Zeus

Hi everyone! I am a newly diagnosed diabetic cat mom, looking for answers. My boy Zeus was diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of the month. A co-worker of mine has a cat recently diagnosed as diabetic and had suggested that Zeus was not acting himself. He was due for his routine shots so I had the vet do some blood work and sure enough, he was almost 600. Zeus is about 12yrs old (not sure of exact age) and weighs 12.2lbs. He is currently on 1.5 of vetsulin twice a day. He has has two blood checks done over the last 3 weeks. His first check 1 week after diagnosis showed his levels at 190. His 2nd check was 180.

My vet is keeping us on the 1.5 for the next 2 weeks. So far i haven't noticed much change in behavior. He was really active the first few days after diagnosis but now he's back to sleeping most of the day.

I have noticed he's walking funny, as if his spine or back legs hurt. I took him to the vet and she mentioned that some diabetic cats develop issues with their back legs (can't think of the name).

Zeus was also switched from Blue basics indoor health to Hills W/D food, which he does not seem to like. Ive read over the food list and was going to try fancy feast. He loves anything beef flavored so hopefully i can get his diet figured out soon. Im a nit confused how to figure out calorie needs though. Currently both of my cats are getting 1 - 5.5 can each everyday. Hopefully this is correct! And since they aren't fans of the new food they've only been eating about half of that - which is making me worried.

Thank you for all the advice and help on this forum. There is so much information out there. It really helps to have a place where people can share their experiences with others.
#diabeticcatmom

 

Welcome! Our 10-year-old cat has the same condition in his hind legs, and it's called diabetic neuropathy if you want to read more about it. As for calories and other stuff, more knowledgeable members will surely help.

 

Welcome! I am thinking the Kitties are not getting enough canned food especially if they are not eating much dry. Check your can of food and it should tell you how many ounces of food per body weight. It would be ideal if you could feed all canned. I use a variety of flavors from Friskies Classic Pate. Never use anything in gravy; high carb.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you are going to switch to low carb food(under10%carb) which is the correct food for diabetic cats, you really need to be testing the blood sugars when you change over. This is because the lower carbs will lower the blood sugars and if you are not testing when you give the insulin, to see that the kitty is safe, you risk the cat dropping too low.

I would recommend you start to test the blood sugars (BSLs) before you change over. The Hills W/D is too high is carbs for diabetic cats..ditch the dry altogether as it is all high in carbs with the exception of a couple of specific brands. A canned /wet diet low carb is perfect

If you look at this link of FAQ you will see links for home testing the blood sugars, suitable food charts, diabetic neuropathy, how to treat hypos and many more links.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/
Starting to home test the BSLs is the most important thing you can now do for Zeus.
What are the size of the cans you are feeding? A lot of diabetic cats are starving when they are diagnosed as they can't utilise the food properly.
Read as much as you can....it is a steep learning curve in the beginning and ask lots of questions. We are happy to help you.
Here is the link to the main forum where there are lots more people who will be able to answer all your questions
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

 

Welcome to the board Ashley and Zeus. I second Bron in saying that you really need to be home testing, especially since you report the BG numbers coming down when tested at the vet. It will let you know how the insulin is affecting Zeus and allow you to prevent a hypo (too low blood sugar) which can be dangerous and life threatening. Changing to all wet also lowers the BG, sometimes significantly, and you need to know that.
I was told to feed 15 to 20 calories per pound. My vet said to give Idjit about 300 calories a day, so I used the canned food chart here on the board to calculate how much Fancy Feast Classic and Friskies pates to give him. As Bron said, until a cat is either in remission or regulated they are very very hungry, so you feed them. It's hot in Spokane right now, whew!!, make sure Zeus is getting enough water.

 

Thank you for the replies. I'm still unsure about switching their food. I'm definitely going to go fully with wet food but my cats have been free feeders for the last 7 years so I'm worried that if i set specific feeding times they may start to act out. And although they won't touch the kibble they'll eat the W/D wet food for the most part.

They're both doing so great with not vomiting and their coats look healthier. I'm associating those attributes to the brand of food not necessarily that they're eating primarily wet food. The W/D says its formulated specifically for diabetes & weight management, but it is very expensive.

I had both cats on Friskies about 5 years ago and they vomited almost everyday which is why i specifically switched to BLUE. The vet told us with their age our cats need high fiber/low fat diets.

 

Ashley, there is an excellent website that you should take a look at: catinfo.org. This site is by Dr. Lisa, a vet, and the same person who has constructed the food chart that you can look at on the board. There are many varieties and brands of wet food out there, some better than others. I have found that the "prescription" "diabetic" formulas are not the best to feed our sugar cats. Way too high in carbs. And very expensive. You don't have to use Friskies, take a look at the food chart: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/page-2#post-2213517
At the suggestion of another member I am looking at Weruva and Tiki Cat brands. Thank goodness your babies won't touch the W/D kibble!! Take it back for refund, we did!
Re: the free feeding, just be sure to pick up food 2 hours before testing and insulin shots.
First time I have seen someone else from Spokane

 

Ashley, How are you feeding the cats at the moment? Are you giving most of it at shot time or free feeding?
With vetsulin most of the food needs to be given at least 1/2 hour before the shot because vetsulin is a insulin that has a fairly quick onset compared to some other gentler insulins and the cat needs food aboard to work with the insulin and to keep it safe from dropping too low.
Here is a link to vetsulin and its use.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.186099/

If you changed to Lantus insulin, which is a long acting insulin, you would be able to free feed your cats, as long as they ate some of the food before the shot. It is a gentler insulin and lasts around 12 hours. Maybe you would like to talk to your vet about changing as it would suit your cats eating habits more.

Do you mean Hills M/D or W/D? The M/D is the diabetic food not the W/D. There are plenty of other choices for you to choose from in the link Idjits mom gave you, that are not prescription foods and are much cheaper.

 

Our bag says W/D glucose and weight management. Currently we are feeding both cats a half can of wet food around shot time and allowing them to free feed off the kibble throughout the day. Which is how i noticed they aren't eating the kibble. Their dry food has been full for 2 days and I only put enough dry food down for one days meal. My boy Zeus chows down the wet food whenever its presented and won't go near kibble. And Athena barely eats either. She'll nibble on both for a moment and then not eat at all.

This is why I'm considering switching to fancy feast or friskies. I'm just worried that if i switch them they'll start vomiting again.

 

We normally give the shot as he's eating and is distracted. Which brings up another question - do you ever have resistance when inserting the needle? The first few times we gave him his shot it slid in really easy, no needle resistance at all, just a slight "pop" feeling. But over the last week or so every time we poke him the needle barely wants to pierce his skin. My mom literally bent a needle in half when she was first trying.
The vet said maybe we're not feeling it go in and we're pushing till the plastic hits his skin but i really don't think that's it. I had the vet demonstrate proper injection again and show me his scruff so i know I'm not too high or low but its still hard to insert.

 

Despite being marketed to diabetic cats, the hills w/d food is 25% carb which is way too high in carbs. You want to pick a food that is under 10% carb (under 7 is even better). Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods. Here's a link to the food chart. The perscription ones are at the end. Look through the list and see which foods are under 10 percent.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

There is nothing in the perscription food that makes it better.

YOUR CATS DON'T NEED A HIGH FIBER DIET... They are carnivorous and should have low carb high protien. The only time a cat needs higher fiber is if they are constipated. (And pumpkin can help with that without raising blood glucose).


Until you're testing at home I would be careful about switching to a low carb diet as the insulin needs will likely go down.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

The scruff of the neck is not always the best place to give insulin as the area can be quite tough and the circulation not great. A lot of us give it in the belly area. Have a look at this link and it will show you other areas to shoot.
https://diabeticcatcare.com/DCCCOK/Injectionsites.htm