Cat Diagnosed with Diabetes

[cocoanlace]

My 14-year-old cat, Sister, has consumed water excessively and peed a great amount for a few years. Tests showed she did not have diabetes. The vet said back then, she just drinks a lot and pees a lot. I should have gotten a second opinion. Just took her in for weakness in back legs and NOW the diagnosis is diabetes. I am so bummed.
I am hoping we can reverse the neuropathy in her legs. But I don't know how long she has had diabetes. I know the insulin routine as my cat Missy had diabetes and we reversed it. The difficult part with Sister will be transitioning to wet food. I have been working on her weight and got her from 16 to 14 pounds over the last two months with weight management Blue Buffalo dry.
Has anyone had a cat that had diabetic symptoms but tested negative? I am wondering if this was missed or it's possible to not show up in blood work or urinalysis.

 

[fionasmom]

Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Join now. This group is not only wonderful, but also have very in-depth information about feline diabetes. I am a member from my cat Stella, who passed away about a year and a half ago. They are probably in a position to answer your question in detail.

I have had two cats with diabetes, both treated for the condition, the first years ago with Humulin and the second with ProZinc with which I continued even when the vet no longer carried it. The question that you asking about false negatives in testing is one in which I am not well versed because both of my cats were diagnosed positive on the first attempt so I never considered the what if scenario.

Hamy, the first cat, was never overweight and never exhibited neuropathy. Stella, the second, definitely had neuropathy exacerbated by her weight but we managed it for as long as she was able to continue. Both passed on at about 14 or so.

I am sorry that you have had this delay in helping your cat and certainly understand how you are feeling.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't attest to the neuropathy - hopefully other members will be able to offer some insight to that aspect. But, I did want to share the following with you. 1.) Feeby (16+ yo) is/has always been an avid water drinker and prolific pee'r - and she does not have diabetes. So, Sister's past drinking habits may not definitively tie to the current diabetes diagnosis. 2.) You can ask for copies of all of Sister's previous tests (they should be available to you and for free), and do your own research on the results to see if there is a pattern in the past that might shed light on whether or not she was a diabetic or in pre-diabetes before she was actually diagnosed. EDIT: Vets tend to look at results in terms of ranges, and not always to they go back to look for upward or downward trends. You might see that if you check out the results yourself.

I do want to say that getting Sister to lose 2 pounds in 2 months is a bit extreme. There are data that says 1 pound per month is OK - but no more. So, keep an eye on her as she loses more weight and slow it down a bit. The less she weighs the less she should lose over any short period of time. Also, when is the last time you tried wet food with Sister? I only ask because Feeby used to a dry food only cat, and I started giving her some wet food as well. Before I knew it, she stopped eating the dry food altogether and now only eats canned food. It seems after being on dry food all the time, pate now works best for her.

 

[cocoanlace]

Feeby (16+ yo) is/has always been an avid water drinker and prolific pee'r - and she does not have diabetes. So, Sister's past drinking habits may not definitively tie to the current diabetes diagnosis.
I do want to say that getting Sister to lose 2 pounds in 2 months is a bit extreme. There are data that says 1 pound per month is OK - but no more. So, keep an eye on her as she loses more weight and slow it down a bit. The less she weighs the less she should lose over any short period of time. Also, when is the last time you tried wet food with Sister? I only ask because Feeby used to a dry food only cat, and I started giving her some wet food as well. Before I knew it, she stopped eating the dry food altogether and now only eats canned food. It seems after being on dry food all the time, pate now works best for her.

Thanks, that is interesting about Feeby drinking/peeing so much. I was surprised/concerned about the 2 pound weight loss as well. I have a baby scale. She will be using it regularly. I no longer allow her to graze, but there were nights I fell asleep with dry food bowls still out because I was waiting for her brother's appetite to kick in after a barf-o-rama day. I picked up several different brands of pate wet food at the mom and pop pet store, each recommended for diabetic cats. Vet wants carbs at 7%. Sister's interest in wet food has been to suck up the juice off Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers which I use to get Miralax into them. Glad to hear Feeby adapted so easily. My first diabetic cat, Missy, would eat anything you put in front of her so it was no problem. My concern with Sister is that she MUST eat in order to get her insulin shot.

 

[cocoanlace]

Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Join now. This group is not only wonderful, but also have very in-depth information about feline diabetes. I am a member from my cat Stella, who passed away about a year and a half ago. They are probably in a position to answer your question in detail.

I will join that group. Thanks. Dr. Laura put Sister on Lantus. That is the expensive stuff. WalMart, CVS and CostCo quoted me $314 to $340 for a tiny 10ML vial. Lantus is the insulin that reversed my cat, Missy's, diabetes in 5 weeks in 2018. Of course, hers was caught early. Thankfully, CVS at Target found a discount card and I paid $99. :0)

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sister's interest in wet food has been to suck up the juice off Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers which I use to get Miralax into them.

That is why I mentioned the pate style canned food - don't know whether it had anything to do with it, but Feeby did the same thing (lapping off the 'juice' on any gravy related chunky foods) - I assume something to do with her having been on dry for so long? So, the pates seem to work better. I still have to pile and re-pile the pates as she seems to flatten them out and will stop eating until I scoop it back up. I also use bone broth as an added enticer when I have to.

Another thing to consider is baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) or lickable treats for any oral meds (including Miralax). Feeby will take any med as long as one of these are her mediums. I have even given her meds that made her foam at the mouth when given alone, but when added to these types of things, she readily eats them. The baby food meats have nothing in them other than meat and water. The lickable treats are a mere 4 or 5 calories per tube, and I only need 1/2 of one to give Feeby her meds.

 

[LTS3]

I will join that group. Thanks. Dr. Laura put Sister on Lantus. That is the expensive stuff. WalMart, CVS and CostCo quoted me $314 to $340 for a tiny 10ML vial. Lantus is the insulin that reversed my cat, Missy's, diabetes in 5 weeks in 2018. Of course, hers was caught early. Thankfully, CVS at Target found a discount card and I paid $99. :0)

Tip: don't buy the expensive 10 ml bottle. You're barely going to make a dent in it before it loes effectivness or goes bad in a month or so. Buy the Lantus SoloStar pens instead. A box contains five 3 ml pens which is basically a 5 month supply you have on hand. I don't know the current cost of a box of pens. You don't use the pen the way a Human diabetic does. The pen has a rubber stopper at the end that the pen needle is attached to but you just stick a regular insulin syringe into it and draw up insulin like you would with a bottle.

From the FDMB web site:

You don't need to be fussy about making sure the cat eats before insulin can be given. I've used Lantus before and sometimes my cat wouldn't eat right away. I'd still test his blood glucose level and give insulin. I knew my cat would eventually eat within half an hour so I wasn't worried. It is best to stick with a "test - feed - give insulin" routine to start until you get more comfortable and know how your cat responds to the insulin and the appetite.

The leg neuropathy can be treated with methyl B12. One popular brand FDMB members use is Zobaline.

Any food with gravy is going to be high in carbs which is what you don't want to feed. High carbs elevate blood glucose levels and a higher dose of insulin may be needed. Low carb pate style foods are best. The FDMB can give you a list of popular brands to start with. Regular Fancy Feast Classic / Gourmet pates are low in carbs.

 

[cocoanlace]

Tip: don't buy the expensive 10 ml bottle. You're barely going to make a dent in it before it loes effectivness or goes bad in a month or
..
The leg neuropathy can be treated with methyl B12.

Thanks for the info on Zobaline. I will certainly consider that. Also, I was not aware of the insulin sticks until I read about them on the feline diabetes message board yesterday. I also read on that board that when using Lantus, you can keep it refrigerated and it will last for 5 or 6 months. My vet said the same thing. I hope so. Sister's is refrigerated.

 

[cocoanlace]

Another thing to consider is baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) or lickable treats

Thanks for all the suggestions. I sort of backed off on baby food because it gives my cats such bad constipation. That's why everyone gets a little Miralax with gravy in the morning. But I might use baby food in a pinch now that I have fiber capsules for them.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I sort of backed off on baby food because it gives my cats such bad constipation.

I wonder if that might be from the cornstarch that Gerber uses to 'solidify' the meat/water? If you can find Beechnut, it does not contain any cornstarch.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Didn’t have time to read all the replies. I have seen a cat with such a severe case of diabetic neuropathy that he couldn’t walk get better once the diabetes was controlled.
The gravy foods usually have a high carbohydrate level which you want to avoid. The pate varieties are better.
Are you home testing? If not, you should be if you can.

 

[LTS3]

Thanks for the info on Zobaline. I will certainly consider that. Also, I was not aware of the insulin sticks until I read about them on the feline diabetes message board yesterday. I also read on that board that when using Lantus, you can keep it refrigerated and it will last for 5 or 6 months. My vet said the same thing. I hope so. Sister's is refrigerated.

Yes, treat Lantus like liquid gold. It is such a fragile insulin. Handle carefully and store on a fridge shelf not on a door shelf. You may want to keep the box of Lantus in a small secondary box that is cushioned in some way for extra safety. There are protector sleeves and cases for insulin bottles to prevent breakage if dropped. A pen won't break if it's dropped but I know in the past from being on the FDMB that some people have reported the insulin not being as effective after the pen was dropped.

Does Lantus (pen or bottle) last 5 to 6 months now refrigerated? About 10 years ago a bottle wouldn't last a month before it pooped out and I had to buy another expensive bottle. My cat eventually got switched to Levemir insulin which worked a little better for him and it's a less fragile insulin. I used the Flexpens.