New and very emotional!

Hi everyone, my name is Rhiannon and my diabetic kitty is Macy. She is about 10 years old and I have had her since she was a kitten (rescued from feral colony).

About a month or so ago I noticed that Macy had lost weight, was drinking a LOT of water and filling her litter box almost daily. Although I have not have a diabetic cat before, my immediate gut feeling was that she could be diabetic (even though it seemed crazy to me) so I took her to the vet.

Long story short, my vet diagnosed her as a diabetic but commended me for paying attention and reassured me that because we caught it early, her chances of going into remission are reasonable.

She started last week on 2units of Lantus, but after the first dose and glucose curve, they adjusted it to 1 unit as the 2 units pushed her blood sugar too low. I am on day 3 of giving her the injections at home.. and although the actual administration is getting easier, I am still concerned for Macy.

She seems just... not her usual self. After I give her injections, she has been sulking off to go sleep on the blankets in my closet. She will stay there most of the day. She is responsive to me when I check on her and pet her, but just isn’t the same vibrant, verbal cat that I’m used to. As of this past fridays exam, my vet has assured me that her dose is ok and she is good.. so I will keep trusting the process and monitor her the best I can.

I hope to find some support and information as well as mutual understanding in this group! This is all very new and tough to handle emotionally.

 

Welcome Rhiannon and Macy. I remember the emotional tailspin the diabetes diagnosis generated. But you have come to the right place to learn about feline diabetes, effective treatment and get the support of a community that has been through the same experience you are going through now.
So take a deep breath and relax a little. What you need is here.

First, please take a few minutes to create a signature so that Macy's information is available when you post.
Setting up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what (s)he eats/any other meds or health issues (s)he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.

You mention that Macy is not feeling her usual self, and that is a concern of course. Are you home testing her blood sugar? That's the best way to tell if it's safe to inject insulin, and to see how it is affecting her. It's also the best way to be sure her blood sugar is not dropping too low into a hypoglycemic event.

You can read basic beginner start up information in the Getting Started and Education sections on the Home page. Going forward please post in the Main Health forum so that more members can see your messages and respond HERE.

We can help you with the proper diet for a sugar cat, learn about the insulin you are using and learn to test. We want Macy to feel good, have a happy healthy life and for your concerns to be addressed, so you feel better too.

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB. Getting a diagnosis of diabetes is overwhelming and scary but you acted quickly and are treating Macy with an insulin that is great for kitties so you have definitely upped the odds that you can get Macy into remission.

Our kitties get used to the higher BG levels and when we start administering insulin, it causes changes in their system they have to get used to again. Many cats sleep more, are less active or perhaps less vocal etc in the early days of treatment so I wouldn't say that is cause for concern. Keep monitoring her behaviour and take note of it but what you describe sound pretty normal for this early in treatment.

The one way to gain more control and keep yourself from worrying about Macy is to home test. It sounds like you may be taking Macy into the vet for curves right now. Home testing if you aren't doing so already, would allow you to check and REALLY see how the insulin is working for Macy, keep her safe and alleviate a lot of the worry you are now experiencing.

If your vet has not discussed home testing with you, we can teach you how. It's simple and quick and it will save you money because there will be no need to take Macy to the vet for curves and I'm sure that would also mean less emotional turmoil for both you and Macy.

Come join us over on Health HERE with any and all questions/concerns and if you want to learn how to home test, we'll get you started. This community is a treasure trove of knowledge from folks who live and breathe feline diabetes every day. We can help make your journey with Macy as easy as possible.

 

Welcome

 

Welcome to little Miss Macy and you! So glad you found this Forum, it is my lifesaver! Just remember there will always be experienced members around to give you help and advices, whatever information you need and whatever time it is! Just ask, don't be afraid... we are all there for you and Miss Macy ! Idjit and MrWorfMen's moms already gave you a lot of great starting points!

 

Welcome. One thing is popping out on your post.

Vet gave one unit lantus then did a curve and increased to 2 units? In the same day?

 

Welcome!
I'm also pretty new, and I totally get the emotional thing. I've been a rollercoaster these last two months.
Hang tough, friend. It's a process, not magic. If the dose is right, your beautiful Macy will pick up.

 

Another newbie here!

I definitely understand where you're coming from, it's so hard to see the visible symptoms of the illness of a pet that you love. I've only been on this forum for about a week and it has been so amazing, the community has given me more support than I could have expected and it really helps to relieve some of the anxiety of having a sick pet.

My advice to you is to read as much as you can and ask questions as soon as they come up... I personally feel a lot more at ease when I have answers to my questions no matter how stupid I feel asking them. So far I've felt no judgement... just education. It's uplifting also to read some of the remission stories.. I have found they give me hope for Mowgli to achieve the same.

Sending some positive vibes for Macy

 

hey folks, thank you for all the encouraging words.

To address the question about her dosage change, they started her on 2 units of Lantus but after the first dose, her curve was too low so we skipped the evening dose, and picked up the following day with 1 unit.

I have been in open communication with my vet (who is an absolute blessing) and have started home testing. The good news - no hypo. The bad news is that she is still very lethargic and pretty much doesn’t get up other than to come eat and then use the litter box. Her gait is still weak and she just seems overall crummy.

I have followed up with my vet and am waiting for his reply to my email. I will keep browsing and learning the forum in the meantime. Thanks everyone

 

Have you started b12 methylcobalamin supplements for the neuropathy? Many of us use Zobaline which can be purchased at Amazon or from the manufacturer lifelink.com

 

Hello, my situation is very similar! I am new also and my cat Rumpy is going through the same symptoms as Macy. My vet advised against home testing, but I want to know how to do this. It has been super overwhelming, but this page has already helped me.

 

@MrRumps It's quite common for vets to be against or at least not promote home testing however if you were to ask the vet if they would administer insulin to an infant without first checking to make sure it was safe to do so, I am sure that the answer would be a resounding NO! Vets don't recommend home testing for any number of reasons but I think in many cases it's because they think overburdening the caregiver or making treatment seem too complicated could result in the cat not being treated at all.

In the end, what you do in the way of extra care at home is your choice and yours alone. We'd be delighted to help you learn how to home test your kitty.

Just so we don't start getting kitties and caregivers confused, it would be best if you would start a thread of your own over on the Health Forum HERE where we can help you learn about home testing and deal with any specific questions and concerns you have.

 

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. I'm glad you want to test as it's the best way to keep your cat safe and find the ideal dose.