Kelly_Balti
Member Since 2026
Hi All,
Me (Kelly), and my cat Balthazar are unfortunately new to this forum. Although I am happy that such a forum exists. Balti is a cat which I got out of the animal shelter 1,5 years ago and at the time was already missing an eye and a tooth due to an accident. We expect that he is approximately 6 or 7. I had noticed that he was gaining weight last winter but I assumed it was just because he was not outside so much. Then during spring he started to lose the weight as he was out a lot more as he usually is during spring, summer and fall. Last week Monday I was going to go on vacation and found him near my house almost lethargic after gone missing for 3 days (he has done that in the past and because there are a lot of people in the neighbourhood with cats I just figured he had found some place to stay and would eventually turn up again)
So last week Monday I went to the vet immediately and initially we figured he just needed some hydration through an IV and the vet gave him some sort of medicine cocktail.
Tuesday we decided to also do some lab tests and another IV and end of the day I got the call that they suspected diabetes in a far stadium and I should consider letting him go as he was already quite lethargic at that point and the costs and impact would be high. So initially I was going to put him down on Wednesday. Tuesday evening he started drinking and eating like his life depended on it and started getting more lively so Wednesday morning when he was still in such a good state I took him to the animal hospital instead of the normal vet where they did tests again and treated him for DKA. Friday I could pick him up with insuline Prozinc and a Freestyle Libre sensor. I had to ask them to give me some information on how I should give the shots and so on. So I had a quick information session. This went fine over the weekend (it was quite scary as seeing that sensor in the hi numbers a lot although it was decreasing during the cycle really messes with your head, and you are constantly second guessing yourself if you gave the shot alright or if something else is wrong) but Monday I noticed he was trying to hide a bit and the hi warning did not go away so went back to the animal hospital and they increased the insuline dosage during an overnight stay. So now he is back home and we are trying to figure it out. The next vet appointment is scheduled for next week Wednesday for a checkup on the dosing.
Moreover, he is also now on Purina Pro Plan wetfood for diabetes. And one of the veterinarians at the animal hospital mentioned she could also help with more natural food which could increase the chance of maybe getting him off the insulin as apparently there is some good progress with this. So I am also exploring this option currently but honestly it is a lot to take in.
Here is also a picture of Balthazar (Balti)
Me (Kelly), and my cat Balthazar are unfortunately new to this forum. Although I am happy that such a forum exists. Balti is a cat which I got out of the animal shelter 1,5 years ago and at the time was already missing an eye and a tooth due to an accident. We expect that he is approximately 6 or 7. I had noticed that he was gaining weight last winter but I assumed it was just because he was not outside so much. Then during spring he started to lose the weight as he was out a lot more as he usually is during spring, summer and fall. Last week Monday I was going to go on vacation and found him near my house almost lethargic after gone missing for 3 days (he has done that in the past and because there are a lot of people in the neighbourhood with cats I just figured he had found some place to stay and would eventually turn up again)
So last week Monday I went to the vet immediately and initially we figured he just needed some hydration through an IV and the vet gave him some sort of medicine cocktail.
Tuesday we decided to also do some lab tests and another IV and end of the day I got the call that they suspected diabetes in a far stadium and I should consider letting him go as he was already quite lethargic at that point and the costs and impact would be high. So initially I was going to put him down on Wednesday. Tuesday evening he started drinking and eating like his life depended on it and started getting more lively so Wednesday morning when he was still in such a good state I took him to the animal hospital instead of the normal vet where they did tests again and treated him for DKA. Friday I could pick him up with insuline Prozinc and a Freestyle Libre sensor. I had to ask them to give me some information on how I should give the shots and so on. So I had a quick information session. This went fine over the weekend (it was quite scary as seeing that sensor in the hi numbers a lot although it was decreasing during the cycle really messes with your head, and you are constantly second guessing yourself if you gave the shot alright or if something else is wrong) but Monday I noticed he was trying to hide a bit and the hi warning did not go away so went back to the animal hospital and they increased the insuline dosage during an overnight stay. So now he is back home and we are trying to figure it out. The next vet appointment is scheduled for next week Wednesday for a checkup on the dosing.
Moreover, he is also now on Purina Pro Plan wetfood for diabetes. And one of the veterinarians at the animal hospital mentioned she could also help with more natural food which could increase the chance of maybe getting him off the insulin as apparently there is some good progress with this. So I am also exploring this option currently but honestly it is a lot to take in.
Here is also a picture of Balthazar (Balti)
