My cat has diabetes.. I could use some advice.

Well hello everyone. My cat was diagnosed with diabetes last year. I opted to treat her versus having her put down because it just seemed silly to have her put down over something so simple. I give her insulin twice a day and put her on Purina D/M wet and dry, and everything has been fine. She put weight back on, her urine started to look normal, and she became her old self once again  

I was supposed to take her back in so they could do a curve and test her all day, but I wasn't in the financial position to do so at the time. Like I said up till now she was doing great.

Now she is starting to lose weight again, and her pee is back to how it was before. I have 2 other cats and hers just looks different in the litter box.

I bought a glucometer and called the vet to get some advice. They told me it was a human meter and wouldn't work on her. Then tried to sell me one for $115, or to bring her in so they could do it for $150. Well I am even worse off now than I was before and that is just too much money to spend at the moment.

I also changed her food because the stuff they were selling me was too expensive and from some of the reading I have done is junk. I have been feeding her what my other cats eat, Blue Buffalo Wilderness dry food, and also give her wet food at night every few days, either the Blue Buffalo Wilderness, or Wellness core. I try to mix it up, but try to get the stuff that is mostly grain free.

Anyways I have read a lot online about the glucometer and some places say its ok to use a human meter. Is that ok? I am also concerned if it will give me different readings than a cat specific meter and don't want to give her too much or too little insulin based on these readings. I am basically going to call the vet with my readings and ask them how much more insulin I need to give her based off these readings and don't want to give them false information.

Also I changed her diet after she started to lose the weight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If you haven't had your cat assessed since last year when she was diagnosed, it's time to have your cat re-assessed. Your cat is having diabetic issues, and it's time for a vet visit. A fructosamine test may tell the vet more than a glucose curve. A fructosamine test gives an overall view of how the cat is handling glucose, not like a glucometer which just gives a current reading.

Glocuse testing can be done with a human glucometer. I use one for my diabetic cat.  Here is an excellent site for information on diabetes and glucometers and everything else diabetic: http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-test.htm (the website is running a bit slow these days on my computer)

However, every glucometer reads slightly different. It is best to sync your glucometer with the one your vet uses. When the vet tech takes a reading, ask to be present and ask to do a reading on your glucometer from the same drop of blood. In my case, the vet's glucometer reads higher. Once you have found out what the difference is between your machine and the vet's, you can then do a glucose curve at home and take that to the vet for analysis.

Litter box: how is it different? Is she drinking more water than usual? Does she spend lots of time hugging the water bowl? Never refuse her access to water. She's thirsty because the kidneys need the water to flush out the glucose.

Is your cat showing signs of peripheral neuropathy and is it getting worse? It's an incredible effort to re-gain use of back legs.

Too little insulin is better than too much. You don't want to put your cat into insulin shock (emergency trip to the vet and very, very scary).

Litter box: Her pee is harder to clean than the other cats. I use clumping litter and it turns almost clay like and sticks to the litter box and is just harder to clean compared to the other cats.

She does spend time hoarding the water bowl, but we have a big bowl and it is always full. I am not sure if she drinks more than usual, but she does sit by it more often.

And her back legs are just fine.

Basically she is having the same problems as before we started her on her insulin.

Then it's time for a re-assessment. And once you know exactly what's going on, you can go forward and monitor her more closely with your glucometer. Good luck.

This site has helped my friend whose cat has diabetes.  Great info.  Hope it's helpful for you.





http://binkyspage.tripod.com/index.html   "Binky's Page"





I hope your girl feels better.

Hi

I am sorry your cat is ill.

I didn't read every reply so this may have already been said.

A glucose curve at a vet hospital on a cat is useless, in my opinion. Cats Glucose levels will go up with stress. Any time the cat leaves the home they are stressed. Much better that you learn how to do it at home. A human glucometer is fine. You can get a drop of blood from the tiny vein in the ear flap that runs along the outside of the ear. Use a flash light to shine through the ear so you can see it better. if it is still hard to see warm the ear with a warm cotton ball etc. to increase circulation. Also put a tiny bit of vasoline on the inside where you are going to be getting your sample. It helps for the blood to bead up into a drop that you can get on your glucometer. Do everything quick and do not hold your cat down or cause any undo stress to your cat.

Glargine Lantus insulin is a very good insulin for cats and I have seen cats go into remission after using it for a few months. The type of insulin has to be ordered by your vet and if your vet is not familiar with that type it is best you don't use it as the dosing is a bit different than the others,

Insulin is only good for a limited amount of time even when kept in the fridge. Could your insulin have expired? I do strongly feel it does, when properly handled, last longer than the bottle states. Usually it will last 6 months if kept in the fridge. You must protect from light. Do not ever shake or you can render it ineffective. You must slowly roll it in your hands before drawing it up.

Has your insulin changed?

If your cat is showing signs right now of not being regulated, you really should get to the vet ASAP for a blood work up. It isn't the glucose I would be concerned with because it can be checked at home. It is the kidney, although you need 70 % loss of function for it to show up in the blood, but also the thyroid level should be checked. If money is a concern I would skip the fruitosamine for now as it is a costly test. The thing I worry about is your cat having or going into diabetic ketoacidosis which is life threatening. So it is best to have kitty checked in the morning. If that is not possible call your vet and try to explain the situation to them and see if they will work with you. Often some will if you are already a client. I would hope that a vet would not let their diabetic patient go without treatment. But then again......

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that what goes up must come down. So do not alter insulin doses without talking to your vet. I have seen allot of people get into trouble doing this as they will start to yo yo the cat.

As for the food if money is a concern there are some fancy feast canned foods that can be fed to a diabetic. Some of the websites will tell you which ones but I am sure it is the classic variety and chicken. But real important that your cat eat. It is always better for your cat to eat the wrong cat food then to eat no cat food.

I hope this helps for now. Make sure cat has access to all the water they need until the vet opens.

Good luck and I hope all works out ok