New to Feline Diabetes

[Indigo]

New to the group and new to feline diabetes, Jackson is my 13 year old tabby that I rescued from Brother Wolf animal shelter in Asheville NC.

Now I know I cannot afford this diabetic curve testing on a regular basis and with the vet looking to conduct a second one... I am looking to find recommendations on meters and test strips lancets ect... and how to read those results.
Most of the time I feel like I'm starving him because he is so finicky on what he eats, I started him on Daves cat food 95 percent premium meat and so far so good. Eating twice a day 12 hours apart. Also have purchased him several varieties of freeze-dried cat treats. Recommendations for food and treats would be so welcomed. He is on Prozinc insulin 2 units twice a day.
This whole thing has been overwhelming, we adore Jackson would do anything in the world for him but I want to make sure that he's getting everything he needs including monitoring and that he is healthy and loved.

 

[JanetNJ]

Hi welcome! It's OK to feed more often than 12 hours... most of us feed several smaller meals a day. Just no food 2 hours prior to the preshot tests.

I prefer a pet meter (alphatrak) because it's the one my vet uses. I use freestyle insulinx strips with it to keep it affordable ($30 for 100 on amazon). Many on here use a human meter. Any is fine but better if it requires a small 0.3 size blood sample. Lancets... Any brand but get one that are 28 gauge... The smaller ones (30+ gauge) make it harder to get a sample. You can buy a box for under $4.

There's a food chart link in my signature. Choose foods under 10 percent carb (under 7 is even better). Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods. I also like Tiki Cat.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

[Indigo]

Oh that's such a relief to know that I can feed more than every 12 hours! He is after all a skinny Feller. Appreciate the pet meter information as well as the recommendation of using freestyle insulin strips. I did look up that alphatrak but saw that 50 strips Were going to cost me close to $70, will make an attempt to look at your signature on sure how to do that as yet but thank you again.

 

[JanetNJ]

Oh that's such a relief to know that I can feed more than every 12 hours! He is after all a skinny Feller. Appreciate the pet meter information as well as the recommendation of using freestyle insulin strips. I did look up that alphatrak but saw that 50 strips Were going to cost me close to $70, will make an attempt to look at your signature on sure how to do that as yet but thank you again.

50 alpha strips on amazon are $49.50. I keep some on hand to make sure my insulinx strips are accurate, but so far they have been. They are both made by the same company and look identical.

My signature is the type right below this paragraph. Just click on the blue links within it.

 

[Kelsey R]

Welcome, Indigo. My baby was also recently diagnosed with diabetes. This group has been such a tremendous help to me already. I hope you have a similar experience! I'm currently using a human glucometer, because it's what I had on hand. I'm going to try to use this for a while, at least while I'm regulating Loki, but am open to buying an AlphaTrak if necessary. Happy to see that Janet shared some better cost options for the strips! Good luck with Jackson's journey!

 

[Coco’s Momma]

Welcome to life with a sugar cat - it can be overwhelming at first! You've come to a great place for support and information. This forum saved my sanity when Coco was diagnosed last summer. I purchased a human meter from Walmart because it's cost effective but recently found out it is being discontinued. When I called Mr. Vet to see what he would recommend as a replacement, I was surprised he also uses a human meter in addition to the big machine at the clinic. So I'll be picking up the same meter for consistency. You'll find people here use a variety of human meters as well as the AlphaTrak.

 

[Paigeworthy]

New to the group and new to feline diabetes, Jackson is my 13 year old tabby that I rescued from Brother Wolf animal shelter in Asheville NC. View attachment 40425
Now I know I cannot afford this diabetic curve testing on a regular basis and with the vet looking to conduct a second one... I am looking to find recommendations on meters and test strips lancets ect... and how to read those results.
Most of the time I feel like I'm starving him because he is so finicky on what he eats, I started him on Daves cat food 95 percent premium meat and so far so good. Eating twice a day 12 hours apart. Also have purchased him several varieties of freeze-dried cat treats. Recommendations for food and treats would be so welcomed. He is on Prozinc insulin 2 units twice a day.
This whole thing has been overwhelming, we adore Jackson would do anything in the world for him but I want to make sure that he's getting everything he needs including monitoring and that he is healthy and loved.

Jackson!! You are handsome af, fella!
One of my favorite tips from folks here when I was a newbie (three weeks ago, lol) was to seek out BG test strips on eBay!! They are factory sealed and I don't know how the sellers ACQUIRE them but I don't care because they're sooooo much cheaper!

Agree with @Coco’s Momma that this board is an absolute godsend. I hope you find the answers you need here