My Therapy Cat now needs Therapy

I was in the hospital for 4 months after major surgery and rehab. My son wouldn't let our 5 cats in the room with me thinking they would hurt me but one of them, Chewbacca, an adorable little shorthair, bounced on my bed and hugged my legs and refused to leave. Since then he has been my "therapy cat", staying with me all day and night.

Yesterday he laid on the floor listless and quiet. He wouldn't eat, just drank water. I took h im to the vet and they diagnosed my baby with diabetes.... . Like the home page read, I was totally freaked out. My 22yo son cried like a baby, something I rarely see. Needless to say he's a very LOVED kitty.

I was so thrilled to find this board. I take him to the specialist in the morning. He needs to be rehydrated and given insulin... they said it might cost up to $3500!!! I just got out of the hospital and thank God for insurance I only owe them 4000 dollars out of $100,000... now another bill.

Any advice? I'm literally shaking in my boots about this.

 

Hey there, so sorry about you kitty being DX with diabetes. Before you kitty comes home you could learn to hometest which will save you $$ and you won't have to take the cat back to the vet for curves. I will give you a couple of links to view to learn to test. 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 Prime, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. The Prime testing strips are ½ the price of the Micro.

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.


Food :You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food if you are currently feeding high carb dry.. 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 its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast Classics , 9 Lives Pates, Wellness, NO GRAIN, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found inwww.catinfo.org . Just by feeding low carb wet, the BG can be as much as 100 points lower.

This is a lot to absorb for now and wishing you and your kitty well. If you have any more questions ask away. By the way, what is yours and your kitty's name? Oh and welcome!

 

Hi, welcome to you and Chewbacca, he is adorable! So sorry he has diabetes, but you've come to the right place. Bobbie has given you lots of good info to study. It does seem overwhelming, but after a bit it will become second nature. Let us know how the vet visit goes, and if you have any questions, ask away. There are so many people here that have a ton of knowledge in diabetes as well as all things feline!

 

Thanks Bobby and Sharon. My name is Robin and my baby's name is Chewbacca but we call him Chewy or Choo Choo. He is the gentlest, kindest cat I've ever known and I've known so many!! Once I take him to the specialist I'll update this. The info here is priceless!!

 

Good luck Robin and after I sent my post I realized you did say Chewbacca's name. About insulins: Some of the better insulins are the 2 human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulin ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. Hope that helps

 

Thanks, Bobbie for your knowledge. This is all so new to me and I need all the info I can get!!

 

Chewy is so sticking cute!! I love seeing photos of all our kitties.

 

Hello Robin! Chewy is adorable! If you are feeding him dry food it is usually easier to start transitioning to wet low carb food before starting insulin. Diet change alone can make a big difference.

 

Hi Robin, welcome to FDMB! What a handsome little cutie Chewy is! Sounds like you and Chewy have had a rough time of it lately. Hopefully we'll be able to help relieve at least some of your stress!

Please feel free to ask all the questions you want to! We are happy to share our knowledge and experience with you. I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but it gets easier as you go, and before you know it, you'll be an "old hand" at this, lol!

Lucy