Our 13 Year Old Cat Newly Diagnosed

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Catmamacita

Member Since 2018
Our 13 year old cat Gray was diagnosed with diabetes last week by our vet. I had noticed that he was thirsty all the time, peeing a lot more and also he couldn't get enough food, coupled with the weight loss I knew we had to take him to the vet which I did where they took blood from him and then we were given what I felt was horrible news, I actually teared up!

His glucose number was 411 mg/dL and so here I am today on the message board part of a group that no pet owner wants to join but hopeful that we are able to manage Gray's diabetes and get him on the road to recovery.

Right now the doctor has us giving him 2 shots a day of Vetsulin and I will post on another thread my questions regarding how best to manage, test, etc. but I welcome all advice, well wishes and words of wisdom as my husband and I try to manage our cats diabetes.

Also, we have a 2 year old cat named Anna who's sad that her brofur isn't feeling well and she actually meows for him and it breaks my heart.

Thank you so much and I appreciate any and all comments!

Kind Regards,

Catmamacita
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB:)
It is always very stressful learning that your kitty had feline diabetes but you are among friends here and we all have or have had diabetic kitties and understand how you are feeling.

One of the best things you can do for your kitty is to home test the blood sugars to keep Gray safe. We always test before giving the insulin to make sure it is safe to give the insulin and then we test again a few hours later to see how low the blood sugars have gone.
Here is a link to how to test the blood sugar
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

Also you will need to feed a low carb wet/canned food diet 10% carbs or less. There is no need to feed a prescription diet and definitely no dry food. Here is a link to suitable foods.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/links-to-food-charts.174182/

Here is a link to FAQ page. Have a look through that and also the yellow stickies at the top of the various pages. It is a steep learning curve in the beginning.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/

You are sure to have many more questions and we are very happy to answer them. Just post over on the main forum page where there are many more eyes to help you.. here is the link..again welcome to you all!:)
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/
 
Welcome Catmamacita, Gray and Anna too. I think it's sweet that Anna is so caring for her brother. I felt the same way upon diagnosis, I really doubted myself about caring for a diabetic cat. But I got online, like you, and found the board right away and really began learning how to take better care of Idjit. It's a steep learning curve at first, but don't give up. Soon this will be routine and Gray will be feeling so much better.
 
Bron and Sheba said:
Hi and welcome to FDMB:)
It is always very stressful learning that your kitty had feline diabetes but you are among friends here and we all have or have had diabetic kitties and understand how you are feeling.

One of the best things you can do for your kitty is to home test the blood sugars to keep Gray safe. We always test before giving the insulin to make sure it is safe to give the insulin and then we test again a few hours later to see how low the blood sugars have gone.
Here is a link to how to test the blood sugar
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

Also you will need to feed a low carb wet/canned food diet 10% carbs or less. There is no need to feed a prescription diet and definitely no dry food. Here is a link to suitable foods.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/links-to-food-charts.174182/

Here is a link to FAQ page. Have a look through that and also the yellow stickies at the top of the various pages. It is a steep learning curve in the beginning.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/

You are sure to have many more questions and we are very happy to answer them. Just post over on the main forum page where there are many more eyes to help you.. here is the link..again welcome to you all!:)
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/
Click to expand...
Bron and Sheba said:
Hi and welcome to FDMB:)
It is always very stressful learning that your kitty had feline diabetes but you are among friends here and we all have or have had diabetic kitties and understand how you are feeling.

One of the best things you can do for your kitty is to home test the blood sugars to keep Gray safe. We always test before giving the insulin to make sure it is safe to give the insulin and then we test again a few hours later to see how low the blood sugars have gone.
Here is a link to how to test the blood sugar
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

Also you will need to feed a low carb wet/canned food diet 10% carbs or less. There is no need to feed a prescription diet and definitely no dry food. Here is a link to suitable foods.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/links-to-food-charts.174182/

Here is a link to FAQ page. Have a look through that and also the yellow stickies at the top of the various pages. It is a steep learning curve in the beginning.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/

You are sure to have many more questions and we are very happy to answer them. Just post over on the main forum page where there are many more eyes to help you.. here is the link..again welcome to you all!:)
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/
Click to expand...


Hi Bron and Sheba and thank you so much for all the helpful information, links and words of wisdom. I've been trying to familiarize myself with the site as well as some of the links unfortunately a lot of the links don't work. Anyway, I have my work cut out for me and plan to test Gray tonight to see how his glucose numbers are and if he's any better being on the high protein low carb diet!

Thanks again!

Catmamacita to Gray and Anna
 
The link about testing at home is here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
This information is found in the Index in the Feline Diabetes and Health Links Forum. It's a super resource and I refresh my memory by going back and reading often. It may take a little time for the BG numbers to reflect the effect of the low carb diet, and I'm so glad you are testing to keep Gray safe from a hypo. Be sure to try to get some mid cycle tests in, so you can find the nadir (lowest BG) in the day. You are doing so well, you are a very good momma bean.
 
Catmamacita said:
Our 13 year old cat Gray was diagnosed with diabetes last week by our vet. I had noticed that he was thirsty all the time, peeing a lot more and also he couldn't get enough food, coupled with the weight loss I knew we had to take him to the vet which I did where they took blood from him and then we were given what I felt was horrible news, I actually teared up!

His glucose number was 411 mg/dL and so here I am today on the message board part of a group that no pet owner wants to join but hopeful that we are able to manage Gray's diabetes and get him on the road to recovery.

Right now the doctor has us giving him 2 shots a day of Vetsulin and I will post on another thread my questions regarding how best to manage, test, etc. but I welcome all advice, well wishes and words of wisdom as my husband and I try to manage our cats diabetes.

Also, we have a 2 year old cat named Anna who's sad that her brofur isn't feeling well and she actually meows for him and it breaks my heart.

Thank you so much and I appreciate any and all comments!

Kind Regards,

Catmamacita
Click to expand...
It's very scary at first. I cried too. Believe me you can do this and we are here to help! It is treatable and they can live long healthy lives.
 
@Bron and Sheba I read that there was an issue with spam on the board and that the filters were tightened. I am thinking that's why new members are not having success with getting to other forums and the links. Jill & Alex, Moderator posted in Tech:
There's been an issue with spam on the board. Some of the filters are tight.
Respond to this post and then try posting again.
If you continue to have problems, let us know.
 
Idjit's mom said:
@Bron and Sheba I read that there was an issue with spam on the board and that the filters were tightened. I am thinking that's why new members are not having success with getting to other forums and the links. Jill & Alex, Moderator posted in Tech:
There's been an issue with spam on the board. Some of the filters are tight.
Respond to this post and then try posting again.
If you continue to have problems, let us know.
Click to expand...
Thanks for letting me know @Idjit's mom
I was also having trouble tagging people yesterday...that is probably why.
 
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