2onetice, your post is here!

Hey everyone. I am new to this site. I/we don't have a diagnosis yet. But, from all my research I am 99.9% sure my cat Fortune has diabetes. And I was reading the posts about Bootie.(Very funny story about the anyone here for bootie).Anyway, I want to ask if anyone before or after diagnosis has had any other issues with their cats breathing heavy. And my girl breathes heavy when sleeping. She hasn't done this until the past couple of days to a week maybe? Any thoughts?

 

Hello and welcome! Has Fortune been to the vet recently? Could she go soon? This change in her behavior sounds scary! I read a little about heavy breathing in cats, and the stuff I saw said to treat it as a emergency. I don't think it's a typical symptom of diabetes.

I'm sure you saw the part in Bootie's story about home testing of blood glucose levels. Is that something you would be willing to try? It can be hard at first, but everyone here is so supportive, and there's no substitute for the information it gives you.

Can you tell us a little more about Fortune? How old is she? How much does she weigh? What kinds of symptoms is she having that make you think she's diabetic? How long has she had those symptoms? What does she eat?

I am probably going to bed soon (it's 11 pm where I live), but I'll check in in the morning to see how you and Fortune are doing

 

I started a new thread for @2onetice. Hope some others will weigh in, too.

 

Oh, good--I was wondering if that was the thing to do--thanks, @Squalliesmom! @2onetice, everyone looks forward to hearing more about Fortune.

 

@Squalliesmom

When something like this happens, please report the thread and explain the problem. Any moderator can separate the new posts, start a new thread for the member, and send them a PM to let them know what's going on.
Thanks much!
~ Jill

 

OK. Not exactly sure who is who, but I will catch up. Lol. I didn't realize that I was on an old thread. I was just researching and stumbled upon this.and though I would ask some questions. Fortune is a rescue cat. I got her when she was 7 months old. She actually picked me. Story for later. She is now 7-8 and up until about two weeks to a month ago she was fine. Then it was like night and day. I go to bed one night. Get up the next day and she is drinking water like crazy. Peeing so much that there's not enough liter in the world to keep up. And then I start to notice that she is loosing weight. And the weight has dropped off so fast, it's unbelievable. She was only about a pound or two at most overweight. So, I don't think she would have been considered obese. It's weird though, because she was playing and acting more like a cat than I have seen her in a long time. So, I took the weight loss as she was getting more exercise. Anyway, the biggest problem I have is. I am disabled, and on SSI. I live on $735.00 a month. My rent alone is $510.00 a month. So, I can't afford all of this and am afraid that I am going to have to have her put down. And, that will absolutely break what's left of my heart. I believe that if you can't afford to live comfortably, you shouldn't have a pet. It's not fair to them for lots of reasons. Having said that. My husband left me 5 years ago for his mistress. Well, Fortune was a present for my grandson who was living with us at the time. When he left, my grandson had to go back to his mother. And I ended up with Fortune and my dog China. Who I lost about a year ago. So, if anyone knows of any place to get help for people who are on disability it would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to loose my baby. She's the only thing keeping me getting up in the morning. Sorry about the long post.

 

@2onetice HERE are some links for assistance. A favorite here is DCIN. Also check out the Supply Closet Forum. Occasionally there are people donating supplies or selling them at low cost. Please keep posting, we can help with other money saving tips.

 

Thanks for the tips Sharon. I appreciate any suggestions I can get.

 

I know money is tight, but it does sound like a vet visit is in order to check the breathing. For the diabetes, if you can get hold of a glucose meter, you can test at home. You'll still need a vet to prescribe insulin, but we can help you get it at the cheapest price or Diabetic Cats in Need(DCIN) can help with that. What are you feeding her?

 

Thanks, Jill, I wasn't sure what the protocol was. I just didn't want her post to get lost in an old thread.

 

Thanks again Sharon. As it turns out, I have diabetes. So, I have the meter and.And for now anyway I can get the test strips free due to my insurance. I know I need to get her to the vet sooner rather than later. That's what I'm working on now. I can't afford any kind of vet bill. But, you gave me the info on places to try for funding. So, that's my mission for tomorrow. Thanks again for all your help. I feel some hope now. I will keep you posted. And im sure as things progress, I will have lots more questions.

 

I forgot, I am feeding her dry food. Which as I have read is a bad thing. She is picky, and doesn't like anything else. But, she will have to adjust. She doesn't like treats either. Which I understand is a good way to help them in thinking that the stick for the blood test is a good thing. But, she loves to be brushed. So, that will be her reward. I'm just a bit squeamish about sticking her ear. But, if I have to I will.

 

Some people use their cats paw pads instead of ears. The large ones on the back paws of your girl if shewill allow you to.
I'm hopeful the links Sharon gave you might lead to a way for you to take Fortune for a vet visit to address the heavy breathing and find out if she is diabetic.

 

Lisa, there is no way on this earth Fortune would let me use her back paws. She won't even let me touch them. She kicks me if I try. Lol. That is definitely not an option. Lol. But, depending on how she is with the ear thing I might try her front paws. I just hate to, because at least she will begrudgingly let me clip her front nails. If she is in a good mood. No, I'm kidding. She is the only cat I have ever had. And I am so glad she picked me. She is THE PERFECT cat. And she loves everyone. And dogs. I will try not to gush about her too much. I love her so much. And I don't want to loose her. We have been through alot together. And I almost lost her when I lost my dog China about a year ago. They pretty much grew up together. And when China died, Fortune got so depressed that she stopped eating and drinking. And, not knowing much about cats I didn't realize at first that that's what was happening. So, after that, there was alot more loving on her. And she finally got back to normal. But, I still think she understands when I say China's name. Her ears perk up and she kinda looks around, like where is China. Lol. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Anyway, thanks so much for all of the input. I really love having somewhere to go to ask questions and read the advice.

 

@2onetice what would you like us to call you? Have you checked out the home testing link?
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
A good way to start testing is to desensitize Fortune to the process by taking her to the testing spot several times a day and just petting her and rubbing her ears. The key to getting blood quickly is getting the ear warm enough and rubbing the ear as well as applying a warmed rice sock will help. When you are both relaxed, you can try the prick. I usually milk the ear by rubbing outward from the base toward the prick spot. Start with these steps and be sure to ask questions if you have problems.

 

Switching her to wet food might have a big impact all by itself! Let us know if you need more info about how to do that--sometimes you have to use a few tricks to get a kitty to switch from dry to wet.

The first time I had to prick my cat's ear, my hands were shaking so much I almost couldn't do it--I cried afterwards. And now it's just an ordinary part of life. He actually jumps up onto the counter where I test him when he hears me in the kitchen--he knows he's going to get brushed and petted and fussed over. It's great that you have the meter and strips so you can start testing Fortune when you are ready!

 

Hey Sharon. I'm Colleen, or Fortunes mom. Either one. I did read about getting the ear warm. And everything you told me. I'm just nervous about doing it. But, thanks and keep the advice coming. The more I know, the better off I will be.

 

Thanks Squeakycats. I have a feeling Fortune isn't going to be happy about switching foods. But, she will have to be OK with it. Now, I have switched a dog over to a new food. Is it like that?You slowly add in the wet while decreasing the dry until your just giving wet. Also another thing I can see a problem with. I have always just fed her with a bowl of food in the morning. And then she will go and nibble all day and night. Now, I'm reading that I am supposed to feed 4 times a day????Is that what you guys do?

 

Hi Colleen! I feed my cat several times a day, but you can free feed as long as you pick up the food 2 hours before the preshot (PS) test. So test then feed and give the shot. Pickup the food 2 hours before the next shot (that's if you need to start insulin!). And yes you can transition to wet food by mixing them and slowly decreasing the dry. Sometimes just crushing some dry and sprinkling it on top will do the trick. Testing can be a little tricky when you first start, but it gets easier. For now, just get her used to the routine of the ear rubs and maybe the rice sock. In a day or two you'll feel more relaxed about it and can test her.

 

Thanks Sharon. I so appreciate all the advice you guys are giving me. This is already making me feel a little more relaxed about this whole thing. I took a bad fall a little bit ago, so I probably won't be able to get to the store until tomorrow or even the next day. But, I will let you know how she does with the wet. Again, I'm looking for high protein and high whatelse?Thanks again for all your advice.

 

Low carb. Lots of use use Friskies Pate, 9 Lives Pate, and I think Special Kitty Pates (Walmart) are ok too. These are the cheapest low carb foods. Here's a food chart. Look for a food with less than 10 carbs
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
This is good reading
http://catinfo.org

 

Wow, thanks again. That will really help to know what to look for. Does anyone else have a picky eater. She won't even eat treats. Or tuna. Or the juice from the tuna. I thought all cats ate tuna. She will however eat off of my plate, if I let her. I keep saying to her, your not a dog. Cats don't beg. And don't be alarmed. If I do let her, it's a couple of crumbs or a noodle. No, big bites or anything like that. I know it's not good for animals. Lol

 

I didn't want to test at first either, but it really isn't a big deal.... And how wonderful that you already have a meter. In my signature below I have a link to a video I took off how I test my cat CC.

 

Hi, Colleen--

Cats can be so fussy! If you want to take it really slowly, you can start by just placing some of the wet food next to her dry food (on a plate, or in another bowl, if you don't think she'll eat all the dry food immediately--it's bad to get dry food wet and let it sit for more than half an hour or so). Or you can try mixing it. Most people (including me) think it's ok to leave wet food out all day for the kitty to nibble on, until 2 hours before test/shot time.

Some cats who don't like other wet foods do like Fancy Feast and Friskies--I think the flavors are pretty strong. But if she turns up her nose, there are a few other strategies you can try. One is warming up the wet food a little. Another is sprinkling it with parmesan cheese, which some cats love.

If you can't get her eating canned food, you could try switching to a lower-carbohydrate dry food for now--that's probably not the best thing in the long run, but because she has lost a lot of weight very quickly, I think it's very important that she keep eating and not lose more right now! Here's a lower-carb dry food that is relatively easy to find: http://www.evopet.com/products/1441 . It's kind of expensive, but she would not need to eat as much of it; it's pretty high in calories. Most cats seem to really like it.

Fortune, help your mom out here--let her test you, and eat the good food she offers you! She loves you and wants what is best for you!

 

Thank you so much for talking to Fortune for me. I hope she listens to you. Lol. I watched the video and it looks a little less scary than I thought. I started rubbing Fortunes ears to get her used to it. The first few seconds she didn't want me to do it. Then she realized that she liked it. So, so far so good. Thanks again guys for all your help.

 

@2onetice How is Fortune doing?

 

Hey Tanya, Fortune seems to be doing great these past two days. She's doing better than her mommie. LokI haven't been able to do anything so far except rub her ears because of my accident.But,am getting ready to make phone calls. But, back to Fortune. She seems to have so much energy. She has even chased, played with, and killed two,not one but two palmetto bugs. If you don't know what those are, they are huge cockroaches. But, the weird thing is, she usually just watches them and looks at me like ok mom, you can kill it now. And, every time I get up, she runs to her food bowl. So, she's getting lots of exercise.Which is why I didn't catch this faster. I just thought she was loosing weight because of all the moving she was doing. Anyway, I will let you know after the phone calls. Thanks everyone for your concern. It's so nice to know not in this alone.

 

So glad to hear she has so much energy! Those palmetto bugs are formidable opponents!

 

Yes, I can't stand those bugs. But, she seems to be having fun with them. It used to be I would look at Fortune and say,thats your job. Good get the bug. And then I would go and kill it. Lol. But, the other night she alerts and soon after she carries it out to play with. She's so cute and funny. Just when you think you have them figured out. Lol

 

I remember those huge palmetto bugs from the time I lived in Miami, FL . I also remember those big lizards that would hang from the screened in back porch I had. I'm glad to hear Fortune is feeling much better. Fortune, you really should dig into the chow a little bit more for your mamma.

 

Oh, trust me she is eating. Every time I move, she runs to her food bowl. She wants me to put more food in her bowl.

 

OK everyone that is here tonight! I have what I would call a good update. I started Fortune in canned food yesterday. It took me so long, because I had another accident and couldn't get out until yesterday. Anyway, I put the food down but didn't fill her dry food bowl up. So, she had both. As expected, she turned her nose up at the canned food. So, I said a prayer saying,God you know I don't have a lot of money. Please tell her to like this food, so I don't have to waste alot of it. Went to bed. And about 5 this morning I hear a noise and think, she's up on the kitchen counter. So, I tried to sneak my way in there. Hahaha!!!She met me. Anyway, she wasn't on the counter. She was licking the plate her canned food was on clean. Sorry this is so long. So to recap, she had dry food in her bowl, which is what she was on when I brought her home from the SPCA when she was 7 months old. And she is approx. 7-8 years old. And she had the plate that her canned food was on. The dry food was gone. And the canned food was gone. You could have knocked me over with a feather. So, I put more canned out. Put a little more dry out. So, she had her choice. She sniffed both, and ate the canned food. She has eaten a whole can of food. And about 1/2 of a bowl of dry. Now, my question is, In that little time is it possible for her to look better or is it probably my imagination. Because, it looks to me like her hair is shinier. And, it doesn't seem to be as dry. And it's definitely not falling out everytime I pet her. Am I just crazy???

 

No, you're not crazy. I wonder what was wrong. Is there still heavy breathing?

 

That seems to be better too. And she is sleeping way better. And she doesn't run to her bowl like she's been starving for days every time I move. I have a friend that's a nurse and she said maybe dehydration. Because,yes she was drinking like crazy. But, she was peeing like crazy as well. I have gone to the emergency room for dehydration before. And of course, after a bag of fluids I felt better. So, I don't know. I'm still being cautious. And, I still am not going to rule out diabetes. But, I just wanted you to have an update and see what you guys thought. Here's hoping that all she needed was canned food.....

 

Dehydration seems plausible. Keep feeding her the canned food since it's about 88% water. So glad to hear she's better.

 

Me too. That was really scary. I tend to over react when it comes to my pet. Probably because they all die. And that's tough on anyone. But, I am one of those, these aren't my pets their my kids people. And I'm still not convinced that it's not diabetes. But, it's so weird that a simple thing like a canned food could make her better. Although, that's what works with us. So, why not them as well?Does anyone know of any places that sell the canned stuff cheaper than a grocery store?

 

Thank you so much for your info. And saying your wife is the same. I get such weird looks when I say Fortune is my daughter. And you are right about the maternal thing. I have known something was wrong long before anyone else. I used to be able to call my vet and tell him what I thought was wrong with my dog, and he would say come get the meds. He trusted my judgement. And I have to say, your cat is gorgeous. Thanks again.

 

You may want to try Chewy's online. Their prices are cheap and they deliver to your doorstep for free if you order $49+.

 

I have already looked into that. If I ever get an extra $49 I can spare I will do it. I'm going to check also the grocery stores. Find the cheapest I can find. And sometimes if you tell them that it is going to be a standing order, they will give you a good deal. Like if I go in and tell them I will be buying 2 cases a month or whatever, they will deal with you. So, I will try that out also. Thanks for the advice.

 

The people at Chewy's are very nice. I'll bet if you call them and tell them about your financial situation, they will waive the shipping costs.

 

I could give it a shot. Doesn't hurt to try. Thanks

 

I am feeling really dense right now. I am of course trying to find the best food for Fortune. At the cheapest price possible. As we all are. So, I start looking on the web. But then I realized that I still really don't know what im looking for. I found a calorie counter. Put in all my info for the foods that I got her. And Bing, bang, boom it tells me..... I have no idea if it's good or not. It's just a bunch of numbers. For one thing, the labels don't listen carbs. And I understand that the higher the protein the better. Now, I have been told by several of you here on the site that pate seems to be best. But, I don't know why. This is all to confusing. I looked at other foods like filers and they seem to be right up there in protein. Can anyone explain this to me like this is my first day on earth. PLEASE!!!

 

Not many members on right now. Don't feel abandoned, help is coming. We all started by staring blankly at a list or wandering the aisles. Wait until you need a magnifying glass or can't reach the top shelf, then you'll feel helpless.

 

That is so funny. I grabbed some cans of what I was told was good to get. Brought them home. Cut the labels off. Looked at them with a MAGNIFYING GLASS. Couldn't see it still. So, I ended up taking pictures so I could blow it up to read it. Lol

 

I like the side effects on TV commercials. Discontinue if your eyes fall out. Consult a doctor if skin turns green. My favourite? My family doctor is an attractive woman in her early 40's. So if I have an erection lasting more than 4 hours I should call you?

 

I know right!!!And like you would let it last 4 hrs. I'm not a man, but I would think after 1 hr. It would hurt anyway. That's one of the dumber commercials.

 

It's supposed to be EXTREMELEY painful. Reminds me of climbing the rope in gym class, grade 6. "No thanks, I have a note from my mom Mr. Johnson".

 

I get that. That's funny. Thanks for the laugh.

 

Did you find some food? Many of us use Friskies Pate (not the indoor kind with green lid) or Fancy Feast Classic. 9 Lives Meaty Pate are fine too and a bit less expensive. All 3 can be found at Walmart or any grocery store. If you want something a little higher end, let me know and I'll give you some more ideas. As for reading labels if you can see them, look for foods with no grains, potato, tapioca, peas or other high starches, in the first five ingredients.

 

OK. Thank you so much. It's all so confusing. I knew you stay away for the veggie mixes. And the ones with gravy. But, I thought it would be fairly simple to figure out calories. But, when I did the calorie counter I just looked at it like, OK so what does that mean. Is it good or bad.

 

Calories aren't really the main concern for diabetic foods, it's carbs . Which as you have found is not required to be listed by food companies. Here is the food chart link (possibly again) and you want to aim for less than 10% carbs: http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

Here is a calculator for you. It's based on the label which isn't the proper way to calculate but when you use it the calculations will let you know if your in the right range. If you have it on a smart phone it's easy to use while shopping. The foods I use are extremely close to what is on the food list that's available.

http://fnae.org/carbcalorie.html

 

Apparently there is an App now for carb calculating on the smartphone. I've heard of 2 members using it . I think it's just called Carb Calculator lol

 

There are a few out there. The one I posted comes close to the food chart more than the other calculators. And there is a link if you want to do dry matter calcs.

 

I tried a calculator once. But, I guess it's more that I don't really know what the #s should be. The best protein # and what the carb # should be?

 

Also I did get the canned food you guys recommended and of course she loves it. And wants to eat it all the time. She's so funny.

 

Take the numbers from can label and put them in corresponding blocks in the calculator. Click the calculate button at bottom. Look at green square carbohydrates. You want that number to be under 10%. The lower the better.

 

OK. great. Actually that # was 2.9 so, I guess that I'm doing all the right things that you guys are telling me to do. Thanks for explaining that to me. Also, I know that I'm not supposed to get the food with gravy. And no veggies. Which makes sense. But, why just pate. I saw some foods that are like shredded meat. Any reason why not anything besides pate. And im not trying to be argumentative. I'm just trying to figure all of this out. In a good note, Fortune is grooming again. She's not loosing her hair at an alarming rate anymore. She's sleeping. She's not begging like a dog anymore. And, her hair is growing back.
I just want to say thank you all so much. I know that it is God that led me to this site and all you fabulous people. Thank you so much!!!

 

I haven't done any extensive research at ingredients or anything so just a hunch but the (Friskies) shreds, prime filets, meaty bits have more gravy and that's usually where the extra carbs come from . Great to hear some noticeable improvements!

 

OK. Well that makes sense. Thanks again.