Tri-paw Diabetic Cat - Any help please?

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GioC

GioC

Member Since 2021
Hi,

I was just after a little advice on the best way to treat a diabetic cat that is also a tri-paw (as I like to call him). He had cancer 2 years ago and had to have a back leg amputated.


Mr Joshua is very high on the diabetes scale and I have been trying to sort this out with foods and certain herbal remedies.

Very concerned about Mr Joshua having insulin injections as even the vet said that he is quite a feisty cat and not all cats will tolerate you giving them this, especially if one lives on their own... (depending on how my cat reacts)

I have so far achieved the following...

Fructosamine Levels
25/03/2021 - 702
18/04/2021 - 654
10/05/2021 - 586

...obviously, we would still need to be seeing this come down by around 280 to get into safe zones.

Though this is going in the right direction, I am just trying to understand if the readings going down means that his body (especially the pancreas) is starting to improve by lowering the blood sugars, and more importantly, if he is not on insulin, would one still feed their cat only 2 times a day?

I am happy to write down his current diet and herbal remedies, if that helps others...

Thank you for any help that can be offered on this, and I apologise for making this my first post, here.
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB.

Can you tell us more about Mr Joshua current treatment for his diabetes? What insulin and dose is he currently getting? What are you feeding him? Are you home testing?

There are several things you can do to help get his glucose levels under control. The first is the insulin you are using. There are several good insulins that work well in cats - Lantus (glargine), Levemir (detemir), ProZinc and BCP PZI are examples. All of these are long acting insulins. The first two are used by people and the others are pet insulins. The insulins to avoid if possible are Vetsulin, Caninsulin, and Humulin are examples. These are short acting insulins and have quick and steep drops in glucose levels. With most cats a starting dose of 1/2 to 1 units is recommended and doses are only increased by 1/2 unit at at time, waiting several days between increases.

The next is home testing. This means testing his glucose levels before every shot and periodically between shots. You can use either a human or pet glucose meter for this. The human meters are less expensive to use, but they both work well. We can help you learn how to do this. You test before every shot to make sure if first, it is safe to give the dose and second, to see how well the dose is working. It is important not to give insulin without testing first. If his glucose levels are too low, you risk him becoming hypoglycemic if you give him insulin. This is very dangerous.

The last thing is diet. We recommend a low carb canned or raw food diets. The majority of dry foods, including prescription foods, are too high in carbs. Look for pate types of canned food. Avoid foods with gravy in them such as chunks, shreds and filets.

There is a lot of information on this site. Please start reading through the Health links and ask any questions you may have. Caring for diabetic cat is not difficult once you find the methods that work best for both of you. We can help you learn everything you need to know to care for Mr. Joshua.
 
Hi Lisa.

Thank you for your reply.

Mr Joshua currently isn't on insulin. The vets and I are trying but even she said when trying to show me, he is making things difficult and some cats just won't let you. We are trying to find a solution to this and have a meeting set up tomorrow... (again)

He is an adopted cat and once a person has scared him a little (ie, injecting him), then he just keeps away, never mind blood testing.

I have him on Lilys Kitchen Organic range.
I buy Organic chicken and add a little of this to his food so as to higher up the protein content... (Lilys Kitchen is actually very good and low carb anyway)
He has tuna
He also has Blood Sugar Gold to help stabilise his blood sugars
Milk Thistle drops in his food as this can help with his diabetes, especially any kidney issues due to diabetes

He does have the occasional treats, but even they are natural, chicken-based and almost all protein.

I have so far managed to bring it down just over 16% in 9 weeks without any insulin (from 702, to 586 as shown above) Obviously, not using insulin also bothers me due to possible damage to him.

The vet is aware of the problem with home testing and getting readings which is why they are looking at alternatives.

Thank you for mentioning about avoiding caninsulin as this is the one they are trying to put him on.

I am going to spend some time reading around, though must admit (like I am sure it is with everyone else), my head was in a spin with trying to deal with this, especially as I am having problems with insulin treatment.

My main question is, should a cat eat only two times a day, even if not on insulin treatment?
 
One option several members use for testing is the Freestyle Libre meter. A new meter is attached to the cat every couple of weeks and continuously checks glucose levels. The main issue I have seen is it not always staying on for two weeks.

Does he let you handle him easily? If so, you can train him to accept insulin shots and home testing. Bribery with a special low carb treat works for a lot of cats. :cat:

We can share with you various ways we have learned to get our cats to cooperate.
 
GioC said:
My main question is, should a cat eat only two times a day, even if not on insulin treatment?
Click to expand...

A cat can and should eat more than two times a day. I'll other members expand on this but most members here feed their cats mini-meals all throughout the day - 4 meals or more! :) Even without insulin treatment, a cat can (and IMO, should) eat more than twice a day.
 
April & Quincy said:
A cat can and should eat more than two times a day. I'll other members expand on this but most members here feed their cats mini-meals all throughout the day - 4 meals or more! :) Even without insulin treatment, a cat can (and IMO, should) eat more than twice a day.
Click to expand...
I agree. Diabetic cats bodies cannot process food properly and need extra food. As the glucose levels become more controlled, they will begin to eat less.
 
At those levels insulin is absolutely needed. He is running the risk of ketones and eventually organ failure. Some find it easiest to inject while they are eating. Start getting him used to having his scruff touched so it’s easier when it’s time to shoot.
 
Thank you so much for all the advice, this does help.

Yes, I admit to being a little scared about injecting Mr Joshua with Insulin, but his levels are still way too high and even if they did keep coming down at the rate they are, this will take months.

My reasoning for him eating only a few times a day was that even though the sugars would spike, they would have longer periods to settle. I still have a lot to learn and will keep taking on more information from here..

This is also why I considered feeding him twice a day. (Link)
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
One option several members use for testing is the Freestyle Libre meter. A new meter is attached to the cat every couple of weeks and continuously checks glucose levels. The main issue I have seen is it not always staying on for two weeks.

Does he let you handle him easily? If so, you can train him to accept insulin shots and home testing. Bribery with a special low carb treat works for a lot of cats. :cat:

We can share with you various ways we have learned to get our cats to cooperate.
Click to expand...
Sorry, still working out how to use this forum and just figured how to "quote" messages.

Thank you Lisa, I have looked into the meter that is attached, and no, handling him isn't too easy. Since he turned up to mine and adopted me, I have never really been able to pick him up. I don't know how he was treated before, but he will sit on my lap. Everything on his terms, obviously! :-)

Btw, I will mention to my vet about Lantus (glargine) as they mentioned Caninsulin and I have read from many places that glargine is the way to go, I just hope they offer it as an option.
 
Hi @GioC
Are in the UK? (You mention Lily's Kitchen food...)
Waving to you from Surrey! :bighug:

While the fructosamine levels have come down, they are still high. And if it becomes clear that a cat 'does' need insulin, then it is better to start it as soon as possible. The longer a cat is without insulin the harder it can be to get the blood glucose into a good range. And being in high blood glucose levels without insulin can pose some major health risks for kitty.

Most cats will be fine with insulin injections. It should not hurt them at all. And most cats will also be fine with having their blood glucose tested at home (as daunting as this may sound at first).

There are two links in my signature at the bottom of this comment. One is to a page of UK information on feline diabetes. The other is a link to a list of low carb foods in the UK. I'm pretty sure the Lily's Kitchen foods are all low carb. But you may also see some others on the list that you might want to try.

Was Mr Joshua on a higher carb diet prior to switching to Lily's Kitchen?

Eliz
 
I would recommend you test Mr Joshua’s urine daily for ketones at the moment as he is not in insulin. This will pick up any ketones.
Diabetic cats not getting insulin are prone to ketones. Make sure he is eating well, food is also important in combatting ketones.
 
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