New Member 4/22/26 lost and overwhelmed

[Kimbery13]

So happy I found a community of knowledge. My kitty Simba 7 years orange tabby who never missed a meal in his life stopped eating and hiding. Rushed to ER and spent several days in the hospital. Diagnosed 4/7. We got a 30 min lesson form vet and sent home giving I guess I see folks calling it Sub-Q, new food to be on for life, syringes to force feed, appetite enhancing one liquid and one to put on his ear and liver pills. They started him on .2 Vetinsulin, every 12 hours and force fed him everyday and did the Sub-Q he had a curve week later and increased to .3 two times a day. He is finally eating a little by himself and had another curve today, supposed to go back and learn the whole home test process. Just reading a lot of info here and am hoping I can do all this. I guess I need a spreadsheet and learn to test next thing. He doesn’t like the wet food the vet loaded us up on Purina Pro Plan dietetic management wet and dry. And suggested our other 3 cats go in it. Thanks for any help.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum to you and Simba.
Did Simba have ketones, DKA or pancreatitis at diagnosis? Sounds like you’ve both had a rough time but glad you have found us.
Yes please get a spreadsheet set up and if you can hometesting the BGs that would be great. You can get a ReliOn premier meter from Walmart cheaply as well as the test strips, and some cotton balls to hold behind the ear to test. We can show you how to test.
You don’t need prescription food. Fancy feast low carb cans are fine. I’ll give you a link if you tell me which country you live in.

Don’t let the vet talk you into an alphatrak pet meter. A human meter is just as good and much much cheaper to run.
Bron

 

[squeem3]

What are the subQ fluids for? Most diabetics don't need that as part of their diabetes treatment.

Vetsulin isn't a good insulin choice to use. It's too short acting for most cats. In other countries the same insulin is called Caninsulin and is for dogs. Ask the vet about ProZinc and Lantus insulins.

Just give the vet a firm but polite NO to the prescription food. There's nothing in prescription food that will help a diabetic cat. The only thing it will do is drain your wallet.

Here are the food charts:

Links to FOOD CHARTS
Cat Food As-Fed Chart

Any canned food that has under 10% is good for diabetics and your other cats can also eat it. No dry food at all for diabetics. It's just fuel for high blood glucose levels. If you can get all the cats eating only low carb canned food that would be idea. For stubborn dry food addicts, there are two dry foods that are ok if a diabetic eats some: Dr Elsey and Young Again. Try to keep the diabetic out of the dry food if at all possible. We can provide suggestions on how to do this.

For treats, 100% freeze dried meat or seafood / fish treats are great. PureBites is one popular brand and there are many others. Plain cooked chicken is a hit with many cats.

You ca test with a Human blood glucose meter. You don't need a pet meter which is expensive and you can't buy the test strips at a store. If the vet tries to talk you into a CGM, just know that a CGM is expensive and needs to be replaced every 2 weeks or sooner and is known to malfunction or fall off. Testing from the edge of the ear or a paw pad is doable and takes a bit of practice to learn what works for you and your cat.

 

[Kimbery13]

Hi and welcome to the forum to you and Simba.
Did Simba have ketones, DKA or pancreatitis at diagnosis? Sounds like you’ve both had a rough time but glad you have found us.
Yes please get a spreadsheet set up and if you can hometesting the BGs that would be great. You can get a ReliOn premier meter from Walmart cheaply as well as the test strips, and some cotton balls to hold behind the ear to test. We can show you how to test.
You don’t need prescription food. Fancy feast low carb cans are fine. I’ll give you a link if you tell me which country you live in.

Don’t let the vet talk you into an alphatrak pet meter. A human meter is just as good and much much cheaper to run.
Bron

Yes he had ketones, DKA, pancreatitis and fatty liver or something. He was yellow on his gums and dark yellow urine. The vet said after we did all the sub-a fluids ketones are gone and no more DKA. So things are definitely better I just have to learn to start testing and find a food he likes and will eat hopefully

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB. It sounds like you had one sick kitty and a very lucky kitty! Like you, when my cat was diagnosed with diabetes, she was also hospitalized with DKA, pancreatitis, and hepatic lipidosis. She was a fighter and the members here were an invaluable resource.

This is a link for information on pancreatitis and diabetic ketoacidosis. If your vet didn't give you much information, these posts will help.

A few key issues with ketones. Some cats are prone to developing ketones. You want to test for them. You can use urine test strips like Ketostix or there are blood ketone meters. The meters work just like a glucometer for testing for blood glucose levels. Home testing. both for glucose levels and ketones is incredibly important. It is the best way to keep your cat safe and let you know how insulin is working.

Vetsulin may have been a reasonable choice initially for Simba. I would want to be sure that your cat is ketone free before considering a switch to either Lantus (or a biosimilar) or Prozinc. Vetsulin works quickly but is harsh and doesn't last a full 12 hours. The other noted insulins have a longer duration (last at least 12 hours) and are more gentle. The American Animal Hospital Assn recommends either Lantus (glargine is the generic name) or Prozinc.

I'd encourage you to transition your cat to a canned food diet. There are only two dry foods that are low in carbohydrates. You have a much greater choice of low carb canned foods. You want food choices that are under 10% carbohydrate although most of our members feed their cat a variety that's about 5% carb. The prescription foods really do not contain anything prescription-worthy in their ingredients and, in fact, the cat food manufacturers lost a class action suit for calling their foods "prescription."

Please let us know if you have questions. We're here to help.

 

[Kimbery13]

Welcome to FDMB. It sounds like you had one sick kitty and a very lucky kitty! Like you, when my cat was diagnosed with diabetes, she was also hospitalized with DKA, pancreatitis, and hepatic lipidosis. She was a fighter and the members here were an invaluable resource.

This is a link for information on pancreatitis and diabetic ketoacidosis. If your vet didn't give you much information, these posts will help.

A few key issues with ketones. Some cats are prone to developing ketones. You want to test for them. You can use urine test strips like Ketostix or there are blood ketone meters. The meters work just like a glucometer for testing for blood glucose levels. Home testing. both for glucose levels and ketones is incredibly important. It is the best way to keep your cat safe and let you know how insulin is working.

Vetsulin may have been a reasonable choice initially for Simba. I would want to be sure that your cat is ketone free before considering a switch to either Lantus (or a biosimilar) or Prozinc. Vetsulin works quickly but is harsh and doesn't last a full 12 hours. The other noted insulins have a longer duration (last at least 12 hours) and are more gentle. The American Animal Hospital Assn recommends either Lantus (glargine is the generic name) or Prozinc.

I'd encourage you to transition your cat to a canned food diet. There are only two dry foods that are low in carbohydrates. You have a much greater choice of low carb canned foods. You want food choices that are under 10% carbohydrate although most of our members feed their cat a variety that's about 5% carb. The prescription foods really do not contain anything prescription-worthy in their ingredients and, in fact, the cat food manufacturers lost a class action suit for calling their foods "prescription."

Please let us know if you have questions. We're here to help.

Thank you that is all great information.
I have been reading all that the community is saying about Vetinsulin. I’m definitely going to buy some Fancy Feast tonight he loves that. I appreciate you.

 

[Kimbery13]

Hi and welcome to the forum to you and Simba.
Did Simba have ketones, DKA or pancreatitis at diagnosis? Sounds like you’ve both had a rough time but glad you have found us.
Yes please get a spreadsheet set up and if you can hometesting the BGs that would be great. You can get a ReliOn premier meter from Walmart cheaply as well as the test strips, and some cotton balls to hold behind the ear to test. We can show you how to test.
You don’t need prescription food. Fancy feast low carb cans are fine. I’ll give you a link if you tell me which country you live in.

Don’t let the vet talk you into an alphatrak pet meter. A human meter is just as good and much much cheaper to run.
Bron

Thank you and yes he had all three. Vet says we did a good job and all looks to be normal now. Well that part anyway. I’m getting a lesson on the testing Saturday with the vet and yes I’m doing the testing myself. Wish me luck

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Since you'll be going to the vet's office to learn how to home test, this is our post with links, videos, etc. on home testing. It will help you prepare for the vet visit.