Feral cat with diabetes

[dbcatperson]

I had taken in a feral boy cat back in 2017. He was very wild that we had to keep him separated from the other cats. He has gotten better but not completely friendly where I can pick him up but i can pet him sometimes and brush him. The problem is 3 or 4 months ago I noticed his back legs seemed weaker. I was going through a hard time with my husband because he was sick and couldn’t help our cat right away. I found out later he has diabetes. The problem is there’s no way for me to give him shots. He’s not that friendly for me to be able to do that.

What I’ve done so far is pulled his dry food and I’m giving him canned food with lower carbohydrates. He gets an occasional treat, though. I also bought some drops from pet wellbeing to mix in his food to try and help the diabetes. He’s been eating that okay so far. He’s been on zobaline for 2 weeks now to help his hind legs. No improvement yet, though. I also give him probiotics because he has problems with mushy poop. Another problem that started happening recently is he’s peeing on the rug. When he does go in the litter box or pees on the rug, he just sits while he's going to the bathroom because of his bad legs. So his butt and legs get stuff stuck on them. I try to wipe what I can but he’s not good about that either. But I see he has sores by his butt/tail because of this.

I’m just looking for ideas on how to help him more. If there’s anything I can try to put on his butt to help the sores? I was able to trick him to get him into the carrier to take him to the vet to get tested for diabetes but I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch him again. Plus I’m struggling financially too.

Thank you for the help.

 

[fionasmom]

There is a group that you should join which is not connected to TCS.
Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
Make it clear to them as you have here that the cat is not easily handled and that you are doing all that you can. They may have some management tips that will help you. Is the cat indoor only now?

You are using Blood Sugar Gold from Pet Wellbeing along with the Zobaline?

I have had two diabetic cats. One was semi feral, the other very affectionate. I did not think that the semi feral would ever allow insulin injections but I was able to administer it, maybe because it is such a fine needle it did not bother her. However, I understand your point about not being able to do this or to feel comfortable with the expense.

What you can do for his rear end also depends on how well you can handle him, not even so much what can be put on it. If the cat's legs are bad enough that he cannot hold himself up to go to use the box properly, he may be dealing with raw skin that is infected or will be. Neosporin can be used, without the pain killer included, but he should not lick it off. There are a huge number of skin preparations for animals and many are not that expensive

. Since you did take him to the vet, you might call back and ask what they recommend or if they could prescribe one for him.

What did the vet say about managing his diabetes without insulin? Did he give you a general prognosis of how long he could continue on?

I had one other outdoor only wild feral who had been around for years and finally began to show severe neuropathy and weight loss. He was untrappable ( again) until he was very weak at which point there was nothing that could be done....not that there was before as I could never have given his any injections or timed them appropriately as insulin has to be.

 

[dbcatperson]

Thank you. I will try joining that board to ask this too. but yes, it is those drops from pet wellbeing. The vet said that it's very hard to control diabetes in cats and she's afraid i would have a hard time with this cat trying to do insulin. He is indoors. I told her what i was trying and she said if i'm able to catch him again in a month that we can test his blood again to see if what i'm doing is making a difference or not.

The vet will be in tomorrow that i can try asking about something to put on his raw skin. I have been able to dab a wet paper towel sometimes but it seems like it hurts him and i can't clean him enough. I thought i might be able to dab some medicine on him. that could be a problem with licking it off because he has been licking there a lot.

I'm trying another probiotic today called florastor? I was reading somewhere about people having better luck with that for diarrhea/mushy poop over fortiflora.

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[fionasmom]

A lot of members of TCS use S Boulardii (saccaromyces boulardii). Jarrow makes a good one but there are a lot of them available. The following is a discussion of diarrhea, which your cat does not have, but which might help.
My Cat Has Diarrhea - What Do I Do?
Fortiflora is not all that highly thought of by a lot of pet owners. Some see it more as a flavoring than a true probiotic.

You are keeping in touch with the vet, so retest in a month and see where he is. Given that you took him in in 2017, he has had a lot of time to come around and has not, so I see your predicament. If the sores hurt, they may be infected and he needs some help with them. Ask the vet about something like a chlorhexidine solution which could be dabbed on the skin and has some antibacterial properties. Some people have reservations about using it on cats. You probably need something which would allow you to clean and medicate at the same time if possible.
Is Florastor safe for cats? | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
Apparently Florastor is S. Boulardii. I don't know, and we can't tell you dosages for a cat, so if you are using the human product you should ask the vet for dosage information.

 

[dbcatperson]

Thank you. I'll try talking to my vet tomorrow to see what she thinks about florastor and about chlorhexidine.

I really appreciate all the help.

 

[Meowmee]

I had taken in a feral boy cat back in 2017. He was very wild that we had to keep him separated from the other cats. He has gotten better but not completely friendly where I can pick him up but i can pet him sometimes and brush him. The problem is 3 or 4 months ago I noticed his back legs seemed weaker. I was going through a hard time with my husband because he was sick and couldn’t help our cat right away. I found out later he has diabetes. The problem is there’s no way for me to give him shots. He’s not that friendly for me to be able to do that.

What I’ve done so far is pulled his dry food and I’m giving him canned food with lower carbohydrates. He gets an occasional treat, though. I also bought some drops from pet wellbeing to mix in his food to try and help the diabetes. He’s been eating that okay so far. He’s been on zobaline for 2 weeks now to help his hind legs. No improvement yet, though. I also give him probiotics because he has problems with mushy poop. Another problem that started happening recently is he’s peeing on the rug. When he does go in the litter box or pees on the rug, he just sits while he's going to the bathroom because of his bad legs. So his butt and legs get stuff stuck on them. I try to wipe what I can but he’s not good about that either. But I see he has sores by his butt/tail because of this.

I’m just looking for ideas on how to help him more. If there’s anything I can try to put on his butt to help the sores? I was able to trick him to get him into the carrier to take him to the vet to get tested for diabetes but I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch him again. Plus I’m struggling financially too.

Thank you for the help.

Some people are able to get their d cats into remission with a no carb diet. No grains, starchy veggies etc. you can make a home cooked or raw diet with chicken , chicken liver and supplements from knowwhatyoufeed.com There are ready made raw freeze dried cat foods now as well.

Maybe you can try an inj and just see how it goes hopefully the other site will have some tips. Are you testing his bg at all at home? It is expensive but a vial can last a long time for a cat and you can get some insulins discounted. Maybe from Canada or go to Mexico. I am sure that site will have the info on insulins for you. I don’t know if the insulins available without rx I think at walmart are used for kitties but they are cheaper, I think they just use the newer ones now.

I would ask dvm what to do about his butt issues, maybe an antibiotic plus protectant. Once a kitty starts having those issue with his legs I have found it is not long for them to stay here. Hopefully the vit b12 will help. The home cooked diet may help his runs. Thanks for saving him and being such a great cat mom

 

[catapault]

Good luck with managing this poor boy's condition. How fortunate he is to have someone - you - who cares for and about him.

Cats are type 2 diabetics which makes them easier to deal with than dogs, who are type 1.

Every case will be somewhat different. I can only share my experience with one particular cat.

Mist, my rainbow bridge cat, developed diabetes as a mature but not elderly cat. Very thirsty all the time and urinated like a race horse. That's an inside joke because race horses used to be given a diuretic before races.

Mist was treated with glipizide. Very easy to add to her wet food. I started feeding her Fancy Feast classic tender beef feast, and turkey with giblets. Gave her one half a 3-oz can for breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime - four small meals / day. She lost some weight, the diabetes cleared, and she no longer needed the glipizide.

Perhaps glipizide might be a means of treating your cat who cannot be handled for regular injections.

 

[Meowmee]

Good luck with managing this poor boy's condition. How fortunate he is to have someone - you - who cares for and about him.

Cats are type 2 diabetics which makes them easier to deal with than dogs, who are type 1.

Every case will be somewhat different. I can only share my experience with one particular cat.

Mist, my rainbow bridge cat, developed diabetes as a mature but not elderly cat. Very thirsty all the time and urinated like a race horse. That's an inside joke because race horses used to be given a diuretic before races.

Mist was treated with glipizide. Very easy to add to her wet food. I started feeding her Fancy Feast classic tender beef feast, and turkey with giblets. Gave her one half a 3-oz can for breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime - four small meals / day. She lost some weight, the diabetes cleared, and she no longer needed the glipizide.

Perhaps glipizide might be a means of treating your cat who cannot be handled for regular injections.

Cat do get type 1 as well, but it is rare. I remember a few years back someone’s burmese kitten going into dka with type 1. He was on a dexcom for a while as well. However I do not believe it is true type 1 as in people because there was a chance they thought of remission from using insulin. It is not however a childhood disease in people as many believe. At least half of the people in the US diagnosed as type 1 each year are over 30. I also read dogs can get type 2 but it is rare. Again I wonder if what they are calling type 1 is really autoimmune as in people.