Cheetah was just diagnosed today.

My Vet called me earlier today to give me the news that my kitty Cheetah is diabetic. I have an appointment Monday to discuss everything with her. Cheetah has a lysine deficiency and I was expecting my Vet to tell me she has a thyroid imbalance (like Cheetah's sister) but that wasn't the case. I'm so over-whelmed and scared. Cheetah is nearly 13 years old and a very sweet.

I went online to look for info about feline diabetes and I'm glad I did. This site has a lot of info. (Thank you very much to the founders of this site!!!)

I've been scanning this website for awhile and I'm a bit over-whelmed. First off, I found that I've been feeding my kitties the wrong food. I always thought dry food was the way to go (currently Science Diet IM).

I have so many questions. For starters, what is the best canned cat food out there? I can't prepare raw food (no storage for frozen food) and I don't have a grinder. Any thoughts??

 

Pop over to Cat Info for nutrition info and a food list. I feed all of mine Friskies pates, except Mixed Grill. They are less than 10% calories from carbohydrates.
Change the food about 20-25% per day to reduce the chances of GI upset.

Changing the food may reduce the blood glucose from 100-200 mg/dL.

Testing at home may result in numbers which are 100-180 mg/dL lower. We strongly encourage home testing to help keep your cat safe.

See my signature links Glucometer Notes and Secondary Monitoring Tools for additional useful information.

 

It is definitely a lot to take in and easily can be overwhelming. But there are a lot of amazing people here willing to help out and answer all of your questions....please feel free to ask away! Did your vet mention what insulin they wanted to give?

 

Thank you both for your replies.

I haven't met with my Vet yet to talk about all the results and how to proceed. I had my appointment Friday then Saturday afternoon she called with the results and asked me to come in Monday. (My Vet Dr. Ann is actually out of town until Thursday but she didn't want me to wait so one of her partners Dr. Lucy called me and asked me to come in on Monday.)

Is one insulin better than others? Or is it specific to the degree of the diabetes?

MollynSkooter, do you make your own cat food? I'm thinking of using one of Dr. Pierson's recipes for all 6 of our cats and maybe have some store bought canned for emergency's. I'm just not sure of what brand to use.

I used to be a Wildlife Biologist but suffered a traumatic back and head injury some years ago. I have difficulty processing information sometimes. It takes me longer than it used to (at least I can balance a checkbook again!). I will continue reading and taking notes from this site (and asking questions LOL).

I read somewhere on this website (or maybe Dr. Pierson's page) that many people won't understand why bother doing all of this because of the time and money involved especially since my family is having a hard time financially. It's nice to know there are so many people out there that care as much for their animal friends as I care for mine.

Susan

 

Recommended insulins which last about 12 hours per shot in the cat are
non-depot insulins
ProZinc - 40 units per mL
BCP PZI- 40 units per mL
depot insulins which have a slight carry over effect from shot to shot
Lantus - 100 units per mL
Levemir - 100 units per mL

If your vet offers you Humulin/Novolin NPH, or Vetsulin/Caninsulin, decline, as they do not generally last a full 12 hours in the cat. (Dogs have a slower metabolism and those work well for dogs.) and propose one of the non-depot insulins, as the vet may be more likely to understand how they work.

If you get Lantus or Levemir, ask the vet to write the Rx for the pens as these are most economical. If you are in the US, you may find ordering from Canada less expensive.

 

I am in the US (California). Thanks BJM!

 

Do some cost checking online for the price per unit. Most starting doses run from 0.5 units twice a day to 2.0 units twice a day. I'll warn you that Lantus and Levemir can have some serious sticker shock, hence the suggestion to look at Canadian pharmacies (there are a few folks have used successfully - ex www.77canadapharmacy.com ).

If you're also changing to low carb food (I suggest you start now, before insulin), I'd use a low starting dose of insulin. A change to low carb food can reduce the glucose 100-200 mg/dL and drop the insulin dose as much as 2 units.