I second everything
@squeem3 said above. Great advice!
about the feeding, you also want to make sure he’s getting 2 main meals and also several smaller meals or snacks throughout the day. It’s easier on their pancreas and helps avoid big sugar spikes.
it sounds like you’re up for home testing which is amazing! It’s definitely the only way to keep your cat safe, especially after you start insulin. A spot check at the vet doesn’t tell you much so make sure they run a fructosamine test which is the 3-week average of his bg. Also, you can do the curves at home yourself when you’re home testing.
With a diabetic cat you need:
- A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
- A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins, so push for one of the 2. You can also get the generic Lantus, glargine, which is more affordable and we have lots of tips about coupons and how to get them for a much lower price.
- We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day. What meter are you using?
- HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly
One thing you can start doing right away is transitioning to a low carb diet is he’s not already on it. It’s safer to do it before you start him on insulin.
We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.
FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and choose foods that are under 10%.
You will also need some higher carb foods for that hypo box..information in the help us help you link.
This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you. I was also overwhelmed and it felt like I could only breathe again once I found the wonderful folks gerente felines diabetes is 100% manageable and it’s not a death sentence. Cats live full happy lives for years with it. The hardest part which is home testing, you’ve gotten down already so take the win! The eating and drinking will get back to normal once he’s regulated. Feline diabetes is a marathon not a sprint and you’re off to a great start!
Keep asking lots of questions!
