Introduction - Cleo's Mom

Cleo's Momma

Cleo's Momma

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Hi, new friends! My name is Natalie, I am 25 years old, and I have a 5-year-old diabetic cat named Cleo. We found out on October 16th, 2025, when he wouldn't eat (he's a foodie), barely move, had little bladder control, and wouldn't make a noise (he talks 24/7). I took him to a MedVet hospital, where they told me he was in DKA and needed to be admitted immediately for electrolyte and insulin treatment. He stayed there for 2 nights, receiving the same treatment and recovering enough for me to bring him home. While I wish I could say I didn't know something was wrong with him, but I did for a while, I just didn't know what it was. At the beginning of August, he was 16 lbs, and by EOM, he was around 8 lbs. I started him on weight management in July, so I assumed he was dropping weight from the diet change, until it became way too much. By that time, it was too late for me to try to reverse it, as he was already way too sick. We went to the ER vet on the 15th, where they told me he was severely anemic and needed blood transfusions ASAP. As I already knew he was anemic (diagnosed in 2022), I wanted a second opinion on the urgent transfusions. (2025 - 22% RBC vs 2022-17% RBC). The next day, he progressively got worse, so MedVet's visit was urgent for multiple reasons.

He has now been home for a few weeks on 1 and 1/2 units of insulin glargine 2x a day, 12 hours apart. He just saw an internal medicine vet specialist who needs me to start glucose readings and do a 12-hour glucose curve, but I am having a lot of trouble, which is another story. He's having trouble with a scheduled feeding system, as he used to free feed, but he's getting better--I think. He has gotten a tad aggressive 1hr-30min before his scheduled times, but another story, another day. I do not think he's on enough insulin, but I need to be able to do a curve for my vet to move forward with a change--she seems great so far. She believes that with a good diet and proper management, he can live a long, healthy life and even enter remission.


I have his insulin, syringes, a glucose monitor or tester, and lots of wet food. The only thing I do not have right now is confidence. I do not know anything any diabetes besides the literal basics, but as the sole owner of a diabetic animal who can't speak to you, the basics don't seem to be enough ( Under pressure, I probably don't even know the basics, let's be real!!!!!) Low glucose keeps me up at night now. I have so many questions, and I don't know who to ask.

Really, I am looking for support. I am struggling and feel very guilty for some of the feelings I have during this time, but I am trying, and I think that is the important part. Anyways, I look forward to connecting and hopefully finding a sense of community within what feels like a very isolating time.
 
Welcome! It is super stressful at first, but it sounds like you're trying to do your research and give Cleo the best you can. He's lucky to have you. The knowledge will come with time, and we have lots of folks here who can help.

We recommend starting here: New? How You Can Help Us Help You! Three important things on that page are setting up your signature and spreadsheet (so the other members here can access the info they need to answer your questions) and setting up a hypo toolbox so you have what you need if Cleo's blood sugar goes too low.

If you want more info about testing blood sugar at home, check out Hometesting Links and Tips.

What wet food is Cleo on now? Ideally kitties will be on an all-wet diet with <10% carbs.

Edit: Since Cleo had DKA at diagnosis, you may also want to review this page -- Ketones, Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), and Blood Ketone Meters -- and pick up some ketostix (for testing his urine) or a blood ketone meter to have on hand.
 
Thank you for your thoughtful response. All of this information is very helpful as there are so many pieces to this.

Cleo is on Weruva wet cans, with added pumpkin puree and freeze dried toppings. He used to graze dry food and my vet said he can get a handful of diabetic dry a day in between meals to stabilize his hunger and possibly his BS, but from all my research, i don’t think i’ll continue any dry.
 
Welcome to FDMB.

The good news is that you have a vet who is encouraging you to home test. Many vets tell caregivers that it's unnecessary. It's not. It's the best way to keep your cat safe. Lauren linked our information on home testing. Keep us posted on how it's going. It will take a while to get your cat's ear to bleed a bit more easily. The capillary bed needs to build up. You may be more successful using a wider gauge (e.g., 26 gauge) lancet until Cleo's ear bleeds more easily.

I also disagree with your vet's choice of dry food. The DM dry is very high in carbohydrates. You have limited choices for a low carb dry food -- either Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein or Young Again Zero Carb (which is not zero but it's low carb). There are also freeze dried and air dried raw foods that are low in carbs. Alternatively, you can have Cleo graze on canned food. It's fine to have your kitty eat multiple "snacks" throughout the day. You just do not want to feed in the 2 hours prior to a shot.

Ask your questions here. We like questions!! There are several of us who joined FDMB ages ago and have hung around to pay it forward. This is a wonderful community of caregivers who are generous with their time and knowledge.
 
Thank you so much!! This is such an amazing platform for FD.
Realistically, i can feed him wet for his in between snacks, but what about in between 7:30pm - 7:30am ? I assume this time matters as much as a snack in between 7:30am -7:30pm, but i’m unable to sacrifice more sleep to feed him. Any ideas? Additionally, how small are these meals compared to his main meal with his insulin? He’s getting around 300-350 cals a day currently.
 
If it helps, here's an example of how our kitty's schedule looks each day:

7am (+10): Fasting cutoff, no food until shot time.
9am (PS): Check glucose numbers. Give the cat his breakfast, wait until he gets a few good bites in and then give insulin while he's eating. The entire process takes ~5 minutes.
10:30am (+1.5): Small snack.
12pm (+3): Small snack.
3pm (+6): Small snack.
7pm (+10): Fasting cutoff, no food until shot time.
9pm (PS): Check glucose, give dinner, shoot while eating. Aka same as 9a.
Bedtime (~+2): Put out some food for overnight snacks.

When folks give their snacks varies, so this is just an example of how everything fits together. Snacks earlier in the cycle can often help them 'surf' the curve a little better and prevent big drops. For us, each meal is 3/4 of a can and each small snack is 1/4 of a can. But again, this varies.
 
Make a programmable timed feeder your best friend 👍 Just fill the compartments with food, set the times, and let it run. A snack is about a spoonful of food, maybe a little less than 1/4 of a 3 oz can but adjust as needed for your cat. It's perfectly fine to put canned food into a feeder and let it sit. Most cats are ok with it. There are feeders that have ice pack or fancy cooling features to keep canned food cold and fresh. You can also freeze canned food into ice cube trays and put a frozen cube or two into the feeder to slowly defrost.

Unregulated diabetics are always hungry so don't worry about how many calories your cat is getting. Just give food to keep that tummy happy.

Cats do learn about scheduled feeding. Some eventually learn to wait by the feeder (sometimes for hours) so they can eat as soon as a meal is ready (don't ask me how I know 🤪)
 
Lauren & Esse said:
When folks give their snacks varies, so this is just an example of how everything fits together. Snacks earlier in the cycle can often help them 'surf' the curve a little better and prevent big drops. For us, each meal is 3/4 of a can and each small snack is 1/4 of a can. But again, this varies.
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This is super helpful, I cannot thank you enough. Is the best way to find the right amount of food for him, with at-home glucose testing? Additionally, do you always give the snacks with no test? and would you adjust the snack based on how he ate his morning meal? Thank you again!!
 
squeem3 said:
Make a programmable timed feeder your best friend 👍

Unregulated diabetics are always hungry so don't worry about how many calories your cat is getting. Just give food to keep that tummy happy.

Cats do learn about scheduled feeding. Some eventually learn to wait by the feeder (sometimes for hours) so they can eat as soon as a meal is ready (don't ask me how I know 🤪)
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Thank you so so much for the reassurance on the hunger! I just ordered a wet food feeder--didn't even know they had those! I appreciate the support.
 
Hi Cleo's Momma! Welcome to the FDMB!! The fact that you are here and trying to help Cleo speaks volumes about your dedication to her. And KUDOS to your vet for encouraging home testing--that's rare. There are so many aspects to treating our cat's diabetes (most everyone feels completely overwhelmed at first), and you've received some great information so far here, but please let us know if there something specific that you need help with as you start this journey? For me, the hardest part was learning to test Jude. How are you doing with that?
 
Mary & Jude said:
For me, the hardest part was learning to test Jude. How are you doing with that?
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Hi!! Thank you so so so so much for your response and support. Yes! I have had 2 successful readings on separate days, but I can't get any real blood to pool, just a small red dot, revealing that it indeed pricked him. I purchased the IPet Pro and cannot tell if it's the device or Cleo. Seems to need a lot of blood, even when I have done it accurately. I would love as many tips a possible. He hates when I touch his ear, and doesn't mind paw pads, so I've been doing paw pads. He 100% hates it and doesn't like to stay still throughout.
 
Hello and welcome. You've been through a lot with the DKA experience. We have quite a few people here who've also started their diabetes journey the same way.

Cleo's Momma said:
Is the best way to find the right amount of food for him, with at-home glucose testing? Additionally, do you always give the snacks with no test? and would you adjust the snack based on how he ate his morning meal?
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Recent DKA means he's need more food than normal at first. We suggest 1.5 times his normal amount of food. Calories are you friend in helping him recover. How is his appetite? Recent DKA kitties can be nauseous, and if so, we have suggestions to help.

Do you know his ideal weight? The vet can help with that suggestion, but sound like it's somewhere between 8 and 16. Cats vary in their metabolisms and activity levels, so even for identical weight cats, their calorie needs may differ. From the catinfo.org website, the following can be used as a starting point:
Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70
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If 12 lbs was his ideal weight, that would work out to 233 calories, with the caveat that this is an approximate that would need to be tuned for his metabolism. However, with DKA in the picture that would be more like 350 calories. If you don't have one already, you might want to invest in pet or baby scale to use at home. That way you can monitor to make sure his weight is moving in the direction you want for the amount of food you are feeding.

And yes, you can give snacks with or without testing. Especially now when you are trying to put weight back on.
 
You don't need a pet meter. The test strips are expensive and aren't sold in any store. The test strips also need a large drop of blood. A Human blood glucose meter works well. WalMart's Relion brand of meters is popular and affordable but there are other brands.

Ears can be warmed up so they bleed better but I don't know about paw pads. It might work? Wouldn't hurt to try anyways. Make a "rice sock" take a small old cotton sock, fill with a spoonful or two of uncooked rice or dried beans. Tie close. Heat in microwave until just barely comfortably warm enough to hold in your hand. Wrap the sock around the paw for a good minute if possible. If it's too hot, your cat will let you know. Let the sock cool and try again and make a note to use less microwave time. Then poke with the lancet.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Recent DKA means he's need more food than normal at first. We suggest 1.5 times his normal amount of food. Calories are you friend in helping him recover. How is his appetite?

Do you know his ideal weight?
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Thank you so so much for your response. His appetite is quite large. He usually satisfied after 150cals for a meal--if anything, he would eat more, never less. He has an antinausea meds if needed, but he seems fine. He threw up a bunch before the DKA visit, none after.

His ideal weight is at 12lbs, but hes very long and lengthy and I have always thought this was wrong. I will get a new opinion from my new vet. Throughout this whole process I switched vets because mine was not educated enough. I'll loop back with a better idea.
 
squeem3 said:
You don't need a pet meter. The test strips are expensive and aren't sold in any store. The test strips also need a large drop of blood. A Human blood glucose meter works well. WalMart's Relion brand of meters is popular and affordable but there are other brands.

Ears can be warmed up so they bleed better but I don't know about paw pads. It might work? Wouldn't hurt to try anyways. Make a "rice sock" take a small old cotton sock, fill with a spoonful or two of uncooked rice or dried beans. Tie close. Heat in microwave until just barely comfortably warm enough to hold in your hand. Wrap the sock around the paw for a good minute if possible. If it's too hot, your cat will let you know. Let the sock cool and try again and make a note to use less microwave time. Then poke with the lancet.
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I have tried this as well! Thank you! I think its the meter, honestly, seems to need a lot of blood. I'll look into different ones ASAP. Hoping to get better at this this week. My vet recommends I either figure it out or bring him in for a day to do a 12hr curve to adjust insulin if needed. I would love to be able to do it, but do you recommend I just bring him in for this one curve? Money is not an issue.
 
Curves done at the vet office are rarely accurate. Many cats are so stressed out that their blood glucose levels are elevated. Just keep trying with hometesting until you find what works for you and the cat :) I think people who test from paw pads use the bigger pad on the "palm", not the toe ones. You can post a new thread to ask for paw pad testing help and tricks.

There is a CGM meter that sticks onto the cat's skin and sends readings to an app on a phone. It's the Libre meter and there are pros and cons to using it. Knowing how to test from the ear or paw pad is needed as a back up.
 
squeem3 said:
Curves done at the vet office are rarely accurate. Many cats are so stressed out that their blood glucose levels are elevated. Just keep trying with hometesting until you find what works for you and the cat :) I think people who test from paw pads use the bigger pad on the "palm", not the toe ones. You can post a new thread to ask for paw pad testing help and tricks.

There is a CGM meter that sticks onto the cat's skin and sends readings to an app on a phone. It's the Libre meter and there are pros and cons to using it. Knowing how to test from the ear or paw pad is needed as a back up.
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I will get on it then! Thank you so much for your support. Seriously. It is such an isolating time before finding this support.
 
Cleo's Momma said:
My vet recommends I either figure it out or bring him in for a day to do a 12hr curve to adjust insulin if needed. I would love to be able to do it, but do you recommend I just bring him in for this one curve? Money is not an issue.
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I had this same question when I first started. I was told the same thing--less stressful and more accurate to do it at home. I relayed that info to my vet and she was happy to hear I'd be home testing. So instead of the in-office curve, I sent her a link to the spreadsheet we use here and she uses that to check our numbers when needed. Just make sure they know whether you're using an animal or human meter, since the reference ranges are different. :)
 
Lauren & Esse said:
7am (+10): Fasting cutoff, no food until shot time.
9am (PS): Check glucose numbers. Give the cat his breakfast, wait until he gets a few good bites in and then give insulin while he's eating. The entire process takes ~5 minutes.
10:30am (+1.5): Small snack.
12pm (+3): Small snack.
3pm (+6): Small snack.
7pm (+10): Fasting cutoff, no food until shot time.
9pm (PS): Check glucose, give dinner, shoot while eating. Aka same as 9a.
Bedtime (~+2): Put out some food for overnight snacks.
Click to expand...
Does it matter how much time in between snacks? and does it matter how many times I break it up into? Also, sorry, but if he doesnt seem hungry, or is sleeping for lets say a 1pm snack, should i skip it? Push it back? or give it anyways?
 
Cleo's Momma said:
Does it matter how much time in between snacks? and does it matter how many times I break it up into?
Click to expand...
You'll have to play around a little and see what works for you. Obviously it depends a bit on the cat, and also on your ability to give snacks (e.g. not everyone is home all day, you may be using an auto-feeder, etc.) This post might be helpful to you: Using Food to Manipulate the Curve. Once you have your spreadsheet set up and can share your home-testing data with the members here, they can give you advice specific to your cat.

Cleo's Momma said:
Also, sorry, but if he doesnt seem hungry, or is sleeping for lets say a 1pm snack, should i skip it? Push it back? or give it anyways?
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Maybe one of our experts can chime in on this point, because I have wondered about this as well. I usually base my decision on whether to wake him on how active his cycle is that day, but skipping snacks has bitten us before so I'd be interested to know what others think. @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko tagging you both since you were on this thread earlier.
 
Lauren & Esse said:
You'll have to play around a little and see what works for you. Obviously, it depends a bit on the cat, and also on your ability to give snacks (e.g. not everyone is home all day, you may be using an auto-feeder, etc.) This post might be helpful to you: Using Food to Manipulate the Curve. Once you have your spreadsheet set up and can share your home-testing data with the members here, they can give you advice specific to your cat.


Maybe one of our experts can chime in on this point, because I have wondered about this as well. I usually base my decision on whether to wake him on how active his cycle is that day, but skipping snacks has bitten us before so I'd be interested to know what others think. @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko tagging you both since you were on this thread earlier.
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Thank you so so much!!! This is super helpful. I appreciate the time you spend supporting me
 
I would pick some snack times and fill the feeder. If the food is available and your cat doesn't eat it, no big deal. The food will remain available until the tray rotates at the next scheduled time, assuming you get a feeder that has a rotating tray. If you find consistently uneaten snack in the feeder, then adjust the snacks or feeder time.

Personally, my cat will wake up from a dead sleep as soon as he hears the tray rotating 🤪 He also will just sit by the feeder and wait, sometimes for hours, for his snack 😛
 
Cleo's Momma said:
Hi!! Thank you so so so so much for your response and support. Yes! I have had 2 successful readings on separate days, but I can't get any real blood to pool, just a small red dot, revealing that it indeed pricked him. I purchased the IPet Pro and cannot tell if it's the device or Cleo. Seems to need a lot of blood, even when I have done it accurately. I would love as many tips a possible. He hates when I touch his ear, and doesn't mind paw pads, so I've been doing paw pads. He 100% hates it and doesn't like to stay still throughout.
Click to expand...
Sorry to not respond earlier. Crazy day. As Sienne said earlier, it takes a bit of time for the ear to begin developing capillaries and bleed more easily when you prick it. Are you poking on the edge of the ear? I know nothing about testing using the paw. I tried it once with Jude, and it was a hard no for him. If you decide to go with the CGM, we have some guidelines/directions written by some of our CGM users: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.301950/. Please take a look at these instructions as they will save you and Cleo from going through some difficult issues.

As others have suggested, most of us use human meters because they are inexpensive and the test strips are as well. I started with an animal meter, but quickly switched to the Relion meter because of the expense. What will happen as you are getting Cleo regulated is you will engage in a lot of testing--at least once each cycle for a preshot test and then again through the cycle to determine how she is handling the insulin. Take a look at some of our spreadsheets to get an idea of how frequently we test. Jude is mostly regulated (though tonight he decided to borrow someone's pogo stick), so I don't test him as frequently as I have had to in the past.

When you have a moment, get your spreadsheet and signature set up. Lauren posted the links above. Let us know if we can help you with any of that.

If you want to post over on the Lantus page, feel free to do that. Many of us post over there daily. Here is the posting protocol: Info - POSTING GUIDELINES PLEASE READ

Also, glad to see @cleosauntie! It takes a village.
 
squeem3 said:
Personally, my cat will wake up from a dead sleep as soon as he hears the tray rotating 🤪 He also will just sit by the feeder and wait, sometimes for hours, for his snack 😛
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Sounds just like Neko. She would always come running when she heard either food being prepped or the feeder turning. I used to joke that her best friend was Otto (feeder). It's also OK if kitty is a grazer, just add some water so it doesn't dry out, or top with an ice cube to keep it cold and melt to add water.

Regarding the confidence. There is a lot to learn, it takes time. The first couple months it feels like drinking from a fire hose of information. We all remember what that is like, and that's why we love to help out.
 
squeem3 said:
I would pick some snack times and fill the feeder.

Personally, my cat will wake up from a dead sleep as soon as he hears the tray rotating 🤪 He also will just sit by the feeder and wait, sometimes for hours, for his snack 😛
Click to expand...
Can I ask what your schedule is? I am a visual learner :) haha
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Regarding the confidence. There is a lot to learn, it takes time. The first couple months it feels like drinking from a fire hose of information. We all remember what that is like, and that's why we love to help out.
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Yes, definitely. It is hard not to eat, sleep, breathe, and think about blood sugar now. But this thread and all of the support are incredible! I cannot thank you all enough.
 
Cleo's Momma said:
Can I ask what your schedule is? I am a visual learner :) haha
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Note: Leroy has multiple health issues and is a complete weirdo so use this as a very very general idea. ECID so you just have to find what works for your cat.

Sometime between 4:30 and 5am - breakfast, test, insulin
Snack at +4,+6, and +8 via the feeder
Sometime between 4pm and 5pm - dinner, test, insulin, other meds and supplements
Snack between +3 and +3.5 (if I go out I put this snack in the feeder)
Snack around +4.5
Snack at +6.5 via the feeder
 
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