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[Hercules]

Hello,
My cats name is Hercules and he is 16 years old and a tabby. As of yesterday he went in for a vet appointment after noticing increased thirst and urination and was diagnosed with diabetes. He was started on an oral drug called bexacat. The vet said he was an excellent candidate to try this new drug after lab tests and other screening. I am nervous about this new drug because it has only been available on the market since Jan. of this year. I switched him over to a low carb high protein wet food called Tiki cat after dark. After doing research I feel an intense guilt that the dry food I had been feeding him may have caused this. I am in need of financial help because this is quite expensive and I am currently a working student that doesn’t have endless disposable income. I have been researching everything I can about this medication, and how to best care for Hercules ever since he got the diagnosis, but I am coming here in hopes of help. If anyone has evidence based advice and tips or useful information I would be so great full. He means so much to me and to say I have been a mess since I found out is the least of it. I can’t lose him. Please help, and if you would like to donate funds to help with his food and vet bills please let me know.
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[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Hi and welcome!

I can’t speak for bexacat but others here might be able to.

there are a lot of affordable ways to get a human insulin like glargine, like online coupons and Costco pharmacy or even ordering it from Canada. If finances are a concern, home testing would be a good idea because it will save you money in vet bills since you can monitor your cat’s bg numbers yourself at home. We can help with that.

With a diabetic cat you need:

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs. I believe Tiki is but even the pate versions of fancy feast and Friskies work as well
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly

When you’re ready, we are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to learn to home test and much more.


FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and choose foods that are under 10%.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions.

Here are the guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Assn for the treatment of diabetes in both dogs and cats. the AAHA no longer recommends Caninsulin/Vetsulin for treating feline diabetes. Just thought it would be good for you to have so your vet doesn’t try to push you Vetsulin if you start Hercules on insulin.