New Member - August 31, 2026. Diabetes Advice

danidesjardins

danidesjardins

Member Since 2026
Hi all.

My name is Danielle and my 7.5 year old female cat named Piper was diagnosed with diabetes on August 26, 2026.

She was peeing like crazy and drinking an astronomical amount of water and I just knew something was wrong. I was VERY sure it was diabetes.

We live in Northern Ontario and due to the vet shortages, our vet is 4 hours away. They got us in fairly quick for an appointment.

Me, my husband and Piper travelled the 4 hours there, spent about 3 hours getting tests done and then drove 4 hours home.

The vet tech suspected diabetes right away. We did her glucose test and her level was at 18.

We went back and forth about insulin vs Senvelgo but ended up going with the Senvelgo.

She also had a UTI and was prescribed Clavaseptin.

Again, due to being in Northern Ontario, Amazon was our only option for Hydrophobic Litter. The litter was supposed to arrive today (Monday, August 31, 2026) but has now been delayed until the 8th of September.

Piper has not been eating/drinking properly in 2 days and she has been sleeping 90% of the day for almost a week.

We started Piper on Senvelgo this morning and we didn’t realize that because she wasn’t eating properly, we should have waited on the Senvelgo.

She had her antibiotic/dose of Senvelgo at 9am today and by 5:30pm she vomited complete liquid and it was a colour I have never really seen before.

I called the vet 13 times and no one picked up. I left a message and ended up getting through to the after hours number.

The girl on the phone said we should bring Piper in right away for emergency services.

Our vet ended up returning our call and told us to stop all meds and see if she starts eating and drinking again. If she doesn’t, we are heading back tomorrow. (September 1, 2026)

We just spent $1000 at the last appointment plus gas to drive 8 hours.

I’m having a major breakdown and I don’t know how to handle this.

If anyone has any suggestions or advice please let me know.

We love our girl and want her to feel like herself again :(
 
Hi Danielle and Piper. Sorry you’ve landed here, but with the right treatment you might be surprised how fast a lot of cats get back to their old selves.

It’s late here for me but while you wait for responses from the others, check out this post that talks about setting up a signature and spreadsheet. It helps others see what’s going on at a glance and how things are trending with her blood glucose to be able to help you better.
Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Did the vet mention anything about ketones when you were there?

How about her diet, what’s she eating? And just flat out refusing or acting nauseous? Could you offer her some bland foods and see if she’ll eat those in the meantime? Plain boiled chicken worked well for us recently.

I think you’ll want to speak with @Wendy&Neko or @Marje and Gracie. Hang in there, you got this!
 
Tim & Pookey said:
Hi Danielle and Piper. Sorry you’ve landed here, but with the right treatment you might be surprised how fast a lot of cats get back to their old selves.

It’s late here for me but while you wait for responses from the others, check out this post that talks about setting up a signature and spreadsheet. It helps others see what’s going on at a glance and how things are trending with her blood glucose to be able to help you better.
Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Did the vet mention anything about ketones when you were there?

How about her diet, what’s she eating? And just flat out refusing or acting nauseous? Could you offer her some bland foods and see if she’ll eat those in the meantime? Plain boiled chicken worked well for us recently.

I think you’ll want to speak with @Wendy&Neko or @Marje and Gracie. Hang in there, you got this!
Click to expand...
Hi! Thank you so much for your response.

At the vet, we purchased ketone strips but because we don’t have the proper litter, we can’t exactly test her urine correctly.

We have been offering her both kibble and wet food and she’s refusing both. I will go out and grab some chicken and boil it and see if that intrigues her.

Thank you so much.
 
@danidesjardins while you’re there, grab some baby food that has only meat no vegetables or gravy too.

Would the store possibly have a blood ketone meter? We could walk you through testing her ear. The urine strips you can catch them while they’re actually peeing instead of relying on nonabsorbent litter. I never had luck with either way with the urine strips personally and relied on the blood meter.
 
I found this post very helpful for catching urine. Personally, I made a foil spoon (and now I'm buying a dedicated piss spoon).

Good luck! It's easier to get the hang of than you think!
 
Welcome to the best place you never thought you would ever be. Waving from south of you in the Kawarthas.

You will be testing for ketones regularly one way or another. If you catch it early enough, it can sometimes be managed at home. DKA treatment at a vet is very expensive.

Blood ketone strips cost about a loonie apiece in Canada (which is still cheaper than a vet stay).

Liz & Crowley said:
I found this post very helpful for catching urine. Personally, I made a foil spoon (and now I'm buying a dedicated piss spoon).

Good luck! It's easier to get the hang of than you think!
Click to expand...
And you do not necessarily need the expensive litter. Check out the price of non-absorbent aquarium gravel. Or try the saran wrap trick, or if the cat will allow, a dedicated label.

Because you are quite a distance from a vet, please become familiar with Ketones, Ketoacidosis, and Diabetic Cats: A Primer on Ketones

danidesjardins said:
she vomited complete liquid and it was a colour I have never really seen before.
Click to expand...
Can you describe the colour?

Clavaseptin (clavamox in the USA) is known to cause stomach upset in some cats.

Information on Senvelgo. New Treatments for Feline Diabetes
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
Welcome to the best place you never thought you would ever be. Waving from south of you in the Kawarthas.

You will be testing for ketones regularly one way or another. If you catch it early enough, it can sometimes be managed at home. DKA treatment at a vet is very expensive.

Blood ketone strips cost about a loonie apiece in Canada (which is still cheaper than a vet stay).


And you do not necessarily need the expensive litter. Check out the price of non-absorbent aquarium gravel. Or try the saran wrap trick, or if the cat will allow, a dedicated label.

Because you are quite a distance from a vet, please become familiar with Ketones, Ketoacidosis, and Diabetic Cats: A Primer on Ketones


Can you describe the colour?

Clavaseptin (clavamox in the USA) is known to cause stomach upset in some cats.

Information on Senvelgo. New Treatments for Feline Diabetes
Click to expand...
Hi!

The colour was like an orangey/yellowish?

I can only assume it’s stomach bile?

She’s tolerated the Clavaseptin fine in the past but that honestly could be it.
 
danidesjardins said:
She just vomited white foam.

The second unusual vomit in 5 hours.

I think I’m going to take her to the emergency vet tonight. 4 hour drive but I don’t know what else to do.

She won’t eat, drink or pee.
Click to expand...
The new foam vomit could be related to the empty stomach… 4 hours is a big trip. I wonder could you call and talk to that vet and see if their wait until tomorrow recommendation has changed?
 
I've talked to Chewy vets before to see if they thought it was a "go to the emergency vet" situation or a "you can wait until monday" situation. They won't diagnose, but idk it gives me peace of mind.
 
I might be overly cautious but I am always concerned about the potential for ketones and diabetic ketoacidosis in newly diagnosed cats especially those not started on Lantus or ProZinc right away.

I’d try and take her to the ER. Even though she is on antibiotics, the recipe for DKA is
Infection + not enough insulin + Not enough calories & water

I hope you can get a prescription for Lantus and we can help you get started and I hope she will be ok.
 
Another option for non absorbent litter than one of our members used was washed lentils. Like Marje, my concern is potential for DKA. Not eating or drinking and lethargy are concerning.

Florastor is a common Canadian option that is just s. boulardii, good for diarrhea. Available in most grocery store pharmacy sections. Saying "hi" from the west coast.

Here are some tips to help with appetite: Suggestions on How to Stimulate Kitty's Appetite

Please keep us posted on what you decide to do. If you do end up at the vet's again, try to get some anti nausea meds. Ondsetron is my favourite, the vet will have to write a prescription but you can fill it at human pharmacies. Note, very expensive in Canada. Cerenia is another anti nausea med that also helps with vomiting. You might also see if you can get Mirataz which is an appetite stimulant, she does need to eat. Give the nausea meds at least 1/2 hour before the appetite stimulant. Ask them if you giving fluids at home would be appropriate and if so, get some of the supplies.
 
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