters. Currently, everyone eats the urinary food, but it is too high carb for Eddie. Like I said, he primarily eats wet food, but does get snacky and munches on the dry at times. I just don't know how to get rid of the dry food without turning my house upside-down and causing a revolt. We haven't started the Lantus yet. I just picked it up from the pharmacy late Tuesday afternoon. Also, home testing scares me silly. I'm ok with the injections, but the thought of a lancet and a little kitty ear? Ugh.
Update: I have given a total of four doses of 1 unit of Lantus. I was concerned it wasn’t going in because I could smell insulin. I am no longer convinced that that means it was a fur shot. As an RN I know how to inject. I refuse to believe all four shots were fur shots. Objective observation shows there has been an improvement, so he must be getting insulin. Eddie is hanging out more downstairs with my other four cats. He has also taken to sleeping in the top of the floor to ceiling cat tree when I’m in bed sleeping. He has not done this for close to a year. With my nightshift life, he usually eats at 11-1130 and then shortly thereafter goes upstairs and sleeps under the bed until around 5 am. Like clockwork. He is not doing that today. Thankfully, with the urinary issue, he already primarily eats wet food. Everyone’s favorite is the FF classic pâté varieties. Which I understand is low to zero carbs.
Also, hunger seems to be less frantic. He eats well, but he has stopped the scramble to the kitchen every time I head that direction. He has/had a hard fast addiction to Temptations and Party Mix which I have indulged freely until his diagnosis. History of urinary issues? Please. He gets anything he wants. We have sharply weaned off of those and now treats are Dr Elsey’s low carb chicken treats. I was afraid he wouldn’t switch but he ate them without hesitation. I have also added freeze dried minnows and freeze dried chicken hearts into the rotation. To my shock, he eats both without hesitation.
I feel like we have made huge strides just since I got the diagnosis Monday evening 2/16. I haven’t started blood glucose testing. With everything going on, it has been a lot. It is all mind boggling and I see everyone’s spreadsheets and tracking and feel like I am being irresponsible. I also feel like I need to give myself grace. I don’t think he will go hypo on day 3 of treatment. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? Not as much with Lantus. I know it is gentle and steady. His glucose at the vet was 507 for the diagnosis. No urine ketones, but +3 glucose. My nurse brain tells me some of the 507 is likely stress, but the glucose spilling into the urine tells me this has been ongoing.
Two of my five cats primarily eat Hills Veterinary Prescriton Urinary c/d only. One of the two will nibble at wet. The other won’t touch it. This is what the vet recommended for Eddie’s urinary issue. So far of the small amount I put in the dish when I got up, Eddie has not touched it today. He ate wet food well, had a freeze dried chicken heart, and some Dr Elsey’s treats. Drinking seems to have dropped off as well compared to what it was been. Until now, he would spend minutes at the fountain drinking. Since I got up at 11 PM I have seen him drink once and it was briefly.
I am worried sick because I work overnights Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays every week. I am afraid of being away from home. I don’t have a whole lot of choice, unfortunately. How do you all handle jobs and insulin dosing? I’m going to have to shift timing three days a week. I work 7p-7a so I’m trying to stay around 5:30-6:30 so I can do it right before work and right after work. No matter the timing, it has to be around this time to avoid missing doses by hours. I am just anxious about dosing and then going to work.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading.
Hello! This is Eddie. We are new to this whole diabetic cat thing. A brief history. In February 2025, Eddie developed a urinary issue (frequent peeing, straining, doing tiny amounts). Took him to the vet, and he was diagnosed with cystitis. Over the past year, we have managed this with once-daily gabapentin. I was very excited when his pee spots got bigger and bigger (that's what you WANT with the condition!). He was eating urinary food, which makes cats drink more and therefore pee more. Well, fast forward to this year, when I noticed that Eddie was looking thin. He had been eating wet food (it took him FOREVER to choose that as his primary food, so I took it as a good thing) a LOT and still seemed hungry. I decided to weigh him and realized that over the course of a year, he had dropped from 14.6 lbs to 9.6 lbs! Immediate vet appointment, which was this past Saturday. They did blood work and a urinalysis. After waiting anxiously all day Sunday and Monday, the vet called around 4 PM and told me Eddie has diabetes. He recommends 1 unit of Lantus every 12 hours, which he prescribed. I feel bad because all the symptoms were masked and viewed through the lens of cystitis and urinary food: increased drinking, increased urination, and increased wet food. All viewed as GOOD things. My concern is that I have 5 cats in my household and two are hard and fast kibble eaters. Currently, everyone eats the urinary food, but it is too high carb for Eddie. Like I said, he primarily eats wet food, but does get snacky and munches on the dry at times. I just don't know how to get rid of the dry food without turning my house upside-down and causing a revolt. We haven't started the Lantus yet. I just picked it up from the pharmacy late Tuesday afternoon. Also, home testing scares me silly. I'm ok with the injections, but the thought of a lancet and a little kitty ear? Ugh.
Update: I have given a total of four doses of 1 unit of Lantus. I was concerned it wasn’t going in because I could smell insulin. I am no longer convinced that that means it was a fur shot. As an RN I know how to inject. I refuse to believe all four shots were fur shots. Objective observation shows there has been an improvement, so he must be getting insulin. Eddie is hanging out more downstairs with my other four cats. He has also taken to sleeping in the top of the floor to ceiling cat tree when I’m in bed sleeping. He has not done this for close to a year. With my nightshift life, he usually eats at 11-1130 and then shortly thereafter goes upstairs and sleeps under the bed until around 5 am. Like clockwork. He is not doing that today. Thankfully, with the urinary issue, he already primarily eats wet food. Everyone’s favorite is the FF classic pâté varieties. Which I understand is low to zero carbs.
Also, hunger seems to be less frantic. He eats well, but he has stopped the scramble to the kitchen every time I head that direction. He has/had a hard fast addiction to Temptations and Party Mix which I have indulged freely until his diagnosis. History of urinary issues? Please. He gets anything he wants. We have sharply weaned off of those and now treats are Dr Elsey’s low carb chicken treats. I was afraid he wouldn’t switch but he ate them without hesitation. I have also added freeze dried minnows and freeze dried chicken hearts into the rotation. To my shock, he eats both without hesitation.
I feel like we have made huge strides just since I got the diagnosis Monday evening 2/16. I haven’t started blood glucose testing. With everything going on, it has been a lot. It is all mind boggling and I see everyone’s spreadsheets and tracking and feel like I am being irresponsible. I also feel like I need to give myself grace. I don’t think he will go hypo on day 3 of treatment. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? Not as much with Lantus. I know it is gentle and steady. His glucose at the vet was 507 for the diagnosis. No urine ketones, but +3 glucose. My nurse brain tells me some of the 507 is likely stress, but the glucose spilling into the urine tells me this has been ongoing.
Two of my five cats primarily eat Hills Veterinary Prescriton Urinary c/d only. One of the two will nibble at wet. The other won’t touch it. This is what the vet recommended for Eddie’s urinary issue. So far of the small amount I put in the dish when I got up, Eddie has not touched it today. He ate wet food well, had a freeze dried chicken heart, and some Dr Elsey’s treats. Drinking seems to have dropped off as well compared to what it was been. Until now, he would spend minutes at the fountain drinking. Since I got up at 11 PM I have seen him drink once and it was briefly.
I am worried sick because I work overnights Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays every week. I am afraid of being away from home. I don’t have a whole lot of choice, unfortunately. How do you all handle jobs and insulin dosing? I’m going to have to shift timing three days a week. I work 7p-7a so I’m trying to stay around 5:30-6:30 so I can do it right before work and right after work. No matter the timing, it has to be around this time to avoid missing doses by hours. I am just anxious about dosing and then going to work.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading.
