Waiting diagnosis

Hi, my name is Peggikaye. I live in Tulsa with my husband, adult son #2 (son #1 is out on his own) and our beloved cat Twitch. Twitch has suddenly started drinking lots of water, urinating a lot (a lot!), and being more lethargic. He also has lost quite a bit of weight in the last couple of months -- almost 1/3 of his body weight -- but he's so fluffy (Maine Coon) that it wasn't that noticeable - even the vet was surprised by the amount of weight loss.
They tested him for diabetes, thyroid disease, and kidney disease. Her gut was diabetes.
We find out tomorrow. For tonight, she said just be nice to him.

 

Welcome to FDMB Peggikaye, your DH and Twitch. Twitch is a real cutey. Looks very much like my 18yr. old geriatric furball (non-diabetic aka civie).

I will keep my fingers crossed for you that diabetes is not the problem and it is something that can be dealt with in short order. In case it is diabetes, you have come to the best place you never wanted to be. Diabetes in cats is a manageable condition and while there is a bit of a learning curve, we are here to help you along. The knowledge here is second to none and the support is nothing short of amazing.

 

Thank you -- this was him a few months back, before the weight loss and all this mess started. Twitch is 11 years old -- born a few minutes after midnight on my youngest's 13th birthday. He's kind of special -- maine coon --very proud of his tail (which has it's own name because when he was a baby it seemed to be it's own entity -- tail is named Boon), his tail is kind of flat and he's not holding it too high these days. I will be glad for an answer of any kind.

 

Hi PK! As promised, I've come to find you! Glad to see a picture of Twitch! The good news is that you've got on to things right away and with a diabetic cat, the sooner the better. This welcome board is a place to just introduce yourself and your kitty. We don't really give advice in here - your next stop is to post on Main HEalth.

I will give one bit of advice before you buy things from the vet tomorrow if the diagnosis is positive - don't buy an Alpha Trak glucometer from your vet. For anyone on a budget (most all of us!) you can do much better buying a human glucometer. All of our dosing documents have numbers using human meters - they help us know when to adjust the dose. Your vet may want you to either buy the AT, or they may even suggest that you don't bother testing at home, however any of us will tell you that it's critical.

When you get the news, ask for either Lantus or Levemir, and ask for a prescription for pens. You either get the Lantus Solostar Pen or the Levemir Flex Pens. If OK requires a prescription for syringes, you also want a prescription for u-100 insulin syringes. These 2 insulins are the best for most cats - they last longer in the body than other insulins, and with cats, longer is better. They have a fast metabolism and better control of their blood sugar is achieved with longer-lasting insulins.

OK - will look for you next in Main Health. I usually only monitor the Lantus/Lev support group but will watch for you. YOu can also tag me by hitting @ julie , just like on facebook, and my name will pop up as an option.

 

He is diabetic -- I forgot to ask what insulin is being called in -- we take him in at 10:30 in the morning to get fully educated --

She said his weight is way down from where they'd like to see it. As a maine coon he is a big cat. When he was in last they only considered him to be a couple of pounds overweight and didn't mention it because it wasn't significant. Being only 16 pounds is concerning.

She said for me to try to not worry -- they will be working with us to get it under control.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that it is diabetes but it is manageable and we can help. I see you already posted over in Health so will watch for updates there. Chin up... deep breathes......you've got this amazing community and your vet to help you get Twitch on the road to better health.

 

Welcome to you both.


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Thank you ! We are adjusting -- Twitch is getting used to only being allowed to eat twice a day -- he's less than impressed with wet food.
We can already see a difference in how he's doing --

 

OK, but what does Boon think? We need to know!


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