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BondJamesBond

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New member here! First time posting…Meet Bond James Bond, my sons 15 yo cat who was diagnosed last Nov, went in remission for a couple months after diagnosis and has been on 2 units of Lantus for most of 2025. The vets would spot ck his sugars, but that turned out to be disastrous, so I have finally kindof mastered home checks. I poke his ears and use a kitty alpha trac 3. This site has guided me through many rough spots on this journey. My deepest thanks and gratitude to all of you! I spent all day yesterday uploading data to his sugar chart which is enclosed -prior, I was just journaling . My dilemma right now is his recent high numbers. Since I have educated myself and watched him like a hawk, changed his eating habits from strait FF gravy lovers to his souls content to low to no carb food (still working on that), he has acted like a new cat. He is starting to groom himself again, he plays, he goes outside and stalks and hunts again. He stopped hiding all day, only coming out for food. I do let him eat more, as I have learned from you fine folks that diabetic kitties need food all day- with the 2 hour pre-shot window for testing. The past couple days his numbers are shooting up. He’s always lived in the high 200’s -low 400’s for the most part, but lately he’s been 500 up to 700! His urine output is same-frequent and no heavier than usual - neg key tones always- his bowel movements are daily and solid. He doesn’t meow and complain. His coat is dandruff free since I changed his diet this year. His energy level is good. His water consumption has actually decreased a little over the past few months. Could he have an ear infection or UTI I don’t know about that are causing his sugars to elevate? Or is he just eating more (he loves that part of this ritual!) His labs are always ‘normal’ according to vet. I have recently increased his 2 u Lantus 2 times a day to 2.25 units. From what I’ve read from this site, go up by 0.25 and hang there for 7-10days….what should I do? My biggest goal is a happy cat. This is a serious issue that he has developed and I am most thankful to the endless hours I spend reading everyone’s posts and constantly educating myself. I’ve had cats my whole life and this is a first! I know he is old, but how do I gracefully continue this journey and keep him as healthy and happy as possible? Is this the normal trend? thank you so much for you time and expertise. You are so appreciated.
 

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Hello and welcome. I have a soft spot for the tuxies.

Would it be possible for you to put the spreadsheet in a Google Sheets document and link it in your signature. Details on how to do that, and other information we like to see, are in this post: New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Things that are good to know is the timing of the food change. If you put details like that in the Remarks section of the spreadsheet it is very helpful. Also, when was the last time your kitty went to the vet? Things like needing a dental are one of the most common reason the blood sugar numbers go up. The vet would have to do a urinalysis to see if there is an infection, and a urine culture to find out what kind of bacteria if so. Signs of urine infection can be more and smaller pees, possible tinged with blood, making discomfort noises in the litter box, or even going out of the box.
 
BondJamesBond said:
New member here! First time posting…Meet Bond James Bond, my sons 15 yo cat who was diagnosed last Nov, went in remission for a couple months after diagnosis and has been on 2 units of Lantus for most of 2025. The vets would spot ck his sugars, but that turned out to be disastrous, so I have finally kindof mastered home checks. I poke his ears and use a kitty alpha trac 3. This site has guided me through many rough spots on this journey. My deepest thanks and gratitude to all of you! I spent all day yesterday uploading data to his sugar chart which is enclosed -prior, I was just journaling . My dilemma right now is his recent high numbers. Since I have educated myself and watched him like a hawk, changed his eating habits from strait FF gravy lovers to his souls content to low to no carb food (still working on that), he has acted like a new cat. He is starting to groom himself again, he plays, he goes outside and stalks and hunts again. He stopped hiding all day, only coming out for food. I do let him eat more, as I have learned from you fine folks that diabetic kitties need food all day- with the 2 hour pre-shot window for testing. The past couple days his numbers are shooting up. He’s always lived in the high 200’s -low 400’s for the most part, but lately he’s been 500 up to 700! His urine output is same-frequent and no heavier than usual - neg key tones always- his bowel movements are daily and solid. He doesn’t meow and complain. His coat is dandruff free since I changed his diet this year. His energy level is good. His water consumption has actually decreased a little over the past few months. Could he have an ear infection or UTI I don’t know about that are causing his sugars to elevate? Or is he just eating more (he loves that part of this ritual!) His labs are always ‘normal’ according to vet. I have recently increased his 2 u Lantus 2 times a day to 2.25 units. From what I’ve read from this site, go up by 0.25 and hang there for 7-10days….what should I do? My biggest goal is a happy cat. This is a serious issue that he has developed and I am most thankful to the endless hours I spend reading everyone’s posts and constantly educating myself. I’ve had cats my whole life and this is a first! I know he is old, but how do I gracefully continue this journey and keep him as healthy and happy as possible? Is this the normal trend? thank you so much for you time and expertise. You are so appreciated.
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Welcome to FDMB, I have to congratúlate you yiu sure have done your Home work, awesome, this web site saved my Corky, I was blind on FD Corky was 9 1/2 at the time, from last year till about June or so His BG numbers were between 78-91 or so, he will be a life time diabetic, and around That time I notice his number were getting higher and higher high 200’s I noticed the top of his ears were hot, and a few other things, I took him to the vet and after X-rays, a shot for high fever and antibiotic and so forth vet diagnosed UTI, and antibiotics, the next morning when I woke up next to him I saw him cleaning himself there was a gush of stuff coming out from the tushie, it was horrible and I noticed a hole, I panicked straight to the vet, it so happened that he had a very full gland that burst, two holes, unsual for a cat so he said, and the strong antibiotic shot he gave pushed out the infection, after the rest of antibiotics, a collar, and cleansing the area, by night time his BG went back to normal, by all that said, it can be many things for the hike, you’ve covered pretty much, and Bond James Bond is beautiful, cats can hide many illnesses, you’re doing an awesome job, he’s glad to have you
 
It would be helpful if you switched over to using a Google spreadsheet. The template is in the post Wendy linked. Many of our members do not have Excel so they can't provide help if they don't have the software.

My first thought was the same as Wendy's -- could your kitty need to have his teeth looked at.
 
Thank you so much for reaching out. I admit to struggling with the google sheets… I will try and send it again. The last visit to vet was in August when she determined he had a possible ear infection. I am actually going to call them in the morning for another prescription for a new bottle of Lantus. Let me try and and send his spreadsheet again. Thank you for your patience and help!
 
No worries, I can see it now! It's best to put that in your signature, so it's always available and you don't have to keep recopying the link. If you look to the top right where your name is and click on it, and menu will drop down. In there is the signature. While you are editing the signature, it'd be great if you can list the answers to other commonly asked questions, such as date of diagnosis, type of insulin used, any other medical conditions, type of blood glucose meter being used, food etc. In post #2 above, I linked another post that lists the kind of things we like to see there.

As far as food goes, you don't have to feed zero carb foods. A little bit of carbs is fine. Some cats do better with a bit higher carbs, though still low carbs. Most of us feed food in the 3-6% carb range. Any chance he has access to other food when he goes outdoors? He wouldn't be the first kitty here caught getting high carb food from next door.

Are you rewarding your kitty with treats after every poke, whether successful or not? Sounds like he's good motivated, which does make testing easier. We recommend getting a test before each and every shot, to make sure it's safe to give insulin. Then as often as possible, try to get a second test in between the shots. Our goal is to figure out how low the dose is taking him, as that's how we determine to change the dose.
 
I did the signature summery, called the vet and booked an appointment for next week. This morning my alpha trac meter fell in the water bowl and died!:oops:
Ordered another but will not receive until Friday. Luckily I am off so I can watch him closely. His sugar last night at 430am was 340ish which was 6 hours after his shot - his kindof norm. He eats on demand... he wakes up at 4-5 am and jumps on me (like he always has for yrs) to eat breakfast. If I work, (I work 12 hr night shifts), I will ck his sugar before insulin because I know he is fasting, but on days off he wants a second breakfast at time of shot, so I have been holding glucose cks before shots if he is eating and his night before cks are over 300 - which they always are. I did this to not freak him out so much with constant checks, which was difficult at beginning, but better now. I'm just doing what I can to survive this whole thing, making it as easy as possible for his comfort zone. The vet checks were super stressful. I have gotten better with ear checks now and life is calm. He doesn't get treats per say - he used to get temptation treats but stopped that in Aug when I began changing his diet. He was a gravy lover for yrs, but eased him off that and now do FF classics, sheba pate - that sort of diet per the guides you awesome folks have provided. His "treats" are fresh baked chicken or fresh baked salmon. I know he is old - I just want his quality of life to be good. I do know he is more prone to infections now. I can't seem to get his numbers between 200 and 300. The posts I have read from you guys (which are so informative and helpful - so much more than my vet! thank you!) say the uncontrolled kitties need to eat all day. So... I do that - he loves it! He eats a can in morning and then enjoys one of those little sheba pate things, then about 3 hours later he is ready for more, so he gets the fresh chicken snack, then a couple hours later he is ready for a can of classic FF....he eats all day which is probably why his sugars remain high????? Such a learning curve! I've had cats my whole life and never dealt with any of this ever! He has always been a foodie but honestly since he is not just getting straight gravy and temptation treats and on a "lower carb" diet he acts like a kitten again. Please let me know if I am doing this all wrong! He seems happy, but those high numbers last week were crazy scary - always neg ketones tho....Thank you again for all of your help. You folks are truly saving our sanity and our adored sugar fur babies!
 
You do not need an expensive meter like the Alpha, you can just get from Walmart the ReliOn Premier human monitor and the strips the most of us members use it, the monitor is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100, is alway good to have extra strips handy, especially at the beginning of the learning how to test, I always have 2 boxes of 100 at hand, sometimes you can have a bad strip also
 
sorry - typo ... 430am was 9 hours post shot, not 6 hrs....with dinner at 730pm, snack at midnight - prob leftovers in his morning bowls and then snack after ear poke at 430, then breakfast at 730- was going to get a pre shot sugar but dropped and killed my glucometer...
 
Is also good to have him on a meal schedule, the 2 main meals when giving insulin and at least 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, as long as the food you are feeding is between 0-10% carbs, there’s no reason for his BG to be higher, as you are doing, soon his BG will stabilize, and with the schedule he’ll get the hang of it I give 1/2 can in each meal 1% ham in squares for his snack 2 hours after the morning shot, so he eats 2 cans of FF pates a a day
 
CORKY said:
You do not need an expensive meter like the Alpha, you can just get from Walmart the ReliOn Premier human monitor and the strips the most of us members use it, the monitor is $19.99 and the strips are $9.00 for 50 and $17.88 for 100, is alway good to have extra strips handy, especially at the beginning of the learning how to test, I always have 2 boxes of 100 at hand, sometimes you can have a bad strip also
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ok! good to know... don't they require more kitty blood?
 
No, some Human blood glucose meters only need 0.3 ul of blood which is the same amount the AlphaTrak needs. If you switch to a Human meter, you'll need to use the spreadsheet for Human meters.
 
BondJamesBond said:
ok! good to know... don't they require more kitty blood?
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If you click on Corky’s Spreadsheet and scroll right at the end you can get an idea of his feeding schedule and foods, you will be ok! We all have been restless, sleepless and stress at first, as soon as you start testing regularly his ear capillaries will swell and it will be a breeze to test, you can always give a small piece of ham after testing to get him to relate. And stay away from temptation treats, they are super high carbs.
 
CORKY said:
Is also good to have him on a meal schedule, the 2 main meals when giving insulin and at least 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, as long as the food you are feeding is between 0-10% carbs, there’s no reason for his BG to be higher, as you are doing, soon his BG will stabilize, and with the schedule he’ll get the hang of it I give 1/2 can in each meal 1% ham in squares for his snack 2 hours after the morning shot, so he eats 2 cans of FF pates a a day
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ok- good to know on the food front too! Bond gets a can after shot - usually classic FF, then a small thing of the little sheba . That is breakfast and dinner, but he is totally hungry again at 6 hr mark, so I have been sugar cking then and he gets another can after! He usually doesn't eat it all. That is kindof his sched! So he is eating about 3 cans of FF and 2 little sheba things and random snacks of fresh chicken whenever. He eats more than I do for sure!
 
CORKY said:
If you click on Corky’s Spreadsheet and scroll right at the end you can get an idea of his feeding schedule and foods, you will be ok! We all have been restless, sleepless and stress at first, as soon as you start testing regularly his ear capillaries will swell and it will be a breeze to test, you can always give a small piece of ham after testing to get him to relate. And stay away from temptation treats, they are super high carbs.
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wow! I'm so impressed with your spreadsheet! Great numbers! What is PZ insulin? is it oral or shot?
 
BondJamesBond said:
wow! I'm so impressed with your spreadsheet! Great numbers! What is PZ insulin? is it oral or shot?
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Yes Corky uses ProZinc and he gets shots, although he will be a lifetime diabetic, He’s my Hero! But I follow all the suggestions that I’m given by the members and this Forum, they saved Corky’s life, it’s been 3 long years at first I had many sleepless nights, I cried I felt inadequate, but slowly I have learned as much as Can, and still am, I read other members post and today I do my best to give back what was so freely and lovingly given to me, Vets are good do their best and sometimes we need them but with feline diabetes, vets are sometimes not schooled like in this forum they follow routines and some are not knowledgeable in Feline Diabetes, here I get precise exact knowledge and the results are amazing, this Forum has saved many lives, I trust these members blindly, no questions asked
 
My glucometer came in mail yesterday just as I was planning to buy the human meter. I like the human meter plan better but just spent a wad on those test strips just before the Alfa trac died…I will eventually switch it out tho… probably good to have 2! Bond is doing great. His numbers are mid 200 to low 300, he seems fine… doing the 2 units still… he goes to vet next Tuesday. Thanks for all of your help and support! I hope you and Corky and family have a wonderful holiday week coming up!
 
BondJamesBond said:
My glucometer came in mail yesterday just as I was planning to buy the human meter. I like the human meter plan better but just spent a wad on those test strips just before the Alfa trac died…I will eventually switch it out tho… probably good to have 2! Bond is doing great. His numbers are mid 200 to low 300, he seems fine… doing the 2 units still… he goes to vet next Tuesday. Thanks for all of your help and support! I hope you and Corky and family have a wonderful holiday week coming up!
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Like wise. Enjoy the holidays! He’s BG is getting a better, And I am sure you will be doing this blindfolded soon. Yes is good that you have two monitors, sorry you spend so much on a pet meter the strips are outrageously expensive, most members here do use the ReliOn Premier meter and strips and we go by those numbers, tge pet meter tends to read higher. Remember the ideal glucose numbers for a diabetic cat are between 50-120 it will not happen right away it’s a process, but this is where we want to go! Enjoy your holiday
 
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