My cat was just diagnosed a few days ago. We have started insulin shots. Will there be a time when she starts drinking less water and urinating less? She has not had any accidents but in addition to the costs of treatment I seem to be spending a small fortune on cat litter. Any suggestions? She is going back to the vet this week for a glucose curve testing.
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Shelly & Jersey (GA)
Member Since 2014
Hi there,
What's your cat's name? I'm Shelly; my cat's name is Jersey. As the insulin starts to bring the numbers down, you should definitely see a decrease in thirst and urination.
Can I ask a few more questions?
What insulin were you prescribed? Lantus, Levemir, and Prozinc are some of the best insulins for cats. We don't recommend Humulin, Vetsulin, or Caninsulin. Those are harsh insulins that bring the kitties sugars down quickly and wear off quickly.
What are you feeding your kitty? Low-carb diets are the best for diabetic cats. If you are currently feeding high-carb foods, you need to be really cautious about switching to low-carb foods. We've had members here who switched foods and their cats - pretty much all of a sudden - didn't need insulin anymore. It's important to be testing in case that happens.
That brings me to the next question - are you willing to test blood sugar at home? We really recommend home testing since it's the only way to keep our kitties safe. Most people here buy a human glucose meter from Wal-Mart (the ReliOn brands) and get a blood sample from the ear. It really does sound a lot worse than it actually is. Don't let the sound of it scare you - we have lots of testing tips to help. By testing at home, you will know when a dose is too high - or when it's not enough. You'll be able check your kitty's progress on a day-to-day basis. Although the vet can certainly check glucose levels, cats are often stressed at the vet's office, so the readings aren't very accurate. It is also usually cheaper to test at home rather than taking the kitty to the vet every week or two.
One of the biggest concerns, of course, is hypoglycemia. It will be especially important since you aren't testing at home. Here is a link to more information about the signs of hypoglycemia: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887
Welcome to FDMB!
Shelly
What's your cat's name? I'm Shelly; my cat's name is Jersey. As the insulin starts to bring the numbers down, you should definitely see a decrease in thirst and urination.
Can I ask a few more questions?
What insulin were you prescribed? Lantus, Levemir, and Prozinc are some of the best insulins for cats. We don't recommend Humulin, Vetsulin, or Caninsulin. Those are harsh insulins that bring the kitties sugars down quickly and wear off quickly.
What are you feeding your kitty? Low-carb diets are the best for diabetic cats. If you are currently feeding high-carb foods, you need to be really cautious about switching to low-carb foods. We've had members here who switched foods and their cats - pretty much all of a sudden - didn't need insulin anymore. It's important to be testing in case that happens.
That brings me to the next question - are you willing to test blood sugar at home? We really recommend home testing since it's the only way to keep our kitties safe. Most people here buy a human glucose meter from Wal-Mart (the ReliOn brands) and get a blood sample from the ear. It really does sound a lot worse than it actually is. Don't let the sound of it scare you - we have lots of testing tips to help. By testing at home, you will know when a dose is too high - or when it's not enough. You'll be able check your kitty's progress on a day-to-day basis. Although the vet can certainly check glucose levels, cats are often stressed at the vet's office, so the readings aren't very accurate. It is also usually cheaper to test at home rather than taking the kitty to the vet every week or two.
One of the biggest concerns, of course, is hypoglycemia. It will be especially important since you aren't testing at home. Here is a link to more information about the signs of hypoglycemia: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887
Welcome to FDMB!
Shelly
stacia
Member Since 2014
Hi - I'm Stacia and my sugarkitty is Tasha. We're on our third week (I think - it feels like it's been forever already) of insulin and hometesting. It does seem like she's drinking and therefore peeing less. She's had a couple of accidents but I think it's that she's become more picky about the box being scooped more frequently.
Critter Mom
Member Since 2014
Hi,
As your cat starts responding to insulin and its numbers start coming down the excessive drinking and urinating should diminish in line with the lowering of blood glucose levels.
In the meantime, if you're not using it already and if it's available where you live then Oko Plus clumping litter is very good value. It's a wood-based litter, completely biodegradable and it deodorises urine pretty much instantly. It forms really good clumps that are very easy to remove from the litter box, hence more of the litter remains unsoiled and viable for longer. All you need to do is top it up when you remove clumps. It's streets ahead of clay-based clumping litter. It's both the most effective and the most economical cat litter I've ever used. Can't recommend it highly enough.
As your cat starts responding to insulin and its numbers start coming down the excessive drinking and urinating should diminish in line with the lowering of blood glucose levels.
In the meantime, if you're not using it already and if it's available where you live then Oko Plus clumping litter is very good value. It's a wood-based litter, completely biodegradable and it deodorises urine pretty much instantly. It forms really good clumps that are very easy to remove from the litter box, hence more of the litter remains unsoiled and viable for longer. All you need to do is top it up when you remove clumps. It's streets ahead of clay-based clumping litter. It's both the most effective and the most economical cat litter I've ever used. Can't recommend it highly enough.
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