Good Evening Everyone :)

My name is Gabriela and I'm on this forum for my 10-year-old cat Sunday who currently lives with my mother in NYC.

Sunday and I met when I was in my second year of middle school (on a Sunday) where she followed me to/from the bus stop to school. After moving in with us Sunday got pregnant twice from escaping the house and was promptly spayed for it. Never really recovering from her mommy weight, the spaying, or the fact that she was free-fed excess dry food she ended up getting pretty heavy.

Cut to just recently, my mother had to take Sunday to the vet for an emergency visit and found that Sunday was diabetic due to her weight. (24lbs) Our doctor was iffy about giving numbers as just the process of taking her blood stressed Sunday out so much she almost passed out on the exam table.

According to the vet Sunday was dealing with:
-Abscess in tooth (Reason for emergency visit)
- Tooth removal surgery
- Diabetes
- Fluid in lungs due to pneumonia (Another reason for emergency visit)

Sunday is on antibiotics now for the pneumonia; her abscess was drained during her overnight emergency stay, and her tooth removal surgery is scheduled for within the next two weeks.

Of course after hearing all of this, my boyfriend and I decided to bring Sunday to live with us and our two dogs in Pennsylvania. It just seems like Sunday needs a little bit more attention than my mom can offer at the moment. (Medically)

While preparing for Sunday's move, I've been doing A LOT of research and have been back and forth with our vet as to how we can healthily get her on a weight loss plan. We've heard from multiple sources that if she safely loses her weight, she may be able to send her diabetes into remission.

Sunday will be living with us by the end of the month, and I'd love to be more involved in this forum/ better prepared by then.

Please allow me to learn as much as possible from you all to make Sunday's recovery (and move) as stress-free as possible. I would also really love to have a space where I could communicate with like-minded individuals dealing with the same process.

Thank you for reading my novel. *Deep sigh* I look forward to meeting all of you around the forums!

 

Where in PA are you?

 

Transitioning to low carb canned food may cause weight loss just due to the lower calorie density. I had a couple civvies who lost weight without additional intervention when I switched the entire clowder to low carb canned (Friskies pates).

 

I'm by the Erie area. We live in a small town with the vet within five minutes of our house, and we walk to work less than ten minutes away from our home

I was also looking into the Fancy Feast classics which seem to be another popular choice around here. I really liked the brand Tiki Cat, but that may be when she is a little smaller so she can eat less. It's a bit too expensive for the amount of food she wolfs down.

 

I know we were talking to the vet about insulin being a last resort after we try a change in diet. He agreed that it would be less risky for us that way. Something about changing her food while on insulin could cause her to go into shock from too high of a dosage.

 

Good to try a food change first as a change to low carb food can lower her blood glucose and she would need a lower dose. Also, when Sunday has her dental, she may have a drop in her BG's, if you are home testing, you can catch the drop and change her dose accordingly. Home testing is very easy to do and can help you to avoid hypoglycemia. It will also tell you if the dose is not high enough. It is the best way to help Sunday get regulated. We'd be glad to teach you how.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Ah thank you! I was actually just looking into more threads on home testing.

I know a lot of people here use the ear, but Sunday has no patience when it comes to people touching her ears. Just me rubbing it to try and get her used to it makes her roll on her back and give me the "what the heck are you doing" look.

I was trying to find some threads on paw testing but I'm having little luck. Is that something you recommend or have experience with? I'm concerned about her going into the litter box after and getting dust or feces on the area.

 

I've never tested on the paw pad, there is a video on YouTube, and I know others here have tested there. Maybe start a thread in Health asking about it.

 

Good call on that. I think I might now