Insulin and appetite

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oonagh's Mom

Oonagh's Mom

Member Since 2014
Isn't insulin supposed to decrease appetite? My cat is on insulin and it's a specific study, (or else I can't afford it at all), but it seems like her appetite is just getting worse. She was started at 1.5 mil and that seemed to be high, so she was dropped to .5. Then moved up to 1. Now they may have to increase her insulin again. Her numbers don't seem to make sense. I had her on coconut oil for a year, but seemed to finally stop thriving, plus the oil was causing her and my other cat to start having loose stools and vomiting. But now her appetite has increased even more and she is literally driving me out of my mind. I love her, but at the same time, I want to kill her. I feed her around 6 in the morning, give her her shot, then escape to work. In the evenings, I get home by 4:45, feed them, give her a shot. Then by 8, she wants a snack. This just started a few weeks ago. Then at 9, she wants another one. We had started that so I could hopefully get to sleep through the night before she'd wake me up to feed her. But tonight, around 10, here she was, wanting food again. I am now in my bedroom. I have door in my hallway that separates the bedroom area from the rest of the hall and this door is now closed. I don't know what to do..... I am just worn out.
 
Lol your cat sounds like Luna. She simply does not shut up when she wants food. I've managed to get used to it, and she's a little piggy so I can't just leave food around or she'll eat til she explodes, plus we have other cats.

How much are you feeding though? A few times I've noticed people were giving 1/10th of what they should be giving a day and wondering why the cat was hungry.
 
Oonagh's Mom said:
Isn't insulin supposed to decrease appetite? My cat is on insulin and it's a specific study, (or else I can't afford it at all), but it seems like her appetite is just getting worse. She was started at 1.5 mil and that seemed to be high, so she was dropped to .5. Then moved up to 1. Now they may have to increase her insulin again. Her numbers don't seem to make sense. I had her on coconut oil for a year, but seemed to finally stop thriving, plus the oil was causing her and my other cat to start having loose stools and vomiting. But now her appetite has increased even more and she is literally driving me out of my mind. I love her, but at the same time, I want to kill her. I feed her around 6 in the morning, give her her shot, then escape to work. In the evenings, I get home by 4:45, feed them, give her a shot. Then by 8, she wants a snack. This just started a few weeks ago. Then at 9, she wants another one. We had started that so I could hopefully get to sleep through the night before she'd wake me up to feed her. But tonight, around 10, here she was, wanting food again. I am now in my bedroom. I have door in my hallway that separates the bedroom area from the rest of the hall and this door is now closed. I don't know what to do..... I am just worn out.
Click to expand...
If your cat's diabetes is - as yet - uncontrolled, your cat will remain very hungry (with the kind of behaviors you're experiencing right now) until better glycemic control is obtained. Am I correct in assuming that you are not monitoring blood glucose levels @ home?
What do you mean by "it's a specific study?" You're participating in a veterinary study, is that it? Please advise. Thanks.
 
I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I just have to tell you this up front:

Regardless of the type of insulin your kitty is on (which is it, btw? Lantus? ProZinc? Another type?) if you are participating in a study in which you have been instructed not to monitor blood glucose at home, the designers of this study are asking you to play "roulette" with your cat.

Without at least getting a pre-shot blood glucose reading from an (inexpensive) human glucose meter BEFORE dosing your cat, you are literally "shooting in the dark," which can put your diabetic cat at risk for a serious - and possibly life-threatening - hypoglycemic event.

For anyone with financial constraints, I've heard of an excellent organization called Diabetic Cats in Need that can help you defray the cost of effectively treating your diabetic kitty. May be a safer alternative than a study, if they have discouraged you from in-home monitoring!
 
Yeah and there would be no reason whatsoever to abstain from testing - it's not like home testing alters anything in the cat. That's silly. And besides - even if they did, I would still home test :woot:

Please know too that in terms of $ you can save $ without cutting corners. Friskies pate is super cheap and pretty good stuff, you can buy lancets/syringes/strips all online for 1/10th of what you'll pay at the store or especially the vet. I buy insulin from canada which saves me $200 per vial!
 
Hi Marta,

I am sorry that you and Oonagh are having a hard time of things. I can really relate to how distressing it is when your cat is constantly hungry like that. I went through similar with my Saoirse before she was diagnosed; it can be really overwhelming and exhausting to go through. :bighug: Hopefully we will be able to help make things better for you both.

It will help a great deal if you can let us know a little more about Oonagh's clinical signs. In particular:

1. How much is she drinking?
2. How much is she peeing?
3. Apart from when she's looking for food, does she have much energy or is she lethargic/sleepy most of the day?
4. Is she grooming herself normally? What is her coat condition like? (Dry/greasy? Split-looking? Visible Dander?).

I'd like to second Robin's suggestion to contact Diabetic Cats in Need to find out what support they may be able to offer you. It's a wonderful organisation.

It sounds like you're not yet home testing. We always recommend it, but in your particular case it sounds like you're working in the dark trying to fathom out what's happening with little Oonagh, and things could and should be an awful lot better for both of you than your current situation. Assuming that you're not yet home testing, I really think it would help you both enormously if you could manage to get hold of an inexpensive blood glucose meter with affordable strips like the Relion Micro or Confirm from Walmart. We can teach you how to test. If we can find out what's happening with Oonagh's blood glucose levels we'll be able to help you much more.

Hang in there. You're not alone with this, OK? :bighug:


Mogs
.
 
When I aquire smokey his diabetes had not been managed for over 2 years. He was so hungry even though he was fed regularly. His BS was very high but I don't remember what is was. And he lost half his body weight.

Now that I'm getting his BS under contol. He has maintained his weight but I do wonder if he is getting enough to eat. But I'm working on his glucose right now.
 
What country are you in? Depending on that, we may have some options to help.
In the USA, BCP PZI is fairly affordable, and works better than both Vetsulin/Caninsulin and Humulin/Novolin NPH.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top