I have a diabetic cat. I have not been given great advise from my vet and I am totally unclear on how to manage him. My main concern at this point is that he is acting like he has Alzheimers............he has started to go to the bathroom where ever he pleases and has neve ever done this. He is thirteen years old and I wonder if I am being selfish by trying to keep him alive. I have seen mention of "curves" what are these and how do i find out more. M
New to board many questions
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JJ & Gwyn [GA]
Member Since 2009
Welcome to you and your cat! This is absolutely the best place on the internet to help you take care of him.
> He is thirteen years old and I wonder if I am being selfish by trying to keep him alive.
Properly treated, diabetic cats can live just as long and healthy lives as non-diabetic cats. Jojo's Bunny lived as a diabetic for over 14 years; my Gwyn got insulin every day for five and a half years and she died the day after her 20th birthday.
> he has started to go to the bathroom where ever he pleases and has neve ever done this.
I would suggest taking him to the vet and having him checked for a UTI. Urinary tract infections are a common side effect of unregulated / under-regulated diabetes. Common symptoms of UTIs include urinating in inappropriate places, straining while urinating, blood clots in the urine, or a pinkish tinge to the urine. (There are others, but they're not coming to mind ATM.)
> I have seen mention of "curves" what are these and how do i find out more.
A curve is when a blood sugar test is done before insulin is given in the morning, and then additional tests are done about every two hours, until it's time for the next insulin shot. When you plot the blood sugar test results on a graph, you generally get something that looks like a valley between two hills -- a curve. (I'm using vague terms terms like 'about' and 'generally', because a lot things will depend on what type of insulin is being used. Some insulins will need more or less frequent testing during certain parts of the curve, and some insulins may give very 'flat' curves.)
So -- questions that can help us help you: what's your cat's name? What insulin are you using, how much are you giving, and how often? What type of food does your cat eat? Are you testing for ketones? Has anyone talked to you about testing your cat's blood sugar levels at home?
-- Jean and her Gwyn
> He is thirteen years old and I wonder if I am being selfish by trying to keep him alive.
Properly treated, diabetic cats can live just as long and healthy lives as non-diabetic cats. Jojo's Bunny lived as a diabetic for over 14 years; my Gwyn got insulin every day for five and a half years and she died the day after her 20th birthday.
> he has started to go to the bathroom where ever he pleases and has neve ever done this.
I would suggest taking him to the vet and having him checked for a UTI. Urinary tract infections are a common side effect of unregulated / under-regulated diabetes. Common symptoms of UTIs include urinating in inappropriate places, straining while urinating, blood clots in the urine, or a pinkish tinge to the urine. (There are others, but they're not coming to mind ATM.)
> I have seen mention of "curves" what are these and how do i find out more.
A curve is when a blood sugar test is done before insulin is given in the morning, and then additional tests are done about every two hours, until it's time for the next insulin shot. When you plot the blood sugar test results on a graph, you generally get something that looks like a valley between two hills -- a curve. (I'm using vague terms terms like 'about' and 'generally', because a lot things will depend on what type of insulin is being used. Some insulins will need more or less frequent testing during certain parts of the curve, and some insulins may give very 'flat' curves.)
So -- questions that can help us help you: what's your cat's name? What insulin are you using, how much are you giving, and how often? What type of food does your cat eat? Are you testing for ketones? Has anyone talked to you about testing your cat's blood sugar levels at home?
-- Jean and her Gwyn
jt and trouble (GA)
Member Since 2009
I dont have much else to add Jean has all the questions covered except, WELCOME to the best site on the planet.
Try reading the FAQ's here there will be others to welcome you.
Diabetes is NOT a death sentance. YOU can do this!
Jeanne
Try reading the FAQ's here there will be others to welcome you.
Diabetes is NOT a death sentance. YOU can do this!
Jeanne
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
Hi and welcome to FDMB. You have already received some great advice, so I won't repeat it. As Jean said, thirteen is not old. Two of my diabetic cats lived long lives, one to 17 and one to 19, and both died from other causes than diabetes.
Diabetes can be easily managed through diet and insulin. We would love to help you learn how to manage your cat's diabetes and hopefully give you many more years to spend with him. Can you give us some more information so we may help you? When was he diagnosed? What insulin is he getting and what dose? What are you feeding him?
Diabetes can be easily managed through diet and insulin. We would love to help you learn how to manage your cat's diabetes and hopefully give you many more years to spend with him. Can you give us some more information so we may help you? When was he diagnosed? What insulin is he getting and what dose? What are you feeding him?
Ken and Sneakers
Member Since 2010
You are not being selfish. You will do grerat omnce you learn how to treat this. You can have yourf whole cat back to like before diagnosis in a very short time with the power of knowledge. Please let people here know when diagnosed, which insulin you use, how much you give and how many times a day you give it and if there are any other health problems including back leg problems
Diabetes is not a death sentence, no life span lost and your cat can live a long happy life as long as you treat this disease.
This is very treatable
You should know that most of the responders to your posts are not vets, including me.
A vet will have dvm by his or her name.
That said; It is very important to check for ketones. You can buy ketodiastic regent strips at the pharmacy to check the urine
for ketones. They can become serious quickly and need immediate vet attention.
Regulation takes time and cannot be done at the vet’s office.
The problem with diabetes is that you can go to 30 different vets and get 30 different treatments.
Working with your vet is very important but it will be your knowledge and learning that will be your cat’s best asset.
The way most people would recommend to give insulin is to start with no more than 1 or 2 units 2x daily. Your cat may need more but
by doing it this way you won't risk passing the correct dose, which can cause the glucose to go higher instead of lower and you have less of a risk for a hypoglycemic attack.
Lantus and Levimar are great insulins to start with. PZI is also a good insulin Caninsulin (vetsulin) and humilin N although they
work for some cats are harder to work with. I would recommend that N never be started with and used only as a last resort.
One thing lots of people do here is home test their cats bg's using a human glucometer. It doesn't hurt (neither do the shots)
and it will let you know if it is safe to give insulin and give you the information to treat your cat properly.
Stress can raise the blood glucose more than 100 points so the glucose numbers at home may be significantly less and more
accurate then the numbers the vet gets as it can be stressful for your cat at the vet’s office.
I think it is the most important tool in treating this disease.
I had problems with testing in the beginning thinking that it wasn’t worth it to my cat, ie, quality of life but boy was I wrong.
My cat purrs through the whole process. Test your cat before every shot.
It is recommended to feed a low carb high protein diet.. If there aren't any health issues, I recommend you feed canned food with less that 10% carbs. Cats are carnivores and dry food lacks the moisture a cat needs and normally gets when eating.
Dry food is NOT better for a cat’s teeth and a dry food diet may cause other problems down the line.
Vet prescription foods for diabetes hold no value and is not better then commercially available canned foods. Save your money.
. There are cats here whose diabetes is diet controlled on a low carb diet without giving insulin.
. I can’t stress enough how important it is that your cat eats. That is the number 1 thing. The change of foods from dry to wet
can and should be gradual and as I said it is very important that your cat eats, so if he won't eat low carb foods,
you can work around that. If your cat will only eat dry foods, so be it. . Your insulin needs may be lower if you use low carb foods.
I know I may be overloading you with information, but I promise that things will get easier as time goes by.
It sounds scary but it really will be ok and it will soon become routine for you. Please let us know what type of insulin
and how much, how many times a day when you have that information so we may help you further. I am going to include a few links to read so you may become more knowledgeable. Please don't expect to absorb everything all at once. The people here are great and will do what they can to help so please keep posting and asking questions. Good Luck
[www.petdiabetes.org]
[www.gorbzilla.com]
Diabetes is not a death sentence, no life span lost and your cat can live a long happy life as long as you treat this disease.
This is very treatable
You should know that most of the responders to your posts are not vets, including me.
A vet will have dvm by his or her name.
That said; It is very important to check for ketones. You can buy ketodiastic regent strips at the pharmacy to check the urine
for ketones. They can become serious quickly and need immediate vet attention.
Regulation takes time and cannot be done at the vet’s office.
The problem with diabetes is that you can go to 30 different vets and get 30 different treatments.
Working with your vet is very important but it will be your knowledge and learning that will be your cat’s best asset.
The way most people would recommend to give insulin is to start with no more than 1 or 2 units 2x daily. Your cat may need more but
by doing it this way you won't risk passing the correct dose, which can cause the glucose to go higher instead of lower and you have less of a risk for a hypoglycemic attack.
Lantus and Levimar are great insulins to start with. PZI is also a good insulin Caninsulin (vetsulin) and humilin N although they
work for some cats are harder to work with. I would recommend that N never be started with and used only as a last resort.
One thing lots of people do here is home test their cats bg's using a human glucometer. It doesn't hurt (neither do the shots)
and it will let you know if it is safe to give insulin and give you the information to treat your cat properly.
Stress can raise the blood glucose more than 100 points so the glucose numbers at home may be significantly less and more
accurate then the numbers the vet gets as it can be stressful for your cat at the vet’s office.
I think it is the most important tool in treating this disease.
I had problems with testing in the beginning thinking that it wasn’t worth it to my cat, ie, quality of life but boy was I wrong.
My cat purrs through the whole process. Test your cat before every shot.
It is recommended to feed a low carb high protein diet.. If there aren't any health issues, I recommend you feed canned food with less that 10% carbs. Cats are carnivores and dry food lacks the moisture a cat needs and normally gets when eating.
Dry food is NOT better for a cat’s teeth and a dry food diet may cause other problems down the line.
Vet prescription foods for diabetes hold no value and is not better then commercially available canned foods. Save your money.
. There are cats here whose diabetes is diet controlled on a low carb diet without giving insulin.
. I can’t stress enough how important it is that your cat eats. That is the number 1 thing. The change of foods from dry to wet
can and should be gradual and as I said it is very important that your cat eats, so if he won't eat low carb foods,
you can work around that. If your cat will only eat dry foods, so be it. . Your insulin needs may be lower if you use low carb foods.
I know I may be overloading you with information, but I promise that things will get easier as time goes by.
It sounds scary but it really will be ok and it will soon become routine for you. Please let us know what type of insulin
and how much, how many times a day when you have that information so we may help you further. I am going to include a few links to read so you may become more knowledgeable. Please don't expect to absorb everything all at once. The people here are great and will do what they can to help so please keep posting and asking questions. Good Luck
[www.petdiabetes.org]
[www.gorbzilla.com]
A
Anonymous
brittany, i would suppose the very first thing you want to learn to do is test your cat's blood sugar at home. this is surprisingly easy and will save you ton's of money rather than having your vet do it. we can teach you with the video's we have, we can even send you a newbie kit with the supplies you'll need. if you like and feel comfortable you might want one of us to come over and show you first hand how it's done. many many of us learned this way, but the video's are very instructive too.
now comes the insulin shooting. are you currently using insulin. the 3 that are most commonly used here are lantus, levemir and pzi pro-zinc. you can ask your vet for that.
you would be amazed at how quickly your cat will change back to his old self almost immediatly upon treating.
let us know.
thousands of folks here started out overwhelmed and scared. we all have happy healthy cats now some in remission (no more insulin) please stay and give it a chance.
now comes the insulin shooting. are you currently using insulin. the 3 that are most commonly used here are lantus, levemir and pzi pro-zinc. you can ask your vet for that.
you would be amazed at how quickly your cat will change back to his old self almost immediatly upon treating.
let us know.
thousands of folks here started out overwhelmed and scared. we all have happy healthy cats now some in remission (no more insulin) please stay and give it a chance.
laur+danny+horde
Member Since 2009
No, you aren't being selfish. With proper nutrition and medication, your cat will be feeling much better soon. The peeing will slow down once your cat isn't so desperately thirsty all the time. The others have given some good advice, such as getting the cat checked for urinary infection, low carb wet food, ketone testing, getting the cat started on insulin (I use levemir and love it), etc.
Read through the FAQ and look in the Health Links page to see some photos and videos of hometesting. Hometesting is a great way to keep your cat safe. Seems hard at first but soon you will be a pro.
After you've done some reading, I am sure you will have lots of questions. Don't be afraid to ask anything at all.
laur
Read through the FAQ and look in the Health Links page to see some photos and videos of hometesting. Hometesting is a great way to keep your cat safe. Seems hard at first but soon you will be a pro.
After you've done some reading, I am sure you will have lots of questions. Don't be afraid to ask anything at all.
laur
Thank you all for the advise. Ok here are my details.
My cat is Jake. He became listless and stopped eating and dropped weight several months ago probably 3-4mths ago. I took him in and his blood sugar was in the high 400's. The vet put him on vetsulin 2 units twice a day. I did this for over one and 1/2 mths and he was ok but never himself....he always was crying for water and had a glassy look to his eyes. The vet called 1mth ago and said that vetsulin was being taken off the market and they needed to change him. I took him in for a day long change over and they put him on ProZinc. I was told that he did not respond greatly to the change over and that i could start him on 4 units twice a day. This is when he started urinating anywhere. I thought that it may be a UTI as well but then he would go in the litter box go potty then walk out and go poo on the carpet and have this dazed look in his eyes like he had no idea where he was. Two nights ago i came home and he had urinated all over my daughters bedroom saturating paper and art canvases, so much urine i have no idea where it came from, except for the fact that i give him water everytime he cries. I love my cat and he is super important to me but i am also a single mother and the insulin is $70 a bottle and I cannot be home during the day to monitor his bathroom habits. I rent, and we all know what cat urine smells like and how it can ruin things. I desperately want my cat back but i see know signs of him in these lifeless eyes. My cat slept with me, laid with me, greeted me at the door. Now he lays in the sink or by the front door and barely knows his name.
If the newbie kit will help please let me know...... Oh and i changed him from dry to low carb prescription, he loved it for one week in the beginning of this nightmare and ever since has been back on the dry crap.
My cat is Jake. He became listless and stopped eating and dropped weight several months ago probably 3-4mths ago. I took him in and his blood sugar was in the high 400's. The vet put him on vetsulin 2 units twice a day. I did this for over one and 1/2 mths and he was ok but never himself....he always was crying for water and had a glassy look to his eyes. The vet called 1mth ago and said that vetsulin was being taken off the market and they needed to change him. I took him in for a day long change over and they put him on ProZinc. I was told that he did not respond greatly to the change over and that i could start him on 4 units twice a day. This is when he started urinating anywhere. I thought that it may be a UTI as well but then he would go in the litter box go potty then walk out and go poo on the carpet and have this dazed look in his eyes like he had no idea where he was. Two nights ago i came home and he had urinated all over my daughters bedroom saturating paper and art canvases, so much urine i have no idea where it came from, except for the fact that i give him water everytime he cries. I love my cat and he is super important to me but i am also a single mother and the insulin is $70 a bottle and I cannot be home during the day to monitor his bathroom habits. I rent, and we all know what cat urine smells like and how it can ruin things. I desperately want my cat back but i see know signs of him in these lifeless eyes. My cat slept with me, laid with me, greeted me at the door. Now he lays in the sink or by the front door and barely knows his name.
If the newbie kit will help please let me know...... Oh and i changed him from dry to low carb prescription, he loved it for one week in the beginning of this nightmare and ever since has been back on the dry crap.
A
Anonymous
omg, brittany it sounds very much like your cat is having hypo symptoms. PLEASE reduce dose IMMEDIATLY! go right now to the newbie kits page up on top with a heart next to it. i will send you one ASAP. it's one the board up top...look for it.
i did'nt even finish reading your post will go back now. brb
i did'nt even finish reading your post will go back now. brb
A
Anonymous
Britany i hope your still on line. this is VERY serious. the dose is high, you've lowered his carb intake with different food and he is showing signs of hypo and not being at all well. if your still on line let us know k?
A
Anonymous
the newbie kits link i forgot is on the bottom of my page, just point and click.
Sometime years ago i created a paypal account with the only credit card i have. Of course i cant remember the email or information that i need and it wont let me create a new account with the credit card number. You can tell i don't do alot on the internet. I would love to get this kit but that is the only form of payment that it takes. Any suggestions.
A
Anonymous
one will be sent, send address or call me...
Welcome to FDMB.
I'm not sure that I agree with Lori about whether this is hypoglycemia or not. It may be that Jake is not yet regulated.
This is a list of symptoms associated with hypoglycemia.
* glassy eyes - it may look like cat is staring into space
* abnormal hunger
* restlessness
* meowing, crying, yowling, or vocalizing in a way that is unusual for your cat
* sniffing around (like a dog)
* dilated pupils
* laying, sleeping, hiding or curled up in an unusual location of the house
* vomiting
* cat looks/acts 'freaked out'
* problems with eyesight
* unusually aggressive (hissing , swatting, etc.)
* unusually overly affectionate
* weakness, lethargy, sleepiness
* head tilting
* unable to wake the cat easily when it is sleeping.
* drooling
* shivering
* staggering, uncoordinated movements, 'drunken' walk, wobbling, unbalanced
* ataxia - usually lack of muscular coordination, but maybe changes in head and neck movements
* disorientation (yowling, walking in circles, etc.)
* twitching
* stupor
* convulsions or seizures
* coma
If Jake has a combination of these symptoms, you can rub Karo syrup, maple syrup, honey, etc. on his gums. If you still have any of the canned food or even baby food (not with onions or garlic), you can mix syrup in and let Jake eat. If his behavior is better and his symptoms abate, then you know his insulin dose is too high. It's hard to manage hypoglycemia without your testing at home. Hypo can be serious. If the symptom picture fits with hypo, it may be best to take Jake to the closest ER vet where they can monitor and give dextrose intraveneously.
If you don't feel like your vet is managing Jake's diabetes well, if you post your city and state/province, there is a reasonable chance there is a member located somewhere near you who can offer the names of the vets they have had good luck with.
Re. the prescription food: Most cats hate the stuff. It's really junk. Fancy Feast, along with other canned, low carb foods are a far better option. Janet & Binky's list gives you a selection of foods at different price points and the carb counts are noted. We typically consider low carb anything under 10%. If you switch to low carb, please wait until you can home test. Blood glucose numbers can drop quickly once you switch over.
See if you can find a product called Zero Odor. You may have to look on the web for it. It will help to remove the cat urine smell. Nature's Miracle is also a good product for this purpose.
I'm not sure that I agree with Lori about whether this is hypoglycemia or not. It may be that Jake is not yet regulated.
This is a list of symptoms associated with hypoglycemia.
* glassy eyes - it may look like cat is staring into space
* abnormal hunger
* restlessness
* meowing, crying, yowling, or vocalizing in a way that is unusual for your cat
* sniffing around (like a dog)
* dilated pupils
* laying, sleeping, hiding or curled up in an unusual location of the house
* vomiting
* cat looks/acts 'freaked out'
* problems with eyesight
* unusually aggressive (hissing , swatting, etc.)
* unusually overly affectionate
* weakness, lethargy, sleepiness
* head tilting
* unable to wake the cat easily when it is sleeping.
* drooling
* shivering
* staggering, uncoordinated movements, 'drunken' walk, wobbling, unbalanced
* ataxia - usually lack of muscular coordination, but maybe changes in head and neck movements
* disorientation (yowling, walking in circles, etc.)
* twitching
* stupor
* convulsions or seizures
* coma
If Jake has a combination of these symptoms, you can rub Karo syrup, maple syrup, honey, etc. on his gums. If you still have any of the canned food or even baby food (not with onions or garlic), you can mix syrup in and let Jake eat. If his behavior is better and his symptoms abate, then you know his insulin dose is too high. It's hard to manage hypoglycemia without your testing at home. Hypo can be serious. If the symptom picture fits with hypo, it may be best to take Jake to the closest ER vet where they can monitor and give dextrose intraveneously.
If you don't feel like your vet is managing Jake's diabetes well, if you post your city and state/province, there is a reasonable chance there is a member located somewhere near you who can offer the names of the vets they have had good luck with.
Re. the prescription food: Most cats hate the stuff. It's really junk. Fancy Feast, along with other canned, low carb foods are a far better option. Janet & Binky's list gives you a selection of foods at different price points and the carb counts are noted. We typically consider low carb anything under 10%. If you switch to low carb, please wait until you can home test. Blood glucose numbers can drop quickly once you switch over.
See if you can find a product called Zero Odor. You may have to look on the web for it. It will help to remove the cat urine smell. Nature's Miracle is also a good product for this purpose.
A
Anonymous
sue, sienne wrote at the bottom of her post something that works for getting out urine odors so :mrgreen:
Sienne did'nt know if Sue would write but her cat had a great many of those symptoms and she was shooting 4u's not 3. blind. we talked on the phone and i'll get her kit out in the morning. i think this kitty was a hypo alert.
Sienne did'nt know if Sue would write but her cat had a great many of those symptoms and she was shooting 4u's not 3. blind. we talked on the phone and i'll get her kit out in the morning. i think this kitty was a hypo alert.
A
Anonymous
hey sue, sienne has janet and binky's food list linked in her post...get that printed out if you can.
I thought i posted this and i apologize if this is a duplicate post. Jake and I live in Portland OR. I am feeling much more confident that I may have my cat back soon after reading your posts and talking to Lori. I started the wet food tonight and will buy the fancy feast first thing in the a.m. I will be anxiously awaiting the glucose monitor and I am super excited to possibly have Jake back. I had called a friend to take Jake to the vet on Thursday of this week (never to return) because I felt that there was no hope..........After finding this message board not only do I have hope i have faith that Jake can be helped. Thank you all so much for your posts and your help. Stayed tuned...I'm sure that I will be contacting the board once I start testing at home. It is all a little overwhelming right now, but one step at a time.....I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Much love to all of you!
Much love to all of you!
Jean and Charcoal
Member Since 2009
Dear Brittainy,
You have been given so much good information here, and I do so hope that Jake will be able to feel much better once you learn how to test him (it is really a lot easier than we think, when starting out, so just be confident).
The wet food, and the lower insulin doses in the beginning should really make a difference, and I do hope that Jake will feel much better, and that you will be glad that you came to this board. Great folks here that really care, and have been down the same path you are going through now. Try to always stay calm, and give your new found knowledge and the experience you will get as you learn, help your Jake, and that he will feel like his old self once everything falls into place.
Good luck and God bless!
Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA) p.s. I treated two of my boys for 3 years with insulin, and tested their blood glucose on their ears, every day. They learned to follow me into my bathroom where I did the tests and shots. They became like little dogs when I would call them to give their insulin. Especially my Rudder boy.
You have been given so much good information here, and I do so hope that Jake will be able to feel much better once you learn how to test him (it is really a lot easier than we think, when starting out, so just be confident).
The wet food, and the lower insulin doses in the beginning should really make a difference, and I do hope that Jake will feel much better, and that you will be glad that you came to this board. Great folks here that really care, and have been down the same path you are going through now. Try to always stay calm, and give your new found knowledge and the experience you will get as you learn, help your Jake, and that he will feel like his old self once everything falls into place.
Good luck and God bless!
Hugs,
Jean and Charcoal (GA) p.s. I treated two of my boys for 3 years with insulin, and tested their blood glucose on their ears, every day. They learned to follow me into my bathroom where I did the tests and shots. They became like little dogs when I would call them to give their insulin. Especially my Rudder boy.
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