My cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I have some questions.

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SnqwFlake

Member Since 2019
I have a one year old cat named Katie who I recently adopted almost 3 months ago. I've taken her to the vet a few times because she was sick when I adopted her. She had an ear infection, a flea allergy, and tape worms. About a week ago, I've noticed she wasn't peeing in her litter box (I have another cat who is a year older). She always pees in this one spot in the litter box and never anywhere else so I know she hasn't been using it. I found out later she's been peeing in the carpet under my desk and in my bathroom. It was strange and I thought it was some behavioral issues because for the first month I adopted her I have to put her in the litter box a few times before she would even pee or poop because she liked to hold it until the last second. Katie never made a mess on the floor however, since I always put her right in front of the litter box to see if she has to do anything. Anyway it continues and I was searching it up online and read it could be a UTI so I took her to the vet on Tuesday. Wednesday the vet tells me she had a lot of blood in her urine so she had a UTI and the strange thing was she had a lot of sugar in her urine as well. The vet says it could be from stress because Katie is really young so its very unlikely for her to have diabetes. I go in the next day do a blood test and her sugar level was like 473 and they said it was diabetes. I was shocked because I wasn't even sure how she could've gotten it in the first place when I only had her for like 2 and a half months. She wasn't even displaying any symptoms of diabetes either not even drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot.

The vet said it may have been from the one steroid shot they gave her for her flea allergy about a month and a half ago but I find it strange since it was only one steroid shot. I guess it could have happened, I don't know. I have her on the Royal Canin glycobalance dry food right now and I'm suppose to get another blood test for her in 2 weeks to check if the diet works or if she has to be on insulin. Are insulin injections expensive? I don't have the money to spend about $300 every month and I really don't want to have to give her up since I already love her so much. Does the 12 hour injections get in the way of anything? I go to college and I wake up really early in the morning. I would leave food out but the vet says my other cat cant eat it since it wouldn't be good for her and both cats sleep with me. I don't have the time in the morning to watch my cat eat all her diet food then give her the shot after she finishes the bowl. Does hypoglycemia happen a few times or is it easily preventable? If they become hypoglycemic, would you have to rush them to an animal hospital? How possible is remission?
 
It sounds like it might be steroid-induced diabetes. I've encountered that once with a friends cat and she was in remission within a month of starting insulin.
 
KJC80 said:
It sounds like it might be steroid-induced diabetes. I've encountered that once with a friends cat and she was in remission within a month of starting insulin.
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Oh okay. Is there anyway I can get her to eat the prescription food? Shes had it since Thursday and she refuses to touch it. She only wants to eat her treats and nothing else. I put some of her treats into her food to see if she can eat a lot of it but she barely ate any. She still has basically her whole bowl of food there.
 
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Take the food back to the vet and get a refund. Even if it is open they will give you a refund. Most prescription food is high in carbs and a lot of pets don't like the flavor. If you can, try to switch her to a low carb canned diet. Many people feed their cats canned Friskies or Fancy Feast. Pate flavors are lower in carbs than anything with gravy.

Here is a link to food lists. Look for foods less than 10% carbs. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/links-to-food-charts.174182/
 
I think we need more information to give you advice (and I'm still a newbie here, learning as fast as I can) -- what food was she eating pre-diagnosis? what are you feeding for treats? what is your other cat eating? is it possible for you to afford a far less expensive human glycometer and test strips (the vet-recommended one tends to be expensive in the long run); are you in a place where you can get Fancy Feast wet catfood and are you okay with what it smells like? Katie may like it if she's been eating dry kibble up til now but as we all say here, ECID -- Every Cat Is Different -- those are just questions I had off the top of my head

but yes, it's extremely important that she is eating and drinking, one hint that seems to work for some cats, try sprinkling some parmesan cheese on top of the food she doesn't want to eat

welcome to the message board we don't want to have to be on, good luck
 
SnqwFlake said:
Oh okay. Is there anyway I can get her to eat the prescription food? Shes had it since Thursday and she refuses to touch it. She only wants to eat her treats and nothing else. I put some of her treats into her food to see if she can eat a lot of it but she barely ate any. She still has basically her whole bowl of food there.
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Switch to fancy feast classic or Friskies pate. There's nothing in the perscription food that makes it better. I have a food chart in my signature. Pick foods under 10 percent carb. I also have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.
 
CandyH said:
I think we need more information to give you advice (and I'm still a newbie here, learning as fast as I can) -- what food was she eating pre-diagnosis? what are you feeding for treats? what is your other cat eating? is it possible for you to afford a far less expensive human glycometer and test strips (the vet-recommended one tends to be expensive in the long run); are you in a place where you can get Fancy Feast wet catfood and are you okay with what it smells like? Katie may like it if she's been eating dry kibble up til now but as we all say here, ECID -- Every Cat Is Different -- those are just questions I had off the top of my head

but yes, it's extremely important that she is eating and drinking, one hint that seems to work for some cats, try sprinkling some parmesan cheese on top of the food she doesn't want to eat

welcome to the message board we don't want to have to be on, good luck
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I was giving her the authority dry food not sure which of theirs since I haven't checked. My other cat will still be eating this since I have about 95% of the bag still. For treats I give her the friskies treasure. I'm not sure about the test strips since I haven't really looked into it because the vet wanted to see first if shes good on the prescription food diet. I can afford the wet food that's not a problem and when I fed her wet food before (authority brand) she seemed to like it a lot.
 
JanetNJ said:
Switch to fancy feast classic or Friskies pate. There's nothing in the perscription food that makes it better. I have a food chart in my signature. Pick foods under 10 percent carb. I also have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.
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Okay thanks! What would I say to my vet though if she asks? I dont want her to think I'm neglecting her or anything.
 
I think that the diabetes has been brought on by the steroid shot. I do wish that vets would try other things before giving a steroid shot as the first option.
I would also not just leave it for two weeks before doing something as a cat can develop ketones in untreated diabetes. It is fine to leave it for the two weeks IF you are testing the urine for ketones. I would go to Walmarts or a pharmacy and buy a bottle of Ketostix and get a sample of urine from Katie and test as per the instructions on the bottle. Anything above a trace of ketones needs vet attention. You will need to test every couple of days if the test is negative.
I would swap all your cats over to a low carb wet food such as fancy feast pâtés or friskies. Then you won't have to worry about Katie getting into the other food. As Lisa said prescription dry foods and most wet prescription foods are high carb and not good for any cats..

I would also think about home testing the blood sugars your self. It is not hard and thenyou will know exactly what Katie is doing. No guessing and waiting two weeks to find out....and much safer. And you will have a greater chance of getting her back into remission..
Hopefully once the UTI is better things will improve
If the low carb food does not lower the blood sugar levels ask your vet for a long acting insulin such as Lantus, levemir or Prozinc.
Much better for cats than the faster acting ones that drop the blood sugars quickly.
Remember Katie is your cat and you are her advocate. Don't let the vet talk you into anything you are not comfortable with.
 
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Bron and Sheba said:
I think that the diabetes has been brought on by the steroid shot. I do wish that vets would try other things before giving a steroid shot as the first option.
I would also not just leave it for two weeks before doing something as a cat can develop ketones in untreated diabetes. It is fine to leave it for the two weeks IF you are testing the urine for ketones. I would go to Walmarts or a pharmacy and buy a bottle of Ketostix and get a sample of urine from Katie and test as per the instructions on the bottle. Anything above a trace of ketones needs vet attention. You will need to test every couple of days if the test is negative.
I would swap all your cats over to a low carb wet food such as fancy feast pâtés or friskies. Then you won't have to worry about Katie getting into the other food. As Lisa said prescription dry foods and most wet prescription foods are high carb and not good for any cats..

I would also think about home testing the blood sugars your self. It is not hard and thenyou will know exactly what Katie is doing. No guessing and waiting two weeks to find out....and much safer. And you will have a greater chance of getting her back into remission..
Hopefully once the UTI is better things will improve
If the low carb food does not lower the blood sugar levels ask your vet for a long acting insulin such as Lantus, levemir or Prozinc.
Much better for cats than the faster acting ones that drop the blood sugars quickly.
Remember Katie is your cat and you are her advocate. Don't let the vet talk you into anything you are not comfortable with.
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I wouldnt try to keep feeding her the prescription food since she seems to not like it at all and I would rather her to eat something that helps her diabetes which is something she likes even if it's not the prescription food. Where can I get something for cats to check the blood sugar levels and how would I get the blood to check it? Also, what should I tell the vet when she asks if shes been eating the prescription food and she hasn't? I dont want her to think I'm neglecting her or anything.
 
SnqwFlake said:
I wouldnt try to keep feeding her the prescription food since she seems to not like it at all and I would rather her to eat something that helps her diabetes which is something she likes even if it's not the prescription food. Where can I get something for cats to check the blood sugar levels and how would I get the blood to check it? Also, what should I tell the vet when she asks if shes been eating the prescription food and she hasn't? I dont want her to think I'm neglecting her or anything.
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You can get a human meter at any pharmacy, or an Alphatrak pet meter on amazon. Get about 100 backup strips with it. There's a link to how I test my cat CC at home in my signature.
 
JanetNJ said:
She didn't like the food and wasnt eating enough so you researched other low carb options.
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Okay thanks! Is feeding one 5.5oz can per day a good amount or would I have to feed her a little bit more than that? She weighs only 11 pounds but shes a bit bigger than my two year old cat.
 
SnqwFlake said:
Okay thanks! Is feeding one 5.5oz can per day a good amount or would I have to feed her a little bit more than that? She weighs only 11 pounds but shes a bit bigger than my two year old cat.
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The rule of thumb is about 20 calories per pound of ideal weight. Sometimes diabetics need more of they are not regulated. So if 11lbs is a good weight figure she'd usually eat about 220 calories. Give or take.
 
A human meter is cheaper to run because the strips are much cheaper. Most of us use them here.
Low carb food from the pet store is just as good if not better than prescription foods. Just tell the vet Katie won’t eat it. She can’t argue with that. Cats must eat. :)
 
SnqwFlake said:
Thanks! I just love her a lot even if I've only had her for about 3 months. I dont want anything bad to happen to her and I just really want her to be fine. Shes been sick quite a few times since I adopted her and I want her to have some peace already and enjoy being at home.
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They creep into our hearts very quickly.!
Don’t let the vet give her anything more that has a steroid in it. I won’t even use a steroid cream on any of my cats.
You can buy Lantus insulin much cheaper from s pharmacy in Canada and they ship it to you. You just need a prescription from the vet. I think it is called Marks Marine or something like that. I am in Australia so don’t know it but have seen a lot of people mention it. I will tag @Chris & China (GA) as she will be able to tell you.
 
SnqwFlake said:
Okay thanks! What would I say to my vet though if she asks? I dont want her to think I'm neglecting her or anything.
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You can tell your vet that she doesn't like it and refuses to eat it.

This would be a good time to try to change both cats diets. It will be healthier for both of them. It will keep her from getting into the other cats food and also lower the risk of your other cat developing diabetes.
 
see? we are all singing the same chorus and wanting the best for you and Katie (and your other cat too) :bighug:

our catfood guru, Dr Lisa, has some strong negative opinions about the Petsmart own-brand foods, and I'd trust her opinion -- I would guess that you are in the USA, and that you might have a Walmart local to you, and possibly a Tractor Supply (both carry foods that will be good for the cats) -- you can also order food and feline diabetic supplies from chewy.com, there may be other outlets in your area (I'm in the Pacific Northwest)

yes, you can tell the vet the exact truth, that Katie won't eat the prescription food, and that you want to try out some alternate foods other than just treats (which are likely to be high carb and not what you want to give) -- because it's dangerous, possibly lifethreatening, if a cat won't eat anything for a few days (don't ask how I know)

it's possible, not likely but possible, that the change in the food may bring her glucose levels down close to normal levels for cats; you can help by getting a meter and learning to test her yourself, so that YOU have the data to make the informed decisions, after consultation with the vet (seems not many vets are knowledgeable about feline diabetes management, while many of the members here have years of experience)

I lucked out and got the very last ReliOn Confirm meter from my local Walmart, it's been discontinued both by Walmart and by the original manufacturer (Arkray)
the "replacement" is the ReliOn Prime or Premier, and a number of us on here use those since the test strips are far more economical -- if you go that route, make sure you get the correct strips for the meter you buy -- you can also order meters from online sources like Chewy

look at JanetNJ's video, it really helped me, and there are a number more on YouTube

let us know how it's going
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
You can tell your vet that she doesn't like it and refuses to eat it.

This would be a good time to try to change both cats diets. It will be healthier for both of them. It will keep her from getting into the other cats food and also lower the risk of your other cat developing diabetes.
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Yeah based on what everyone is saying it seems like I should change my other cats diet too. I'll have to slowly bring her over to wet food though because she doesnt seem to like eating it. She tends to only lick the liquid part of it and leave the whole thing there even if I mix it all up for her.
 
SnqwFlake said:
Yeah based on what everyone is saying it seems like I should change my other cats diet too. I'll have to slowly bring her over to wet food though because she doesnt seem to like eating it. She tends to only lick the liquid part of it and leave the whole thing there even if I mix it all up for her.
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Maybe she would like it if you watered it down and made pate soup.

My cat who eats everything (she's 17.5 lbs!) hated the perscription food.
 
CandyH said:
see? we are all singing the same chorus and wanting the best for you and Katie (and your other cat too) :bighug:

our catfood guru, Dr Lisa, has some strong negative opinions about the Petsmart own-brand foods, and I'd trust her opinion -- I would guess that you are in the USA, and that you might have a Walmart local to you, and possibly a Tractor Supply (both carry foods that will be good for the cats) -- you can also order food and feline diabetic supplies from chewy.com, there may be other outlets in your area (I'm in the Pacific Northwest)

yes, you can tell the vet the exact truth, that Katie won't eat the prescription food, and that you want to try out some alternate foods other than just treats (which are likely to be high carb and not what you want to give) -- because it's dangerous, possibly lifethreatening, if a cat won't eat anything for a few days (don't ask how I know)

it's possible, not likely but possible, that the change in the food may bring her glucose levels down close to normal levels for cats; you can help by getting a meter and learning to test her yourself, so that YOU have the data to make the informed decisions, after consultation with the vet (seems not many vets are knowledgeable about feline diabetes management, while many of the members here have years of experience)

I lucked out and got the very last ReliOn Confirm meter from my local Walmart, it's been discontinued both by Walmart and by the original manufacturer (Arkray)
the "replacement" is the ReliOn Prime or Premier, and a number of us on here use those since the test strips are far more economical -- if you go that route, make sure you get the correct strips for the meter you buy -- you can also order meters from online sources like Chewy

look at JanetNJ's video, it really helped me, and there are a number more on YouTube

let us know how it's going
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Yeah I've heard some bad things about Petsmart so I've been kind of iffy about them and they sell stuff at a higher price compared to other pet stores. I am in the USA and I have a Walmart a few minutes from my house. I've never seen or heard of a Tractor Supply before. What are some brands pf low carb treats that I can give her? She loves her treats and I'd still want to give some to her. I see that they have the ReliOn Prime at my Walmart from online so I guess I'll get that. What numbers would be normal for a cat on a human meter? The pet meters on chewy seem too expensive for me atm.
 
JanetNJ said:
Maybe she would like it if you watered it down and made pate soup.

My cat who eats everything (she's 17.5 lbs!) hated the perscription food.
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Both my cats seem to not like dry food as much and LOVED eating their friskies treats. I would give them wet food occasionally but not often because I use to think dry food was just as good and it didnt really matter. A lot of people seem to feed their cats dry food from what I saw so thought it was pretty much fine.
 
SnqwFlake said:
Yeah I've heard some bad things about Petsmart so I've been kind of iffy about them and they sell stuff at a higher price compared to other pet stores. I am in the USA and I have a Walmart a few minutes from my house. I've never seen or heard of a Tractor Supply before. What are some brands pf low carb treats that I can give her? She loves her treats and I'd still want to give some to her. I see that they have the ReliOn Prime at my Walmart from online so I guess I'll get that. What numbers would be normal for a cat on a human meter? The pet meters on chewy seem too expensive for me atm.
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Just so you know, it's possible to use freestyle insulinx strips in the alpha... They are half the price and accurate.
It's fine to use a human meter too. Just be aware your numbers will run lower than the numbers your vet gets.
 
JanetNJ said:
Just so you know, it's possible to use freestyle insulinx strips in the alpha... They are half the price and accurate.
It's fine to use a human meter too. Just be aware your numbers will run lower than the numbers your vet gets.
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Oh okay. Do you know what is the range for cats on the human meter?
 
SnqwFlake said:
Oh okay. Do you know what is the range for cats on the human meter?
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Normal range of a human meter is 50-120 and on a pet meter it's 68-150. You can see they are similar in these low, normal range. They are farther apart at higher numbers, so a 350 on a human meter might be a 400-450 on a vet meter.
 
JanetNJ said:
Maybe she would like it if you watered it down and made pate soup.

My cat who eats everything (she's 17.5 lbs!) hated the perscription food.
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my Catcat has a malformation of his tongue and can't lap like the usual cat, also has trouble eating larger chunks, so I add an ounce or two of water to his wet food and mash it with the back of a spoon until it's what I would call a "slurry" or sloppy gravy -- yeah, pate soup ... and the extra water is good for his body too
 
JanetNJ said:
Normal range of a human meter is 50-120 and on a pet meter it's 68-150. You can see they are similar in these low, normal range. They are farther apart at higher numbers, so a 350 on a human meter might be a 400-450 on a vet meter.
Click to expand...

Oh okay. Thanks so much for helping me out!
 
CandyH said:
my Catcat has a malformation of his tongue and can't lap like the usual cat, also has trouble eating larger chunks, so I add an ounce or two of water to his wet food and mash it with the back of a spoon until it's what I would call a "slurry" or sloppy gravy -- yeah, pate soup ... and the extra water is good for his body too
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Thanks! I think she may like that. I'll try it out once I buy the wet food.
 
So update here. I bought the human meter along with the 26 gauge and test stripes. I also bought the friskies pate wet food along with some fancy feast. Katie got really excited over it and good news is shes finally eating! She seems to love it. I guess I'll take her glucose levels tomorrow after her first meal. I plan to give her another can today since the fancy feast can seems too little for her. Thank you guys for all your help!
 

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SnqwFlake said:
So update here. I bought the human meter along with the 26 gauge and test stripes. I also bought the friskies pate wet food along with some fancy feast. Katie got really excited over it and good news is shes finally eating! She seems to love it. I guess I'll take her glucose levels tomorrow after her first meal. I plan to give her another can today since the fancy feast can seems too little for her. Thank you guys for all your help!
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Awesome. You'll want to get that reading BEFORE FEEDING. Test, then feed, then shoot.
 
She's so pretty. So happy you found this forum. The members here are so knowledgeable and helpful. I'm reasonably new here as well and it has been so wonderful to have people to talk to about concerns or worries. Best of luck.
 
Jerry dutchboy said:
She's so pretty. So happy you found this forum. The members here are so knowledgeable and helpful. I'm reasonably new here as well and it has been so wonderful to have people to talk to about concerns or worries. Best of luck.
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I'm so glad I found it too. I was very unsure of what to do since I didnt know much about feline diabetes but you guys have helped so much. I feel like I can actually do this now.
 
Welcome! I felt overwhelmed at first too and think most of us did. JanetNJ's video on blood testing (there's a link to it in her posts in this thread) is fabulous. See Dr. Lisa's food chart, above in the forum. No dry food, as cats are obligate carnivores. I hope this was just a reaction to steroids (to be avoided if at all possible), but regardless please don't feeds cats dry food as this has lots of carbs. I have a ReLion Prime: reliable, affordable ( and so are the strips, which is the main cost), and stands up to being dropped on my hard floor just fine. Getting blood from ear gets easier with time as the ears "learn" to bleed. Treats: dried all meat treats, I hear the ones for dogs are much cheaper and just the same. Break them into cat sized piece. M'row eats three or four cans of fancy feast classic a day, free-feeding. I read that it's better to take food away for an hour or two before giving insulin. M'row is on Lantus, which works well for him and is given every 12 hours. Consider Mark's Marine Pharmacy, in Canada, for better price. Keep in your refrigerator in a container, wipe off top of vial with alcohol before use. I keep mine in a plastic box with a lid to keep it away from food. How long does Lantus last? I read that many people here use vials until finished. This can be a couple of years! They watch the vial carefully for any signs of cloudiness: this would mean contamination, and the vial must be discarded. Welcome again!!
 
Amina&M'row said:
Welcome! I felt overwhelmed at first too and think most of us did. JanetNJ's video on blood testing (there's a link to it in her posts in this thread) is fabulous. See Dr. Lisa's food chart, above in the forum. No dry food, as cats are obligate carnivores. I hope this was just a reaction to steroids (to be avoided if at all possible), but regardless please don't feeds cats dry food as this has lots of carbs. I have a ReLion Prime: reliable, affordable ( and so are the strips, which is the main cost), and stands up to being dropped on my hard floor just fine. Getting blood from ear gets easier with time as the ears "learn" to bleed. Treats: dried all meat treats, I hear the ones for dogs are much cheaper and just the same. Break them into cat sized piece. M'row eats three or four cans of fancy feast classic a day, free-feeding. I read that it's better to take food away for an hour or two before giving insulin. M'row is on Lantus, which works well for him and is given every 12 hours. Consider Mark's Marine Pharmacy, in Canada, for better price. Keep in your refrigerator in a container, wipe off top of vial with alcohol before use. I keep mine in a plastic box with a lid to keep it away from food. How long does Lantus last? I read that many people here use vials until finished. This can be a couple of years! They watch the vial carefully for any signs of cloudiness: this would mean contamination, and the vial must be discarded. Welcome again!!
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Thank you so much for the information!
 
Okay so I've took Katie's glucose levels and shes at 259. It's gotten a but lower since the first test at the vet. I'm hoping it can go to the normal range by next week. It was pretty easy to find the spot in her ear thanks to JanetNJ's video. It helped a lot. I got it first try and she didnt seem bothered by it. I was expecting it to be more difficult lol.
 
Well done on testing. Feline diabetes is a marathon so be prepared that it may take a while for kitty to regulate.

You may want to set up a signature with your information. Date of diagnosis, type of meter you're using, which insulin, the method you are using and any other medical info. This helps people help you without having to ask basic questions every time. You will find it on your profile page. Also you should set up your spreadsheet. There is a sticky note with instructions on how to do it.
 
SnqwFlake said:
Okay so I've took Katie's glucose levels and shes at 259. It's gotten a but lower since the first test at the vet. I'm hoping it can go to the normal range by next week. It was pretty easy to find the spot in her ear thanks to JanetNJ's video. It helped a lot. I got it first try and she didnt seem bothered by it. I was expecting it to be more difficult lol.
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awesome job!!!
 
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