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Ziontific

Ziontific

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Hi, my name is Nicole. My boyfriend and I just took one of our kitties to the vet, and Logan, our 6 year old grey tabby was diagnosed with Diabetes. He's experiencing Neuropathy, which is why we took him to the vet in the first place - in the past few months he has not been able to walk properly on his hind legs. He walks on the entire hock instead of standing properly on his toes.
After some major tears on my part, we've made the appointment to go to the vet and learn to give him insulin. He is a very sweet, very calm cat and does not flinch for needles or anything of the sort, nor did he have a problem when he switched foods when we merged our houses and our cats together, so I imagine he will take a lot of the changes in stride. I just stumbled upon this forum doing internet research and feel it will be excellent to have people to talk to especially in these first stages after diagnostic.

I feel terrible for him, as if he'd been diagnosed earlier we might have been able to avoid nerve damage, but it's too late to wonder, I suppose. I have not yet gone to the vet to receive medication or instruction, so I imagine I will update this post once I've done so. :< I'm very nervous but willing to learn and take care of our big boy, so.. here we are. :)
 
Please don't feel guilty, Nicole. Lots of us just didn't recognize the signs. Who even knew cats could be diabetic?

We have a very successful protocol for diabetic cats - a good mild insulin dosed as determined by testing at home and wet lo carb food.

We like to feed wet food between 8-10% carbs. Here is our food chart: Janet and Binky’s chart But we wouldn't want you to make a switch from dry to wet unless you are testing first. The diet change can drastically reduce the insulin needs.

We test our kitties with a human meter at home. Video for hometesting We figure if our 2 legged kids got diabetes, we wouldn't give them a shot without testing their blood glucose levels first. We do the same for our 4 legged kids.

We like mild, long lasting insulins like Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. They have the best sucess rates for remission and regulation and are easiest for owners and kitties to manage.

So, hope your vet prescribes one of those insulins. We use the start low, go slow approach, starting most kitties with a nice low dose of insulin like .5 or one unit twice daily. We hope he will enourage home testing, but even if he doesn't, you don't need his permission. To see why it is so important, look at the 911 post today from Val. She started at one unit and the cat still went very low on the first dose. You just can't be sure how they will react to the insulin.

We would love to help you help your kitty. Keep reading and asking questions.
 
Welcome Nicole and Logan,

Once you know what insulin and what starting dose your vet is going to give you we will be more than happy to help you help Logan.

Some things to consider before you head off to the vet's and discuss with your vet would be:

We recommend a starting dose of no higher than 1u twice a day, as most cats are very stressed out at the vet's, just think how nervous you are at the doctor's office. Stress raises blood sugars so if the vet bases the starting dose on the numbers they see at the office it is often too high once Logan is back home and all relaxed.

The best insulins to start with for cats are Lantus, Levermir or PZI...some vets start cats out on Humulin N / NPH which is a really harsh insulin in cats who metabolize insulin twice as fast as humans or dogs. NPH gives really sharp drops and wears off too quickly for cats, so if that one can be avoided it is best that it is. It is much cheaper than the other 3 but doesn't work as well. If your vet does prescribe either Lantus or Levermir ask them to give you for a script for the solostar or flexpens. WHile again these are more costly up front that the vial they will last you much longer than the vial, since you will get 5 pens with 3mL in them which you open one at a time, whereas the vial has 10mL in it and will go bad before you use it all up, and you will end up throwing a lot of it away. A vial will last you only about a month, whereas the pens will last you most of the year if handle properly.

As far as food goes, don't let them talk you into the fancy prescription food, not only is it expensive it really doesn't have any magic ingredients in it, you are paying for the label. Most of us feed low carb wet canned food that is easy to find at your local grocery or pet store. Some of the popular brands here are Fancy Feast Classics, 9-lives pate-style, Friskies pate-style, or Walmart's Special Kitty on the cheaper side as well as Merrick, Wellness or Evo on the more expensive side.

I personally have 2 diabetics that I adopted as diabetics but I also have 11 other non-diabetic cats, everyone here eats exactly what my 2 diabetics eat, just good old-fashioned Friskies canned cat food, and I can't begin to tell you how much better even my non-diabetics have done on the diet change, they are all sleek, shiney and muscular with tons of energy. Almost all dry food is way too high in carbs for a diabetic cat, so if possible I would switch all the cats in the household over to the same diet as Logan that way you will never have to worry about him getting into food he shouldn't.

Lastly and probably the single best way to keep Logan safe while on insulin is to learn to test him at home. Any human meter will work just fine as long as the strips (the most expensive part) fit your budget , are easy to get, and only take a small sample of blood. Walmart has a great meter called the ReLion Micro for around $9 and a package of 50 strips is about $20. We also offer a "newbie kit" through this site what will contain everything you will need to start testing Logan at home as well as a couple of nice surprises just for Logan to enjoy! Lori and Tom run this program and we all donate to it to make sure folks like you and your extra sweet Logan get off to a flying start.

My little girl Musette had really bad neuropathy when I first adopted her, once she was started on a proper diet, and insulin it resolved itself and today not only is she walking on her toes again, she is running and playing with my much younger cats and she is 12 years old and you wouldn't know she was much over 4 now.

So dry those tears, take a deep breath, and lace up your sugarcat dancing shoes...we will be here with you every step of the way to teach you all the steps to the dance.

Read everything you can and ask as many questions as pop into your head, the only stupid question here is the one that goes unasked.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Welcome welcome!
You will never be alone again as we are all here for the reasons of our furry loved ones. To help them, we all offer advice, tips, suggestion and just down right furry hugs.

Someone is ALWAYS on this board that can help you no matter what time of day or questions you have.

Also, if you want to share your area, someone might just live close enough to you to offer help - hands on.... I was offered, took it and boy am I glad. I have also met a wonderful lady - momma to Sugar Louie - that lives just 3 miles or so from me... we have developed a friendship w/ of course out kitties being the main topic and she dont think it is a bit wierd to be a 'cat lady' - lol.

You will find this to be the best place to be for your sugar one as well as any others "civvies" you have questions about.

Welcome and lets get that test kit coming and get those numbers from Logan and get him going in the right direction....This is doable.

You will be a good mommabean for him - dont you worry... ;-)
 
Also a newbie and just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. I also didn't even know cats could be diabetic so didn't catch our cats till she had severe ketone lvls.
Sounds like you will take good care of your furry baby. One thing I've found with this is even though it's scary its brought me and my Artemis much closer together. She basks in the extra attention she's getting even if it's for shot times and testings etc.
*Big HUgs*
You can do this!
 
Hi Nicole and welcome to FDMB.

It seems scary and overwhelming when you find out your cat has diabetes. However, let me assure you that you will quickly find out that it is not really difficult taking care of a diabetic cat. Feline diabetes can very well managed with a low carb/high protein canned or raw food diet, insulin and hometesting. Also, neuropathy can be reversed.

When I adopted Spot, her diabetes was out of control and it was not being treated. Her neuropathy was so bad that she could barely walk. By putting her on the right diet, methyl B12, giving her insulin and hometesting, within a month I saw significant improvement in the way she walked. Within three months she was jumping on the furniture and within a few months later, you would have never known that she could barely walk.

You have already received some great advice and I won't repeat it. If you have not already started, begin reading the info on this site. Ask any questions you may have. We all have been where you are now and are here to help you.
 
Hi Nicole,
The newbie kit link is down below in my signature. If you need it please avail yourself of it.
We are glad you found us...
Lori
 
Wow - thank you for the kind replies!

We are taking Logan back to the vet today to learn to give him insulin. I just stopped at the pharmacy and it seems my vet and I have a whole different idea of cheap - $142 for 100u of Lantus and a box of 100 3/10ml, 12.7mm, 30g syringes. Is there anything I can ask the vet later today in order to reduce costs? I want to take care of Logan and keep him healthy but I'm a 20 year old living on my own, and we have another kitty and a snake. Eep! I will do my best to make it work but I had just gotten to the stage of my life where I wasn't eating Ramen anymore! ;)
I live in Southern Connecticut by the way :)
 
Did you vet prescribe a vial of Lantus or the Solostar pens? The vial will go bad in a couple of months and you will end up throwing a lot of it out, if you can get a script for the pens next time (if it was a vial). They are more upfront in cost, but work out cheaper in the long run as you will get 5 pens that you can open one at a time and use up almost all the insulin in them before they go bad, so a set of 5 pens will last you nearly a year. You can also order the pens from Canada for much less than buying it here in the US. I think the last pens that I got for Musette from Canada was right around $110.00 (not completely sure since her insulin comes through DCIN).

Home testing will save you a bunch of money to, since you won't be paying the vet for curves and will be getting truer numbers as well.

Oh and if it helps...I have 13 cats two of which are diabetic, one 95lb dog, as well as being a wife, mother, grandmother and full time college student and married to a roofer in the middle of winter so I know about having to keep costs down. :-D

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
This is a vial. :C It looks like the vial itself was $124.20, so pens that last longer and can be ordered online for much cheaper? Sign me up!

The packaging says to throw out 28 days after opening. Is this like milk where I can continue to use it for a while? How will I know when it's gone bad?
 
You can usually use it for a couple of months, if you keep it refrigerated. You will know when it has gone bad in several ways, if it developes floaties, gets cloudy, or just stops effecting Logan's BG readings.

In order to order it online from Canada you will need to ask your vet for a script for the Solostar pens, and then just use your regular syringes to draw up the insulin. There is a thread here http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=49608 on ordering from Canada.

Another way to keep costs down is to not buy their prescription food, and just go with commercial stuff, like my herd all eats either Friskies, 9-lives or Special Kitty pate-style canned food...out of 13 not a single one would eat the prescription stuff after the first couple of days.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Hi Nicole,

I'm in Southern CT, right on the coast in Milford. You're already getting great advice but if you'd like help learning how to hometest, please do not hesitate to ask. I have plenty of hometesting kits on hand so I could easily bring you one with some test strips.

We could also discuss healthy treats and food if you'd like. I have a few diabetic cats of my own, but only one takes insulin right now.
 
We're in Stratford, over near the Merritt. A little assistance after today would be amazing as I'm trying to stay calm over everything!
 
Perfect, we're neighbors. I work so evenings or weekends are better for me. You're going to do fine. Keep posting here and you will learn so much you'll be an old pro in no time :)
 
Turns out Logan's BG was at 630 last week. Yikes!
We gave him 1U at 5:30 last night, and my boyfriend just went off to work so he fed him when he got up and I gave him another shot right before he left. (Needed some moral support!)
This cat could not care less about being prodded with needles. He ate a little, walked around a while, then went back to the food bowl and I gave him insulin while he sat and munched. He didn't even notice me doing it.
I don't have a meter yet but he doesn't seem to be phased at all - no lethargy or anything, and no change in behavior. Still slept spooning my leg.
Sort of a relief! I was afraid he'd hate us :)
 
Hello! Mikey and I are new at this, too! We're learning, though. From my reading, the vial of Lantus can be good for up to 6 months if it's handled correctly and refrigerated. It's only good for 28 days if you don't refrigerate it, though. Get new if it gets cloudy, has a residue in it, or if it stops being effective-some people have reported it going bad sooner, but I've heard of people using it for a few months.

I will agree with everyone on the importance of home testing! MIkey is very reactive to insulin and even on Lantus, gets very low numbers quickly. I am just starting to get a handle on balancing his insulin with food! Speaking of food, I don't know if it was mentioned to you, but getting rid of dry made a huge difference in Mikey's BG levels. If you do feed dry, though, don't change until you can test, because you may need to lower the insulin amount once you switch to low carb cans. The chart linked in the above post was a great help to me. I feed mostly Fancy Feast classics, usually chicken, beef, or turkey with just the occasional fish because Mikey loves it. I also feed Merrick Before Grain for snacks and freeze dried chicken or shrimp for a treat when I test him.

I'm still figuring out insulin, so I'm not much help there, but it does get easier. The cost is the most stressful part for me.
 
Thanks for the advice! My other cat, Pepper, really likes the roasted Fancy Feast cans and if he'll eat those too, it means I won't have to refrigerate them between feedings for Peps. He's just not adjusted well to wet food in the past so we didn't even try. We're going to wait though and go look for something for him tonight, sticking with dry as we don't have a meter yet.
 
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