Intro. and questions

Hello!
I'm Maria and today I officially adopted a neighbor's cat. Her name is Kahlua and she's 10. She was diagnosed with diabetes in July. I took her to the vet today and am waiting on bloodwork, etc. I don't know much about my girl. Her previous owner didn't take care of her much at all. She was prescribed Glipizide 5 mg 2 times a day in July. I suspect she only got that for a month. I have no idea if she ever got insulin, although her owner gave me some. She's been free fed a dry food called Lovingly Simple. My concern right now is diarrhea. She is constantly going. My neighbor said she always has it from the food. I have no idea what her numbers are. What should I be doing?

 

Hello and welcome. Thank you for adopting the neighbor's cat and taking her to the vet. Insulin is a much better choice than glipizide which can just tire out the pancreas and is a worse long term solution.

We believe in three things here to help your diabetic cat. The first is a good low carb food, which usually means canned food or raw. Where do you live? We might be able to suggest some options for you based on country. This website is written by a vet specializes in feline nutrition. https://catinfo.org/ Sounds like you need to change diet anyway because of allergies. That food has fish ( a common allergen) and sweet potato and peas which are high carb food. Most dry foods are way too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. I would try a wet food without fish in it.

The second thing you need is insulin. What insulin type did the previous owner give you? Lantus, Prozinc, and Levemir are all good insulins for cats.

The third thing is home testing the blood sugars, which is how you keep her safe when you give insulin. Cats have the unique ability for the pancreas to heal, so their dose can change over time. Home testing lets you keep her safe. It's actually fairly easy to do. This post has some tips and videos. Hometesting Links and Tips

 

Hi Maria and welcome to you and Kahlua.
That is wonderful of you to adopt a diabetic kitty. What a lucky girl Kahlua is.

There are several things you can do you help your girl. I see Wendy has just posted with suggestions so I won’t repeat them.
Another thing I would do is buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy and test the urine for ketones just to check there are not any. There can develop in untreated diabetic cats and cats not getting enough insulin or food. It is a simple test

This is a very supportive community and we are really happy to help you get Kahlua sorted out.
You might like to try some cooked pumpkin …about 1/2 teaspoon twice a day to start and increasing to a teaspoon for the diarrhoea.

Keep asking lots of questions, we are very happy to answer them all.
Bron

 

Thank you! I live in IL. I feed my other 2 kitties Earthborne Holistic wet food. I gave Kahlua some of the Chicken Cacciatore food, and she ate a tiny bit. She ate all the Catalina Catch earlier today and threw it all up. I'm trying to stick with a plain chicken for now because some of them have peas and carrots. I will try some cooked pumpkin. The vet gave me some probiotics as well.

The insulin is Lantus. The problem is my neighbor left it at my back door. I have no idea how long it was there, if he ever shook it up, if he even had it refrigerated. Sigh....

I intend to get a blood glucose meter. I figured I'd get lots of info. from the vet, but nope.....just wait for the results. Is that safe? I guess she's been living this way for a long time......poor kiddo.

 

You don't need a blood glucose meter from the vet. The ones they sell are expensive and the test strips even more so. If you have a Walmart near you, many people use the Relion meters. Look for one that just needs a small drop of blood. The Relion Prime has the cheapest test strips of all. You will be going through test strips so cost is a consideration.

As for food, this food list contains many products available in the US. You want something less than 10% carbs. I could only find dry food on the Earthborn Holistic site, so have no idea if their wet food is low carb. Chicken is also a common allergen, maybe try something with turkey? Probiotics, depending which ones you got, could also be helpful.

 

Can you ask your neighbour if he kept the insulin in the fridge, how long it was at the door and if he ever shook it?
Lantus is a very good insulin for cats so I would stick with that one. If you find you need to buy a fresh cartridge of the Lantus, it can be bought much cheaper from Marks Marine pharmacy in Canada. All you need is a script from your vet.
HERE is a link to buying insulin from Canada.

 

Hi Maria, you can also get the Relion Premier Classic Monitor, The Relion Prime is discontinued, but some Walmarts still may have some, they are also 9 dollars
The Premier is 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 tests strips
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
Some cotton rounds to put behind her ear


Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

So, today I've tried Earthbornes chicken, Catalina catch, beef and her reg. dry food. She hasn't eaten much at all. She's drinking plenty of water. Diarrhea has slowed somewhat, but then not much food. What should I be doing? Is this okay for tonight?

 

Sorry....kind of freaking out....

 

It’s important she eats well, especially if she is not getting any insulin at the moment.
Did you managed to get any Ketostix that I mentioned above?
I think that is really important to establish she doesn’t have any ketones in her urine as they can multiple and become dangerous if not treated……and the way to treat them is with insulin and food.
I don’t want to frighten you but I am concerned she is not eating much, isn’t getting the insulin she needs and she has diarrhoea.
Can you get some Ketostix in the morning and test the urine? I think this is important.
In the meantime I would try and get her to eat some more food…..anything is fine as long as it is food. Don’t worry if it is high carb or dry. She just needs to eat.
Is she alert and active or lethargic?

 

I will get her supplies as soon as I can. My son has a Dr. Appt. at 9. I'm boiling her some chicken. She just won't eat. I am freaking out.

 

She’s a lucky girl. You are doing the best you can at the moment with what you have been given.
What about some cheese.? Canned Sardines? Parmesan cheese sprinkles over some food? A bit of scrambled egg?

 

She's a pretty quiet cat. She comes out and has diarrhea and looks at the food and goes into the crate.

 

I'll try that! What else?

 

It sounds as if she could be nauseated. Can you ask the vet in the morning for some cerenia or ondansetron to see if that will help with eating?

 

HOW TO STIMULATE KITTY’s APPETITE
Maybe try one of these as well.

 

I will definitely call the vet in the morning. I do have some senior vitamin gel. I've done that with other cats.

 

When you speak to the vet, ask him for the results of the blood test…..hopefully he will have also tested for ketones in the blood, but maybe not.
. Also ask about starting the insulin, some thing for the nausea, and what to do about the diarrhoea.
Ask for a copy of the blood tests and if you post them here we can help you interpret them.
The starting dose for the Lantus should be 1/2 to 1 unit twice a day.
Keep asking lots of questions and we will support you as you begin this journey with Kahlua.

 

Thank you! Do you think she'll be okay overnight? She did eat a tiny bit of egg. I'm trying chicken and rice next.

 

Hopefully she will be. But I can’t see her and I would be happier if I knew she had no ketones in the urine. If you only got her today, she could have been like this for a while. And I’m sure she is wondering who this lovely lady is who has taken her in and offering all this food to her.
Just keep doing what you are doing and offering little bits of food.
My Harry loves cheese and will do anything to get a piece!

 

Thank you....she comes to our house every day. Her house is under construction. As soon as they arrive, she comes over. Today it was 7 a.m. and raining. I wish tomorrow wasn't my busiest day ever.

 

Chicken and rice is a no go....

 

Oh so she knows you already and I’m sure trusts you. That’s good. Everything seems to happen when we are busy!

 

What about some of the chicken juice with tiny bits of chicken in it?

 

Tried that....I have some tuna with water...but it has salt added...

 

I’d still try it as long as it has no onions in the juice… check the label

 

She ate about 1 TB of tuna juice and a TB of chicken!

 

Wonderful!

 

She's purring and laying in her crate.

 

Still not eating...she drank some water and wants loves, but not eating.

 

I'll update more when I get home....her glucose is 293. Her lymphocytes are high. She is getting fluids and meds for diarrhea. She will also be starting insulin. They are concerned about IBS or cancer.

 

Okay....so Kahlua has Mirtazapine for nausea and Metronidazole. Are these okay?

 

Mirtazapine is a cat appetite stimulant with little anti-nausea properties. Metronidazole is an antibiotic for the GI tract and may help for IBD.

I would give the Mirtazapine as an appetite stimulant at dose of 2.88mg every 2 days. The 2.88 is 1/8 of 15mg tab. Some give it as ¼ of 15mg every 3 days/ The standard dose of metronidazole is ¼ of 250mg tab once daily.

 

I've started my girl on her meds and she's eaten 3 oz of Fancy Feast beef. She hasn't had any diarrhea since this morning.

My questions are:
Should I just let her eat like a piggy? She wants that Fancy Feast!
When should I start testing her? Her glucose was 293 yesterday.
I don't have insulin except for the stuff my neighbor gave me. How long does it take to get it from Canada or is the substitute able to be gotten faster?

I promise I'll get my info. filled out soon. I am so clueless I need my kiddo to help me!

 

I would consider getting Semglee, it is a generic Lantus, and was approved by the FDA last June. The cost is compatible with Lantus from Canada.
https://www.goodrx.com/semglee
Here is a coupon above
Just call any pharmacy to see if they have the 5 pens, they will last you a year or more
Let us know which insulin your vet prescribes , you don't want vetsulin , even though its cheaper it's actually used for dogs, not to say some cats do ok on it but Lantus is much more
gentle , vetsulin has a tendency to drop their BG hard and fast

We can tell you which syringes to buy because if you use the pens you can only adjust by whole units, with syringes with half unit markings we adjust doses by 0.25 units
We will help you

 

Thank you! The vet prescribed Lantus. Will someplace like Walgreens substitute Semglee? Or does the script need specific wording?

She's such a sweet cat and she's been so neglected. I just want her to have a nice life. She deserves it!

 

I'm not sure , I would just call them and ask and tell them you want Semglee.
Lantus is so expensive in the US

 

Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen!