My female diabetic cat (16) is constantly thirsty and hungry and now rapidly losing weight...

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xzoto1

Member Since 2022
My cat is 16 years of age, lives with my parents, and has been on insulin for just over one year now (my mother is also diabetic and so she gives the insulin to my cat). She was doing rather OK up until these past few weeks but is now progressively getting skinnier and skinnier... She is always hungry and thirsty no matter her intake. The vet basically said it's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't situation." Can't feed her carbs because of her condition but eating mostly just protein I feel she isn't getting enough calories now? Her weight wasn't an issue before but now it is.

I've been doing as much research as possible and I really don't know what to do. I know she is elderly but she still has the fight in her. She hasn't given up on herself so I wont either. I've been trying to give her a bit of fatty foods to compensate for the lack of calories. She eats like a pig and will literally just about anything. The weight just wont come back on! The other issue is that she is ALWAYS around the water bowl, constantly thirsty and pees a lot.

According to my mom, her numbers are fine as well. She was also tested for hyperthyropidism (doesn't have it) and she doesn't have renal failure. The extra difficult part is that I live far away from home and I get all the information through telephone. I can't physically be there and always check up or try new things at any moment.

I'm at a loss right now.
 
Hello and welcome. What is your cat's name? It sounds like her dose of insulin is too low and she is unregulated. What type and dose of insulin is she getting? Is your mother testing the cat's blood sugars at home? A cat's insulin needs can change over time. How long ago was her latest blood work?

Here is a post that has some information for you.
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Hi and thank you! Her name is Lily.

Right now she is on Caninsulin and gets 3 units twice a day. Her numbers as of this an hour ago and it's 8.4 (they just checked).

She is being tested at home and her last bloodwork was a few weeks back (can't remember all of the results from the top of my head).
 
Caninsulin is not the best insulin for cats. It’s not long lasting so your cat is not fully covered the entire 24 hours. If she’s still unregulated on it, you may want to consider a longer lasting insulin like Lantus or prozync. It sounds like you’re using a pet meter, right?
 
If you could set up a spreadsheet and your signature… the instructions are in the link Wendy gave you above in post 2, that would help us help you a lot more as we could then see the data. I realise your kitty lives with your parents but there is no reason why they cannot hometest, if they are willing… many of our caregivers are older or retired and manage hometesting very well.

With the caninsulin, are you feeding 30 minutes before you give the insulin?
Caninsulin hits hard and fast and your kitty needs food aboard before onset so that she doesn’t drop too low.
she also needs to be given some good snacks during the cycles.
If she is losing weight and always hungry she is most likely not in good numbers. Unregulated cats are always hungry and won’t put on weight until they get into better numbers. I would feed her as much as she wants at the moment.
Would your mother consider swapping her to a better insulin for cats such as Lantus?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
With the caninsulin, are you feeding 30 minutes before you give the insulin?
Caninsulin hits hard and fast and your kitty needs food aboard before onset so that she doesn’t drop too low.
she also needs to be given some good snacks during the cycles.
If she is losing weight and always hungry she is most likely not in good numbers. Unregulated cats are always hungry and won’t put on weight until they get into better numbers. I would feed her as much as she wants at the moment.
Would your mother consider swapping her to a better insulin for cats such as Lantus?
Click to expand...

Yep! Giving it before the insulin.

My mom has a monitor and she checks regularly. I just had a call with her again and Lily's numbers were fine. We also only have two vet clinics in town and both only carry Caninsulin unfortunately otherwise we would definitely switch if the option was there.

Lily appears to be losing more weight. 8 pounds is her healthy size and she is down to 5.5 lbs. She also started peeing and pooping everywhere despite putting out multiple litter boxes for her. She is still eating as much as she wants but isn't gaining weight. She is starting to emaciate and her fur is starting to mat. I've had cats all of my life and I fear this may be the final stage. It just bothers me because she is eating and drinking and still in good spirits but her body just wont keep up :(
 
xzoto1 said:
also only have two vet clinics in town and both only carry Caninsulin unfortunately otherwise we would definitely switch if the option was there.
Click to expand...
Your vet should be able to get Lantus in for you or write you a script to buy it from the pharmacy. Which country do you live in.?


xzoto1 said:
Lily appears to be losing more weight. 8 pounds is her healthy size and she is down to 5.5 lbs. She also started peeing and pooping everywhere despite putting out multiple litter boxes for her. She is still eating as much as she wants but isn't gaining weight. She is starting to emaciate and her fur is starting to mat. I've had cats all of my life and I fear this may be the final stage. It just bothers me because she is eating and drinking and still in good spirits but her body just wont keep up
Click to expand...
Without seeing some data we can’t really help you but it does sound as if she is not regulated and when cats are not regulated they can’t absorb all the nutrients in the food and will be hungry all the time and will lose weight. If treated properly your kitty should not be in such a poor state. I would be pushing to try and get a better insulin for her. If she is also always at the water bowl this also tells us she is not regulated or getting the insulin she needs.
How often does your mother test he blood glucose levels? it is wonderful you care so much for your kitty and we will do all we can to help you get her back to her for as self
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Your vet should be able to get Lantus in for you or write you a script to buy it from the pharmacy. Which country do you live in.?



Without seeing some data we can’t really help you but it does sound as if she is not regulated and when cats are not regulated they can’t absorb all the nutrients in the food and will be hungry all the time and will lose weight. If treated properly your kitty should not be in such a poor state. I would be pushing to try and get a better insulin for her. If she is also always at the water bowl this also tells us she is not regulated or getting the insulin she needs.
How often does your mother test he blood glucose levels? it is wonderful you care so much for your kitty and we will do all we can to help you get her back to her for as self
Click to expand...

I'm going to try and get some more information and ask the vet to see if they can get Lily some Lantus.

As for checking her blood glucose levels I am told "regularly" but that could mean various times. I will get clarification. Is it also possible to have normal numbers with Caninsulin but it still not working? I was under the assumption that if her numbers were fine the insulin should be working? Or is there somethinig specific with Caninsulin?
 
Caninsulin does not last 12 hours in cats so typically you will see a higher Preshot and then the numbers dropping over the next 4 hours then gradually up again so that at the next Preshot the BG will be high again. So it would depend when you mother is testing.
With Lantus you can get flat cycles when the cat is regulated with the BGs remaining within normal range or close to it all the time.
 
I'm linking an article from the American Animal Hospital Assn with their guidelines for the treatment of diabetes. They recommend either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc for the treatment of diabetes. Lantus can be purchased at any pharmacy -- it's a human insulin. However, Lantus is expensive! There are biosimilars/generics that are now available. You would need to check with pharmacies in your area to see what they have on hand. If you're in Canada, Lantus is far more reasonably priced than in the US. Many vets will stock Caninsulin because like Prozinc, it's an insulin formulated for pets. The vet makes money selling it to you! Caninsulin, as the name would suggest, was developed for treating dogs. A cat's metabolism is too fast for it to be a good insulin for our kitties.
 
And adding to what Sienne just said about Lantus being cheaper in Canada, most of us who live in the US order it from Canada because it is so much cheaper even with shipping costs, about 1/3 of the price. Several members also use coupons to buy it at a discounted price at a human pharmacy. I used to get mine at RideAid before I started ordering from Mark’s Pharmacy in Canada
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
I'm linking an article from the American Animal Hospital Assn with their guidelines for the treatment of diabetes. They recommend either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc for the treatment of diabetes. Lantus can be purchased at any pharmacy -- it's a human insulin. However, Lantus is expensive! There are biosimilars/generics that are now available. You would need to check with pharmacies in your area to see what they have on hand. If you're in Canada, Lantus is far more reasonably priced than in the US. Many vets will stock Caninsulin because like Prozinc, it's an insulin formulated for pets. The vet makes money selling it to you! Caninsulin, as the name would suggest, was developed for treating dogs. A cat's metabolism is too fast for it to be a good insulin for our kitties.
Click to expand...

I am Canadian and glad you told me this! Price is not an issue for Lily! I will jump through every damn hoop I have to and get what I need.

Thanks so much!
 
If her numbers are fine has her kidney function been checked? Lantus is far cheaper in canada; it costs me 78 CAD for a 10ml vial. I just saw you’re Canadian, so that’s good. Insulin pricing in America is absurd.
 
chuckstables said:
If her numbers are fine has her kidney function been checked? Lantus is far cheaper in canada; it costs me 78 CAD for a 10ml vial. I just saw you’re Canadian, so that’s good. Insulin pricing in America is absurd.
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Yes they have been. Although she is an older kitty her kidneys were functioning normal (this check up was about 1 month ago). I also asked to check for hyperthyroidism and she is clear of that as well.

As it stands, she is losing weight despite eating a lot and drinking a lot of fluids. If she was end of life I would expect her to be denying nearly everything but she sounds like she is fighting! I will try anything. Right now, I am hunting for Lantus and WILL get it for Lily.
 
xzoto1 said:
Yes they have been. Although she is an older kitty her kidneys were functioning normal (this check up was about 1 month ago). I also asked to check for hyperthyroidism and she is clear of that as well.

As it stands, she is losing weight despite eating a lot and drinking a lot of fluids. If she was end of life I would expect her to be denying nearly everything but she sounds like she is fighting! I will try anything. Right now, I am hunting for Lantus and WILL get it for Lily.
Click to expand...

That’s good to hear. It worked miracles on sam. He was on 2 Iu of caninsulin 2x daily and had fructosamine levels at 550. On just 2 IU of lantus 2x daily they dropped to 430 or so. And his drinking reduced from 500 ml’s daily to 300. He went from 9.5 lbs to 12 in a couple months.
 
Weight loss is caused by the diabetes. When food is digested, the end product of metabolism is glucose. Insulin is the hormone that helps glucose move from the bloodstream into the cells. With diabetes, there is not enough insulin being produced and the glucose continues to float around in the blood and doesn't get into the cells. As a result, your cat is hungry all the time and may eat a ton of food but doesn't gain weight the way you would expect. As numbers become better regulated, your cat will start to gain weight.
 
Thanks for all of the help. I hadn't had much free time but thought I would update since everone here is so gracious.

The vet agreed to Lantus and Lily was put on it just a few days ago. Unfortuantely it appears Lily has took a grave turn and just isn't eating or responding to nearly anything at all.

Today she will be playing with the other cats in Kitty heaven. Her appointment is at 4:30 P.M. I am devastated.
 
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