Look foward to learning so much from you all...

Hello everyone,
My name is Susan, and I am the new momma to Max, a 7 y/o Maine Coon mix who was diagnosed several months back with diabetes. His previous owner, for whatever reason, could not accept caring for a diabetic cat and turned him over to her vet for her to rehome. I responded to a local rescue group's plea for someone to help foster him once they regulated his glucose. Well, it didn't take long for my husband and I to become completely smitten with his goofy and playful personality and decide that our home is now his permanently. I've cared for several cats with renal failure, heart disease, thyroid and asthma so I am not new to world of total commitment to my pets' health; however, this is my first cat with diabetes. I'll be honest, after a couple of weeks, I had a few moments of "what have I volunteered to do for how many years?!!" Thank you for providing this amazing forum for owners and for providing such great support and guidance for one another. I look forward to absorbing as much information as I can!!

 

Welcome to you and Max! So happy that Max found his new home with you and your husband! You came to the right place, there is so much great info and caring, helpful people here! I am fairly new, so I will let the experts advice you on the next steps you need to take. With your experience with other special needs kitties, you will do great!

 

Hi Susan and welcome! Love your member name "Smoon" ! And yes, Max is lucky to have found a permanent home with you and your husband! If you are not all ready home testing, you will want to learn. It is important to keep Max safe. We recommend testing before each shot and trying to get a nadir test also, which is the lowest point of the cycle different for different insulins. It will also show you his trends and patterns so you know how to adjust his dose.
Here is a good link for you to look at. http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

Many of us use human meters either the Relion Prime or the Relion Micro meters from Walmart. I will tell you this, the Prime strips are 1/2 the price of the Micro, I just recently changed meters to the Prime for that reason.

Again, welcome!

 

Welcome to the message board, the best place you never wanted to be.

There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:

- You - without your commitment, the following won't work.

- Home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!). This saves you the cost of going to the vet for curves and done regularly, removes the need for a fructosamine test. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.

- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as many Friskies pates. See Cat Info for more info. If already on insulin, you must be home testing before changing the diet. Food changes should be gradual to avoid GI upsets - 20-25% different food each day until switched. There are 2 low carb, dry, over the counter foods in the US - Evo Cat and Kitten dry found at pet specialty stores and Young Again 0 Carb found online.

- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir. No insulin lasts 24 hours in the cat, so giving it every 12 hours is optimal for control.

 

Hi Susan and Max, welcome! I just love your profile pic of Max, he seems like such a hoot to have around the house

 

Welcome Susan and Max to FDMB! How wonderful of you to foster/adopt a diabetic cat. Even though it may seem tough at first, it is very rewarding. I have found that it definitely builds strong bonds between you and your kitty. You have come to the right place for support. There are a lot of caring and experience folks here. You will be given a whole lot of information and at first, it will seem very overwhelming however in a couple of weeks, things will start falling into place. Some of the info below is duplicates of what has already been given to you but sometimes, I don't mind getting things over and over again. So here you go....


Good Reading: This is a must read. It is an excellent 18 page informative document that covers feline health and nutrition. Don't take short cuts and read it all. www.catinfo.org

Home Testing: Here, we all home test. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Another reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Here is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

Meters: There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Confirm, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. They cost around $15 and the strips are around 35 cents each.

Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty.

Food: There are many reasons why we are here but one is due to feeding dry cat food which is high in carbs. You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs. Here is a list of cat food to choose from.food chartyou will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found inwww.catinfo.org If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitty’s number by 100 points or more.

Hypo Kit: Always good to be prepared for possible hypo events which means that your cat has reached dangerously low numbers. It can be fatal, hence, the importance of home testing and collecting data in a spreadsheet. In each of the Insulin Forums are stickie’s labeled Hypo Links. Please print and post on your refrigerator so everyone in your household is aware of hypo symptoms. You will want to create your hypo kit that would include and not limited to; extra testing strips, honey/karo/maple syrup, high carb food, medium carb food, vet information, etc.

Ketones: Diabetic cats are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). It is best to buy testing strips that will measure (if any) ketones in the urine. One brand is Ketostix which can be found at Walmart or any pharmacy. You will want to test periodically unless you continue to get high numbers, then it is suggested to test more frequently. Ketostix typically costs around $10.

Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty. Some use it after they have tested to reward. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredient is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cat likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. There is a link here somewhere that has a list of low carb treats but I don't have it right now.

Injections: Most folks here use one of these main insulins; Lantus, Levemir and Prozinc. Two hours prior to your insulin shot, you will not want your kitty to eat. Then you will test and then feed. It is best for your kitty to eat a little before your shoot. I shoot while he is eating. The reason why you do not want your kitty to eat two hours prior to your test is because food elevates BG numbers. So you do not want to dose based on a food influenced number. Here is a link on how to give injections.http://www.felinediabetes.com/injections.htm

Note: Please check your insulins as there are some (the harsher ones like Humulin, Novlin, Vetsulin, etc.) that would be best to allow some time after your kitty has eaten before you shoot.

If you have any questions, please be sure to post in the Health Forum.

 

Welcome Max! Aren't you a handsome fellow?

 

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I started home testing last night and was successful. Today I'm trying to complete a curve to give to my vet and just had a difficult time getting a second sample from him. Taking deep breaths and will get back at it in a few. I've watched the videos and looked at various links and you all make it look so easy! I know with practice it will get better so I won't be discouraged for long.

 

Yeah, it's easy with a cooperative cat! LOL. Keep trying, we have alllllll been there with frustration learning. It does get easier.

 

After about 3-4 pokes, just let your kitty go and walk away. Try it again in about 10 minutes. Be sure to alternate ear and alternate within the sweet spot area. Even if you don't get any blood, be sure to give your kitty treats. Good luck and you can do it. I love Smoon's picture.

 

Max is such a cutie!

If you haven't done so already, warming up the ear before you poke can really help get blood out faster. If you need tips, let us know!

Singing can help, too. I sing to CJ before I poke. It's a great way to release stress and it helps me and CJ relax. You'll find what works best for you and Max.
It will get easier!