4/11 - Lantus - Flash - No test number

Hi, my 13 yr old 14 lb male cat, Flash, had 6 UI of insulin for 4 months last year and went into remission. After that, he was diagnosed with stage 1 of renal failure and drank lots of water. A few months after that, he had diabetes again and is currently getting 5 UI of insulin for about 2 weeks, expecting to move to 6 UI at some point. Whether it's the diabetes or renal failure, he just isn't the same. In a few days, I believe vet will do a blood glucose curve to see how close he is to being regulated. When he didn't have insulin, a month ago, he lost weight and was ravenous, able to eat a slice of ham in seconds. Now, he lives in the kitchen and sleeps next to his water dish, waiting for it to be filled and draining it once it is, which means litter box of course has to be dealt w/more than daily. At some point I fear soon, I'll have to assess his quality of life since it doesn't seem fair to him if this is the new normal due to the 2 issues he has to deal with. I'm definitely curious if anyone sees similar things in their pets.

 

@Judy and Boomer @Wendy&Neko @Bobbie And Bubba

 

I tagged some people for u

 

I see by your signature that you are not testing. That could be very dangerous with such a large amount of insulin. had I listened to my former vet who didn't want to teach me to test, Bubba would have been dead from hypoing. I would suggest you to get a human meter and test strips and start testing him always prior to giving the insulin and again in the middle of the cycle so you know how low ( nadir ) the insulin is taking him. Since we make dose changes according to that number.

A lot of us use the Relion meters from Walmart as the test strips are very cheap.

Once you start testing you won't have to have the vet do the curve, you can do it at home and then it will be a more accurate account of what is happening as a lot of kitties get very stressed being at the vet office and the blood glucose rises causing the vet to increase the dose when it might not have been necessary.

Was the insulin that he received last year also Lantus?

The excessive drinking could be from the diabetes and the CKD. Do you know what the number was from the vet office ?

Also, ham, if it is deli ham can have a lot of sugar in it so you will want to watch that.

 

Ditto what Bobbie said above. Please get some supplies in and start testing; at least before each shot and preferably once or twice mid cycle. A curve at the vet's really doesn't tell you a lot since Flash could be stressed which can raise the numbers; you can easily do it at home and the results will be much more accurate.

 

Welcome! You've come to the right place for help, many of us have diabetic kitties with CKD.

 

Good to know there's hope with both Diabetes and CKD, it's difficult to know what to treat though the diabetes seems to be more of a concern. Also, if I could save money by not having to buy 24 cans of PurinaDM at a time, I would be interested in more affordable and easier to find options. And, looking at walmart site, is the ReliOn prime blood glucose meter all you need($9) and 100 strips($18) to get started? If so, that's MUCH more affordable compared to the glucose and renal pan tests done on him today, though I should have results and numbers to share tomorrow. Thank you all for the support, as I'm ignorant of all this, and I'm assuming my vet has a conflict of interest in assisting me. I always felt my cat would let me know when he was ready to leave me, but looking in his eyes I'm not sure how realistic that is since he'll just keep living while his organs get worse. It's just a question of how long he can tolerate things like difficulty jumping up on counters now and being carried around to get to heights. I'm seen ramps to assist pets in climbing onto beds, understand what those are for now. I do need to ask, what is mid cycle? Also, I adjusted my signature as he's fallen in weight to 12 lbs.

 

You don’t have to fed the DM food. For a kitty with very early stage, a diet of low carb and low phosphorus is good. There are a number of commercially available options. Check out this list of many of the commercially available options. https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf Kitties with CKD can live for years.

A cycle is the time from one shot to the next. Mid cycle is somewhere 4 to 7 hours after the shot.

 

Welcome to the group.

I wouldn't necessarily assume a conflict of interest in assisting you. Many vets incorrectly assume that a caregiver won't be open to home testing. With some issues, like feline nutrition, they get a limited amount of information while they are in school and it's the pet food manufacturers who provide them with info on diet. (That's where the problem is since many "diabetic" foods are way too high in carbs.) That said, there are some vets who get completely bent out of shape when you bring up home testing or change a dose on your own. Many of us have been fortunate in that our vets knew about FDMB or realized we could find competent help with our cat's diabetes management on a 24/7 basis here. They also seemed to understand that humans manage their own insulin dose without calling their doctor so it doesn't need to be different with us managing our cat's diabetes.

Please start home testing. It is the best way to keep your kitty safe. In the meantime, please read over the sticky notes at the top of the Board. There's a huge volume of information there so please don't hesitate to ask questions.

 

My vet reported these results back to me, most concerning were the BUN(blood urea nitrogen renal panel) and FRUCTOSAMINE numbers. Normal BUN is 36, was was at 42, now that's jumped to 60. FRUCTOSAMINE was a very high 670 which may have been due to being at the vet but still a fairly high number regardless of situation. Creatin = 2, Phosphorous = 4.5, but I don't know much about those, guess they are normal enough. Because she's saying the sugar is sucking up all the water, he continues to inhale water which never seems to be enough. While I didn't bring up home testing which I intend to try soon, the vet suggested I up his insulin dose to 7 UI twice a day and cautioned me to have karo syrup or honey nearby to deal with possible hypoglycemia. How likely is a significant jump like this to trigger that and/or negatively affect my cat?

 

Your gut instinct is right - Your vet is playing Russian Roulette and your sweet cat is the one that will pay for it. PLEASE PLEASE don't give even the 6 unit dose until you can test. I suspect your cat is going deeply hypo and liver is dumping massive sugars to save that body but it can only happen so many times before the Liver just can't keep up. Each time it does more and more damage.

Never change dose of a full unit at a time. That's fine for humans and dogs but this is a cat - a very different animal. We change doses by .25 units at a time! For my boy, even a change of .25 is too much at a time, I add literally 'drops' to his dose.

Your vet doesn't need to tell you or even give you permission to test!!! Your vet works for YOU, YOU pay that bill, not him. When he has to warn you to have karo/honey near, he even KNOWS he's giving dangerous advice.

Hit that Walmart - get the Relion 'Prime' meter, buy a pack of 50 strips for that meter and 26-28 gauge lancets and let's get you going!

HUGS!!!

 

Agreed! 7u is a dangerously high dose if you’re not testing at home. The high fructosamine could be an indication that the dose it too low, but it’s more likely an indication that the dose is way too high and he’s spending a lot of time bouncing from very low numbers to super high numbers. Please please please start testing! As you noted above, it also ends up saving money to test at home rather than frequent stops at the vet for blood work.

 

Is it relatively easy to test once you start pricking his ear w/the lancet and getting blood on the strip to read? Would I get the same readings my vet does or is there math involved to determine readings?

 

I'd encourage you to think about this in a different context. When an adult human is diagnosed with diabetes, they are given instructions regarding self-testing. You don't give yourself a shot of insulin unless you test first. If you notice signs of hypoglycemia, you test and eat if your numbers are dropping. If you are the parent of a diabetic child, you do the same for your child. A cat is no different than your having to care for an infant.

If you look at the spreadsheets of many of the cat's here, you'll see a variation in insulin dose. A dose that's over 5.0u is getting into the larger dose range. Without home testing, you have no means of knowing whether your kitty is in safe numbers. If you wait to see signs of hypoglycemia before intervening, you still don't know how low those numbers are. Frankly, many cats can drop into the 30s or lower and at least temporarily, be asymptomatic. If that is the case, you have no margin for error and BG levels that are in that range can cause considerable organ or brain damage.

Please, get a meter and strips. Set up a spreadsheet. Ask your vet for a copy of Flash's labs and enter the values and reference ranges on the Labs tab of the spreadsheet. We can help you to interpret the information.

 

I see, I have no experience w/diabetes, human or otherwise. I'll get the 3 things today.

 

Most of us had no experience in diabetes before our cats got their diagnosis. We have been in your shoes and can help you. We have also seen far too many cats here hypo and would rather not see it anymore. Testing will keep your cat safe. I also want to mention that some cats do need larger doses, but you want to get there safely, knowing what the insulin dose is doing first. My girl got over 8 units, but I increased slowly and tested, to know I hadn’t gone overdose,

 

I picked up all items, exception being walmart just had 30 gauge lancets, close enough I figure. Well, it didn't go well, I seriously need some tips, so frustrating. Prior to trying it on Flash, I thought I may as well test myself(maybe motivate myself to eat better knowing I'd have to do this someday since I'm pre-diabetic), but of course I didn't buy the lancing device people use to load the lancets since you wouldn't do that to a cat's ear where the vein is to target. After jabbing myself w/the lancet a few times, I saw what I thought was enough blood to get a reading. I failed with another strip even though it clearly said it was ready for blood. So, how does this blood wick into the strips?

I watched several youtube videos on where to prick Flash's ear and had cotton balls ready to catch the blood. He handled it as well as I thought, clearly was surprised what I was doing. However, I pricked what I believe to be the right part of the ear and the blood came slowly, noticed him wince a little then he was fine. I had the cotton ball ready to catch the excess, and I saw the blood getting wicked up from his ear where once again the meter had the blood drop indication turned on. Yet, it just kept flashing for more blood and no reading was given, so how much blood do you have to get for this glucose reader to get something on a strip?

Also, if it wasn't clear before, I use lantus insulin u100 and 6mm syringes. So, I'm curious how you could have a dosage of .25 up or down a unit since the needle is so tiny to begin with.

 

Hi... welcome to the most condensed site to help Flash feel better- you’ll see
I’m a bit confused about the trouble you are having with Meter.
What Meter (and strips) are you using?
You are doing a great job, truly. OMG, the learning curve can sometimes be... overwhelming.
Don’t give up.

 

These are fine; good. What many of us use

 

Here is a link to some testing tips, hopefullynsomething in there that will help. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Be assured that none of us got it the first time!

Some people freehand poke, some use the lancing device, it is personal preference. It may be meter dependent, but with mine I held the strip at an angle to the blood drop to suck it up. Put the cotton under the ear poke site, to give a surface to poke against, then after getting her blood, wrap it over top the ear on the site for 20-30 seconds to stop any bruising. After you poke, just below the poke site towards his head, lightly pump or milk the ear. That can cause the blood to well up. As can a very thin layer of Vaseline.

 

You all are so encouraging, ty for that support. Unfortunately, I tried twice more and he was crying out quite a bit so I stopped even though I couldn't get enough blood to test. His ear seems tougher to find a vein compared to others I've seen in videos, just my luck. I won't give up, but no success yet. I give him a treat each time, but he's really watching me warily now, just hope he doesn't start hiding to avoid this. Also, maybe I missed this as preference, but do you all poke from inner to outer ear or outer to inner ear when targeting the vein?

 

Try warming his ear with a warm compress. And also since you have the 30g lancet which is smaller than than the 28g you could try double poking in the same place to see if two holes will give you enough blood. With Spot, he usually bleeds better and bruises less if I prick directly on the edge of his ear inward at a 45 degree angle.

 

Hi and welcome to you and Flash. Here is the testing routine that worked for me.

Get Flash accustomed to having you messing with his ears by gently rubbing his ears (not just at testing time, but whenever you want to, for instance, when he is sitting in your lap relaxing).

1. To get ready for the test, first warm the ear. I use a baby washcloth. I dampen it, put it in a plastic baggie, and microwave it for about 15 seconds (test it on yourself first, since all microwaves are different).
2. Fold the washcloth around his ear to warm the ear. When warm, put a little vaseline on the place near the edge of the ear you plan to test (this will help to bead up the blood drop). Blood flows from the tip of the ear down, so if you put a little pressure below where you plan to test, the blood drop will be easier to get.
3. Get your meter and strip ready by putting the strip part-way into the meter, but not so far that the meter turns on. Hold a 2x2 inch gauze pad on the inside of the ear opposite where you will prick. Push the test strip all the way into the meter and wait for the meter to turn on and indicate it is ready. While holding the gauze pad to the inside of the ear, prick the outside (hair side) of the ear with your lancet. (Many prefer to use the lancet freehand. I always preferred to use the lancet device (it should have come in the kit with the meter), because the prick is faster and the lancet withdraws immediately.)
4. Hold the test strip to the blood drop and wait for the meter to beep. If Flash gets "antsy" you can get the blood drop onto your fingernail and hold the test strip to the blood drop there until the meter beeps.
5. Fold the gauze pad around the ear and put a little pressure on it to stop the bleeding and to prevent bruising.
6. Praise Flash and give him a low-carb treat, such as a freeze-dried chicken treat.

Everyone has a routine that works for them, so feel free to experiment once you get the hang of it. Also, it takes a little while for the ear to grow more capillaries. In a few weeks blood drops will come much easier. Don't be afraid that you are hurting Flash. Cat's ears have developed over centuries of cat fights to not be as sensitive as other parts of the body!

Welcome!

 

We don’t actually target the vein, but rather near it. What helped me when I first started was to use a small flashlight under the ear to allow me to see the vein. You can put it under the cotton pad or ball. I poked from the top down, but have heard of others going the other way. Black ears come with challenges, like see the actual blood drop. The flashlight helped with that too.

 

Quick update, still trying and using lancing device now. It's so sharp, it went through his ear and into my finger. I have seen more of my own blood compared to the cat. I'm surprised how well he's handling it. It seems like he has no blood in his ears...have both 26 and 30 gauge to choose from. However, I have dropped him all the way back down to 3 units of insulin and he seems generally happier. Something I'm curious about, for those with renal failure, how do you handle your cat leaking all over the house. There really is nothing you can do about that but understand it's difficult for them due to all the water they drink, right? That really doesn't seem related to the diabetes.

 

How interesting, ecid (every cat is different). M'row's ears are pink in the inside and black on the outside, so I poke from inside to outside. And if his ears aren't warm, forget about getting any blood out of there! It does get better, and I read even easier, to get blood out of those ears. Also helpful: give kitty a couple of treats and cuddles with blood draw. After a bit, the cuddle/treat becomes the main part of the whole experience for kitty. Finally, take some deep breaths so you don't stress out: cats are frequently telepathic, so if you stress out, your kitty will most likely stress out too.

 

One thing I’m thinking of when reading your comments about testing, is that; the very end/edge of the strip has a tiny opening between the layers of plastic, and you just touch that to the drop of blood. You don’t put the blood droplet on top of the strip at all, it just needs to touch *to* the droplet to slurp it up inside it automatically. It should then change the screen to say it’s reading it. If your blood droplet was too small then it will come up with an error message that it wasn’t enough blood, but it won’t just sit there asking for more.

 

Wow, so testing has been going better, which has brought his insulin dose to just 3 UI, preferable to the 7 the vet recommended. But, after that scare were he was crying and I had to rub honey on his gums to get him calm, I definitely wasn't going to follow that advice. Hard to believe last post was in April, but here I am again. Today, his left back leg is having issues, seems to be trouble walking at times, so I have concerns. Is this something he will just adapt to and this is just what happens when a cat gets diabetes, this is a natural progression, or something else I need to worry about and treat differently?

 

Do you have a spreadsheet with Flash's test data? It would be helpful to see what his numbers look like.

It's possible that what you're seeing is diabetic neuropathy. Adding Zobaline to his diet (it's methylcobalamin -- a form of B12) to his diet may help.

 

Hi, yes diabetic neuropathy appears to be inevitable as this terrible disease continues. He's so resistant to taking pills, very wary when it comes to mixing them in his food. He refused pill pockets as well, *sigh*, just part of getting used to a new normal for him it seems.

 

Hi, just wanted to thank everyone for their support here. Despite careful monitoring of his blood sugar and regulating his insulin dosage, I believe w/the increased damage to his hind legs and kidney disease which seems to make him so tired, it's taken a tremendous toll on my cat. He can no longer jump due to the neuropathy and struggles to make it to the litter box consistently which means I have multiple messes to clean up daily. He falls asleep so easily and is covered in urine when he wakes up at times, so I've had to bathe him multiple times a week, and the carpet around him smells too. I don't believe his quality of life is very good as well, he just isn't what made him a cat any longer and he knows it. I was 80% sure he should be taken to a vet and put to sleep before he suffers anymore, and I don't want to wait til I'm 90% sure and he gets worse since that is the eventual outcome if I wait. For that reason, he will no longer be w/me after Saturday 9/28, and I have to make peace w/that for his sake. This is the 1st animal I've had to do this with since my parents always took care of it though this is the sad outcome we know comes w/owning a pet. Good luck to you all and your pets.

 

Hi, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for you and your kitty. I don’t know you, your situation or your kitty and the last thing I want to do is add to your anguish but what you describe is exactly what we went through with our cat Leo.

Our vet said nothing much could be done about his neuropathy and he was doing so poorly, couldn’t lift his head to eat, couldn’t walk more than a couple of steps or stand in his litter box. In May of 2018, his quality of life was horrible and we decided to put him out of this misery and made the final vet appointment.

As a last-ditch effort, I joined the FDMB, started testing his glucose levels and giving Leo the right amount of insulin that he needed and also gave him vitamin B (Zobaline) for his neuropathy.

After a couple of weeks, he started eating on his own and within a couple of months he was well regulated and his neuropathy was non-existent (he was hopping on and off the dining table and the kitchen counter). A couple of months later, in September 2018, he went into remission. Leo also has CKD which we manage with appropriate food and lots of water. Leo has since come out of remission but we’re working on getting him well regulated again and other than that, he is doing amazingly well.

There’s absolutely no judgement here, you know your particular situation and what’s best for you and your kitty, but should you decide to give it another try, please post here, there are so many wonderful and experienced people who can help.

Wishing you all the best of luck, peace and courage.

 

So much love and support to you both in this sad situation. You know your furbaby best of course, and M'row and I have not had to deal with neuropathy; it sounds just terrible.I just wanted, however, to concur with Sonia & Leo's experience with zobaline and neuropathy as I've read about them here: every cat I've read about with neuropathy who's been put on zobaline has done just marvellously. Really amazing to me, as humans with diabetic neuropathy often don't do so well. Other comments about sugarbabies being given Zobaline?? Thanks for sharing your wisdom, you furparents with direct experience!! "Helpful Vancouver Vet" has a great utube video on how to pill a cat, BTW. Much Love from M'row & me

 

Wow, I really appreciate hearing how Zobaline helped so much for neuropathy, however the kidney disease may be more of the concern and not something that can be treated. If it was JUST the diabetes, I believe I would put him through at least a trial period. Unfortunately, I've lost several animals to renal failure and understand how hard the body has to work as the kidney fails. Lung and kidney function are intimately related in both health and disease. So, I believe his respiratory system is affected since he doesn't breathe as well as he used to, and he snores loudly due to most likely sleep apnea. Everything is such an effort for him which again made me 80% sure this is the best thing I could do for him.

 

Hi,
several members here had dealt with diabetes , nephropathy and kidney failures of varying degree of severity.
You will get a lot of support here. I heard of many vets being skeptical on the kidney damage recovery or getting it under control and yet I had seen cats doing tremendously well with both diabetes and kidney problems with proper care. Do not give up too soon!

 

Hi, if I'm able to try a b12 supplement like Zobaline such as Doctor's Best Fully Active B12, is there any chance he will feel better enough to stop urinating on the carpet or kitchen table after he wakes up from sleeping so long? The diabetes seems to be more the issue there compared to the kidney disease since he basically camps out next to his water dish since he drinks so much, even falls asleep next to it.

 

Leo showed improvement within about 2 weeks with a lot more improvement after another couple of weeks.

That being said, without testing Flash's glucose levels, there's a strong possibility that he's getting too much insulin and what you're seeing is him in dangerously low numbers rather than high numbers.

Please don't listen to your vet about testing, there's no harm in it, only good can come from knowing where his levels are at.

Please listen to all the good advice you were given here and please start testing at least before shots to make sure it's safe to shoot.

If you're not comfortable with testing, let us know, there are so many experienced and helpful people that can hold your hand until you are more comfortable.
Don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you want, we were all in your shoes at the beginning.

We're here for you.

@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Wendy&Neko
@Tanya and Ducia
@Sue and Luci

 

@Bobbie And Bubba

 

Hi,
he will definitely feel better when his blood glucose is under control.
The peeing issues were resolved for many cats, as reported here, with finding the proper insulin dose which allows them to have BG level below the Renal Threshold - very roughly around 200 on feline specific meter.
The methyl B12 should help w/ neoropathy.

IMHO it is wrong to separate the diabetics and CKD - they are the issues that you can has and both can be treated simultaneously. Many people here deal with it successfully, and nothing indicates or says that you and Flash will fail.
Except your vet it seems.

Before failing the kidney undergoes thru phases of malfunction as disease progresses and that where proper intervention can help. And it does help as you will hear from many. Forgive me, but could it be that your vet is the reason for your losses? Is it the same person that see Flash now?

@bry800

 

I really need more information to be able to offer competent help. Without a spreadsheet that allows us to see your cat's dose and his BG test numbers, there's no means of knowing if the dose is high enough or too high. The problems with urinating and neuropathy all suggest his BG levels are not well regulated. Cats with kidney disease do not have issues with bladder control (i.e., leaking -- which was what you described). Stage 1 kidney failure, frankly, is minor. However, the more time Flash is in a BG range over 200, the greater the risk for the kidney disease to progress. A poorly controlled diabetic may have issues with bladder leakagedue to polyuria, especially if the neuropathy makes it difficult for him to get into the box. You may need to find a litter box that permits easier entry.. Seeing your cat's labs would help to know what's doing on with his kidneys. There is a tab on the spreadsheet we use where you can enter lab values.

Please let us help you by providing us with the information we need to give informed guidance.

 

FYI, I did decide to give this another shot, so his vet appt for end of week was cancelled. I just want things to work, and this is beyond frustrating using this diabetic testing equipment. This hasn't been a good night or day, thought something was off when blood wouldn't register on the ReliOn PRIME earlier today. Then, I personally tried it using my blood tonight and though the blood wicked off my finger onto the strip, it just kept flashing the "blood drop" symbol. Has anyone had this experience? Is it possible my tester or strips are defective now? Obviously, if it won't work for me, I can't use it for my cat. My test strips are ReliOn Premier, that is what most of you use, right? I'm not sure anyone can help me at this point, just feel sad for my cat since I don't know what he's going through, just lays on the kitchen floor and stares into space as I keep giving him 4 UI of insulin twice/daily since that seems to be what has kept him around this long

 

Ok, I see I screwed up after reviewing the difference between ReliOn Prime and the Premier strips I purchased. I'm just so ignorant of how all this works, should have done more research when I felt I didn't get enough blood from my cat to get a reading and assumed it was my fault. If I don't use the right strips for the meter, it will never work. I'll try not to get depressed about this and hopefully I can still help him get an accurate test tomorrow when I go to Walmart and pick up the correct strips, ReliOn PRIME which match my meter. Good night.

 

Fortunately, someone just asked this question on Amazon here so it's confirmed, I was bleeding him and I for nothing.

Question:
Will relion premier rest strips work in relion prime meters?
Answer:
No, I don't think so. I've used both meters,w/different strips for each. Premiere strips,w/premiere meters, prime strips w/prime meters. Hope this helps.
By Animal Lover on September 11, 2019

 

Bumping you up to the top to get more experienced eyes on you.

 

Thanks, but I have to own this mistake. I didn't pay close enough attention this time and bought the wrong bottle of strips, I just didn't test for awhile and assumed all his issues were caused by the disease progressing when I saw the neuropathy develop, no excuses other than that. My diabetes education could be a lot better, so I'm working on that while I have time w/my cat.

 

Your cat, Flash, is still young. My Ravan is 17 & has diabetes High blood pressure & stage 2 Kidney disease. He's doing good. I've had kitties over the years live to be over 20 & my Daisy was 24 when she died.

Like everyone said ,you need to test him before you give any insulin. There's a lot to learn but the people here will help you along the way. It's difficult at first but once you get the hang of it it really does get a lot easier.

Flash needs Methyl B-12 It's for Neuropathy
Vitamin B-12, 5000mcg, Non-GMO Supplement with Methylcobalamin (Methyl B12)

Price: $18.88 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon.

Good Luck to You & Flash!

(Please put the correct date when you post each day.)

 

Hi, ty for the kind reply, great news about your cats living so long! What do you mean exactly when you say to post the correct date when I post? Do you mean each day I should create a different post instead of adding on to this older thread since it's from April?

 

Yes! Create a new post every day & put the date on it each day. It gets confusing if you don't.

It's a real good idea to get a SS (spreadsheet ) going for Flash. Someone can help with it if you put a question mark first then write help with spreadsheet & the date on your next post.

The spreadsheet is very important to see what the insulin is doing at different times during the day.

This all sounds complicated but it's not. It's just New for you. If you ask a lot of questions & are willing to learn some things it will get EASIER!

( Flash doesn't have "Chronic Kidney failure." It's just stage one Kidney Disease. If you check out the food chart, just give him low carb, low Phosphorus canned food. NO dry food ,it's not good for his kidneys.Cats can live a long time with Kidney disease.)

Hang in there We've all been new to this also & everyone here wants to help you to help Flash (Cool Name)

 

My Macka has had athritis for years and possibly some neuropathy nowadays. I carry him if he wants to drink from the sink, then put him back to the ground. It's not the same as when he was younger, but he is fine with baskets on the ground and not climbing stairs too much. I wouldn't overthink it, don't worry too much about that! He can be happy at the ground level too!!