9yr old diabetic cat won't eat! HELP!!

Hi everyone I'm new here and need some help... My cat was just diagnosed as a diabetic. He's a domestic orange & white short hair and he's only 9 years old. He hasn't eaten in a few days and I'm not sure how I can get him to eat. Before being diagnosed, he would eat most of his food in one sitting then go back to the rest a little later. He eats Friskies wet/canned food and also Friskies dry food. His vet told me two injections every day and in two weeks he's going back for a check up but I can't give him his insulin because he won't eat. He also doesn't seem to be drinking water so we tried cat milk which is safe for them to digest and he won't drink that either. I'm on the east coast (NJ) and he may still be a little stressed because of the hurricane we just experienced this past weekend. His brother (from same litter) seems to be okay and seems to be eating/drinking normally. He's currently on 2 units twice a day of NPH insulin. How can I get him to eat? We've tried everything.

- Not Sure What To Do :cry:

 

First of all, I am sorry I don't know more about this, but I'm sure some folks will be along soon to help you.

I am wondering if there was something that happened at the vet visit (dental exam, vaccines, did he have to be sedated) that might have caused him some kind of stress or physical harm? What kind of symptoms led you to take him in to the vet for the diabetes diagnosis? I am just wondering if you have any thoughts on what might have led to the abrupt refusal to eat (other than the hurricane, which as you mentioned would seem to be a definite possibility).

I think people here will have recommendations on testing his glucose with a glucose meter, and testing for ketones in his urine (you can get strips to do this at the drugstore, I'd ask at the pharmacy), and other immediate health concerns related to his diabetes. But leaving that aside for a minute, in terms of trying to get him to just eat, you can try to jump start his appetite either by scooping up food and letting him lick it off your finger, or using a large syringe without the needle (maybe fill it with canned food blended up with cat sip or water until smooth and liquidy) and sort of squirt it slowly onto his tongue from the corner of his mouth.

And again, you can take this with a grain of salt because all of my perceptions here tend to be colored by what just happened to my cat, but not eating can be a sign of other bad things, and can also lead to liver problems quickly in cats. I personally would definitely call the vet today if he really hasn't eaten anything (or very little) in a few days. As you know, that is not normal behavior.

So sorry you are going through this. I'll be thinking of you and your little guy.

 

Hello, I'm sorry that you're having trouble getting your kitty to eat. Anorexia is very serious and needs to be treated proactively. Here are some tips you can try at home to get him to eat:

http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/fatty_liver_2.htm Another option is to syringe feed your cat. There are a ton of videos on youtube that demonstrate how to do this. A high calorie food like canned Wellness Kitten, Chicken, or Turkey flavors is good because you can get more calories in your cat for each feeding.

How long has he not been eating right? Not eating can also be a sign of other conditions and you should take him to the vet if this has been going on for a while. Sometimes cats can stop eating if they are stressed, but it can just as well be a sign of an illness. I'm a bit concerned because your vet has not put you on the best treatment plan for your cat's diabetes. NPH is not a good insulin for cats, and not many do very well on it. The current recommended insulins are Lantus, Levemir, or Prozinc. Lantus works very well in cats and has a very high remission rate. Also, diabetic cats should eat a low-carb, canned diet only. The canned Friskies you have is ok to feed as long as it's low carb--the Friskies pates are all good, but you don't want to feed anything with gravy. The dry food is very bad for diabetics and will keep blood sugar levels high--kind of like if a diabetic person ate a lot of donuts and cookies. Most cats' blood sugar levels drop 100-200 points when the dry food is removed.

One thing that I am concerned about and I think you should rule out right away is Diabetic Ketoacidosis. This is a very serious, life threatening condition that can happen if a cat has had extended high blood sugar, an infection and dehydration. You can run out to any pharmacy or Walmart and get a container of Ketostix. These are urine test strips that can show you if there are ketones present in your cat's urine. A cat in Diabetic Ketoacidosis needs to be rushed to the vet immediately.

Another thing that would be good to pick up is a home glucose meter and some lancets (26-28g). Any human meter will do--Walmart makes a good, very inexpensive one that a lot of people use here, and the test strips aren't as expensive as many other meters. Home testing your cat's blood sugar is key to helping him get better. Testing at the vet is pointless and a waste of money--the results will be inaccurate because most cats get stressed out at the vet and their blood sugar goes up, and dosing needs to be adjusted based off of daily testing, just like people do.

I know I just threw a LOT of information at you, so please post back and ask more questions. There are a ton of knowledgeable people here ready to help you and your kitty.

 

You need to call your vet and take kitty in right away.

There are many things you can do to treat the diabetes in an easy way - as the others mentioned, but right now, it is imperative that he gets medical intervention.

Be sure to be direct when you tell the vet how long he's gone with food and insulin.

Best,
Pam & Layla

 

Hello. How is your kitty, today?
Did you take him to the vet, yesterday? Have you bought the ketostix and checked him for ketones?
Please let us know how he is doing.

 

Early this year, months before my cat was disgnoised, she fell down the stairs and hurt her back legs. She didn't eat for 3 days. It was so scary!!! I tried one last ditch effort to get her to eat and I warmed up her food. It worked! Always worth a try.

 

what part of nj are you in?

it's possible the cat could be nauseous, having pancreatitis and vet intervention may be needed - to provide appetite stimulant, anti nausea med, etc

is she showing any nausea type behaviors?