Meew member

HI! I'm Amy and Jamie's my guy. Jaime is a great kitty and by way of introduction, I'm going to let you know how he came into my life. Originally, my folks got him from the pound and named him Meow-meow because he was a little kitten with a strong voice. He transitioned to my great-aunt's house where he got the name Jaime. For 11 years Jamie kept my Magnificent Aunt company, loving her, drooling on her as she pet him, occasionally nibbling her and always sleeping at her side. When his first mom passed, Jamie was not to be an orphan again - I was given the blessing of welcoming him into my life. Jaime made his home here and quickly trained me too. He paws me to tell me it is breakfast, complains (loudly) at bed time while leading the way to the bed (he's an accurate alarm clock), and he takes over my desk when I work. It's been four years since his arrival and Jaime's had his 15th birthday. My old man is getting on in years. There have been some recent bummers, which I will post in the Health section, but I can wholeheartedly say that being Jaime's Amy has been the best relationship I've ever had! My dad recommended this forum, telling me that everyone here is so helpful and compassionate - I wouldn't expect anything less - you all have cats! Thanks for the welcome board and I look forward to learning how to continue to love and best care for Jamie in the coming years.

 

Welcome, Amy. We are so glad to see you here.

We want everyone to know that Amy is our daughter and Jamie is our furry grandson. Jamie is beginning to experience medical issues that we will let Amy tell you about in the Health forum. We asked Amy to join this Board because it is such a wonderful resource with compassionate, caring, sincere and knowledgeable members. Please keep an eye out for her posts to help her and Jamie.

Thanking you.

 

Welcome Amy and Jamie . You have found a great bunch of people here and I look forward to seeing you around the forum.

 

Welcome to FDMB.
There is tons of great info here and folks with experience using most kinds of insulin. Has one been prescribed yet, or is diet change being tried first?

 

Hi Amy and Jaime, welcome!

 

Welcome to FDMB! 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.

Members: I am trying out my little write up below for new members and hope all the links work. I wanted to put something together that has all the little tidbit of information in one place so I am open to any edits, additions or deletions.

So welcome again Amy, Jamie and Cat Couple. Here is some information below to get you started.

Good Reading: There 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 it 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 kitties 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 chart you 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 it's mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found in www.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 kitties 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 stickies 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 ingredients is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cats 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: 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 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 Amy and Jamie! You're in very good hands.