Problems with a new diabetic cat

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Rick M.

Member Since 2019
Good Morning.
My 9 year old cat, Max, has been diagnosed with diabetes.
He tested around 500.
We started him on Lantus this past Monday.
Things are not going well. As of yesterday, (Thursday), he
started hiding from us. We were unable to give him his
morning injection.
Last night, we were able to feed him some wet food, and
get to sit with us. We then gave him his evening injection.
You could tell he was scared of us after that, even laying
on my wife’s’ lap after the injection.
When I got up this morning, he had thrown-up in 4 places,
and did not come out at all to see me, or accept any fresh
food. He has now come out, and stopped cowering with us,
and allowed us to pet and talk to him He hasen’t eaten anything-
no treats, wet food or dry food. He has gone to his water dish
at least 3 times.
We don’t know if this is an allergic reaction to the Lantus. We
also can’t even begin to think of giving Max his morning dose.
We are sick at heart, and would appreciate anything you folks
can share with us. We also don’t want to scare or stress him further.
Thank you, for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely, Rick and Sue.
 
Rick M. said:
Good Morning.
My 9 year old cat, Max, has been diagnosed with diabetes.
He tested around 500.
We started him on Lantus this past Monday.
Things are not going well. As of yesterday, (Thursday), he
started hiding from us. We were unable to give him his
morning injection.
Last night, we were able to feed him some wet food, and
get to sit with us. We then gave him his evening injection.
You could tell he was scared of us after that, even laying
on my wife’s’ lap after the injection.
When I got up this morning, he had thrown-up in 4 places,
and did not come out at all to see me, or accept any fresh
food. He has now come out, and stopped cowering with us,
and allowed us to pet and talk to him He hasen’t eaten anything-
no treats, wet food or dry food. He has gone to his water dish
at least 3 times.
We don’t know if this is an allergic reaction to the Lantus. We
also can’t even begin to think of giving Max his morning dose.
We are sick at heart, and would appreciate anything you folks
can share with us. We also don’t want to scare or stress him further.
Thank you, for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely, Rick and Sue.
Click to expand...
Hi Rick and Sue: My sugar cat, George, was diagnosed this past Sept. 6th. He started out on 3U of Lantus, and a week and a half ago, took him down to 1U every 12 hours. He is doing great now. How many units is Max getting? I had to RUSH him to the Vet. a week and a half ago. His blood glucose was 38. He kept looking up at the ceiling, and was disoriented. But, like I said, he is doing great now. When first diagnosed, his BG was over 600. You can always go up w/ the insulin. Better high BG than low. Watch the hard food. I bought Origen and leave it out overnight. Pick it up at 5:15 am, because I don't want him eating 2 hours before insulin. 7:15am & 7:15pm. George hides from me all the time. But, that is his "norm".
 
First of all welcome to FDMB. So glad you found us.

Without knowing anything about what dose of insulin or BG readings since starting insulin and of course not seeing you cat, it's impossible to say what is going on. I don't want to alarm you but there is a condition called DKA that can occur with diabetic cats and it is serious. The vomiting may be nothing but my gut reaction would be to take your cat to the vet to be checked for ketones ASAP. If that is not possible, get some ketostix from the local pharmacy and check your cat's urine for ketones. Any reading over trace means a vet visit is needed. DKA happens when there is too little insulin, too little food and usually an infection or inflammation. Diabetic cats can also get dehydrated and unable to replenish the fluids they lose if they are vomiting due to the large volume of urine they produce. Better to be proactive and get this checked out IMHO.
 
Rick and Sue --

I'd suggest talking to your vet. Coincidences can occur and Max may have an upset stomach, you may have gotten a bad batch of cat food, or it could be an insulin reaction. I will say, though, in the 10 years that I've been here, I can't recall a cat that's had an allergy to Lamtus.
 
Hi!! I agree with Mr.worfmen's mom. Definitely want to check on whether or not there are any ketones. If you can’t get to a vet soon, you can easily check at home. You can place some Saran Wrap over the cat litter and get a urine sample that way. The ketostix are at any pharmacy, Walmart etc. If those are present then you’d want to seek medical attention sooner than later to avoid extensive and costly hospitalization. Have you tried beefing up the food with smashed dehydrated chicken or other similar diabetic friendly treats? Sometimes they need a little enticing to stir the appetite. Fortiflora sprinkled on top? Sometimes a bit of dehydration can also cause them to have a lousy appetite. You don’t want a poor appetite to go on for too long as cats can sometimes get into a lot of trouble if the primary issue is not addressed in a timely fashion.
 
Rick M. said:
Good Morning.
My 9 year old cat, Max, has been diagnosed with diabetes.
He tested around 500.
We started him on Lantus this past Monday.
Things are not going well. As of yesterday, (Thursday), he
started hiding from us. We were unable to give him his
morning injection.
Last night, we were able to feed him some wet food, and
get to sit with us. We then gave him his evening injection.
You could tell he was scared of us after that, even laying
on my wife’s’ lap after the injection.
When I got up this morning, he had thrown-up in 4 places,
and did not come out at all to see me, or accept any fresh
food. He has now come out, and stopped cowering with us,
and allowed us to pet and talk to him He hasen’t eaten anything-
no treats, wet food or dry food. He has gone to his water dish
at least 3 times.
We don’t know if this is an allergic reaction to the Lantus. We
also can’t even begin to think of giving Max his morning dose.
We are sick at heart, and would appreciate anything you folks
can share with us. We also don’t want to scare or stress him further.
Thank you, for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely, Rick and Sue.
Click to expand...
Rick and Sue

I agree with @MrWorfMen's Mom and would be concerned about DKA. Sometimes cats have infections that we are not aware of and then the infection + not enough insulin + not enough calories causes ketones to develop which can quickly progress to DKA. If you can test the ketones at home as @Charlotte’s mom has suggested ASAP, I’d do it. If not, he needs to see a vet quickly.

@Sylvia Sheaffer Feline diabetes is very complicated and you are too new to it to understand that it’s not always about dropping the dose. Sienne linked for you the post on Advice to Advice Givers and you’ve been given warnings. I would strongly suggest you step back and read condos to learn instead of offering advice. Thank you.
 
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