litter

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I use the Walmart brand Special Kitty regular non-clumping litter, simply because it is cheaper and I go through a lot with my kitties(over 20 lbs a week) I tried clumping litter and clearing out the litter box was like trying to scrape dried concrete off a sidewalk. I still go through a LOT of litter but at least it doesn't turn into "concrete"
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
I use the Walmart brand Special Kitty regular non-clumping litter, simply because it is cheaper and I go through a lot with my kitties(over 20 lbs a week) I tried clumping litter and clearing out the litter box was like trying to scrape dried concrete off a sidewalk. I still go through a LOT of litter but at least it doesn't turn into "concrete"
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I hear ya on that one.my civie cat dottie pees alot too and she don't have diabetes.
 
I use Dr Elsey's Precious Cat litter, it's a clumping litter with virtually no dust. But, when I clean and sanitize the box, about every 2-3 weeks, I spray on Lucas' Slick Mist, and wipe dry. It's an auto detail spray and makes the surface nice and slippery which makes cleaning the pee bricks off of the sides (males tend to pee out the back rather than straight down like females) MUCH EASIER. The spray doesn't have a nasty smell and what smell it does have disapates within 30 min or so.
 
Mogmom and Goofus said:
I use Dr Elsey's Precious Cat litter, it's a clumping litter with virtually no dust. But, when I clean and sanitize the box, about every 2-3 weeks, I spray on Lucas' Slick Mist, and wipe dry. It's an auto detail spray and makes the surface nice and slippery which makes cleaning the pee bricks off of the sides (males tend to pee out the back rather than straight down like females) MUCH EASIER. The spray doesn't have a nasty smell and what smell it does have disapates within 30 min or so.
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thank you very much.i went and got some feline pine and hoping it will work.
 
Mogmom and Goofus said:
I use Dr Elsey's Precious Cat litter, it's a clumping litter with virtually no dust. But, when I clean and sanitize the box, about every 2-3 weeks, I spray on Lucas' Slick Mist, and wipe dry. It's an auto detail spray and makes the surface nice and slippery which makes cleaning the pee bricks off of the sides (males tend to pee out the back rather than straight down like females) MUCH EASIER. The spray doesn't have a nasty smell and what smell it does have disapates within 30 min or so.
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can i ask you another question just between you and me.I may have to put precious down because they have to do a blood curve test on monday and that may be costly.please help me out here my friend.
 
I use Cedarific, a non clumping litter that is made from pine and cedar. It smells good is light weight and keeps odor to a minimum. It is also quite economical. P. S. Do the curve yourself it is easy.
 
susan k rupel said:
can i ask you another question just between you and me.I may have to put precious down because they have to do a blood curve test on monday and that may be costly.please help me out here my friend.
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You can do the curve yourself and save a lot of money. This can be much more affordable but you'll have to do some work yourself.
 
Buying all the testing 'stuff' and testing yourself will probably be cheaper than the vet doing it once. There's no reason to put your kitty down because of that. You can buy a meter with case/lancet device for about $15, box of 50 test strips for $19, a box of lancets for $5 and box of ketone test strips for $6. All together that about $46. Just this lets you do that curve at home as well as keep a watch for possible ketones. That vet visit will be more than that won't it?

Litter - since money is an issue, go back to the old clay litter. It's not 'clumping' but any 'piles' can be scooped daily.
 
susan k rupel said:
thank you very much.i went and got some feline pine and hoping it will work.
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That's what we use, the non-clumping kind. No odor, and no clumping clay or associated frothy yellow vomit. The breakdown dust is even compostable, if you have a garden and ordinance allows.

susan k rupel said:
no but i may talk to them on saturday and see if i can do it at home.
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I talked to my vet as well, just the other day, about a week after I started. :joyful: He grinned.
 
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Ken & Tara said:
That's what we use, the non-clumping kind. No odor, and no clumping clay or associated frothy yellow vomit. The breakdown dust is even compostable, if you have a garden and ordinance allows.



I talked to my vet as well, just the other day, about a week after I started. :joyful: He grinned.
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iam gonna let my vet do the blood curve test and once they get her regulated i will test her at home.
 
Squeaky and KT said:
Buying all the testing 'stuff' and testing yourself will probably be cheaper than the vet doing it once. There's no reason to put your kitty down because of that. You can buy a meter with case/lancet device for about $15, box of 50 test strips for $19, a box of lancets for $5 and box of ketone test strips for $6. All together that about $46. Just this lets you do that curve at home as well as keep a watch for possible ketones. That vet visit will be more than that won't it?

Litter - since money is an issue, go back to the old clay litter. It's not 'clumping' but any 'piles' can be scooped daily.
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iam gonna let the vet do the blood curve test one time and then when they get her regulated i will test her at home myself.and iam not gonna put her down.
 
Having the vet do the curve won't get her "regulated, that takes time. The curve mearly tells you how her body reacts to the insulin, like when the nadir (lowest BG in the cycle) occurs and approximately what dose you should begin with. Unfortunately, far too many times, the dose is started out way too high and makes it take much longer to obtain regulation or even remission.

I'm glad to hear you're not considering putting her down, there's really no reason to. But the sooner you begin home testing, the better. It's in her normal surroundings which will give a more realistic idea of her BG as a trip to the vet can actually increase the BG by 100 points OR MORE due to the stress of a trip to the vet. Seriously, this is no exaggeration. I've heard of vets charging $300 or more to do this.
 
Make sure your vet is doing a curve. Every 2 hours for 24 hours! Mine was just doing a fasting number and after 7 days in the hospital he was on 13 units of Novolin!

It would be much better to do home BG. I didn't realize how important it was until I came to this board, started doing it, then realized I was going to kill my kitties if I continued doing what I was told to do from the vet. Here is a link that shows the nightmare, it's long, but informative. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...my-kitty-is-in-remission.151921/#post-1594331
 
Mum of two felines said:
Make sure your vet is doing a curve. Every 2 hours for 24 hours! Mine was just doing a fasting number and after 7 days in the hospital he was on 13 units of Novolin!

It would be much better to do home BG. I didn't realize how important it was until I came to this board, started doing it, then realized I was going to kill my kitties if I continued doing what I was told to do from the vet. Here is a link that shows the nightmare, it's long, but informative. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...my-kitty-is-in-remission.151921/#post-1594331
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after they do the curve iam going to start testing at home.question do you normally test your cats before they eat or after?
 
I tested before I fed them, and they need to stop eating 2 hours before that. I also tested them 2hours and 5 hours. BUT, when I thought they were getting too much insulin I tested every hour. Woody is the first spreadsheet and I had to find when he was the lowest. That low number is what you want to find and how long it takes your kitty to get there. Those bright green numbers mean he was in danger. The dark green was telling me to watch him.
 
Mum of two felines said:
I tested before I fed them, and they need to stop eating 2 hours before that. I also tested them 2hours and 5 hours. BUT, when I thought they were getting too much insulin I tested every hour. Woody is the first spreadsheet and I had to find when he was the lowest. That low number is what you want to find and how long it takes your kitty to get there.
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can you test them before the insulin?
 
Mum of two felines said:
I tested before I fed them, and they need to stop eating 2 hours before that. I also tested them 2hours and 5 hours. BUT, when I thought they were getting too much insulin I tested every hour. Woody is the first spreadsheet and I had to find when he was the lowest. That low number is what you want to find and how long it takes your kitty to get there. Those bright green numbers mean he was in danger. The dark green was telling me to watch him.
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is it ok to test just twice a day before i give her the insulin shot?
 
susan k rupel said:
is it ok to test just twice a day before i give her the insulin shot?
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It really depends on what insulin your to give her. If you look on my spreadsheets you'll notice both my kitties were dropping into dangerous territory, then there BG would go in the yellow and red. Do you know what insulin you're giving?
 
Squeaky and KT said:
Buying all the testing 'stuff' and testing yourself will probably be cheaper than the vet doing it once. There's no reason to put your kitty down because of that. You can buy a meter with case/lancet device for about $15, box of 50 test strips for $19, a box of lancets for $5 and box of ketone test strips for $6. All together that about $46. Just this lets you do that curve at home as well as keep a watch for possible ketones. That vet visit will be more than that won't it?

Litter - since money is an issue, go back to the old clay litter. It's not 'clumping' but any 'piles' can be scooped daily.
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i did not let the vet do her blood curve iam gonna test your blood glucose at home and if it goes up i will take her in.
 
Mum of two felines said:
Sounds good. Have you gotten your testing supplies? And how much Novolin are you giving her?
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iam going to get the test kit this afternoon and do just like you do.I give her 2.5 units of novilin twice a day.also i feed her w/d dry food and royal canin canned food.is tuna a good snack to give her?
 
Well I would like for you to try to set up a spreadsheet so you can put her BG numbers on it. If you don't feel comfortable I'll tag someone to help you get it set up. Do you know what meter you're getting? I've heard the human relion from Walmart is a good one. Also, while you're at it could you pick up some Ketone strips? I would like to have other members see Precious BG numbers so they can advise. The high numbers are concerning, but we need to see the lowest BG number she goes. Also, if you could pick up Karo syrup if you don't have any it would help if she would start getting low.

The tuna is good just as a snack, you could give it to her when you test her. That way she would know she would get the tuna when she got tested.

I hesitate for you to change her diet without having you comfortable with home testing and your spreadsheet set up.

After the members can see a few days of what she is doing, then we can talk diet.
 
Here is some information I copied from the welcome board from @Merlin

Home Testing: Here, we all home test and congratulations to you for wanting to home test too. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle when you can. The main reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe and to find an effective dose. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs and treats before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Hometesting Links and TipsHere is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

Meters: There are many different meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most folks buy AT strips from ADW. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating for those lower numbers. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro, Relion Prime or Relion Confirm. The Micro and Confirm only needs a tiny drop of blood but the strips are a little more expensive than the Prime which needs a little bigger drop of blood. They cost around $15 and the strips are around 35 cents each. The AT strips are usually around $1 each at the vet’s office.

Lancets: Lancets are used to poke the ear to get blood for the meters. There are many different sizes lancets (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge because it is a larger size and will make a bigger hole, hence easier to draw blood. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears. It is a bit scary at first to start poking the ear, but eventually it will become easier for both you and your kitty. Some people even draw blood from the paw pad.

Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty. To further my knowledge on diabetes, I would make it a habit to read other kitty’s postings and spreadsheets. Even though they are all different and will be different than your kitty, it was still invaluable information.

Food: There are many reasons why we are here but one is due to feeding dry cat food which is high in carbs. You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs and I found with Merlin that right around 4-5% worked for him. Here is a list of cat food to choose from food chartyou will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, Wellness, Werurva etc. This list can also be found in www.catinfo.org If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitty’s number by 100 points or more. One last thing, many of us add water to the wet food so your kitty is getting plenty of water to flush out the toxins and to keep them hydrated.

Hypo Kit: Always good to be prepared for possible hypo events (low blood sugar) which means that your cat has reached dangerously low numbers. It can be fatal, hence, the importance of home testing and collecting data in a spreadsheet. In each of the Insulin forums are stickie’s labeled Hypo Links. Here is one: How to Handle a Hypo. Please print and post on your refrigerator so everyone in your household is aware of hypo symptoms. You will want to create your hypo kit that would include and not limited to; extra testing strips, honey/karo/maple syrup, high carb food, medium carb food, vet information, etc. Hopefully you will never need it but probably at some point in time, you will need to deter from going too low.

Ketones: Diabetic cats are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). It is best to buy testing strips that will measure (if any) ketones in the urine. One brand is Ketostix which can be found at Walmart or any pharmacy. You will want to test periodically unless you continue to get high numbers, then it is suggested to test more frequently. Ketostix typically costs around $10 for 100.

Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty especially when testing or when they decide not to eat. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredient is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cat likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. Another option is to use Bonita Flakes where you can find at your local Asian market. There is a link here somewhere in this site that has a list of low carb treats.
 
Mum of two felines said:
Should we have her start a new thread?
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I think that would be a good idea at this point - the title of the thread isn't really all that relevant to the questions that are being asked now the conversation has developed.

I will say, however, especially with cost being an issue the food that Precious is getting is way over-priced and not the best for a diabetic. There are definitely cost savings to be made there by switching to Friskies pates or similar (even the 9 Lives pates are fine for a diabetic and come in at much less than any of the prescription foods).
 
BTW when using Novalin insulin you should test, feed and give the injection about 30 minutes after feeding. Novalin tends to hit harder and faster than the long lasting insulins, so the kitty needs food first.


ETA I believe it is Humulin Susan is using....sorry but the same rules apply for that. There are so many threads with little bits nd pieces of information that it is getting confusing
 
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manxcat419 said:
I think that would be a good idea at this point - the title of the thread isn't really all that relevant to the questions that are being asked now the conversation has developed.

I will say, however, especially with cost being an issue the food that Precious is getting is way over-priced and not the best for a diabetic. There are definitely cost savings to be made there by switching to Friskies pates or similar (even the 9 Lives pates are fine for a diabetic and come in at much less than any of the prescription foods).
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I was thinking the same thing, but I'd like her to set up a spreadsheet before starting a diet change. Who helps members do that?
 
There are instructions for setting up a spreadsheet here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/ or I, or one of a number of other people can definitely help if Susan is finding it difficult to set up.

I agree that there should be a spreadsheet before a diet change so we all have the best chance of helping if Precious does drop into low numbers - I just thought the food was worth mentioning as a good amount of the cost of test supplies could be saved back by switching to a better value food.
 
Mum of two felines said:
That's okey dokey. I hope she just starts posting on the last post. If we can get it all on one thread . I did the same thing when I posted
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Yes getting all the basics on one thread or at least getting a signature with the basics will make it much easier. Some reading I just did says that Humulin and Novalin are the same insulin just made by different manufacturers, so the rule of feed 30 minutes before injection is the same.
 
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