New diagnosis

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twaterhouse

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I just found out today that my 13-14yr old cat is diabetic.
Quick info about myself:
I'm a 23yr old college student who goes away to school at SUNY Fredonia. I live at home with my parents who will take care of my cat while I am at school. I have a part time job at school, but it is very part time. I have decided to look for some employment while I am home to help with costs.
My cat: 13 or 14yr old male DSH orange cat. He went to the vet this morning with us thinking he was experiencing a uti, but he had that and the diagnosis this afternoon of Feline Diabetes.

This has all come as a shock to me today

I decided to research everything online and found this site and the forum. Hoping this will be a wonderful support system for myself as I begin his treatments when he returns from the vet office.

It is a bit daunting seeing the costs this will bring, but there is a strong support system in my family. My parents will give him his shots while I'm at school, they'll pay for the treatment with my help. My boyfriend of almost 5 yrs will be helping with costs when we need it.

I do have a question. I live in a multiple cat household and I don't know how the diet thing will go since there will be access for him to get to the other cats' food dishes. Would we have to get rid of the food dispenser my dad and I have used for our 2 cats and opt for some other feeding for our non diabetic cats because of Elijah (my cat). I'm currently concerned with figuring out what we will do with 3 cats in the house and one of the 3 is a diabetic. How this will effect the other 2. I'll have more on my mind when we get my cat from the vet during the next 2 days and we begin home treatment.

Thank you. :)
 
I'm sure others will be jumping in shortly, but I did want to welcome you to the FDMB family and address the feeding of a multi-cat household. I, personally, have 11 cats soon to be 12 (adopting another diabetic soon). We feed everyone here the exact same thing that our diabetic/s eat. Just good old Friskies pate style canned cat food. With this diet change alone and a short course of insulin (2 weeks) our Maxwell went into remission and our non-diabetics are doing better than ever. They are sleek and shiny, all previous health problems are gone (allegies, diarrhea etc) and they have an abundance of energy.

Mel, Maxwell and The Fur Gang
 
I agree. The easiest thing to do is just get rid of the dry food, period, and feed all of your cats a low carb canned food in your budget. It will help prevent nutrition related illnesses in all of your cats.
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB.

We realize that getting a diagnosis for feline diabetes can be very overwhelming, but let me assure you and your family that it is a very managable disease. My suggestion if you have not already started, is to begin reading the information on this site. There is a lot of it, but concentrate on hometesting, diet, hypoglycemia and insulins first. Also, feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help.

I live in a multicat (8) cat household. As you have already seen, taking care of a diabetic in a multicat household is very possible. The first suggestion is to change all of their diets over to canned food only. Get rid of the dry. I also feed my cats Friskies and sometimes Walmart's Special Kitty canned foods. With as many cats that I have, I usually buy it in the large (13 oz) cans and can feed 4 cats a meal from one can.

Other ways to save money is to learn to hometest. By testing before every shot, you ensure that it is safe to give your cat insulin. With a diet change that we have suggested, that will significantly lower your cat's glucose levels. By testing before every shot, you will know if the glucose levels are not too low to give insulin. For newbies, we recommend not giving insulin if the glucose levels are less than 200. You can use any human glucose meter to test, even store brands. Many of us, including myself, use Walmart's Relion brand meters. Also by testing before every shot, that will eliminate unnecessary trips to the vet just to be tested. You will learn to do your own curves at home.

If your vet prescribes a human insulin such as Lantus or Levemir, ask for the prescription for either the cartridges or pens. The initial cost is about twice the cost of a single vial, but you get 5 cartridges/pens per package. That will be enough insulin to last almost a year. The problem with a vial is that the effective life of it is about 2 months and you will not be able to use most of the vial before it becomes ineffective. You will end up throwing most of it away. With the pen & cartridges, you will be able to use almost every drop. Also, if you look in the Supply Closet, you will find a link for coupons for the Lantus and Levemir pens that will save you $25.

As I said, taking care of a diabetic cat is very managable. I have had a total of four diabetic cats, two of which I adopted knowing they were diabetic. You will soon be able to find the best routine that works for you. I have found that it only takes a few extra minutes a day to test before every shot and give insulin. It can be intimidating at first, but soon you can become an old pro at it and helping other newbies that join after you. :mrgreen:
 
Welcome, read as much as you can here. Everyone will help you, and that will cut down vet visits and costs. The other major insulin used for cats is PZI/Prozinc. We have separate support groups for each type of insulin, so when you know which one you'll have post it, it helps with the advise giving. My Maisey was 12 when diagnosed and with food switch and insulin support for a month has been in remission for 2 months already. I still test her every now and then just for my own security. Maisey's initial number was over 500 and she hasn't needed to go back to the vet since .
 
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