Hoping for advice on my cat situation!

Hello!  I am hoping anyone could give me some advice on my cat situation.

Sadly, I have to get rid my cat that I have had for 10 years.  I  can no longer afford to take care of her.  I haven't  been able to afford to take care of her for a long time, but have continued to because I love her so much!  She is about 10 years old and has been diabetic for the last six years.  I give her two shots a day and also special diabetic food.  She is a feral and very timid cat.  She is very sweet, but also VERY shy and scares easily.  She runs under the couch when I have company.  Even after 10 years, she is still cautious around me.  She will let me pet her, but has never been the kind of cat that will snuggle or sleep on, with or near me.

Normally, someone in this situation might put her on Craigslist and someone might be willing to take care of her.  The problem is she is so shy that I could have people come look at her and she would be terrified and run away.  It is a hard sell for anyone to take in a diabetic cat, but even more with a cat who is not exactly a people person.

I haven't tried Craigslist yet.  I have contacted local adoption agencies and no one will take her with her health issues. 

I am at all total loss at what to do right now.  I am struggling to meet ends meet financially.  I am behind on so much!  My family just says that I should put her down, but I could never take away her life over money!  I'm just really heartbroken and hoping anyone has any suggestions.

Thank you for reading this!  Please know that I am not asking for money or anything like that!  I am really just looking for advice!

Thank you!

Have you put her on low carb wet food?  I have a food controlled diabetic cat meaning if he eats the right stuff he stays in normal range, if he steals some dry food he will spike up in sugar level.  I do not see how a new person can do shots if the cat is so shy would be fear in your case.

Honestly, if you absolutely can't find a way to keep her, it would be best to have her put to sleep . It doesn't sound like she would adjust to a new home at all, it would be cruel to her to try. That is, IF you could even find someone willing to take her, and since it's nearly impossible to re-home an adult cat with no problems, I don't think there's much chance of that, unfortunately.

I agree that a low-carb food may help stabilize her blood sugar (sadly, we can't always trust that the prescription foods will do what they claim to do :/), perhaps she could get by on less insulin.

This is a really tough situation you are in and my heart goes out to you over this. I do think with her health issues, shyness and age, it will be hard to find a place for her BUT it is possible. I am not sure where you live, as that matters too. I am lucky in that I know of a few great foster only rescues. There are people out there that may be willing to take your cat in. A lot of good people but can be hard to find. I think the more calls you make, the more doors might open. :cross: It may be very stressful for her, though, having her life turned upside down this way. I am sad to say, that I would tend to agree with Willowy in that if you really can't find a way to keep her or find a "suitable" situation for her (no shelter) then the last option is the hardest one but may be the best you can do for her. I think you may be able to find someone for her but it will take much work on your part. All my best.

Try contacting Diabetic Cats In Need to see if they can either help you financially with the diabetes treatment, or help you find another home for your girl (wouldn't be ideal though).

They will also give you a plethora of advice on how to keep costs down (starting with diet! If you're feeding prescription food, that will be the first thing to ditch.)

Good luck! I have a diabetic myself (10 yrs and counting) and couldn't imagine giving him up.