Newly diabetic kitty

[Donnalynn]

Hello everyone,

The group I didn't want to join indeed! However, I am not shocked as my cats have been mostly grazers of dry food (as well as getting some wet) for most of their lives. My youngest cat Boo was diagnosed a little over two months ago and a twice daily dose of Lantus was prescribed and adjusted based on glucose curve at vet. He has definitely improved however I don't think he is doing as well as he could be. Over the past week I have been starting to read more on feline diabetes and am convinced I want to try glucose testing. It was mentioned briefly by the vet in the beginning but never brought up again. Since diagnosis I have switched all my cats to twice daily feeds of wet food then some dry afterward (my diabetic cat getting only a tablespoonful of DM dry). My other two cats have mild/moderate kidney disease and use food for that condition. I called vet other day to broach topic of testing and was not encouraged to do so--told most aren't successful, etc. My cat is very laid back so I figure if any cat would allow it, it would be him. So before reducing any carbs further I want to start testing and see where it goes then take that info to vet. Ideally I would like him off insulin but do not see that happening unless I become more proactive. I am also studying cat foods as he is bored with just one cat food. Any suggestions of food/meters you use, techniques etc. are welcome. Thank you
~Donna

 

[JanetNJ]

Hello everyone,

The group I didn't want to join indeed! However, I am not shocked as my cats have been mostly grazers of dry food (as well as getting some wet) for most of their lives. My youngest cat Boo was diagnosed a little over two months ago and a twice daily dose of Lantus was prescribed and adjusted based on glucose curve at vet. He has definitely improved however I don't think he is doing as well as he could be. Over the past week I have been starting to read more on feline diabetes and am convinced I want to try glucose testing. It was mentioned briefly by the vet in the beginning but never brought up again. Since diagnosis I have switched all my cats to twice daily feeds of wet food then some dry afterward (my diabetic cat getting only a tablespoonful of DM dry). My other two cats have mild/moderate kidney disease and use food for that condition. I called vet other day to broach topic of testing and was not encouraged to do so--told most aren't successful, etc. My cat is very laid back so I figure if any cat would allow it, it would be him. So before reducing any carbs further I want to start testing and see where it goes then take that info to vet. Ideally I would like him off insulin but do not see that happening unless I become more proactive. I am also studying cat foods as he is bored with just one cat food. Any suggestions of food/meters you use, techniques etc. are welcome. Thank you
~Donna

Welcome! You've come to the right place! So glad you are going to learn about how to test.

Dm food is higher in carb than a diabetic cat should eat, so ditch it. Diabetics need carbs under 10%. Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods. If you want a wet food both low carb and low phosphorus for the ckd cat, weuruva bff canned food fits that bill.

Meters. You have lots of choices. The most popular here are the human meter from Walmart called the Relion Micro or Confirm, or the pet meter Alphatrak 2. The Alphatrak will give you the same readings as the vet (which is why I like it) but it's also expensive as heck. Each strip is about $1 each, so expect to spend $100-150/month depending on how often you test. The relion has strips that cost $36 for 100 strips so it's significantly cheaper which is why so many people use it. Most on this site use a human meter. The numbers aren't much different from the pet meter at low numbers but run much lower at high numbers. Either kind of meter will tell you if your cat is high or low though and that's the important part.

Would you like a shopping list?

Testing the cat isn't difficult unless they are semi feral and don't like to be touched. It's a tiny poke with a lancet to the outer edge of the ear.... Get a tiny speck of blood to form and touch the strip in the meter to it. That's it. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Welcome!

 

[Donnalynn]

Thank you! Actually I went to Walmart today and bought the relion Micro Meter and accessories. It comes with some finer gauge lancets but I bought a box of larger gauge ones as many say it's easier to start that way. They were so cheap I was surprised. Now my mission is to watch the videos and aim to start testing this weekend. I'm not too tech savvy so I am hoping to get a spreadsheet up and running but will at least be writing them down to start. I thought the wet DM wasn't very carby but the dry was? I have bought some of the foods on the food chart from the link and he is enjoying those but I am afraid to yank the little bit of dry food he gets when I have no idea what his BG is--but then I'll still have no idea what to do for dosing changes. Hopefully the vet will be able to help tho they haven't been encouraging testing at all.