Mr Citrus

Hello everyone, my name is Ashley and my 9 year old orange tabby Citrus got sick around September. Due to financial circumstances I wasn't able to confirm what I knew was the issue- diabetes. He was confirmed and started on insulin (ProZinc) Feb 20.

 

Hi Ashley and supersweet Citrus, and welcome to FDMB.

Eliz

 

Welcome to FDMB.
To reduce costs, many of us use human glucometers with feline-speecific reference numbers as described in my signature link Glucometer Notes. This reduces going to the vet for curves and tests for fructosamine.
Another method is to feed an over the counter, low carb, canned or raw food instead of pricey prescription food which has no better ingredients, just a higher price. I feed Friskies pates, mainly Turkey and Giblet or Poultry Platter.

 

I was trying the wet no grain formulas from PetSmart. Half the time he wouldn't eat it and the price was about the same as the prescription.
The only time I tried Friskies or some of the less expensive foods both cats were sick with diarrhea for days.

I am using a standard human glucometer. What would be the difference with the feline one? Where and how do I test for fructosamine?

 

Your vet does blood te$ts for fructo$amine.
Read my signature link Glucometer Notes to understand the difference between glucometer types. Think of it like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit.
Food changes need to be done slowly to avoid GI upsets. Change food about 20-25% per day or two. See Cat Info for a downloadable food list. There are many options for food under 10% calories (not weight) from carbohydrate.