New member, Anna and Felix from London, UK

Status
Not open for further replies.
Anna_S

Anna_S

Member Since 2023
Hi all,

Thank you for maintaining and adding to this wonderful resource. I have already read through a lot here and will continue to do so.

Felix was diagnosed about two weeks ago when he was hospitalised for 2 days. He had DM with associated hypokalemia and hypophosphataemia, and urinary tract infection. Prescribed PZ 0.5 units twice daily and Synulox for the infection. He is a moggy, 8 years old, and according to the vet, has a strong build. 3,5kg when healthy, not super energetic, indoor-only cat. He was a street kitten when I got him. I'm sure he will be ok. I have maintained the routine so far, so I am hopeful for a better outcome.

Several questions:

1) The vet advised to start doing curves 1 month after the diagnosis. This is to let the bouncing period pass and save my nerves and money. He is on gentle insulin, a small dose, so I assume this is reasonable? He is fed with an automatic feeder throughout the day (0, 3, and 6 hours after injection), so hopefully shouldn't have hypo. Eating wet low-carb food, and drinking small amounts.

2) I'm on a very low budget, unfortunately. No insurance. The whole hospital thing took almost half of my savings. Are there any producers/shops online where you buy supplies for cheaper? Insulin and syringes. I am planning to also have 1 Freestyle Libre 2 per month to adjust the dose and keep track. The other 2 weeks won't be changing anything.

3) Wet food options differ a lot between countries. I have done some calculations and currently looking at Untamed or Meowing Heads. Checked both in the food chart, they are not there. What are you feeding your cats in the UK?

4) What do you think about homemade food? Meats + those fancy powders. Is it going to be cheaper than buying canned on average?

5) Please recommend dental biscuits that are suitable for diabetic cats.

6) If you are from London and live in the west, give me a shout, maybe we could occasionally help each other with the scheduled treatments/injections?

I am very happy to be on this forum. Have a good day if you are reading this!
 
Last edited:
It would be cheaper for you to look at home testing the blood sugars yourself then to get a freestyle libre once a month.
I disagree with your vet about leaving testing for a month. A lot can happen in a month.
I’m going to tag @Teetee (UK) who lives in the UK
 
Greetings from Milton Keynes! I don't have much to add (was going to chip in about syringes, etc. but the link above has done that). Good luck with Felix. My cat, Milo, is fairly recently diagnosed too and we're trying to settle into a regime.

Thanks to whomever compiled the list of UK food options: was going to ask about that, but the link above is great!

Thanks everyone, this is a great forum/resource.
 
Hi Ektorp,

Since my last post, I did some research on the things that I would need. Here is the copy of the file you could also use. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...KSkEG26NZJL-AoQVlRs3AVx5UbI/edit?usp=drivesdk

The food chart is taken from UK food list, and for some of them I added cost + links where to buy. The price for the day Is given for comparison, and in links back to how many calories or grams your cat needs to eat (separate sheet).

I also considered raw feeding. The price will be close to the cheapest wet food brand. I myself will likely go with supplement powder + chopped muscle meat. It is possible to make chunks with food processor if there are no bones, and it is much more convenient and cheap than buying a meat grinder. Also, I read that chewing chunks is good for teeth.

This chart doesn't include blood testing and ketostrips sadly, because I am still on it.

Hopefully it will help in some way.

Ektorp said:
Greetings from Milton Keynes! I don't have much to add (was going to chip in about syringes, etc. but the link above has done that). Good luck with Felix. My cat, Milo, is fairly recently diagnosed too and we're trying to settle into a regime.

Thanks to whomever compiled the list of UK food options: was going to ask about that, but the link above is great!

Thanks everyone, this is a great forum/resource.
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top