Uncontrolled diabetes, distended abdomen and litter box issues.. HELP!

Hi there! We are absolutely desperate for anything to help our poor sweet Lou! So quick background.. Lou will be 11 this month and has 1 kitty sister Ellie (turning 9 this month) and 3 human sisters (5, 2, and 2 months). Lou was diagnosed with diabetes about 5 months ago after we noticed he seemed lethargic, ravenous and constantly thirsty. He was started on Vetsulin with minor improvement, then about 6-8ish weeks later had some type of GI upset (we think maybe he ate some food shipped via Amazon that was damaged in transit and arrived with several cans open.. the cans were (stupidly) placed on the kitchen island for several days in order to photograph and return). He had diarrhea for several days and minimal appetite so his vet put him on appetite stimulant and probiotic (stool tests came back fine). Vetsulin never quite got his blood sugar under control so we switched to Lantus after about 8-10 weeks. His sugars are still not under control despite currently receiving 5 units x2/day of Lantus insulin and has started to develop neuropathy in his back legs (more weak and wobbly, walking on heels vs toes). My big concerns recently have been his sudden litter box issues as well as his distended abdomen... he had an abdominal ultrasound which showed his belly distention) was due to gas (not a tumor, thank god) but we’re still having litter box issues... we have 3 boxes for our 2 cats and have never ever had an issue until recently. He frequently misses the litter box when urinating but lately has been peeing and pooping in seemingly random places (peed on my bed twice, peed and pooped in my kids play tent several times, peed and pooped in the middle of the carpet ..) ... Lou is my first baby and I have and will do anything any everything I can for him to live the happiest life possible ... I am just at a loss as to the cause of these issues (uncontrolled diabetes, distended abdomen, and litter box issues) and what to do about it ... has anyone else experienced anything like this?? Anyone have any advise?? Thank you!!

I dont know if it’s related but I should also mention that in the 6 months since he began showing symptoms and was diagnosed, 2/3 floors of our house were torn apart and put back together because of a leak and we also had a new baby

 

Welcome Eliza and Lou!

I assume you’re not home testing, right? Your story is very similar to Minnie’s journey. I wasn’t home testing and relying on the spot checks at the vet only. She kept increasing Minnie’s Lantus dose to about 4-5 and still she developed severe neuropathy and was unregulated. The peeing and pooping out of the litter box are a side effect of the neuropathy. The nerves on the back legs get so damaged it’s painful for them to go in and out of it and almost impossible really. Minnie got to the point that she would pee wherever she happened to be laying down at. Pooping is even harder since it takes a lot of back leg strength when they are crouching down so Minnie would frequently end up sitting on her poop before she was finished and I had to clean her up almost daily. It was a trying time for sure so I know what you’re going through. I had to place pee pads all over the house. The good news is neuropathy is reversible once the diabetes is regulated. And in order to get there you really need to home test. It was only when I found this forum and started testing Minnie daily that I was able to find the right insulin dose and get her regulated. The other issue is most vets increase the dose by full units and we here recommend doing it by 1/4 units so you don’t move right past the ideal dose. Would you be willing to try to home test? We can teach you and also provide you with great tips to make it as easy as possible on both you and Lou

One last thought, an apetite stimulant won’t work if Lou is nauseated. Did they prescribe you an anti nausea like Cerenia or ondansetron as well? What probiotic is he on? S Boulardii is the best one for controlling the stool. Lastly, how is his weight? Did he lose a lot or is he pretty much the same? Unregulated diabetic cats can’t process the nutrientes in food well and are always starving event when they eat and will still lose weight.

 

Have you asked the vet why his abdomen is distended? Can you copy and paste in a pic of her belly? Is it round like a pot belly pig? My cat who had acro had that.