DOES MY CAT HAVE DIABETES?

Hello!! I have a 5 year old cat Bean, he is my baby and I love him so much! My wife and I went on vacation in March and when we came back Bean was just not acting himself. Originally I thought that he must just be angry with us for going on vacation but his behaivor just continued. He is doing the following:

1. Urinating/Deficating in odd places, not using his litter box...He was on top of our fridge and just peed up there...he got up and pooped on the kitchen counter, on the kitchen floor, in our pantry.

2. Excessive drinking -- he will not seek water, but he will hide in the bathroom and drink out of the toilet/shower and I have a water bowl where he is now and it has to be re-filled daily, he is drinking A LOT. When I took him to the vet 3 weeks ago to have him checked out he even sat in the sink there and was drinking out of the faucet.

3. He wont seek food either, but when presented with food he will eat like he is starved -- I feed him daily, so I know he isn't actually starving.

4. He won't move...if I take him out of the bathroom or the closet that I put a litter box, food and water in....he will walk super low to the ground, (almost like he is paranoid) and run directly to his "spot" Now that I'v eput the litter box in the same area he is comfortable in, he has been using it.

5. Since he has gotten sick we have brought him onto the bed with us at night a few times and everytime we've done that we've woken up to pee on our bed, he won't get up to use the litter box that is literally...10 feet away.

Like I said earlier, I took him to the vet 3 weeks ago, and they did a stool sample and found "bacteria rods" they gave us medicine to clear that up - but its been 3 weeks, his medicine is gone, and he has no change. I have an appointment this friday to get blood and urine tests done, but I wanted to know from people who have cats with diabetes if this is how they acted.

I'm really nervous because I don't have a lot of money, but I will do everything I can to make sure my baby boy is healthy. Please help!

 

I'm just a newbie but all of the things you described pretty much describes what my Smokey was doing before he was diagnosed.

 

Ahh, I'm so nervous about it and can't wait unti Friday. I am so irritated about my initial vet visit (and have since changed my vet) because I told them ALL those symptoms and they didn't test him for that. It really irriates me.

 

Was somebody cat sitting for you? I wonder if something traumatized him.

Urinating/Deficating in spots like that is not something that would make me think FD at first, but I'm not a vet.

What I think is he may have an infection going on, could need a tooth pulled causing pain, or there was some trauma that has effected him. Just seems odd that it happened right after the trip.

Get the bloodwork done, check for high white blood cells (infection), check for parasites, FD, hyperthyroidism, get his teeth checked and then let us know what the vet says. Maybe an xray to check for a blockage or if something is broken, perhaps he fell and hurt himself.

If you don't want to wait until Friday you could buy a human glucometer and check his blood sugar yourself.

 

I did take him to the vet and they found high white blood cells and bacterial rods in his feces, they gave me antibiotics that would take care of both bacterial and urinary infections and he is still acting that way.

I have 2 roommates who were home with him while I was gone, I asked them the same thing, did somethign happen?

Also, around that same time our female cat abbigail (the only animal we didn't fix because the vet said it would "change her personality, now i regret this lol) became pregnant...she actually just had 5 kittens last night. I was thinking maybe that could have something to do with it...

The only reason I'm thinking diabetes is because the stuff I've read online talks about excessive drinking and issues with their rear legs and he walks funny or doesn't move at all...he walks super low to the ground...like i said the only way to describe it is "sketchy"

 

Did the vet give you Flagyl, an antibiotic that helps the belly?

A vet that didn't want to fix a cat, that's strange to me. I hope you do get her fixed once the kittens are weaned. The pregnant cat can be affecting Bean, her stress from labor and being pregnant can affect all the cats in the house. Stress can cause transient diabetes.

What type of food are you feeding?

 

They gave me two types of medicine, once I'm home I will post what it is called...I know it starts with a C though, and it makes him drool.

We have 3 cats, 2 males and a female - we also have 2 dogs (i know were crazy, but they're all very well taken care of :smile: ) When we got back the pregnant female AND bean both started hissing at the other male cat (they've always gotten along for the most part)

Bean has been on the same food since he was able to eat adult food (Purina Cat Chow:Indoor Formula)

AND YES, DEFINITLEY GETTING HER FIXED. AND GETTING RID OF ALL OF THE KITTENS!! NO MORE FOR ME!

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB. I know this appears overwhelming and we are here to help.

The symptoms you are describing sound like diabetes. However, if that is what the diagnosis is, please understand that feline diabetes is a very managable disease and Bean can still have many more years with you.

What are you feeding Bean? One of the changes that you can easily make that will help is if you are feeding him dry food, switch him to canned or raw food. If he is only eating dry, then this must be done gradually to prevent any digestive issues. However, if he is already eating canned food, try to remove the dry food completely. Dry food is high in carbs and makes it very difficult to regulate a diabetic cat's blood glucose. The good news is with some diabetic cats, that may be all that is needed.

However, if your vet does decide that insulin is needed, try to get the prescription for either Lantus or Levemir flex pens. They are about twice the cost of a single vial, but you get 5 pens. Because it is very rare that a cat will use all of the insulin in a vial before it becomes ineffective, you end up throwing a lot of it away. With the pens, you will have enough insulin to last several months to almost a year. Both Lantus and Levemir have shown great results in cats.

If you can, I recommend that you try to move Beans appointment up to tomorrow. There are some health risks with letting a diabetic cat go untreated and if he is diabetic, you want to begin treating it as soon as possible. The diet change to canned food will help a lot. Just avoid canned foods with "gravy" in the name. Loaf varieties are usually lower carbs. Many of us feed our cats either Fancy Feast or Friskies canned food and they do very well on this diet.

Begin reading the info on this site and ask any questions you may have. I realize there is a lot of information, but try to read about diets, insulin and hometesting first. This way you will be prepared when you visit Bean's vet.

 

Clavamox? Clindamyicin (probably spelling that wrong)?

The dry food is not good and cause diabetes and with the current stress from infection and pregnancy you may have a transient FD, meaning short term but could become FD again. I would highly recommend a change in diet to canned, low carb, high protein. Friskies, Fancy Feast even Walmart's canned food, the pate varieties would be better than the dry food.

 

I'm pretty sure it was the first medication you said -- it was 2 medications mixed together but It sounds like the first one.

During the time that he was getting his medication I was feeding him boiled chicken -- heard that was a good thing...then the last two nights I've been giving him water based tuna...is that bad?

The vet also said it could be "behaivoral" which I really don't think that is it, he has gotten angry at us for going on vacations before and when we get back we just give him extra attention and within 24 hours he's back to his usual self...this has been going on for...over a month now...he's at the point where he will lie in his own pee or poo instead of getting up to move to a different spot or to use his litter box...that has stopped, except for the peeing on the bed a few days ago, now that we've isolated a separate litter box that is right next to him. Also, he alone with all the other animals have all the shots and are up to date on them, so I know its not anything that vaccines prevent.

When your kitty had FD what were the symptoms you noticed?

 

All of my cats are adopted as FDs already, but symptoms of mine are usually increased water intake, increased urine output, very hungry, some have greasy fur, some have dandruff. If they go off insulin, they are like normal kitties, in fact my own cat named Bean is an off insulin kitty, she was a steroid induced diabetic.

You might also look into IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. It could be behavioral due to the pregnant cat, this is his first time around a pregnant cat, right?

The tuna and chicken is fine as long as he gets regular cat food too, he needs nutrients. Canned is really a better alternative. Check out www.catinfo.org it's written by a vet who specializes in nutrition and posts here sometimes.

 

He does have greasy fur too, which is definitly unlike him, he's always had a clean coat -- its like he stopped taking care of himself - he lost about a pound in weight too.

Yes, first time being around a pregnant kitty!

Why is it that when they're OFF the insulin they're normal, wouldn't that mean bean would be acting normal right now?

 

I'm sorry, I meant off insulin as in my own cat is now not diabetic and does not need insulin, hences he is off insulin.

I do still think transient FD for your Bean but you need to get to the bottom of what caused it. Stress, infection, bowel issues, food, combination of all that.

 

What is transient FD?

How can I find out what caused it? I'm not sure what to do!

 

When a diabetic cat comes off insulin it is because the insulin has helped the pancreas to heal and start making insulin on its own, so they are what are known as diet controlled diabetics. They behave and for the most part are again normal cats, just can never go back to whatever caused them to become diabetics in the first place, i.e. steroids, high carb dry food etc. Once diabetic, always diabetic.

Bean isn't acting right now if he is a diabetic because he is still unregulated be that through insulin, diet or a combination of both.

Does that help?

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang

 

Transient means not permanent, but keep in mind I'm not a vet, I just have some diabetic cats and am telling you about my own experience

I think you should relax for a moment, even if you have to give insulin it's simple and we can help you. Get to the vet on Friday, run full bloodwork, possibly do the xray to make sure nothing is broken or blocked, have teeth checked really well and we'll go from there.

But food is also key, changing from the dry food to canned only could help the belly ache and if there is diabetes, it will help that. Plus your cat will be healthier in general with a species appropriate diet.

 

Yeah, I am going to go and pick up some wet food on my way home from work -- what would you recommend?

 

Here's the link to the charts that most of us use to pick our kitties food. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html just try to stay under 10% carbs (third column).

Personally I have 11 cats only one of which is diabetic, and every one here eats what my diabetic eats...just good old fashioned Friskies pate style canned catfood. Not only is my diabetic diet controlled and has been off insulin now for 7 months but my other 10 non-diabetics have stunning coats.

Mel, Max and The Fur Gang.

 

Hello there,
I am pretty new at this too! My baby GIRL is named BEAN as well... she was told she had fd on 4/23.... PLEASE PLEASE if he is told the same, GET HOME TEST before you do any kind of insulin.... Beans diet has changed... she is getting low low numbers and was reduced first from 1 unit 2 times a day to .5 one time a day to .25 one time a day and NOW.... has not had any since 5/15!
I was not home testing and my vet wanted to increase her dose to 2 units, 2 times a day, which i did not..........however, what i did do was shoot and test later, BAD BAD!

We did the diet slow as I have 3 cats as well, 2 of which would take to the wet food and one will not and still will not.... I went on the site and fould a 'better' dry food for her... just in case Bean gets into it... took up the grazing food slowly as I was not testing at first...(too scared) and trusted the vets prescription....Now the 3rd kitty is 14 yrs old and has high blood pressure and is on different food as well, all grazing food is gone, and Bean NEVER GETS A SHOT WITHOUT A TEST (POKEY POKE) FIRST!
I hope you can get to the vet as soon as possible... please request that they take his blood pressure as well, as I would not have known about my 3rd kitty (Gumpy) if they had not done that!! She had a seizure and went to the emergency vet and that is when I found out, but my regular vet has a bp machine as well....

Hang in there and hope all is well with you and your MR. BEAN! :YMHUG:

 

Unfortunatley I have to wait until I get paid this Friday to take him in I wish I had more money so I could do it now...

I want to thank everyone for being so kind and helpful, it really has dropped my stress level because I know that if this is Beans diagnoses I can come to you guys for any help. :RAHCAT

How do you administer an at home test? I feel bad that I'm gonna have to poke and prod him but I know its going to make him better so its okay...Also, my wife is currently in nursing school, and I know that humans and animals are different but I think that will help with administering medication.

Bean as well as my other 3 cats LOVE wet cat food, I usually only give it to them as a "treat" because so many people say it causes dhiarea...which from this site and further research I've found that this is absolute BULL :roll:

I don't hope for him to have FD, but I just want to know WHAT is wrong, I miss my baby boy

Here is a picture of him...he's quite handsome...my wife and I got him on my 18th birthday, a friend of mine bought him at THREE WEEKS OLD and was feeding him chewed up chicken and he was living in her purse, as soon as I found out about it, I reminded her it was my birthday and how I've always wanted an orange tabby cat -- she inturn gave me bean as my birthday present. At just 3 weeks old, we had to bottle feed him the PROPER nurtrients but he wasn't getting better, I took him to the vet then and he had worms, we treated that and since then he has been our baby boy! I love him so much!

 

Also, a lot of people are telling me that wet food can be bad for their teeth...is this true? If so, what can we do to fix that aspect of it?

 

It is a myth that wet food is bad for their teeth, I thought the same thing myself and thus fed my cats dry food for 10 years, then Saatz got diabetes. Here is a link for you on diet and nutrition. This is from Dr. Lisa's site, it's a bit long, but very much worth the read. She talks about how diet effects all aspects of a cat, including dental health.

http://catinfo.org/

Hope this helps

Debbi and Saatz

 

Here is how we test: Video for hometesting If money is tight, you can get a free newbie kit from Lori and Tom: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541 You can also get needed supplies from Walmart for under $30.

The teeth thing is a myth. No more than our eating cookies scraps our teeth clean. Check out the site Debbi gave you.

 

any chance your wife could get her hands on a blood glucose meter from school or someone she knows via school? if not you can always pick one up at walmart or any local pharmacy. walmart's are the most affordable but if she can borrow one for a couple days then if you don't need it long term then you aren't out the $$ right away.

those are what we use to test our kitties glucose levels at home.

here's a bunch of info on how we do it but if you scroll down a bit you can watch videos of several of us testing our kitties, myself included
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

i just noticed though the link for mine isn't quite right. it goes to a bunch of my videos. if you scroll to the bottom to the one that says "test & shoot" it will show me and Mousie. i'll see if i can get the webmaster to straighten out the link though.

 

Does this apply to dogs too? I have to little doggies and they also eat dry food

 

Dogs are different, they aren't obligate carnivores like cats. Cats have a smaller intestinal tract and really need meat, dogs, from what I know eat more like humans. I'm sure the food you have for them is fine. But, I'm not a dog person, maybe some folks with dogs could answer that one better.

 

Female cats with kittens will attack males. Make sure that your mama cat and kittens are far removed from Bean. Your mama cat may be Bean's problem. Drinking and peeing are common with diabetics. Pooping --- I think that is pretty unusual. That is much more common when cats are upset.

A Relion Micro blood glucose meter at Walmart cost $12 (maybe less--I saw it online for $9). 20 test strips cost $9.00. You might save yourself a vet bill by watching that video that Sue posted and testing his BG yourself.

By the way, where do you live?

Lana

 

Hi all haven't been on here in a while but saw this and felt it was important to off input. Kitties display inappropriate litter box habits and drink alot and hide and lots of other things for a multitude of reasons. When I read what actions your kitty is displaying I thought of a million different possibilities all at once. So I have to ask that although you took your kitty in to the vet 3 weeks ago did you get a full CBC or did they only test (fecal sample or urine sample for testing of common bacterias). If they did not do a complete CBC then I suggest taking kitty back ASAP. The CBC will give you a blood sugar reading and you will want T4 level reading because he could be hyperthyroid (although a little young I have seen it happen). I would try to define and gather as much info before treating for anything or giving meds unless there is very little to no side effect possible to the kitty.

 

A vet told me one time that if a cat has some other medical problem like a urinary tract infection, the blood work may look like diabetes. So be sure to clear up any infections and then test again to see if the diagnosis comes up as diabetes.

 

Actually Bean is getting along great with Abigail, the other male cat Squeaks is the one who isn't getting along with both Abby and Bean, mostly Bean though. But Abigail will hiss & spit at him as well. Yesterday Bean had some dried up blood on his ear like he got into a fight with one of them. Not sure who, or when because he is always in the same spot, but I didn't notice it until yesterday.

When I took him to the vet they tested just his feces - and they found high white blood cells and an excess in bacterial rods - they gave me medication to get rid of that and pretty much any infection that he could have...the medicine was gone within 6 days and he is still acting weird.

Example:

I pick him up and move him into the middle of my bedroom -- only myself and my wife are in the room, no other animals. As soon as you set him down he immediatley gets very low to the ground and runs (still low to the ground) to his "spot" which is either behind the toilet or in the closet. While he is in these spots, like behind the toilet - if I go into the bathroom he will meow at me but will not come if I call him (which normally he does, not all the time because I know cats are that way sometimes, but 8/10 times he will come to me when I call him) If I pick him up he will be sweet with me and let me pet him and cuddle with him but he will not move unless he is picked up! The ONLY time he has physically gotten up was when I brought a can of tuna into the room, he came right over and ate it. Normally when I open the tuna downstairs he is at my side meowing as soon as he hears the can opener, so his behaivor is still off even with that. He only pooped out of his litter box a few times, the pee is definitley more. Which as I said, now that I've moved him where his litter box is he will use it. When he did poop outside of the litter box there was a little bit of blood in his stool, which is why the vet opted to do the fecal test first - and found those bacteria rods...The biggest reason why I don't think this is a "behavioral" thing is because #1, he has gotten mad at us before and after 24-48 hours of us being home again goes back to normal...and #2 its not just that he is going outside of his litter box...he is LAYING in it...when he was on top of the fridge I picked him up and he was COVERED in urine...he won't even move to a spot where there isn't pee. I'm not 100% sure what it is, but I just want to know without spending 100's of dollars on tests!!

 

Just trying to make sure I'm understanding his behavior.

When you say he goes low to the ground is that with his whole body, like a cowering or crouching position, or is his mostly upright but walking on his hocks rather than his toes? With my first diabetic she would walk upright on her front legs like normal but towards the end her back legs were weak and she was walking nearly on her hocks.

Now I have one civie (non-diabetic) here that was bullied by bigger cats before I got her. When I first introduced her to the entire furry family she would do the low slinky run and hide behind the tolit, and would even pee herself if one of my bigger cats was to close to her hiding spot. She too, was very loving when pickd up and held, but was just terrified of the bigger cats. Once we got her a calming collar and started giving her alone time to decompress she is doing better with her litter box, but still hides when my bigger toms are around.

The easiest way to know for sure if it bahavior or diabetes would be to get a human meter and test Bean yourself. If the reading it high over 200 then there is a good chance you have a diabetic, if its in the normal range then there is something else going on and a vet visit and test are in order.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang

 

Hard to tell for sure, unless something happened while you were on vacation.

When I adopted Maxwell he got along great with all my other cats for the first couple of months, then all of a sudden he started being frightened of my 3 siamese males. I never did figure out what exactly flipped his switch unless they had gotten into a fight while we were away, but he went from sharing our bed with them to having to live in the bedroom alone for awhile and being slowly reintroduced to them all over again.

But what you are describing sounds more like some form of trama while you were away. Usually with diabetic neuropathy they start walking low on their hocks or wrist. It is normally seen first in the hind legs although we have had a couple of cats that it was in the front legs as well.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang

 

Hi Ashley - I have three cats, Sydney is 16, Maui 12 and Buster 8 - all female spayed.

Sydney has arthritis that has gotten worse recently, so bad that she actually started to urinate in my bed (with me in it). At first I thought, it was Maui blocking the steps so she could get down and to the litter box. Then it happened again and I started to think urinary tract or bladder problem - which is painful and would cause a cat to not want to use the litterbox. Well then she defecated in bed and I knew this was not an infection or I can't get to the litter box problem.

After I took her steps away and banished her from bed, she went to my sofa and literally lived on it - peeing, pooping, eating, sleeping, she wouldn't move off it, no matter what I tried. I finally got puppy training pads, so she could do her business on that and not ruin my furniture.

She also was losing weight, drinking excessively and eating a lot. Sure signs of either diabetes or in her case hyperthyroidism. I tested her for diabetes and her levels were normal. since a blood test is required for hyperthryroid (hyperT), we went to the vet and she got a blood test that included, T4 and Free T4 tests - those two tests are required in order to determine hyperT.

She also got an xray and ultrasound - as her blood test indicated elevated liver enzymes. Anyway, that turned into nothing and in order to treat the inflammation from arthritis, she now gets prednisolone.

Note that prednisolone is a steroid and can contribute to diabetes in a cat.

Anyway, my point of this long story is now that she has been on the steroids and methimazole for less than one week, every day I see improvement - she is off the sofa and today is the first day that I think she used the litterboxes as the pads are clean and I don't see that she went anywhere else.

So, what does that mean for you with a much younger cat? Well, at a young age my Maui was diagnosed with hyperT. It is very possible that your cat could have hyperT, he also could have some arthritis (yes it can happen when one is young) or he could have some trauma to his hind quarters.

The only way to know for sure is to start by getting tests done. Yes they can be pricey, but if you are strong and firm and ask the prices first and tell them what you think could be happening and make sure they do the tests that make sense, you will hopefully get answers very quickly.

As hyperT is a possibility - if they are going to do a blood test anyway, make sure they include the T4 and Free T4 (they don't always, as it costs extra and isn't part of a regular blood test).

One of the many vets I've talked with this past month did say that inappropriate urination and defecation could be a result of an unregulated thyroid and (hyperT).

I don't mean to harp on this, but since I'm going through this for the second time it's fresh and resonates.

I hope this helps and that you get answers soon. In the meantime, if he won't use the litter box, buy some training pads, it will save your floors!

And even if your cat doesn't have diabetes - which we all hope he doesn't, please feel free to continue to post as we have cats with multiple issues and can provide assistance. And if it is diabetes, well welcome to the group and you found the best place to be for help!

 

This is all just so overwhelming and I dont' have a lot of money to spend! How much do all these tests cost?

 

A full blood panel w/T4 is about $135 at my vet. This is in addition to the vet visit cost. The lab saves the blood for a while so addition tests/rests can be done so i would not do the free T4 now. If the T4 is in the grey zone then you vet can order the free T4.

 

How many things does the blood test check for?

 

When you go to the vet, bring a list of your concerns, a list of test and ask for costs up front prior to testing.

Some vets have payment plans, some offer a financing package through a credit card company (pay it off in 6 mo no interest kind of things), some will work with you on cost if you are up front with them about your concerns and the cost of tests. But if you don't ask, you won't know what your options are. The vast majority of vets are private or small group practice so you may have the opportunity to be more flexible with that.

I know you are getting a ton of information at once. Generally the cost of fd is bigger upfront bc you are paying for vet bills and and upfront cost for insulin, but the daily cost is low.

However, we are jumping ahead, right now, you just need to get through tomorrows vet appointment and ask all the questions you need to ask and make sure you get the tests you need to get. Also don't be afraid to ask your vet to get a second opinion from the other vets in their office.

good luck!

 

The actual costs for tests and such really depends on where in the country you live. I'm in NJ and costs here are way more than in the midwest.

Since money is tight, I would start with a CBC and include the T4 and Free T4. I hear what Larry says about a vet saving the blood, no vet practice in my area does that. So, first I would your vet if they do that. My guess is that they don't. And I would suggest getting both T4's done at the same time, while it will cost, it will actually save you in the long run of having to bring Bean back to the vet and pay a second time, not to mention stressing out the cat.

What I have also found, is that if they suggest an xray and possible ultrasound, to insist on doing both at the same time. My vet doesn't do it like that, I don't know why, but I will insist on it next time, as I end up having to get both things done anyway, paying more for a second visit, stressing the cat more and having to schedule something that could have been done in one visit.

Although, I don't know if you even would need xray or ultrasound.

The CBC, T4 and Free T4 should be a good place to start and I paid about $300 for this. It may have been less expensive had I realized they didn't do the T4 tests when they initially drew blood and did a CBC.