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[Jo3192]

Hi I'm Jo, cat Mom to Bodger and Badger, brothers, 5 years old. Bodger diagnosed this week with diabetes. Attempted first injection this evening and I've failed miserably, I live alone and couldn't get him to stay still for long enough. Feel like I've let him down, worried now, will try again in the morning.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Sometimes it’s best to do it while they’re eating so they’re distracted.

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
• 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

Can you tell us what insulin your kitty has been prescribed and the dose please? And what food he’s currently on?

A word of warning though…don’t change the food you are feeding at the moment over to the low carb food until you are testing the blood glucose because a change over can drop the BGs by up to 100 points and we don’t want you to have a hypo on your hands.

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

welcome to the club. I remember feeling exactly as you describe. Completely botched the first attempt at injecting insulin and I thought I failed him.

hang in there -- there's a learning curve with this disease, but if I can do it then believe me so can you. Takes time and conditioning the cat with treats but you can make shot time a happy time the cat actually looks forward to -- plus some people say the cat learns that the shot is making them feel better.

 

[Jo3192]

Thank you for the info, there's a lot to learn! Bodger has been prescribed 0.2ml caninsulin, 2 doses 12 hours apart. I managed to do it this morning when he was more relaxed, but failed again this evening, he was getting stressed so I have left him for now. I have ordered some simila food? I've just given him cooked chicken until it arrives. I tried to get him when he was eating but he wasn't having it! He still seems OK in himself at the moment. Review at the vets due in a couple of days.

 

[Jo3192]

Thanks for your reply and encouragement! I appreciate it. Conditioning is the way forward for sure, got him this morning but didn't manage this evening again.
Maybe my technique needs practice, I'm not quite getting it right. I'll see what the morning brings.