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IceRayven

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Hi everyone!

We found out our kitty had diabetes last fall. He only had slightly elevated glucose in his urine. We treated him with insulin but weaned him off once we got a wet cat food diet going. He was fine but now he is eating less then a can a day..Any advice? He used to eat 2 cans a day..one at night one during the day..we did try a different flavor but went back to the old one once we saw he wasn't eating..now he isn't eating the old one either..we get the friskies canned wet food..the classic plate that is supposed to have low carbs . He is 7-8 years old with some tarter on his teeth but other then that seems healthy..We can't afford the vet visit so we are trying to manage without..Our vet wants 1000+ to do all the work up on him..
 
IceRayven said:
Hi everyone!

We found out our kitty had diabetes last fall. He only had slightly elevated glucose in his urine. We treated him with insulin but weaned him off once we got a wet cat food diet going. He was fine but now he is eating less then a can a day..Any advice? He used to eat 2 cans a day..one at night one during the day..we did try a different flavor but went back to the old one once we saw he wasn't eating..now he isn't eating the old one either..we get the friskies canned wet food..the classic plate that is supposed to have low carbs . He is 7-8 years old with some tarter on his teeth but other then that seems healthy..We can't afford the vet visit so we are trying to manage without..Our vet wants 1000+ to do all the work up on him..
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First off, that vet quote is nuts; look around for a vet who is not asking such a ridiculous amount from you.... what was going to be needed in that $1000 amount?

Have you tried testing your cat's BG again? There are times when cats do go off insulin but then later on, they may need some help again with a bit of insulin. Even though your cat is off insulin, it's always a good idea to be checking your cat's BG every so often, to be sure his numbers are still within the non diabetic range.

what other foods have you tried?
 
1) there's a limit on how much you can postpone a dental cleaning, as it can cause serious infection which may go systemic and cause things like endocarditis (inflammation around the heart), plus elevate glucose levels. If his mouth is sore, it is painful to eat, so he'll reduce eating. Higher calorie food may pack more per mouthful; maybe Evo cat & kitten, or other diabetic safe kitten food.

2) Have the vet prioritize what needs to be done in what order. The list of thing$$$s the vet thinks need doing may not need to be done all at once.

3) check around for another vet - one that works with rescues may have more reasonable prices

4) if his mouth isn't sore, just has tartar, begin home dental care with a cat safe toothpaste and brush. That will keep the tartar from continuing to build and will stimulate blood flow to the gums to help keep them healthy. Do NOT attempt this if his mouth is sore or he will learn to avoid this.
 
I also concur with the recommendation to get a blood glucose meter and test your cat's blood sugar. Even though he was controlled by diet, when they get infections their blood sugar can spike up. This may be making him feel poorly, if he has an infection AND higher blood glucose now. Diabetics can be more prone to infections.

I'd also get ketone sticks and test his urine for ketones.

Then depending on these results, bring him to the vet for an exam to see if there IS an infection and what treatment. Yes, perhaps a new vet whose ideas on treating diabetics are more in line with your finances and beliefs.
 
This is not meant to scare you...just a warning on how quickly things can go downhill with a diabetic cat that isn't eating well....My little girl Musette is at the vet's right now fighting for her life, she just had a feeding tube placed yesterday.

Now I do test Musette at home, she was well regulated on insulin in fact she was showing every sign that she was trying for remission, her dose was gradually going down. Then Saturday she didn't get her morning shot because she was in normal numbers, but was being a little picky about eating but it was hot here...didn't think anything about it, she has her picky days...By Sunday morning she was clearly sick and not eating at all, but she was still testing in the mid-200s not bad numbers not great but she has been higher, but my gut told me to check her for ketones...First test she was at moderate ketones...so off to the ER vet we went...by the time I got her in and the vet met us at the practice she was in DKA and now fighting for her life.

We still don't know what triggered her decline, because by now that is like asking which came first the chicken or the egg, but if I hadn't been on top of her, and tested both her BGs and ketones I'm not sure she would have been alive on Monday. She went from being a happy playful girl on saturday to struggling to survive by sunday night.

If your kitty completely stops eating and needs the care that my girl does right now it is going to cost a lot more to save him that a routine vet visit to rule things out, but I will second your vet quote is highway robbery...time to go vet shopping for one that is in the business for the love of animals, not lining his pockets. Musette is hospitalized with round the clock care, she has her own private vet tech in attendence, plus just got a feeding tube surgically placed and right now her vet bill is $600.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Thank you for all the information. We brought him to the vet last night. He hated it. cat(2)_steam The vet didn't know what was wrong with him. He had a slightly elevated temp but that might have been from the stress. He gave our kitty a shot of pain killer and some antibiotics to get him started. He sent us home with some amoxicillin and prednisone with instructions to get him to eat. I borrowed some dry cat food and he ate some of that but not much and ate a little bit of his wet cat food. Still not eating much. :sad: Hubby thinks that our kitty decided its his time to go. I don't think so since he is only 8 and what seemed good health. The vet told us to call him tonight if he still isn't eating much. He might do some blood work to see whats going on. He does twitch a lot in his sleep. Is that normal? confused_cat
 
What did the vet do to assess the cat - bloodwork? urinalysis?

Is the belly painful, ie if if you press gently on the abdomen does he try to get away, cry out, swipe at you? If yes, he could have pancreatitis, it which case the pain meds may help him to eat.
 
Sorry about the long wait. The vet gave our kitty a shot of antibiotics and pain killer. He said our kitty had a slightly elevated temp but that could be from the car ride there and the stress. Then gave us the last of the shot of pain killer to give him the next day. We also got Amoxicillin 1 cc three times a day and prednisone 5mg twice a day. The vet didn't know what was wrong with him. We have kept in contact with the vet but he keeps saying to monitor him. Our kitty refusing to eat the wet kitty food at all..and maybe 1/2 cup-3/4 cup of dry food a day and he is a big kitty..about 18 pounds before all this began. So we will be calling the vet tonight again and seeing what he wants to do.
 
I'm confused why did the vet give antibiotics and prednisone? Did he explain what these are supposed to accomplish? Did he confirm that the cat really needs these drugs?

FYI - prednisone/prednisolone is a steroid and steroids can cause diabetes in cats and cats already diagnosed with diabetes, this can elevate the BG's and cause an increase in the dose of insulin. Now, this isn't to scare you to the use of steroids, as they do have a use, but I think we are missing information in your situation - such as why did he issue it? What is it supposed to fix?

I realize you just want the cat to eat, but feeding dry food again can elevate the diabetes, so you really need to be careful insulin may be required to counter balance the dry food (and the steroids).
 
We came back from the vet office. The vet didn't say why he was putting our kitty on the prednisone and antibiotic. Just said to try it and let him know if he wasn't getting better. He did get better for a couple of days before going back down again. We called the vet again and he was out of town and recommended to bring our kitty in to a separate vet. So off we went to another vet. They did the blood panal and the glucose is near 400's. He had elevated white blood cells and something in the urine so he has a urinary tract infection and his potassium is a bit low but because he isn't eating as well that might be causing it. He is now on a different anti biotic that is meant for UTI's and weaning him off prednisone. Also they put him on a special diabetic kitty food. If we can't get him eatin then we will have to put him down because we can't afford anymore. I hope he gets to eating :(
 
I am sorry to hear all this. But before you put your cat down, you really need to get a definitive diagnosis from the vets as to why they are prescribing the drugs, what exactly your cat has, get a copy of his tests and medical records and post them here - plenty of people can help decipher what it all means.

If this were my cat, I would want to know exactly what is going on, what the course of treatment can be and why they are doing what they are doing. Yes, I ask a lot of questions, especially of the vets, especially when they are vague or I don't fully understand something they say or recommend.

And did the vet say why you have to buy the prescription food? I realize the goal is to get the cat eating, but prescription food isn't the best quality, is more expensive than regular food bought at the store and can be higher in carbs than what is good for a cat. Also, is it dry or wet that you are using? Dry food, will only keep the BG (blood glucose) levels higher, so you will not only be battling the diabetes, but battling the food as well in trying to get his levels down.

That's just my thoughts. Whatever you decide to do, I wish all the best for you and your cat.
 
If your vet isn't answering your questions or listening to your concerns, find another vet who will. Be sure to take all copies your cat's records to the new vet.
 
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