New member, Carriecae and scared. =)

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Carriecae

Carriecae

Member Since 2024
My orange cat Jellybean was diagnosed about a week ago. He had been drinking a LOT and peeing a LOT and lost some weight. The vet gave me insulin and said 1mg twice a day. and virtually nothing else. I got online and did some research and ask her if I could try switching to a wet cat food, high protein diet before starting him on insulin. She said to give it a try. We're trying some of the high protein wet foods to see which we like best, and so far he likes them all except DM pate. Doesn't seem to be a fan of the DM dry either. And he's still losing weight. And I'm scared. =) I had a previous cat I lost to diabetes about 5 years ago.

The vet said nothing about home testing or even that there was such a thing. =) I'm finding out a lot by reading the posts on here, so thanks for that. Jellybean is going back for retesting in 2 weeks. She gave me 3 weeks to switch his food from mostly dry with one can of fancy feast a day to all wet high protein. Am I doing this the right way? After my last experience with a diabetic cat, I can't tell you how many flying trips we made to the vet as he had bottomed out. No one had ever said you could test a cat, so I want to do better with this one. I also wanted to know if grain-free is the same as high protein?

I've read the help us help you, and will have to read it again several times to understand it, then will try to update my signature. I'm just glad I found a group that knows what they are talking about and willing to share that advice.
Thanks!
carrie
 
Hello and welcome! I am new here as well. Im about 2 months into my kitties diagnosis and my cat has been doing great thus far. I am not to the point where I am comfortable giving in depth advice on insulin, but I feel comfortable giving advice on suggesting some foods that have worked for my cat in my experience.

I have been giving my cat Friskies Pate that is 3 to 6% carbs. I know here we consider low carb foods anything less than 10%. I know others here have had success using fancy feast, which is even lower in carbs than the Friskies that I use.

I will tag a few people that are great at posting links of a list of foods that are appropriate for a diabetic or pre diabetic cat.

This community is very big on home monitoring and can explain more in depth on how to home monitor. I use the Alphatrak 3 meter that is calibrated for cats, but it isn't very cost friendly. However, this community also advocates to use human meters, which are more cost friendly and they can help you interpret the readings and post the links to guide you.

Sorry I am not much help, but I'll definitely tag some people who have been so very helpful to me when I first started my journey.

You came to a great community and I promise the people here are great at guiding you, have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and will definitely make you feel you are never alone.

Best of luck!

@Diane Tyler's Mom @Wendy&Neko @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Noah & me (GA) @Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
wow, great info in the pdf....thanks much. the home monitoring has never been mentioned by the vet as an option. i don't know how well it will go over with jellybean, as he is a "touch me not" cat until he wants his cuddle. clipping toenails usually takes over a week. =)

at this point, cost doesn't matter. =) he's my best buddy and he's losing weight and not feeling well. i just want him to be happy. he seems to like the iams high protein and the fancy feast high protein and even rachel rays grain free. after my last diabetic cat i'm just terrified at going the insulin route again. if it can be reversed, i'd much prefer that (who wouldn't!). if not, i need to learn to home monitor. my last cat there was no monitoring so every day was a roller coaster ride. i can't let that happen again. every day i'd come home and not know what i'd come home to.

thanks so much for the info, i'll put it to good use. and your tuxedo is gorgeous. =)

carrie
 
Aww thank you, your Jellybean is adorable too and I love the name!

Well you've come to right place! And fingers crossed that a change of diet can improve his glucose numbers.

In regards to home monitoring its difficult for a lot at first, but it is the best way to keep Jellybean safe and keep you from a constant state of anxiety. Just remember, even if you feel bad poking him you are doing it to keep him healthy and safe. To the kitty it's equivalent to a mosquito bite. Plus ears do not have a lot of nerve endings so even thou you think you are hurting them youre not. Cats just don't like having their ears touched.

I'm shocked some vets don't advocate for at home monitoring. We would never diagnose a human with pre diabetes or diabetes and tell them to give insulin and not to check their sugars at home. Why would we treat our animals any differently? That's dangerous.

I was lucky that Mr. Mazi tolerated me touching and poking his ears really well. But Mazi is the minority and most caregivers have the same challenges in the beginning with getting their kitties acclimated to testing, but it can be done with patience and practice.

On the bright side, I see alot of the moderators here suggesting to others that have cats who react similar to Jellybean to try practicing. For example, pick a designated testing area, try rubbing kitties ears or giving a gentle massage to get Jellybean used to having the ears touched. Not to mention rubbing or massaging the ears help warm the ears and increase the blood flow to the ears, so when you do have to poke to check Jellybeans numbers, it should be a lot easier to get a little bit of blood to be absorbed on the testing strip. Another great tip is to give kitty a low carb treat after the poke whether you were successful or not, in hopes that they associate the poke with something positive. A lot of cats, including mine are very food or treat motivated.. The moderators here have a great diagram they can post for you that show you where to poke.

Maybe while you are trying a diet change, you could try to get kitty used to having the ears touched. The goal is to get Jellybeans sugar under control with a change in diet, but worst care scenario and Jellybean does have to transition to insulin at least you will have a head start on getting kitty used to have their ears touched.
 
Hello and welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. This is a post we recommend new people read if you haven't already:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Can you tell me what type of insulin the vet is suggesting? Lantus and Prozinc are the ones recommended for cats.

As for food, there is a wide variety out there. My girl ate low carb raw food. Not surprising your kitty didn't like DM - it's not great quality and a lot of kitties tire of the flavour. It's fine to switch to a low carb diet before starting insulin, as long as there isn't a concern about ketones. Do you know what Jellybean's blood sugar number was at the vet? Did the vet do lab work and mention anything about ketones?

We believe in three things here, a good insulin, low carb wet or raw food, and home monitoring. More information and videos of people testing here: Hometesting Links and Tips
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you are going to try a low carb diet for three weeks before starting insulin, I would recommend you test for ketones in the urine. Ketones can start forming in the urine in diabetic kitties if they are not getting enough insulin or enough food, so it would be an insurance policy.
You will need to buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy and collect a urine sample and test the urine with a test strip exactly 15 seconds after dipping the strip in the urine against the colours on the side of the bottle.
 
Welcome Carrie and Jellybean ,he's adorable
Most of us feed 6% carbs or less
I would suggest getting a human
meter ,that's what our numbers are based on
Here is the link for the meter and test strips so you don't have to search for them
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197

Testing
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with
Here is a video one of our members made testing her kitty
She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,with a human meter you don't have to code it.

I have always used a human meter
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
 
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Mazi's Mom said:
Aww thank you, your Jellybean is adorable too and I love the name!

Well you've come to right place! And fingers crossed that a change of diet can improve his glucose numbers.
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yeah, he doesn't like his ears touched. at all. =) something to work on. i'll have to order some low carb treats as well. thank you for the great info. much appreciated.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hello and welcome to the best place you never wanted to be. This is a post we recommend new people read if you haven't already:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Can you tell me what type of insulin the vet is suggesting? Lantus and Prozinc are the ones recommended for cats.

As for food, there is a wide variety out there. My girl ate low carb raw food. Not surprising your kitty didn't like DM - it's not great quality and a lot of kitties tire of the flavour. It's fine to switch to a low carb diet before starting insulin, as long as there isn't a concern about ketones. Do you know what Jellybean's blood sugar number was at the vet? Did the vet do lab work and mention anything about ketones?

We believe in three things here, a good insulin, low carb wet or raw food, and home monitoring. More information and videos of people testing here: Hometesting Links and Tips
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the vet gave me vetsulin. i have read the help us help you, just don't understand all of it yet. lots of googling here. and here's his blood test.
 
well sorry i can't post the blood test, it says i'm not allowed. glucose was 555mg i believe it says.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you are going to try a low carb diet for three weeks before starting insulin, I would recommend you test for ketones in the urine. Ketones can start forming in the urine in diabetic kitties if they are not getting enough insulin or enough food, so it would be an insurance policy.
You will need to buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy and collect a urine sample and test the urine with a test strip exactly 15 seconds after dipping the strip in the urine against the colours on the side of the bottle.
Click to expand...

thank you, i'll look those up!
 
Vetsulin is not the greatest insulin for cats. In the US it used to be called Caninsulin (ie. dog insulin) before it was rebranded. It doesn't last as long in cats as Lantus or Prozinc. With a blood glucose of over 500, he likely will need some insulin. We have lots of information about Vetsulin - the Sticky Notes, at the top of this forum Caninsulin / Vetsulin and N / NPH You might want to read through them.
 
Carriecae said:
i have read the help us help you, just don't understand all of it yet.
Click to expand...
This is what you will want to put in your signature when you are ready with everything
You can just tap on your name above then tap on the word signature and add , do you see Tyler's after my post in gray

  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

When you are ready to set up our spreadsheet we can help with that, We use it to track our cats blood glucose numbers
@Carriecae
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Vetsulin is not the greatest insulin for cats. In the US it used to be called Caninsulin (ie. dog insulin) before it was rebranded. It doesn't last as long in cats as Lantus or Prozinc. With a blood glucose of over 500, he likely will need some insulin. We have lots of information about Vetsulin - the Sticky Notes, at the top of this forum Caninsulin / Vetsulin and N / NPH You might want to read through them.
Click to expand...

thanks so much for the links. i'll look up and see where i can buy it online....i don't think either vet in town carries either one.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
This is what you will want to put in your signature when you are ready with everything
You can just tap on your name above then tap on the word signature and add , do you see Tyler's after my post in gray

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

When you are ready to set up our spreadsheet we can help with that, We use it to track our cats blood glucose numbers
@Carriecae
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for this info. Still so much to learn. wow. and yes, saw tyler's info after your post. after my next vet visit i should have more answers to all of those questions. thanks again.
 
For kitties whose ears are a no go zone, or missing parts of their ears, paw testing is another option. Video here:
How to check your cat's blood sugar from their paw

Carriecae said:
i'll look up and see where i can buy it online....i don't think either vet in town carries either one.
Click to expand...
Lantus is a human insulin, available and any pharmacy, but you need a vet prescription in the US. Prozinc you can get online, but probably needs a prescription too.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
For kitties whose ears are a no go zone, or missing parts of their ears, paw testing is another option. Video here:

Lantus is a human insulin, available and any pharmacy, but you need a vet prescription in the US. Prozinc you can get online, but probably needs a prescription too.
Click to expand...

good to know. is it possible to alternate between ear and paw? or should it all be from just one place?
 
Hello! Yes it is possible to alternate between ear and paw, if you're able to get enough blood from the paw. I tend to stick with the ear, because even though cats think its annoying to have their ears touched the ears have less nerve endings than the actual paws.

Also besides the paws having more nerve endings, the other negative is you run the risk for an infection because now they have a tiny wound and they use their paws to walk on the ground and in their kitty litter box. Infections in diabetics can then lead to high blood sugar.

I tend to stick with the ears, but maybe someone who uses their cats paws to poke or a moderator can chime in.

Any luck with rubbing or massaging Jellybeans ears?
 
Mazi's Mom said:
Hello! Yes it is possible to alternate between ear and paw, if you're able to get enough blood from the paw. I tend to stick with the ear, because even though cats think its annoying to have their ears touched the ears have less nerve endings than the actual paws.

Also besides the paws having more nerve endings, the other negative is you run the risk for an infection because now they have a tiny wound and they use their paws to walk on the ground and in their kitty litter box. Infections in diabetics can then lead to high blood sugar.

I tend to stick with the ears, but maybe someone who uses their cats paws to poke or a moderator can chime in.

Any luck with rubbing or massaging Jellybeans ears?
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i've been working with it, and he's slightly more accepting of it than a few days ago. very slightly. =)
 
Thats great!

Any progress no matter how little is a reason to celebrate! Sometimes it takes small goals to reach big goals and thats completely normal!
 
ok, after 2 weeks of trying high protein, the glucose test today said 340 (was 555) and the vet wants me to start insulin. i didn't talk to the vet myself, but the vet tech, who talked to the vet who was in surgery. i go back to talk to the vet on monday. i had figured i'd probably do the tests at 10 and 10, but should i wait until morning? i'd hate to sleep through a problem. It's only 1 unit, but she said he's lost a pound in 2 weeks on his switch to high protein and doesn't want him to lose more. during the day i'm home every few hours and could check on him more. and yes, they want me to stay with vetsulin for now. he weighs just under 10 pounds. would it be safer to start with the morning insulin? apologies for not doing my signature as of yet, this all came up this afternoon.
thanks!
carrie
 
Hi! Let me tag some great moderators and long time members that can help you on dosing, the different types of insulin, and food.

Good luck!

@Wendy&Neko @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Diane Tyler's Mom
@Bron and Sheba (GA)

@Wendy&Neko @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Diane Tyler's Mom there was also a question above asking about testing on the paw pad vs ear. I offered some advice that I was confident in sharing, but if you guys had any additional info that would be great!

Sorry, I'm just a member with about 2 months experience in caring for a diabetic cat, but I tagged some great moderators and members that have a wealth of knowledge and lots of experience.
 
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I use 28 guage lancets. Are you able to get to walmart or walgreens early in the morning? Walmart would be the cheapest.
 
Mazi's Mom said:
I use 28 guage lancets. Are you able to get to walmart or walgreens early in the morning? Walmart would be the cheapest.
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i'll get to walgreens, walmart was out. and thanks again for all of your help. i am honestly going to go read for a bit, it's been a bit of a high stress day. =)
 
Maybe larger gauge lancets would help better, size 26. You can absolutely rotate test spots around. I alternated left and right ears and up and down the edge.

If you can monitor better during the day, I'd start insulin in the AM. The peak or low point with Vetsulin is 4-6 hours after you shoot. You want to feed and make sure he's eaten, wait 20-30 minutes, then shoot. Ideally you'd test his blood sugar before the main meal, the feed, then shoot later.
 
@Carriecae I've been there. I was very overwhelmed in the beginning of this journey, but I promise it gets better and you are never alone.

@Wendy&Neko and @Diane Tyler's Mom have held my hand thru everything. Plus other moderators have chimed in and gave me great advice when Wendy or Diane weren't available.
 
Mazi's Mom said:
@Carriecae I've been there. I was very overwhelmed in the beginning of this journey, but I promise it gets better and you are never alone.

@Wendy&Neko and @Diane Tyler's Mom have held my hand thru everything. Plus other moderators have chimed in and gave me great advice when Wendy or Diane weren't available.
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overwhelmed, yes. have watched the "testing my cat's blood glucose" video over and over. tomorrow we start. so glad i found this group. tomorrow we start a new life, jellybean and i. thank you everyone for all of your help.
 
Just try your best you'll get the hang of it. I'm two months in and sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 tries. Mazi will move his head or I just don't get the right spot, but don't give up.

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but putting a tad of Vaseline where you poke will help the blood bead/bubble instead of hiding in the fur. Sometimes that gives you enough time after you poke, get a blood bead/bubble, and to grab your meter without the bead bursting and leaking into the fur.

And always reward Jellybean even if you were successful or not. But home testing is the safest/best thing you can do for kitty.
 
total failure. first, there are no lancets in town. like every single store is out. finally borrowed some from my diabetic mother. =) sat on the couch with the cat and there ensued a battle like muhammad ali. head shaking, dodging, weaving. nothing like the cat in the video. this was warfare. i'm trying to remain calm and soothing, cat is a wild animal. finally managed to poke an ear and brought up the strip, nope. not having it. more dodging and weaving. finally touch it to the blood, and error. ran to the kitchen got another strip, error. finally put some on my thumbnail, error. at this point i'm in tears and jelly bean is out of control. i give him some low carb treats. does. not. want. give him a different low carb treat. nope. finally give him his favorite rachel ray cat food. nope. finally a high protein cat food he likes. yes, he ate most of that. waited 20 min, gave him 1 unit of insulin which was accompanied by more head shaking and whipping around. trauma for everyone involved.
will try again tonight and have to re read the meter to see why i keep getting errors. i knew this wouldn't be easy but holy cow.
 
Congrats, you managed to poke the ear that is progress!

It's crazy you never know how strong or how much of a fighter your kitty is until you have to touch of poke their ear.

Double check the manual, but if I had to guess either the strip got dirt on it or more than likely you weren't able to get enough blood.

Its never a bad idea when you're preparing to test Jellybean to bring extra supplies and place them close to you because you never know when you'll get an error message.

Also one thing I do is, I will place the strip in the meter before I test. I dont place it in far enough that it activates the machine but just enough that the testing strip is in there and I just have to tap it on my arm to push it in the rest of the way. As you probably already know when you place the strip in the meter there is a timer for how long the meter gives you to get blood on the strip. While you're learning to poke more than likely it will take a few tries and if you place the strip in right away it will shut off on you, which can be frustrating. So I found that setting up all my supplies, bringing extras and just slightly putting the strip in the meter before I go in for the poke tends to help.

Great job at giving Jellybean a reward after!

If you can, and I understand both you and Jellybean are stressed out right now. I would try to do a check in the next few hours to see if Jellybean is dropping low. Since Jellybean is just starting Insulin, jellybean might be really sensitive to the effects of insulin intill the body gets used to it. My Mazi was really sensitive to the insulin in the beginning until his body got used to it. If testing is absolutely impossible in a few hours, giving low carb treats or a teaspoon of low carb foods can be given to make sure Jellybean doesn't go too low.

Lastly, another suggestion I seen someone give on this site was singing while giving the poke and injection. It might sound silly, but its hard for you to get stressed when you're singing, even if its a silly song. For example, when I'm poking and injecting Mazi I will sing the old school song, Sugar Sugar by the Archie's and it helps.


"Sugar, Honey Honey, you're my candy boy and you got me wanting you" Just know, I can't carry a tune, and have no musical skill at all, but its still fun..lol

@Wendy&Neko @Diane Tyler's Mom @Sienne and Gabby (GA) any advice or encouragement for Jellybean? Should she still try to check the sugar in a few hours? Or is giving low carb snacks during the day to slow the curve/nadir safe enough for right now as @Carriecae gets acclimated to testing Jellybean? Jellybean is on Vetsulin, which I have no experience in because Mazi is on Lantus.
 
Lastly just another piece of advice so you can get a quicker response from moderators is go back up to your THREAD TITLE, and click on thread tools. Where is says prefix, click on the "?" mark if you have a question. If its an emergency, and you need an immediate answer or help, under prefix click on the "911". I believe the moderators prioritize the order they reply to inquires by the prefix in the thread title.
 
Besides singing to help you, sometimes it takes some work to find the treat that your kitty really likes. Some cats like brushing or other special attention.

Hard to believe all pharmacies in town are out of lancets. :eek:
 
Mazi's Mom said:
Congrats, you managed to poke the ear that is progress!

It's crazy you never know how strong or how much of a fighter your kitty is until you have to touch of poke their ear.

Double check the manual, but if I had to guess either the strip got dirt on it or more than likely you weren't able to get enough blood.

Its never a bad idea when you're preparing to test Jellybean to bring extra supplies and place them close to you because you never know when you'll get an error message.


.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the congrats, i'm still shaky. =) went out and got petroleum jelly, so we'll try that tonight. thanks for the encouragement and helpful hints. i want to re-read the monitor manual and re-watch the cat how to video before i give it another shot, so to speak. =) i'll talk to the vet on monday about lantus. thanks again.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Besides singing to help you, sometimes it takes some work to find the treat that your kitty really likes. Some cats like brushing or other special attention.

Hard to believe all pharmacies in town are out of lancets. :eek:
Click to expand...

it's a pretty small town but i was still shocked about the lancets. finally wal greens came up with some this afternoon after their truck came in. i found a high protein broth he seems to like, he won't eat much of the meat but he loves the broth!
 
Amazon is also a good resource. I was able to buy 300 lancets for $5..The ones I bought at walgreens were $10 for 100, but if you're in a pinch, walgreens/walmart will do.
 
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