Ms.Cynthia
Member Since 2023
I just learned that my 13 yr old cat has diabetics and a little confused about all of this diagnosis. Any helpful suggestions.
New to this forum.
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Chris & China (GA)
Member Since 2013
It would help if we knew a little more, like where you live. Things that are available in the US aren't necessarily available anywhere else. I'll give you some information that's for US caretakers to get you going and maybe once you read it you'll have some questions people here can answer for you.
The successful treatment of diabetes has three main parts:
DIET:
A diabetic cat needs to eat a low carb canned or raw diet. The first thing most vets do is to ask you to feed a "prescription" food.
There's nothing in prescription food that miraculously treats diabetes. Many of them are expensive, too high in carbs (especially the dry ones) and the ingredients tend to be of low quality. Any low carb (with carbohydrates less than 10%) canned food will do.
Most of us feed our own cats Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies Pates or 9-Lives Ground because they get less than 10% of their calories from carbs. They are also easy to find and affordable.
Changing to a low carb canned or raw diet can be enough for some lucky cats to become regulated! If there are no ketones in the picture, changing the diet first is a good place to start! It also allows you time to learn to home test which will show you the effect of the diet change and then IF you still need to start insulin, you’ll be ready to keep your cat safe!
Once the cat has been eating nothing but low carb food for 3-5 days, you'll know more about whether you’re going to need to start insulin.
If you’re already on insulin, any diet change has to be made gradually and with careful monitoring of the BG (with home testing). Reducing the carbs can drastically reduce the need for insulin!
Normal blood glucose for cats is 50-120 on a human meter, 68-150 on a pet meter.
INSULIN:
Insulins like Glargine (brand names Lantus, Basaglar, Semglee), Levemir or ProZinc are best suited to cats. They are the gentlest and most successful at getting cats regulated and possibly even into remission. There are new biosimilars of Glargine that are much cheaper if you can find a pharmacy that has them.
Many vets still prescribe Vetsulin because it's what they're used to, but it's a better insulin for dogs. In cats, it tends to hit hard and fast and then wear off before the next shot is due. Vets see more diabetic dogs than cats and tend to treat their feline patients like small dogs and that just doesn't usually work very well.
No matter which insulin you use, most cats should start at between 0.5 and 1 unit twice a day, and increases should be done in .25 to 0.5 unit increments.
HOME TESTING:
Many vets don't even discuss this with their clients, for various reasons. If you had a diabetic child, you would test their blood sugar before every shot, and we should do the same for our furkids.
Testing done at the vet's office is expensive and can be unreliable due to stress, which can significantly raise the BG. By testing at home, you get more accurate results.
Most of us use a human meter from our local pharmacy because it's accurate and affordable to use. A favorite here in the US is the Relion Premier Classic from WalMart. The meter is only $9 and the strips are $17.88 for 100.
There are "pet" meters, but the strips for them are about $1 EACH which is too much for most of us when we test at least 4 times a day (more if they're running low or dropping fast)
By testing before every shot, you make sure it's safe to give insulin at all. Testing in between shots will help you learn how the blood sugars are responding to treatment and how low the dose is taking your kitty.
Don't hesitate to ask questions. We were all new to this once too and there are no stupid questions!
The successful treatment of diabetes has three main parts:
DIET:
A diabetic cat needs to eat a low carb canned or raw diet. The first thing most vets do is to ask you to feed a "prescription" food.
There's nothing in prescription food that miraculously treats diabetes. Many of them are expensive, too high in carbs (especially the dry ones) and the ingredients tend to be of low quality. Any low carb (with carbohydrates less than 10%) canned food will do.
Most of us feed our own cats Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies Pates or 9-Lives Ground because they get less than 10% of their calories from carbs. They are also easy to find and affordable.
Changing to a low carb canned or raw diet can be enough for some lucky cats to become regulated! If there are no ketones in the picture, changing the diet first is a good place to start! It also allows you time to learn to home test which will show you the effect of the diet change and then IF you still need to start insulin, you’ll be ready to keep your cat safe!
Once the cat has been eating nothing but low carb food for 3-5 days, you'll know more about whether you’re going to need to start insulin.
If you’re already on insulin, any diet change has to be made gradually and with careful monitoring of the BG (with home testing). Reducing the carbs can drastically reduce the need for insulin!
Normal blood glucose for cats is 50-120 on a human meter, 68-150 on a pet meter.
INSULIN:
Insulins like Glargine (brand names Lantus, Basaglar, Semglee), Levemir or ProZinc are best suited to cats. They are the gentlest and most successful at getting cats regulated and possibly even into remission. There are new biosimilars of Glargine that are much cheaper if you can find a pharmacy that has them.
Many vets still prescribe Vetsulin because it's what they're used to, but it's a better insulin for dogs. In cats, it tends to hit hard and fast and then wear off before the next shot is due. Vets see more diabetic dogs than cats and tend to treat their feline patients like small dogs and that just doesn't usually work very well.
No matter which insulin you use, most cats should start at between 0.5 and 1 unit twice a day, and increases should be done in .25 to 0.5 unit increments.
HOME TESTING:
Many vets don't even discuss this with their clients, for various reasons. If you had a diabetic child, you would test their blood sugar before every shot, and we should do the same for our furkids.
Testing done at the vet's office is expensive and can be unreliable due to stress, which can significantly raise the BG. By testing at home, you get more accurate results.
Most of us use a human meter from our local pharmacy because it's accurate and affordable to use. A favorite here in the US is the Relion Premier Classic from WalMart. The meter is only $9 and the strips are $17.88 for 100.
There are "pet" meters, but the strips for them are about $1 EACH which is too much for most of us when we test at least 4 times a day (more if they're running low or dropping fast)
By testing before every shot, you make sure it's safe to give insulin at all. Testing in between shots will help you learn how the blood sugars are responding to treatment and how low the dose is taking your kitty.
Don't hesitate to ask questions. We were all new to this once too and there are no stupid questions!
Bron and Sheba (GA)
Member Since 2015
Hi and welcome to the forum. We are here to help you
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
Hi and welcome to FDMB. Finding out that your cat has feline diabetes can be scary and overwhelming. We are glad you found us. This is a great group of people that have a lot of experience caring for diabetic cats. We can help you learn everything you want to know about caring for a diabetic cat. Caring for a FD cat is not difficult once you understand how diet, insulin and home testing works to help control the glucose levels. You can ask any and as many questions as you need to. We understand how you may be feeling right now and we are here to help you.
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