Hello, Just found out from the vet that our six yr old feline has diabetes. Going to the vet on Monday to be taught how to give her insulin. I am a retired RN who know how to give a good injection but no on a cat. I am concerned as to how she will react. She is pretty savvy and know when we are trying to catch her. How do you do it?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Diabetes
- Thread starter Vicky92
- Start Date
First of all, you should join the Feline Diabetic Message Boards.
Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
They are really kind people and very knowledgeable about cat diabetes and everything to manage it.
I have had two diabetic cats. The first was a former feral who was now indoor only, but still had been a very skittish cat and was not overly affectionate. The second was a real sweetheart who loved to interact with me...so no problem.
All that you have to do is to give a subcutaneous injection by raising the skin at the back of the neck into a little tent; once you raise the skin poke you finger in a tiny bit. Then just give the injection. As you know from being a nurse, the syringe for insulin is tiny and small, nothing like lactated ringer solutions. In the case of the first cat I just walked up to her and lightly took her upper back in my hand; it worked for three years of insulin administration.
Even if your cat is hard to catch, I don't know that I think either of my cats ever felt the injection.
Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
They are really kind people and very knowledgeable about cat diabetes and everything to manage it.
I have had two diabetic cats. The first was a former feral who was now indoor only, but still had been a very skittish cat and was not overly affectionate. The second was a real sweetheart who loved to interact with me...so no problem.
All that you have to do is to give a subcutaneous injection by raising the skin at the back of the neck into a little tent; once you raise the skin poke you finger in a tiny bit. Then just give the injection. As you know from being a nurse, the syringe for insulin is tiny and small, nothing like lactated ringer solutions. In the case of the first cat I just walked up to her and lightly took her upper back in my hand; it worked for three years of insulin administration.
Even if your cat is hard to catch, I don't know that I think either of my cats ever felt the injection.
Definitely join the FDMB to get a wealth of knowledge from other diabetic cat owners
You're still welcome to stay here on TCS and ask about other aspects of cat care, share pictures and videos of your cat, and join in the fun in the Lounge 
Most insulins are typically given with a meal. While the cat is busy eating, you can test the blood glucose level and give insulin before the cat is done. When I had a diabetic cat, the whole process of testing and giving insulin took less than a minute to do. My cat didn't notice a thing.
Since you were a nurse, you must know the importance of testing blood glucose levels especially before giving insulin. Blindly giving a full dose of insulin without knowing what the blood glucose level is can result in hypoglycemia in a few short hours. A blood sample is typically taken from the edge of the ear. Most people use any Human blood glucose meter that uses a teeny blood drop less than 1 microliter in size. Some people do use pet specific meters but the test strips are not sold in pharmacies / stores so one needs to make sure to have an unexpired supply on hand and buy more as needed.
Also, diet is a very important part of managing cat diabetes just like it is for Human diabetics. Think "kitty Atkins" diet: low carb high protein food. You do not need expensive prescription food no matter what the vet says. There's nothing special in prescription diabetic food that makes it any better than commercial cat food. In fact, most prescription foods are super high carb and filled with very poor quality ingredients. The best kind of food to feed is low carb canned food. There are many brands one can choose from: Fancy Feast Gourmet / Classic, Friskies, Blue Buffalo, etc. Some people choose to feed raw or home cooked but that is preference. If you can change diet before starting insulin that would be helpful. Sometimes a simple change from the old diet to low carb canned food only is enough to lower blood glucose levels from diabetic level to normal level in some cats and no insulin is needed at all.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Thank you so much, fionasmom for the nice reply. It does help to talk with someone who has had experience with it.
Hey Vicky,
I was where you are a week ago. I was scared to do it and it’s very easy - easier than oral meds, in my opinion.
definately join the message board Suggested by others. Has helped me a great deal.
I had a diabetic cat for years. She led a long life. They hardly feel the injection I would give mine her insulin while she ate. She never even stopped eating. Also you may need to try more than one type insulin to get a good result. My Cici’s blood sugar was never absolutely perfect as well. I did not monitor her blood sugar with daily testing just a fructosamine curve periodically. I think that’s similar to a human A1C test.
