Water Needs

[Ellyn Renken]

My diabetic cat is out of control and I can't afford another vet bill. Not only does he drink huge amounts of water, but he will urinate on the kitchen linoleum. Thank goodness it isn't on the carpeting! I think he does it in his sleep. Dare I limit the amount of water i give him per day? He is always thirsty and I let him drink all he wants. He is a big 19 lb. cat. It has been very hot here and I do not have air conditioning so I feel he needs a lot of fluid. What to do. I'm getting desperate!

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Dare I limit the amount of water i give him per day? He is always thirsty and I let him drink all he wants.

Hi Ellyn,

No, please don't limit the amount of water available. He's drinking the water because he needs to drink the water.

It sounds like his blood glucose levels are still pretty high. That glucose is excreted in the urine, but through 'osmosis' that also causes more water to be drawn out of the body. This is why cats with high blood glucose pee so much, and why they get so thirsty.
The solution is not to reduce the water that's available, but to reduce the blood glucose levels.

Are you willing to try to learn to test your cat's blood glucose at home? This could make managing your cat's diabetes SO much easier....

Best wishes,

Eliz

 

[Owen & Ceci]

Hi Ellyn!
And which are his glucose levels?
I think that if he drinks and pees that much it must be that his levels are very high!
That's what happens with mine. It won't stop until his glucose level goes down.

 

[Callie & Patches]

I sounds like his diabetes is not anywhere under control. Elizabeth is right. You need to test his blood before he eats and has his insulin. Once you get the blood glucose under control, he wont need to see the vet so often.
Do you have a meter? Most people here use a human meter from Walmart because the strips are less expensive. Keep Asking questions and take the advice of the people here and it will be easier to take care of your sweet kitty.

 

[Olive & Paula]

Agree with the others. Sounds like diabetes is not controlled thus requiring more drinking. Assuming any urine infection has been ruled out. Home testing will let you know if more insulin is required. You don't need vets permission to home test.

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Just to add to what others have said. High blood glucose levels will definitely cause a greater need for water and much more urine output. Also many kitties when their glucose are high will pee outside of the box. The only other thing that could be a problem is if he has a UTI (urinary tract infection). If it is the high glucose levels causing the excess peeing and peeing outside the box, then your kitty is not being controlled well with the insulin.

If possible could you start home testing? That could help to tell whether the insulin you are using...I believe it is Vetsulin from reading your other posts..is working properly at the current dose. Also from your other posts it looks like you are using a prescription dry food. Dry foods, whether prescription or not tend to keep the glucose levels higher.

If you have any test results from the vet maybe you could post them along with some additional information, such as whether you are using Vetsulin, and what dose you started with and what dose you are currently at. All this data helps to put the "puzzle" together to get a clearer picture of what is happening.

BTW If you start home-testing it is MUCH cheaper than having to take your kitty to the vet for glucose curves or spot checks.