Thinking about adopting--nervous and want to be ready!

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C & Winnie & Lily

C & Winnie & Lily

Member Since 2016
Hello all, and I am sorry in advance if I am posting in the wrong place.
I am hoping to get some advice from the experts, and also hoping a little bit to get some concerns off my chest.

To make a long story short, my boyfriend (J) and I (C) were planning on adopting a bonded pair of cats in May when I moved back from grad school. As plans are wont to do, this fell apart after I saw a diabetic senior (estimated between 8 and 10) posted on a local shelter page and fell in love. As far as I know, we are the only ones who have shown interest in adopting her :'(
We have some time to make our decision whether to adopt because she is with a wonderful foster. Our feelings are hard to put into words, because we very much want to adopt her, but we take the responsibility so seriously that we are hesitating a little, unsure if we're ready. I have read everything I can get my hands on, and pretty much every resource directed me here. This board has been immensely helpful already! Now if we adopt we plan to do home BG and ketone testing, which we knew nothing about before. But it's also slightly overwhelming--I suddenly feel like she is very fragile, and we are both afraid of messing up.
There's also a personal element to it; I lost the cat I grew up with, my very best friend, about 5 years ago to liver failure, and the family dog a little over a year ago. I'm terrified of more grief. I realize a perfectly healthy kitten could go in a heartbeat, too, but I could really use some happy diabetic kitty stories to counteract some of the sadder posts I've read!

Sorry, that went on a little longer than expected... lots of feelings swirling around this. Now, I have some burning questions for the experts (in addition to whatever thoughts you kind folks may have on what I've already said):
  • Do feline-only vet practices generally have better experience with FD? What kinds of questions should we be asking? We are blessed/cursed with many options in our area and are hoping for a shortcut around interviewing everybody.
  • How feasible is travel? Do you have good experiences boarding your diabetic cats, with vets or with boarding services? Is hiring in-home care (professional or family/friends) better? Does it depend on how long we'll be gone (3-5 days vs. 2 weeks)? We're not out of town every other week or anything, but we have a few trips planned--and paid for--before I start a job that will make travel difficult.
  • Finding the right insulin: what made you decide to stick with your insulin or switch? Which types did you try? How much time did you give each one, and why?
  • What do you wish you knew before you had a diabetic cat (or any cat)? Are there any items you would recommend for a currently non-catproofed house (besides standard cat stuff like litter and box, and diabetes-specific stuff like honey for hypo)?
Thank you so, so much for your time. It means a lot to have a platform where I can talk to people who have experienced this. And it means a lot to J, because he has heard nothing but cat talk from me for the last 4 days. :)
 
Thank you for considering adopting! As a foster mom of diabetic kitties, people who will consider our babies are worth the world to us.

I've found vets who know FD hit-n-miss. Within the same practice there can be differing approaches. Things I would look for is a willingness to work with someone who manages much of it on their own - home testing and not requiring curves in the office or fructosamine tests, do they try to push that prescription food is required or just help getting a good low carb diet for the cat regardless of where you buy it. Helping you control the diabetes vs controlling you.

With Smokey, we took her with! After the first few trips she loved it. Sprawled out in the car or sat on top of her carpeted cubby and watched traffic. We put her in her carrier for stops or when traffic was bad, but let her out on the open stretches so she'd have access to the L.B. and water and food. I always joked I'd end up in jail at some point for a cop spotting me drawing an insulin needle by the interior light in the car on the side of interstate :) With our fosters, we have one of the techs from our vet clinic come in to do meds so she had done shots for us on them too. With our current ones, one of the people from the shelter is a back up. I bet if that foster mom is nearby she'd help, I know I would with any of my fosters if they went back on insulin.

Right insulin. Every cat is different. My preference has always been Lantus because of its remission rates.A few of the cats I've fostered were on another when I first got them, I didn't give the other insulin long before I switched because I didn't like its patterns. If the cat you are adopting is doing well on the insulin it is on, there probably isn't any reason to switch.

I don't remember a time without an FD cat so I don't know what I wish I knew :) Feeding a healthy low carb wet food so maybe I never ended up with a diabetic! I recommend making sure you use a good quality litter. FDs, even those with good control or OTJ can pee a lot. A good water source, keeping bowls fresh and clean or a drinking fountain.

Best of luck to you and whoever you decide to adopt! I do hope its an FD :D
 
Oh travel, I'm dealing with this right now. My old sitter was just diagnosed with a serious human disease and is out. I travel quite a bit for work and cannot take Fern with most of the time. My sugar boy has always had an in my house pet sitter before. This was easier and cheaper for me since home sitters tend to charge by the visit and not by the cat (I have 3). But it looks like he maybe boarding over at his vets If my father isn't willing to come and housesit (he did last week for which I am grateful). It takes Fern quite a bit to get use to someone new so it's complicated. I plan to visit a couple more vets offices/shelters to see if they can recommend someone who will provided in-home care.

I currently use Prozinc, it is what my vet decided to try first when we started and he responds well to it so there is no real reason for us to change at this time. It also works well for me since it seems to be a bit more flexible in shot times than lantus which again works with my schedule.
 
Welcome! I echo Melanie - Thank you for considering adopting. There's not a lot of people out there that want to learn the sugar dance to adopt an already 'extra sweet' baby. Our first diabetic, KT (crossed 2014), was diagnosed already belonging to us but we adopted our current sugarboy, Dakota (aka Doc) already diabetic and never regretted it. Just because his pancreas doesn't work right sure isn't a reason to not share a life with him. Doc's been diabetic for at least 7 years, he's 15 years old now.

The only thing I can add to Melanie's post above is that I changed from Lantus insulin to Levemir insulin and have been very pleased with it.

Welcome again!
 
How wonderful of you to consider adopting a sugarcat!!

I'll add one thing to what's already been said though....there is nothing like the relationship you develop with your sugarcat. We all think we love our pets as much as we possibly can....then we get the diabetes diagnosis and learn there's an even higher level of love and commitment we go to. The bond between a sugarcat and it's caretaker is something very special and unique
 
Thank you so much everyone! This is all very helpful (and comforting!).

Happy to take litter recommendations--I've seen good things about Dr. Elsey's and feline pine, but saw some amazon reviews that suggested the feline pine formula has changed significantly, so I'm not sure.
The travel info is great too; unfortunately, the trips are not very kitty friendly (whirlwind hiking trips, moving my stuff from school to home, and international), but it's awesome to know we could potentially ask vet techs for help.

Insulin is on my mind because she's currently on Vetsulin, and I am scared to death of the shorter acting insulin causing hypo when no one is home to help.
Long story short, she was diagnosed in 2013, but her previous person decided to stop giving insulin for a few months before surrendering her. She just started insulin about 2 weeks ago after wet food only brought her down into the 300s. I don't know if it's too late for remission, but we are hoping for a longer lasting insulin at the very least.

I have such a soft spot in my heart for the animals who might spend a long time in shelters waiting for their forever home. Squeaky, you totally hit the nail on the head--this cat deserves a loving forever home; we just want to make sure we're capable of giving her the one she deserves before we say yes!
 
Hi, C, welcome to FDMB! :) I am so happy to hear that you are considering adopting a sugar kitty! As Chris (Chris and China) said, the relationship you build with your diabetic cat is a very deep and special one that you will truly come to cherish.

Look for a vet who understands that you want to be an active, "hands-on" participant in your kitty's treatment. You want a vet who is supportive of home testing, and who recognizes that you know your cat better than anyone else and is willing to listen to your input. I has to leave my old vet because we just could not come to terms regarding anything relating to my sugar baby. I called around to do phone interviews, and lucked into an awesome vet!

I don't travel much, but when I do I am lucky to have family members who will help with care. My cat has been on Vetsulin since his Dx (6/15) and, until recently, has done extremely well on it. I don't know why we are having issues now, but I am planning a switch to Lantus to see how that works for us.

You obviously know how rewarding it is to adopt a kitty from a shelter or rescue; I think you may find that adopting a diabetic cat may be more rewarding than you can imagine! :) :cat:
 
I want to give you the biggest hug in the world for considering adopting the little sugar cat who has put its little paws around your heart. :bighug::bighug::bighug:

I know that you're worried about grieving again. Many years ago, not long after I adopted Saoirse and her brother (and I already had another two rescues - brother and sister, too) my then boyfriend counselled me not to get too attached to my little ones after he saw how devastated his sister was after losing her dog. I understood why he spoke this way but it made no difference whatsoever to my relationship with my cats. My reasoning was thus: the odds were that I would outlive all of my little ones but wouldn't I be an awful eejit to miss out on all the years of love in order to reduce the future pain when we would most likely be parted. I lost Saoirse's brother to a motorist - two weeks before their third birthday. I can truly say that I have never experienced more excruciating pain in all my life (not even when I lost my father, whom I adored). I cried every single day for over 18 months (then most days, then every other day, then ...). Even while I was grieving Ammie's loss I lost my Tara due to poor veterinary advice less than 5 months later (she was only six). A number of years later I lost my Danú at seven years of age - again to a veterinary screw-up. None of these tragedies have ever stopped me from loving my little ones with every cell in my body. The joy of sharing life with my little ones completely eclipses the pain of the losses I have experienced and will most likely experience again. I feel beyond blessed for my feline childer - they have enriched my life more than anything else I have ever known. I do not regret for one minute allowing myself to fall hook, line and sinker in love with every one of them. Even when they go, the love always remains more powerful than the pain.

I'll close by saying that, through caring for Saoirse since she became diabetic because I have been able to make a really significant difference to her well-being (with a lot of help from FDMB members) it has helped me to better come to terms with the loss of Tara and Danú. In caring, there is healing.

As Chris says above, the bond between a sugar and its Person can be intensely rewarding - possibly one of the most intimate and loving relationships you will ever experience with another living being. Both you and the little sugar you have found have gifts to give each other: I do hope that it is in the stars for you to be together.



Mogs
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Thank you all again, so very much, for all of your help!
Mogs, I am so sorry for your losses. I know I would fall head over heels the second she came home, but the fear of loss is very real! The desire to help and give her a wonderful life for as long as she has left outweighs that, though :)

One last question, and I promise I will stop bugging you all! (For now...) How many people work full time jobs while caring for diabetic cats?
It seems like a decent number of people on the forum work from home or are retired, so I'm concerned about leaving her alone often. (J has a 9-5 with occasional nights/weekends, but I will have longer and less predictable hours when my job starts.)
We adore her and would be thrilled to adopt her, but I want to be sure that us adopting is what is best for her, not just what we want. If she would do better in a home with someone more frequently there with her, I would want to know. (Apologies for being a chronic overthinker!)

Thank you all again for your time and thoughtful responses. It has been a huge comfort to me to have you all to talk to!
 
I work full time and am gone from the house most days between 8am and 6pm in general. I also have many unpredictable hours which I think is why Prozinc is a good insulin for Fern since it is less necessary to always be at 12 hours. My extra BG checks come on the weekends or say a pre-bed check. I also am more conservative during the week than I am on the weekends when it comes to a dose decision.

I will say don't worry if you are the "best" home for her. You can only do your best, you don't have to be perfect. Someone who will love her, take a chance on her and care for her is the best place for her to be. (And it sounds like she would do very well with you).
 
C&J said:
appy to take litter recommendations--I've seen good things about Dr. Elsey's and feline pine, but saw some amazon reviews that suggested the feline pine formula has changed significantly, so I'm not sure.
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Dr Elsey's has not been as consistent in their quality lately as I would like, but it is still the only litter I will use. Best clumping, odor control, and low dust we have had.

We are supposed to have full time jobs :oops: Luckily we both have flexibility in our jobs and schedules so it works for us.

It sounds like you already know quite a bit about bringing a sugar cat into your home. Might be meant to be ;)
 
C&J welcome to FDMB and how wonderful that you are considering adopting a sugar kitty! The fact that you are here trying to puzzle out if this will be a good fit for her and you, tells me you are wonderful pet parents and would make the most wonderful sugar parents if you decide you are up to it! It really isn't as hard as you think it will be!

I fully understand your apprehension about leaving a sugar cat for a vacation or other necessary travel. I coach a Special Olympics curling team. We are off to the Canadian National Winter Games in another province very soon (all good wishes for my team's success appreciated!:D) so I will be away for a week and I admit this has increased my anxiety a bit but then I have always fretted about how my furkids will fare while I am away even before FD.

I found a friend who is willing to test and give shots and do all the other necessary kitty care for me while I am away. We started training a while back to make sure she felt comfortable dealing with my Menace and that Menace was Ok with my friend. I supervised at first but now we are doing dry runs. My friend comes by and I leave, she tests and gives shot and I return. Works like a charm! And while in my usual fashion I will no doubt be wondering how my kitties are doing while I'm gone, I am confident that my friend can keep Menace safe in my absence.

I recently also found out that one of the vet techs at my vet's office will come by to do shots too so I personally have not found it too hard to deal with those out of town situations. Perhaps you could check with some friends who love animals and see if someone in the group would be willing to become a backup caregiver for those times when you just can't be there.

Again, I applaud you for considering adopting one of these sweet little furry critters! :joyful:
 
Ferndoc said:
I will say don't worry if you are the "best" home for her. You can only do your best, you don't have to be perfect. Someone who will love her, take a chance on her and care for her is the best place for her to be. (And it sounds like she would do very well with you).
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I'm not crying, it's just dusty in here :')

Chris, that link is perfect and a huge comfort! Thank you everyone for sharing how you accommodate work and travel. Linda, good luck to your team! I'm sure you will do great!

You all have been so welcoming and helpful, and I could not be more grateful! J might pop in and ask a few questions at some point. But I feel like we can do this! :joyful:
 
If y'all insist! ;)

She's estimated to be between 8 and 10 years old. Surrendered to a local shelter with a fishy story about a roommate abandoning her... conveniently forgot to mention she was diabetic. Thankfully, the shelter spotted her symptoms, and she's in great hands with an absolutely lovely foster dad. The shelter posted about her on facebook and a friend commented on it, so I wound up seeing it.
J met her yesterday (I'm stuck ~1200 miles away at school until mid-March). Blurry pictures and a video indicate she's a wiggler, squirming all over the place and wrapping herself around limbs while being petted. Was super sweet despite being out of her element in a pet store for the meet up. Foster dad says she likes lap time and toys, and takes her shots like a champ!
Every new piece of info from foster dad makes me fall harder. My Molly was sight-impaired (eventually my favorite little pirate after the bad eye was removed), and this one has slight cataracts. She tears into her foster siblings' dry food and treat bags; I, too, eat anything left easily accessed in the house. I could go on!
At the point where you're taking everything as a sign that you should adopt... well. :D

Edit: initially had picture but realized foster dad might not want his lap on the internet! She's a tortie with permanently dilated pupils from the cataracts, aka a cartoon character in real life. So cute!
 
Adopting a diabetic can can be very rewarding. I used to work full time and had many diabetic cat. One time I had five diabetic cats.
I am now retired and only have three insulin-dependent diabetic cats. Another one stopped needing insulin.
I have adopter 14 diabetic cats so far, the latest being less than three weeks ago. He, BunBun, was a surrender at a local shelter.
 
C&J said:
Every new piece of info from foster dad makes me fall harder.
Click to expand...
She sounds like a real honey and very deserving of a forever home with pet parents like you! As Chris said, there is NOTHING like the relationship you have with a sugar kitty so if you are smitten now, just wait! Every time I call my girl for her test/shot and she comes and hops up in one of her "spots" and gets ready, she melts my heart! Sometimes she comes, demands attention and leads me to her "spot" just before test time. Who knew she could tell time!? :woot:
 
Sorry for coming late to the party but thought I would throw in my two cents...THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING ADOPTING A SUGARCAT! I can absolutely guarantee it will be a decision you will never regret. How do I know? Because I have done it 5 times! My original Muse who was already my kitty when she was first dxed has been playing at the Rainbow Bridge for almost 7 years now. But since she earned her wings Lord Maxwell, Musette, Autumn, Casanova and Quillan have joined my motley band. Out of those 5...3 are still with me, Lord Maxwell is about to celebrate 7 years insulin free, Musette unfortunately followed her namesake to the Bridge after only a year with me, but diabetes did not steal her from me...anemia from an unknown source that a vet completely missed did, Casanova is headed for his second remission and takes a mere drop of insulin, but it was Miss Autumn that finally proved to me just how special the bond is between Sugarcat and Guardian is. She was a complete train wreck when I adopted her, so much so that the first day she was with me I laid on the bathroom floor with her and cried for her. But in our 4 years together she stole my heart and soul completely. She was not the easiest cat to love, she was old and cranky, she had been a former barn cat and she was a tortie, complete with tortietude. But we became so much more than cat and owner. We became dance partners, and oh what a beautiful dance we had for 4 lovely years. She was as completely devoted to me as I was to her.

This past November she stopped eating, and began to hide, and then finally told me in no uncertain terms that she was ready to leave me and fly away to the Bridge. She was now 20 years old. Pretty much older than any cat I had ever shared my home and heart with. So I fulfilled the promise I made her the day I met her, and I set her free of her failing body. And while she took a huge chunk of my heart that day, I held it together pretty well, until 7p.m. rolled around, which had always been our test, feed and shoot time. When it hit that there was no longer anyone here to test, or draw insulin for, all the tears that I had held back broke over the dam. Not only was I missing the love of my life, I was missing our dance. Now I've been very blessed with an extremely smart husband, who first just let me melt down, then gently suggested I at least go 'look' at adoptable diabetics. This is the same man that a mere 2 weeks prior was saying no more, not only no more kitties (we had 17 at the time) but absolutely not another diabetic...but now was not only suggesting that I 'look' but if I found someone I like to put in an application to adopt. Well look I did and at first nothing caught my eye, I thought I was looking for another tortie, or maybe another Himalayan like my beloved Muse..then one very late night I'm scrolling down DCIN's FB posts still now seeing anyone that caught my eye and took my breath away...and then very close to the bottom of the page, lost among dozens of beautiful sugarcats a pair of pale peridot greens eyes on a deep red face made me stop breathing, I KNEW this cat was the ONE! But again my heart sank....I'm in Nebraska and my dreamboat was in Canada, and worse yet he was on a kill list...Was he still alive? Would the shelter adopted him out to someone not only out of state but in a different country? And if they would how the heck was I going to get him to me? Our truck which is fine for short in-town driving would not make a long road trip, and I couldn't even it the truck would as I had a bottle fed kitten to think of, plus all the rest of our zoo. But I at least had to ask...DCIN came through like a champ, Yes they could get him to me if I really really wanted him...And I did! So on November 16, 2016 a 10 year old lovely red long-haired tabby was sprung from death row, and started his journey to a little back woods rural Nebraska town..And the day his paws touched the floor at my home, he walked out of his carrier, refused to stay in his foster room, (leaping over 3 stacked baby gates) went nose to nose with all his new brothers and sisters including my 127lb drooler...And basically said "What took you so long Mom?" Not a day as passed since that I have regretted my decision to start dancing all over again....and when my current herd thins out some...we will be doing it again and again and again.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Mel, thank you so much for sharing your heartbreaking (in the good way!) story.

I suppose I should update everyone--we were approved for the adoption!!! It will be a little bit before we can get her home because of some scheduling difficulties, but she's in great hands with her foster dad, and y'all can expect frantic "I have no idea what I'm doing" posts from us soon enough :)
Thank you so much to all of you for your reassurance that we could do this!
 
Yay! For the adoption approval and can't wait to see the She's Home! post from you. I promise this dance isn't hard at all...Oh sure at times its frustrating, and you'll feel like you have 2 left feet. But that is why we call it a dance, because just like trying to learn a new dance there will be times that you feel those 2 left feet, or step on your partner's toes, forget a step, or even fall on your butt. All of it is A-Okay, you just pick yourself up and dust yourself off and get right back on the dance floor. There is just one slight difference to this dance than any other....Only she can hear the music you will be dancing too. But here is the bonus for you since you've found us, we can teach you to hear that music and we will be standing on the sidelines cheering you both on and ready to catch you both should you stumble. But I will absolutely guarantee that in a couple months you will look back on these posts and think..."shoot this is easy, what the heck was I so worried about?"

BTW...does she have a name yet?

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Well done C&J for wanting to take this kitty into your home and your hearts. :bighug::bighug::bighug:

It is true that looking after a diabetic kitty is a commitment. But the rewards can be profound. As others have said here, most folks form a really close bond with their 'sugar cats'.
And, with good care, and a little bit of luck, a diabetic cat can live as long and as happily as a non-diabetic cat.

When my cat was first diagnosed, at age 8, I was really scared that he was suddenly going to become weak and ill and that I would soon lose him. But in January he clocked up his ninth anniversary of being a diabetic cat on insulin. He's now 17 so I don't know how much longer I'll have with him, but he has had - and continues to have - a wonderful life. :)

Good luck!

Eliz
 
Thank you for considering adopting this sugar baby. I have had 4 diabetic cats, two I adopted knowing they were diabetic. If I did not already have a house full of pets, I would easily consider adopting another diabetic cat.

  • Do feline-only vet practices generally have better experience with FD? What kinds of questions should we be asking? We are blessed/cursed with many options in our area and are hoping for a shortcut around interviewing everybody.

My cats do go to a feline only vet, however I also have a very good vet for my dog. Both are very knowledgeable about FD and encourage their patient's owners to learn to home test. The best thing to do is ask questions such as their diet recommendations, do they support home testing and insulins they recommend. If their responses are similar to what you have already read on this board, then you probably have found a good vet.

  • How feasible is travel? Do you have good experiences boarding your diabetic cats, with vets or with boarding services? Is hiring in-home care (professional or family/friends) better? Does it depend on how long we'll be gone (3-5 days vs. 2 weeks)? We're not out of town every other week or anything, but we have a few trips planned--and paid for--before I start a job that will make travel difficult.

I was very fortunate that I had friends that also had experience with caring for diabetic cats, so they would take care of them when I was traveling. There were a few times I did need to board my diabetic cats and I always left written, very detailed instructions including testing before every shot with my meter.

  • Finding the right insulin: what made you decide to stick with your insulin or switch? Which types did you try? How much time did you give each one, and why?

The insulins that seem to work best for cats are long acting insulins like Lantus, Levmir, PZI and Prozinc. With any insulin you want to start at a low dose and slowly increase it in very small increments (1/2 unit) over a period of weeks, to find the optimal dose. Unless your cat is responding very poorly to the insulin, I always would give it at least 4 - 6 months before changing insulins. Also remember, diet also greatly affects glucose levels. If you are feeding high carb foods, the glucose readings will be higher.

  • What do you wish you knew before you had a diabetic cat (or any cat)? Are there any items you would recommend for a currently non-catproofed house (besides standard cat stuff like litter and box, and diabetes-specific stuff like honey for hypo)?

My house is not cat proofed. They rule the house and I am their slave. :D

At one time I had two diabetic cats at the same time, in addition to several other cats plus as special needs dog. Find a routine that works best for you. With me, it was to test each cat first, fix and give out their food and while they were eating, give their insulin. It added less than 5 minutes to my daily routine.
 
Oh yeah travel...now with 19 animals we obviously don't travel often, but since my husband is also a musician there are times that we need to be gone overnight, in those cases we hire a pet sitter for the dog and the non-diabetic cats, but our diabetics just travel with us. Both are leash trained and even though when we are actually on the road they travel in their own carriers, they are still wearing their harnesses and leashes. Just in case they escape or as has happened once, my husband didn't get the top and bottom of one's carrier latch together well and it fell apart as I lifted it out of the truck..Much easier to chase after and step on a dragging leash than to try to grab a scared cat on the run. We have even taken our sugarcats camping with us in the summer.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
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