? New member- introducing ourselves (dosing advice needed)

Arya Stark of Winterfell

Arya Stark of Winterfell

Member Since 2026
Hi… I’m Lisa
I just wanted to say hello and thanks for all you do… I’ve been lurking for a few days, it’s just all so overwhelming. The vet makes it sound so easy and nothing to worry about but obviously it’s a minefield! Every time I start reading I get upset. My baby is called Arya (Stark of Winterfell, slayer of ants!) and she almost 11. Diagnosed last wk.
she was a wild cat (feral) when we found her at 5wks old, she was SO SICK… I can’t lose her now!!
Can anyone suggest any helpful podcasts?
We are finding it impossible to take blood/readings, even on ourselves - error messages continuously or not enough blood from Arya (or ourselves- so how I’m meant to get enough out of my tiny cat I really don’t know!)
The vet has ordered once a day oral insulin for us to try…but we weren’t even given food advice so I’m a bit in the dark here. Is tinned tuna ok? She won’t eat raw chicken. I don’t give her biscuits. Previously we were giving her Applaws bone broth as we just thought she was a bit under the weather.. what’s the best to buy in Aus?

Thanks in advance..🦋
 
Hello and welcome. Tinned tuna isn't a great solutions, it's also not a complete cat food. Check out this food list. AUSTRALIA - LOW CARB CANNED AND AIR/FREEZE DRIED CAT FOOD. Food under 10% carbs is what we consider low carbs and good for diabetics.

What is the name of the oral medicine you are giving? If Bexacat or Senvelgo, you might want to read this post: New Treatments for Feline Diabetes. Make sure you can test for ketones at home. There are either urine test stick like Ketostix available at any human pharmacy/chemist Tips to catch and test a urine sample. You can also get blood ketone meters.

What type of meter are you using for blood testing? You want one that only needs a tiny drop of blood, and start with larger gauge lancets like size 26-28. More tips, including videos, in here: Hometesting Links and Tips
 
If you're feeling overwhelmed, that's absolutely normal for this early in your managing Arya's diabetes. There's a huge amount to assimilate. However, it really and truly becomes easier. You'll settle into a routine.

Please keep asking questions. The members here are very generous with their time and knowledge. We're here to help.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
If you're feeling overwhelmed, that's absolutely normal for this early in your managing Arya's diabetes. There's a huge amount to assimilate. However, it really and truly becomes easier. You'll settle into a routine.

Please keep asking questions. The members here are very generous with their time and knowledge. We're here to help.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the words of encouragement.. appreciated. I’ve just noticed that the title says “interacting ourselves” instead of “introducing” 😂 That’s how tired I am!
So I’m now stressed about the oral insulin that our vet has ordered! I understand that some of the info is from 2024 and there’s been more studies and feedback but it seems to be not without its own problems! I just don’t know what to do for the best! Anyway.. we finally managed a glucose result after what seemed like a million error readings. She’s 15.7 (282mg/) she was 27 last Thursday and we didn’t start the insulin until Saturday (only 1 dose given, 2 on Monday, 2 Tuesday then the reading.. she’s on 2iu is 3.3kilos) I do think she possibly spikes due to stress.
 
Hi Lisa, nice job getting that test, and chuckled about “interacting”.

Quick question, is Arya on injectable insulin right now or the oral meds? I saw you mentioned your vet was going to order the oral meds, but then you talk about insulin today, so just trying to understand.
 
Tim & Pookey said:
Hi Lisa, nice job getting that test, and chuckled about “interacting”.

Quick question, is Arya on injectable insulin right now or the oral meds? I saw you mentioned your vet was going to order the oral meds, but then you talk about insulin today, so just trying to understand.
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Hi Tim… she has started on insulin (which I’ve read “you can’t go to oral..” oh wait no “you can go to oral…” - so that’s frustrating! The vet doesn’t seem to know much about it tbh…. I found this podcast which was why we asked the vet about oral as we aren’t home sometimes and I can’t ask someone else to inject her.. it’s only 30 mins and very interesting Sweet solutions: A real-world approach to feline diabetes | dvm360
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hello and welcome. Tinned tuna isn't a great solutions, it's also not a complete cat food. Check out this food list. AUSTRALIA - LOW CARB CANNED AND AIR/FREEZE DRIED CAT FOOD. Food under 10% carbs is what we consider low carbs and good for diabetics.

What is the name of the oral medicine you are giving? If Bexacat or Senvelgo, you might want to read this post: New Treatments for Feline Diabetes. Make sure you can test for ketones at home. There are either urine test stick like Ketostix available at any human pharmacy/chemist Tips to catch and test a urine sample. You can also get blood ketone meters.

What type of meter are you using for blood testing? You want one that only needs a tiny drop of blood, and start with larger gauge lancets like size 26-28. More tips, including videos, in here: Hometesting Links and Tips
Click to expand...
Hi again, Arya is now testing at 6… is this normal from 15 yesterday? Should I contact my vet tomorrow?
Thanks in advance
Lisa
 
There's a 2025 guideline to managing diabetes here: 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus in cats

A related podcast episode: Happy World Diabetes Day🎉 New diabetes guidelines and podcast episode

For crunchies, air dried raw and freeze dried raw are healthier options. Ziwi Peak is a New Zealand brand so you should be able to get it in Australia.

What is the name of the insulin your cat is on?

6 mmol is about 108 mg/dl, a nice blood glucose level :) Normal for a cat is roughly 4 to 8 mmol. How many hours after the insulin shot did you get 6 mmol?
 
squeem3 said:
There's a 2025 guideline to managing diabetes here: 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus in cats

A related podcast episode: Happy World Diabetes Day🎉 New diabetes guidelines and podcast episode

For crunchies, air dried raw and freeze dried raw are healthier options. Ziwi Peak is a New Zealand brand so you should be able to get it in Australia.

What is the name of the insulin your cat is on?

6 mmol is about 108 mg/dl, a nice blood glucose level :) Normal for a cat is roughly 4 to 8 mmol. How many hours after the insulin shot did you get 6 mmol?
Click to expand...
Hello!
Thanks for the reply and link… yes I buy Ziwi but both cats aren’t really fans unfortunately.
Arya is on Optisulin Solostar 2IU twice a day.
The reading was 4 hours after the shot but now that we’ve got the hang of it we will do a few readings today at different times. 🦋
 
Optisulin is a brand name for glargine, another brand name is Lantus. Lots of information about this insulin on the top of the Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars forum. Check out the yellow starred Sticky Notes at the top of the forum.

2 units is a rather larger dose than we'd typically start a cat on, unless Arya is a really heavy cat. How many days has she been on the insulin? Glargine's are a depot style insulin, meaning each shot stores some under the skin and some goes into the blood stream. Meaning you don't get the full effect of the insulin dose until the depot is built, which can take 5-7 days.

If you want more help with dosing, it would help to set up a spreadsheet showing your blood sugar test results. More detail on how to do that in this post: New? How You Can Help Us Help You! written by another one of our members from Australia.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Optisulin is a brand name for glargine, another brand name is Lantus. Lots of information about this insulin on the top of the Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars forum. Check out the yellow starred Sticky Notes at the top of the forum.

2 units is a rather larger dose than we'd typically start a cat on, unless Arya is a really heavy cat. How many days has she been on the insulin? Glargine's are a depot style insulin, meaning each shot stores some under the skin and some goes into the blood stream. Meaning you don't get the full effect of the insulin dose until the depot is built, which can take 5-7 days.

If you want more help with dosing, it would help to set up a spreadsheet showing your blood sugar test results. More detail on how to do that in this post: New? How You Can Help Us Help You! written by another one of our members from Australia.
Click to expand...
Thanks a million… I’m going to phone the vet in a while and talk to her.. Arya is tiny.. only 3.3 kilos
 
Arya Stark of Winterfell said:
Thanks a million… I’m going to phone the vet in a while and talk to her.. Arya is tiny.. only 3.3 kilos
Click to expand...
Wendy&Neko said:
Optisulin is a brand name for glargine, another brand name is Lantus. Lots of information about this insulin on the top of the Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars forum. Check out the yellow starred Sticky Notes at the top of the forum.

2 units is a rather larger dose than we'd typically start a cat on, unless Arya is a really heavy cat. How many days has she been on the insulin? Glargine's are a depot style insulin, meaning each shot stores some under the skin and some goes into the blood stream. Meaning you don't get the full effect of the insulin dose until the depot is built, which can take 5-7 days.

If you want more help with dosing, it would help to set up a spreadsheet showing your blood sugar test results. More detail on how to do that in this post: New? How You Can Help Us Help You! written by another one of our members from Australia.
Click to expand...
She was given a high dose last Thursday, she was 23 apparently but highly stressed. Friday we gave her one shot. Saturday 2 shots, same each day but only managed readings on Monday night (15.7) then yesterday (4 hrs after shot- 6)
🦋
 
Hello and welcome! Oh my goodness, what a cute avatar of Arya :joyful:. I believe Wendy already commented on dosing, and would just add my agreement. It does look like 2u is too high of a starting dose, if calculated on weight based formula. From what I noted further above in your comments, if Arya is 3.3 kg we’d calculate 0.25u per kg which would be a starting dose of approximately 0.825u.
 
Thank you Christine… yes, she is absolutely beautiful- and believe it or not she was a feral wild cat when we found her at 5wks old- but that’s a whole other story 😬
Ok… a million thank you’s for the dosing advice. I am awaiting a call from the vet. I tested her 4hrs post jab this morning and she was at 10. Three hours later it was 4.7. I’m going to test pre jab after a few hours fasting later and see what happens then.
Again… thank you all… xx
 
Hi everyone…

We’ve just tested Arya again ten mins prior to administering the shot. She’s at 10. (So 180)
She was 4.7 (84) 6 hours after this morning’s shot.
I’ve had a few people say that 2iu of the Optisulin (I think Lantis is the other name) is probably too much for a 3.3 kilo cat. I’m wondering if we should give her half the dose? I’ve tried to contact the vet today but no joy…
 
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