How quickly could you notice a change in behaviour once they start insulin? e in cat

I asked people to populate questions to ask Vet for my newly diagnosed diabetic cat. Thank you for responding, I really appreciate it and it helped.

We hah him on a Diabetic diet for the last for the last 10 days aand while his count went from 25.1 to 19.3 we decided to start him on Insulin starting last night. We started him on 1 unit of Pro Zinc to see how he reacts in 3 to 5 days but the Vet told me he suspects we will need to increase the dose once we get new readings (which we are taking at home).
He was getting 1.5 cans of Purina Pro Plan DM (he likes savory selects) and the vet agreed to move him up to two cans as he seemed to be starving and was quite lethargic. He is a big cat who was 7.20 KG when we switched his diet and 6.92 KG when we weighed him 10 days later. The official website for the food said a cat that size should be eating 3.25 cans a day so 1.5 seemed very restrictive.

We gave him his first shot at 8 last night and a second at 8 this morning and his energy level seems to be returning. My question is could he be feeling better that quickly or am I just optimistically looking for signs of improvement too quickly and am just imagining it?

While I was not looking forward to giving him shots it ended up being nothing. I give him his shot while he is feeding and he does not even react to it in the least. Getting the right does in the needle is the hardest part, lol.

Again thank you to those who responded to my question yesterday and thank you in advance to nay who respond to this question.

PS-The vet price for the Purina pro plan seems like a lot ($60 something CDN for 24 cans). Is there a cheaper option to purchase the same brand without going to the vet. He seems to really like the food so I do not want to change him and I am willing to pay $5.00 per day to feed him but if there was a cheaper option I would be interested to hear.

 

I just 'Googled' it and it is 47.99 for 24 cans at Chewy.com. You could do a search and see what your options are, including local places you can go get it. I know I have seen it in pet supply stores.

I am not sure if you have seen the cat food database yet, but just FYI, the savory selects are 10% carbs which is at the max you want to feed a diabetic cat (and less is better).

 

By the way, since you are going to be home testing, it would be very helpful if you could set up a spreadsheet to record your results and doses of insulin given. You will find it a very helpful tool for you, and it is necessary here if you are ever going to seek advice regarding dosing.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

Adding a signature with basic info (like you see under our posts) is also helpful. It keeps you from having to repeat the basics every time you post and makes it easier for everyone here to see the info without having to read through posts.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

 

In the first few days and weeks try and focus on clinical data like his numbers, how much he's eating, body weight etc. Obviously you want him to be a happy cat but his life has been turned upside down. There is no meter that shows he's feeling better, that's something you'll know by watching him. Sorry for the vague answer, it's part science and part observation. If something looks really wrong to you you'll know it right away. Watch out for fur-shots if they don't seem to react to being poked with something sharp, it happens to all of us.

 

A better answer?
A really unhappy cat won't eat and might hide in the closet when the lancet and syringe come out. It's totally possible he is improving that fast but it could be for any number of reasons not the least of which is that he knows you care and fuss over him. Some cats adjust so fast to their new life it's a blessing. A lot of us save big $$$ by feeding Fancy Feast. Your meter is set to metric, are you in Canada? I live in an igloo too.