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christie311

Member Since 2026
My 10 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes today but I am concerned because the urinalysis had her glucose off the charts at 1,000 mg/dL but they said other than that, everything else looked perfectly fine. Her kidneys are functioning perfectly fine. They didn't listen when we told them her behavior has changed over the last few days and her breathing is not how it normally is. They told us she seems perfectly fine other than insanely high glucose. They ran some blood work but we wont get the results back for a week. They said we could either start insulin or Bexacat and wait for the results of the blood test and sent us home. No instructions on what to do next. I ordered the keto mojo monitor and switched her food, which seems to have improved her behavior a little but we have no idea how long she might have had diabetes. She will still eat and drink, but has been laying around more than normal and breathing faster than normal.
 
If your vet isn't addressing your concerns and questions, then look for a new vet. It's perfectly ok to do so and many newbies who come to FDMB end up switching vets for better care. You don't need to give the vet a reason why. Just ask for copies of all of your cat's medical records so the new vet can review them.

Insulin is a good choice. ProZinc or Lantus (glargine) are best. Bexacat is pretty new. There's some info here: Info - New Treatments for Feline Diabetes

A 2025 guide on diabetes you can read and share with the vet: 2025 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of diabetes mellitus in cats

Have you started testing yet? A few random tests daily is a good start once you get the hang of it. Hometesting Links and Tips
 
christie311 said:
My 10 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes today but I am concerned because the urinalysis had her glucose off the charts at 1,000 mg/dL but they said other than that, everything else looked perfectly fine. Her kidneys are functioning perfectly fine. They didn't listen when we told them her behavior has changed over the last few days and her breathing is not how it normally is. They told us she seems perfectly fine other than insanely high glucose. They ran some blood work but we wont get the results back for a week. They said we could either start insulin or Bexacat and wait for the results of the blood test and sent us home. No instructions on what to do next. I ordered the keto mojo monitor and switched her food, which seems to have improved her behavior a little but we have no idea how long she might have had diabetes. She will still eat and drink, but has been laying around more than normal and breathing faster than normal.
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Welcome to FDMB
I am a bit confused, if your vet says your cat has 1000 glucose levels, which I have not heard of till now, I thought Corky's glucose at time of diagnosed was 650 and I was over the top, why did the vet did not prescribed insulin right away? did he tell you tour cat has Ketones? I agree with Squeem3, you should seek another vet familiarized in feline diabetes, and that listens to your concerns, you know your cat better than him ,did he instructed you how to take care of feline diabetes? home testing is the best thing I read from your post, is your cat urinating and drinking water in excess? has he lost weight? these are signs of diabetes the best insulin for cats is, Lantus or ProZinc they are a 12-hour insulin and easy on your cat, starting on a low dose is always best, also what is your cat's diet? diabetic cats need to have a diet of wet can or raw foods between 0-10% carbs, that means no kibbles (dry) foods, these foods contain between 20% -30% carbs, cats cannot digest carbs.no grazing, he should be on a schedule, two main meals before shots and 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, and please do not be sold on "prescribed" foods, there's nothing prescribed or diabetic about these foods they also contain between18-30% carbs.
Please ask the vet to give you the lab work, you paid for them they belong to you. please seek help for your cat as soon as possible, I will tag a member that may be able to make sense of all these symptoms your cat is having, don't despair you are not alone we are here for you. please keep posting and asking questions ;) 🤗
@Christie & Maverick
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
 
I am also confused why they told us it was so bad but essentially just sent us home and told us to wait for the blood work to come back next week. I ordered the Keto Mojo but that won't be here till tomorrow so I also ordered the ReliOn meter because that one will be delivered in a few hours and I just need to know right now what her glucose actually is. She is still eating but less than normal and still drinking but drinking more than normal. I have been feeding her Iams indoor formula for her whole life and I switched to something else; I don't even remember what it was, a few weeks ago and that seems to be about the time the drinking and urinating increased. I switched back to the Iams to see if that could help because I hadn't found this group yet to figure out what food to get and it seemed to make a slight improvement. I have some Fancy Feast classic pate being delivered in a few hours along with the glucose meter. The urinalysis showed negative for ketones. They gave us a packet that kind of explained diabetes and some options we have and some information about bexacat but I have learned more from this group overnight than anything the vet provided. I appreciate everyone's hard work on the information provided on this website and this community coming together with their willingness to help everyone. I would be lost without all of it.
 
I always say, follow your instincts. The change in diet can be a reason, now transitioning from high carbs to low carbs needs to be a slow process you do not want an upset stomach or a dive in glucose levels, when you begin the transition make sure you test often for the first week or so until full transition, then sy least 3- 4 times during the day the FF classic pates are good they are about 2% carbs, so go slow a tsp or two in each meal at a time. Good no ketones, 1000glucose level does not make sense. Did the vet test the levels with blood on front of you? If you don’t get results for a week?
 
I was not able to go to the vet with my cat. My boyfriend went instead. It seems they just tested glucose in her urine and not blood. The more research I'm doing, the more the 1000 glucose level doesn't make sense to me either. They think there may also be something else wrong but couldn't find any signs of anything else. As soon as I get the blood test results from the vet, I will post them here.
 
christie311 said:
I was not able to go to the vet with my cat. My boyfriend went instead. It seems they just tested glucose in her urine and not blood. The more research I'm doing, the more the 1000 glucose level doesn't make sense to me either. They think there may also be something else wrong but couldn't find any signs of anything else. As soon as I get the blood test results from the vet, I will post them here.
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glucose levels are tested with blood, ketones are tested with urine, keep us posted do know that cats are very sensitive to stress so the glucose levels at the vet are going to be unrealistic (much higher) make sure you ask your boyfriend to request Lantus or ProZinc, nothing else!, you can ask the vet to send the prescription to Chewy Pharmacy, IS CHEAPER THAN BUYING FROM HIM, to start on a low dose to start off, and at least 3 refills,( this will save you money with vet visits just for refills) all cats react differently to insulin you want to be comfortable, at the beginning of this journey; we can help you with dosing advice, I do not give dosing advice, but I am sure it would be best to get a "real" glucose level from home, and then the dose can be determined, please hesitate with the dose this vet will prescribe, I don't know him but I don't trust his judgment, so post us as soon as you have the insulin, let us know which one, and we will assist you from there, in the meantime if you can while your kitty is with boyfriend, we are very numbers oriented, we would like you to create your signature and spreadsheet, this way we can all be on the same page, and be ready for first dose, you guys are going to do great, I see you are a team! links below 🤗 ;)
P.S.
if the vet speaks of a "curve" you can do this at home and not stress your cat, a curve is testing every 2-3 hours for a cycle (12hours) a curve at the vet will give a false level, that can cause for unnecessary dose increases, and lots of $$ / and this is not needed until your cat's system gets used to the insulin at least 3 weeks or so, by then you will begin to see on the spreadsheet the daily patterns. You will be in control! isn't that awesome!

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
 
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when the kitty is home, wait about 1/2 hour or so that he feels safe, then touch the tips of the ears, do they feel unusually hot? I am sure you have cuddled those ears before, I know my cats loves ear cuddles, some cats don't but most do.
 
@CORKY The levels of 1000 were in the urine, not the blood glucose. Also Maria, there are blood ketones meters that can test ketones and that is the KetoMojo she's ordered.

@christie311 Where do you live? I'm surprised it'll take a week to get the blood test results back. Also surprised the vet didn't use a drop of the blood taken and do a manual test at the clinic once they saw the high urine glucose. Good idea to try to use the Relion to get an earlier read on where her blood glucose (BG) levels are. You don't want to start insulin or Bexacat without confirming she is diabetic. Another blood test vets can run is called the fructosamine, which is sort of like an average blood sugar level over two weeks, which will confirm it's not just a one time spike in sugars. Here are some tips to help with testing. Hometesting Links and Tips

The occasional tests will also help you determine if the food switch is working. Do the food transition slowly so as to avoid tummy upset in your kitty.
 
I'm in Minnesota. I was also surprised at how long it is going to take to get results. I don't think we will be going back to that vet, but they were the only ones near me that had time to see her right away. Thanks for all the tips, it is seriously a huge help. I will send updates as soon as I can.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
@CORKY The levels of 1000 were in the urine, not the blood glucose. Also Maria, there are blood ketones meters that can test ketones and that is the KetoMojo she's ordered.

@christie311 Where do you live? I'm surprised it'll take a week to get the blood test results back. Also surprised the vet didn't use a drop of the blood taken and do a manual test at the clinic once they saw the high urine glucose. Good idea to try to use the Relion to get an earlier read on where her blood glucose (BG) levels are. You don't want to start insulin or Bexacat without confirming she is diabetic. Another blood test vets can run is called the fructosamine, which is sort of like an average blood sugar level over two weeks, which will confirm it's not just a one time spike in sugars. Here are some tips to help with testing. Hometesting Links and Tips

The occasional tests will also help you determine if the food switch is working. Do the food transition slowly so as to avoid tummy upset in your kitty.
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@Wendy&Neko
thank you Wendy! I did the research on the KetoMojo as well I have heard about it a couple of times in a few posts and I was curious, cool gadget! we both new that the cats BG was not 1000, and I did explain not to give insulin as well, Wow! I have not stopped thinking about this vet all day! Well , kitty is now in good hands in this Forum, and parents hands
@christie311
I am really glad that Wendy put light on your worries that became mine as well, now is a matter of testing at home and like Wendy explained before giving insulin, is up hill from now on! ;) :bighug:
 
The vet called back and said all her blood work looks normal. I am working on getting a copy of these results. I was able to get a glucose reading and she is at 350. I did actually speak with the vet just now and we are going to go ahead and start the Bexacat and go from there. I will have my KetoMojo before we start the Bexacat so I will be able to monitor her closely. I am going to continue to monitor her glucose with the relion in the mean time just to see if the diet change is helping at all. I am going to get my spreadsheet going tonight.
 
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