Afraid, distressed, and anxious

Squeak was diagnosed with Diabetes Saturday. He has not been eating, has lost a significant amount of weight, and seems to feel very weak/bad.
I have an excellent vet and he instructed that Squeak have two insulin injections per day. He goes back today for a check on how his glucose level is doing.

I have been trying to tempt Squeak into eating with wet foods, scrambled egg, tuna, just about anything that did not seem full of sugar. At most he will eat maybe one teaspoon. For 6 years he has always ate like he would never get another meal, and being a Maine Coon (mix) he was not overweight.

I have not had experience with feline diabetes, and am very, very worried. I am not only worried about getting Squeak the proper care and treatment, but worried about the cost. I have 11 rescues animals in total, and 5 are special needs.

Squeak is 6 and has always been super healthy, totally indoors, and just a joy to be with.

I am not giving up any of my pets- and how many people want special needs animals?- but I have to find a way to cope with my worry about his health and my ability to afford his continued care.

Thanks for listening. And sorry I am rambling, just not doing very well right now.

 

You are right to be worried. He needs to eat. Did you change his food and does he not like the new food? If you changed to wet, you can heat it up so warm and stinky in the microwave, add parmesan cheese on top, add warm water to make a gravy. Sometimes feeding them the first few teaspoons off your finger helps. You can also try meat flavored baby food (Beechnut is a good one) without spices. We also have info on syringe feeding. Any chance you changed to wet DM? Lots of cats don't like the liver flavor. Have you tried any of the Fancy Feast pates? Lots of us feed those.

If he is not eating at all and nothing helps, I'd suggest insisting on a vet visit. Not eating while diabetic can be very dangerous.

 

Hi Cathy,

I understand very well your worries. It's very distressful... My Juno was diagnosed one month ago and I'm still learning about this terrible illness. There's so much to learn and we need to keep informed to do our best to help our babies. I'm a rookie in this field, but I advice you to test for ketones. Right after the diagnosis, Juno stopped eating for a couple of days and he got really bad to the point I thought he wouldn't survive until today. I bought keto-diastix in the pharmacy and I tested for ketones in his urine and it was positive (second level). The vet told me to force him to eat with any kind of food. That's the most important. I was a full day forcing Juno to eat, literally opening his mouth and giving him food using a syringe or with my fingers. He got slightly better after that and then we started the insulin treatment, and then the ketones were gone. Now he's active, but his BG values are too high and he's loosing again a bit of weight.

Cristina

 

Hi Cathy. Welcome....and big hugs. I remember that feeling as my cat was diagnosed in October. My Heff had a DKA episode and nearly died his diabetes was so out of control=we had no idea he was diabetic.

Is he dehydrated? Did you give the insulin without food? Are you home testing yet? What insulin and what doseage?

I know, lots of questions. It is a very manageable disease once you get he hang of testing and get on a feeding/testing/insuling schedule. The cost is a factor, but it can also be managed.

At this point he needs to eat--even if you have to resort to his old food. I think a call to the vet is a good idea.

 

My Dusty was in the same condition early on, he wouldn't eat, was very dehydrated, and constipated from the effects of diabetes. After starting insulin I forced some warm milk in him using a syringe and then gave some cat grass. That loosened his stool, helped his hydration and gave him a good appetite. It's very important that he eat before you shoot insulin. It's also very important that you start home glucose testing so you're not blindly shooting. You're not alone, lots of people here with different experiences that can help you. Hang in there and keep reading and asking questions. You have a lot to learn but at the same time it's not all that hard!

 

Hi Cathy. I'm fairly new here as well. Max was diagnosed in November, off insulin a month later but had to go back on. You need to get that cat eating. Quick weight loss can lead to serious problems. Max will eat Gerber's ham, chicken, or meat baby food often when he turns down cat food. You can also try fancy feast classics. Did your vet check for pancreatitis with the fPL test? That often makes them nauseous and inappetent and they can get it from stress, food allergies, or for no reason known to us humans. A nauseous cat won't eat so if that is happening you need to know and treat with a good drug like ondansetron or cerenia. Just because a cat isnt vomiting does not mean they aren't nauseous. Please call your vet and ask about this today. If a cat loses weight rapidly he can get hepatic lipidosis which is VERY serious so in the meantime do you know how to syringe feed? There is a good yahoo group for feline assisted feeding if you need to learn more. I will stop now but if you need more info please let be know. Hugs.

Elise

 

welcome cathy. how is squeak now?

 

Hi Cathy
I'm pretty new here too. I also have a Coon, but she is not diabetic. I have two diabetic boys and am going through the same right now. Your cat needs to see the vet. It could be a number of things for the weight loss, but the difference is mine is eating. So my doc is looking at his thyroid first, which can also be dangerous on a diabetic. It could also be pancreatitis, etc. The best thing you can do is let your vet run a complete blood work. It does cost money, but it's really your only option to truly diagnose your kitty. Also, please be careful, if your kitty is not eating, you could accidently overdose him with the insulin. Keep close contact with you vet right now until everything else is ruled out. I know the money is tough, I have been trying to find assistance for my two diabetics, but sometimes there aren't a lot of options. I sincerely hope your cat is ok. I'm in the same boat as you with one of mine.

Try not to get too stressed out right now, I was way overwhelmed the other day myself. I am lucky to have a great vet, she is going out of her way helping me right now.

I wish you the best and hope your kitty pulls through quickly.

Kathi

 

yes, it is overwhelming for sure. we understand. hope to hear how squeak is doing.

 

I totally understand. My Holly was diagnosed last July, and this forum helped save her life since we were living out of the country at the time. The best recommendation I can give you is to cook some chicken hearts and liver, chop or puree them, mix with some fancy feast classic and some pureed squash. Not much squash, maybe a quarter teaspoon, since squash/pumpkin is high in carbs, but this mix helped my Holly immensely. Add water to make it just a little runny and feed with a syringe, (ask your vet for a feeding syringe) small amounts at a time. Lots of videos online showed me how to take blood and give insulin. You can do this! Just be patient, it will become routine. Stop the squash when eating habits are normal.

Shelly

 

Hi Cathy, I just stopped by to see how your kitty is doing. I am hoping much better.

 

Thanks everyone for your kindness and concern. Squeak is eating a doing well. His vet visit was good and I now have a meter and strips, so will be testing him also.

I am currently feeling whiskas purrfectly fish- mainly tuna entree, but have some of the other fish ones too,(plus Squeak has some ham and organic free range eggs either boiled or scrambled lightly- it is best way to insure he is eating.)

Another cat has a chicken intolerance- months of vets visits, tests, etc to find this out- and with 10 cats I have to find something all of them can eat. I would love to be able to afford better food, but at least all are eating and the intolerant one has no diarrhea.

Thanks again.

 

That's great news! Glad to hear it. We need to win lotto. ;-) I hope your baby continues to do well. All of them.

 

Sudden food changes often provoke vomiting, diarrhea, or inappetance. We suggest changing about 20-25% per day. You may find that gradual shifts in food are more easily tolerated.

I'm feeding the diabetic and the civvies Friskies pates, mostly the Turkey and Giblet.

 

Squeak is still not wanting to eat unless I am sitting with him and have made him something special. His glucose was so low the vet could not measure it yesterday, but when we got home he was happy to eat. This morning he would not eat his usual scrambled egg and ham, only the ham. The vet said let him eat anything he would eat. His insulin dose has been lowered. I hope he is ok and his levels even out soon.

 

Come on Squeak! You need to eat better.

Here are some ideas to help tempt him.

 

Thanks! I will give it a try.

 

I know it sounds silly, but if I were home I think he would eat. He acts like he needs me to be there while he is eating. If I leave the room, he wants to leave the food.

 

Almost sounds like a bit of separation anxiety. There have been a lot of changes going on in Squeak's life. Cats don't always deal that well with change. If you need to stay in the room to encourage him to eat a bit more, than do that.

I remember when my Wink first joined my family. He'd been at a shelter for months and now he was in this strange home where he was separated from my other kitties, with this unknown woman, being fed all these different foods, getting ear pokes to check his BG levels and he didn't know what to make of it.

Sometimes, I would stay with him to get him to eat better. He was in isolation for the first couple of weeks but he knew there was a great big world outside that room for him to explore. I wanted to do a very slow introduction with him to my other cats, so it was probably 3 weeks before he got to wander my home with the other kitties. Even after he got let out into general population, I'd still feed him in his own separate room, because the other kitties were real fast about eating their food and wanted to steal Wink's food. I'd sit in there with him and talk to him and encourage him in a nice, soft, friendly voice as he ate. If he slowed down or walked away, I'd crumble more Halo Liv-a-little freeze dried chicken treats over his food and maybe even pick up the food dish and hold it in front of him.

He was still getting used to the new food, the new kitty buddies, the new surroundings and it was stressful for him. I'd say it was a good 6-8 weeks before he got more comfortable and adjusted to the food and other changes.

My point is, give it some time. You need to be patient in this process and help Squeak to adjust however you can. This business of different food and getting shots of insulin and getting those ear pokies is a lot of change to get his head around.

Sending you lots of hugs and encouragement vines to get Squeak feeling better and eating more.

 

Thank you, that is good and encouraging info.

I don't mind staying with and encouraging Squeak to eat, but I am gone 10 hours everyday and that is a long time for him to not be eating anything.

His levels are evening out though.

 

Do you have any BG (blood glucose) readings you could share with us?

I see you do not have a spreadsheet set up yet for tracking the BG readings, the insulin doses and other info. Directions are here to set that up. It's a simple Google document, with a bunch of rows and columns for entering the data. NO math involved.

AMPS = morning pre-shot test
PMPS = evening pre-shot test
U = number of units of insulin given
+1 = 1 hour since shot of insulin
+x = x hours since shot of insulin

There are 2 sets of the + hour columns, one for the morning cycle readings, the other for the evening cycle readings.
Since we all live in different time zones, using the + hour format puts the data in an easily understood format of elapsed hours since shot time.

You don't need to test at every hour certainly. Just enter the numbers in the appropriate column where you do have data.

In the meantime, you could provide the data in this format in your post

date, AMPS xxx, number of units insulin, +x, PMPS xxx, number of units insulin, +x
For example
3/17 AMPS 280 1U +4 250 PMPS 320 1U +2 263
3/18 AMPS 350 1U +2 300 PMPS 300 1U +4 250

 

Deb we finally were able to test last night- it was about an hour after his shot and it was 286, this morning before shot it was 201.

He gets vetsulin a dose of 3 each time twelve hours apart.

I have not had time to read or research all I need since he was diagnosed. Between caring for the others, trying to get him to eat, work, caring for us, and going to the vet- there just has not been time to become as knowledgeable as I want.

 

Squeak ate baked chicken legs and thighs and baked chicken liver tonight! I went thru five things including raw liver before baking that food. I am so happy. Even if he doesn't eat it again he had a good size meal finally and one not full of salt.

 

Yes Squeak! Good job on eating that special meal your mommabean lovingly prepared for you.

Maybe some of the baked chicken on top of some other canned food, would get him to eat some of the canned food?

 

Back to not eating this morning, didn't even want the ham- and it is the one thing he always wants. I coaxed him into eating about a tablespoon of the baked chicken/liver mixture by putting it on my finger and him licking it off. Tested at 286 pre-shot.

 

Unregulated diabetic cats are usually eager to eat. There must be something else going on with Squeak.

Does he lick at the food, and then walk away?
Maybe upset tummy?
Pancreatitis?

Something is going on that is causing Squeak not to want to eat. I think you need to discuss this with your vet, and maybe a vet visit is in order.

 

I agree and wonder if he is nauseous.

 

He could have an upset tummy- when we first found out he was diabetic he was running a fever and they said it would cause him to not want to eat. They got that taken care of, and he always wants ham lunch meat (I know ) and was eating scrambled eggs, but now the eggs are no way, the ham is not so much. He smells of it and walks away. If he is going to eat- it has to be on my finger, out of my hand or piece by piece given to him. He doesn't want any wet cat food, or his old dry food. Baked chicken and baked liver were great last night and this morning he would not touch it. He only wanted to lick the ham this morning, not eat it.

I have been putting about 5 syringes of water down him a day- spaced out- cause I never see him drink. He acts like he is feeling better, does talk a little again. The vet did several tests on him when he was first diagnosed- I think one was a pancreas test- will find out.

I have isolated him today from the other cats to see how much he eats when I am away and also to see if he is having bowel movements.

Thanks everyone for all the help.

 

I forgot to add he has been to the vet four or five times this month.

 

Dud your vet run the fPL test for pancreatitis? Have you tried a good end fir nausea such as ondansetron or cerenia?

 

Yes, it was a fPL test. I am unfamiliar with the items you mentioned. I have always had healthy cats and feel like a bit of an idiot now since I know nothing.

 

Do you use injections or pills and it is for use in a non-vomiting cat? I don't know that he has nausea- just blindly searching for any reason he is not eating.

 

I use the pills. Max needs 2mg twice a day when he has a pancreatitis attack. I get a script and buy it at Costco. He doesn't vomit from panc but becomes inappetent. We tried l mg at first without it helping and I needed to give him 1/8 a 4mg cyproheptadine, the appetite stimulant. Then a vet said the dose was too low. When we got the dose right for him, he no longer needed they cypro. Sometimes he needs a little cypro when he first gets an attack until the ondansetron is working well. The vet on the lymphoma lists says he sometimes needs to give a cat 4mg twice a day but I think that is rare. I have used cerenia as well. The shot stings so I prefer the pills if the cat isn't vomiting. Some people on the panc list have had to use both drugs at the same time. Just like with diabetes, ECID.

 

Can you get some mid cycle tests? My Tiggy stopped eating when he was dropping low.. And you could be missing the low if he does it at night etc

 

Thanks everyone for all the help and advice. I went to the vet to get an anti nausea med and/or a vitamin since what I could get Squeak to eat wasn't that healthy. They said there was neither for a diabetic cat.

Went to Sav-a-lot and bought some 9 lives and he ate a whole can of the super supper in three tries!!! And he ate some baked chicken. His numbers are great and he is talking and purring and even growling a little while he is eating!!! I feel like I have my lovely boy back again!

 

Great news. I'm glad.

Elise

 

Thank you! :smile:

 

It sounds like you have had a wild ride with Squeak. I hope that everything works out well with him.

 

Thank you Erinia!

 

Squeak is still doing very well. He is eating the 9 lives super supper as long as I am with him. He still does not want to eat when I am not home. His numbers are staying 120-150. I hate going back to work tomorrow since he probably won't eat while I am gone. Anyone else dealt with this and what did you do?

 

Feed him well before you leave and when you get back. Leave food out when you are gone too and he may eat it..

 

We got a 92 tonight! Yeah Squeak!

He does not eat very much at once and I cannot leave his food out due to the cat that has an intolerance to chicken's food is out all the time, so if Squeak wants it he can have it, but currently he only wants 9 lives super supper. I tried putting him in the garage while we were gone with a bowl of it, so he could eat as often as he wanted, but he won't eat while I am gone since he has been diagnosed.

 

When was the 92? Did y ou shoot at that number?