Old kidney cat now with diabetes

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(GA) Gypsy's Parent

(GA) Gypsy's Parent

Member Since 2019
My 16 year old kidney cat started drinking more water and increased frequency of urination. Her annual visit reveals she has diabetes. She has been on low dosage prednisone for more than a year and I wonder if this is steroid related. Today I picked up needles and insulin from the vet and Gypsy got her first shot tonight. As I've been doing subq fluids in cats for several years, the insulin is a breeze. She is getting 2 units of ProZinc. Next up is home monitoring without breaking the bank and trying to get her on a wet food diet.

My old cats and a younger cat who had his ear canal and middle ear removed because there was a small, benign tumor are really chewing up $. The younger cats are sweet, but Gypsy has been a problem cat since the day I got her. She doesn't get along very well with the other cats.

Always a challenge!
 
Welcome! Unfortunately steroids can cause diabetes in cats so it’s possible that it’s related.

I would definitely recommend home testing! You do not need to use a pet meter, which are very pricey. If you are in the US, the ReliOn Prime is a popular (and cheap!) choice - I believe the meter itself is $9, 100 test strips is about $20, and lancets for the ear prick are very cheap. As for wet food, there’s a list somewhere around here that has wet foods that are good for both diabetic and kidney kitties. There are lots of tips and tricks here to help you get started :) My Sophie is also a problem cat so I definitely empathize lol
 
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Thank you! I've been reading here and the internet. It seems like glucose meters are a total crap shoot and monitoring changes and trends are a big deal.
I will head to Walmart after work and more reading. The vet did mention the AlphaTrak, but no way.
Tomorrow I am going to leave her in bedroom quarantine so I can start monitoring drinking and urination rates. And leave wet food out. I have the Costco pack of FF as Tanya's site indicated that is good kidney food, but it's all seafood which I'm not too excited about. I'll pick up a few cans of Friskies and see if she'll eat that. I think part of it is she doesn't like her food cold. But I think weaning her off the dry food is a must. I've been down this wet food path before and totally failed. I ended up with Wellness and Halo as these were lower in Na and K. But now carbs are an issue.
We are also cutting the prednisone dose in half. She's only getting 2.5mg per day, but I'll change that to every other day. The small 5mg pills aren't too difficult to cut in half. but I doubt I can cut them a second time without ending up with a pile of dust.
 
If you switch her to an all wet diet, definitely be sure you are home testing, as getting rid of dry kibble can cause lower BG which means she may need a dose adjustment as well. There are lots of great and experienced people here to help you transition her and learn to home test, so definitely post in the main forum or the Prozinc forum if you have any questions (:
 
Hi and welcome, Gypsy's parent! Lots of very good information here and tremendous support too! Many of us use the Walmart ReliOn Prime because it's affordable and the strips are affordable and readily available. Lancets (28 gauge to start with) are very cheap, and you only need some cotton balls, or cosmetic pads..or even a folded tissue or paper towel to back the ear when you poke to get the blood drop. Optional: petroleum jelly to help the blood drop bead up, and a pain relief ointment (not the cream) for after the poke.

Here is a link to some tips and videos:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
And a member JanetNJ made this excellent video: How to test your cat's bg at home: Video I made showing how to test your cat's blood sugar

Testing is a process of practice and patience, and you can "bribe" with a low carb treat, then always a treat reward, that lets your kitty know it's ok to do this. Try getting Gypsy used to the process, practice without testing, rub and stroke her ears, give a treat and let her go. We always treat, successful test or not.

We will help all we can as you learn more about diabetic treatment, testing, and diet as you go along.
 
For a kitty with kidney problems as well as diabetes, a low phosphorus, low carb food is best. Friskies and Fancy Feast, while low carb, are high in phosphorus (especially Fancy Feast!). HERES a link to our food chart. Look for foods under 10 carbs and below 200 phosphorus.
 
You can also add a phosphorus binder to cat foods that are not specifically low in phosphorus (mine only eat Friskies - they walk away from everything else). You have to use it each and every time, but the cat doesn't even appear to notice that it's in her food. Talk to your vet about what brand you are going with because the amount changes. Also, don't change the amount of steroid unless you talk to vet first.
 
You mentioned Gypsy doesn’t like her wet food cold - what I do is use a ceramic bowl (rather than plastic) and run it through hot water so it’s warm or place it near the heater in winter. I also add water to the food (especially useful if your kitty also has kidney disease) but make sure the water I add is warm - this all helps with taking the chill off the wet food. Hope that helps. And welcome - although I wish you didn’t have to be here :bighug:
 
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