New member with diabetic male cat

I have posted a thread with same title, but without the prefix. I hope you can locate it , it's on the new group intro page. Thanks.

 

Brief summary, diagnosed 5 days ago, on NPH insulin, not eating except treats and not drinking, not peed for past day. OP going out now to get meter and strips. I have to sign off now as past midnight here but hope someone can hand hold the OP through this.

 

OPs thread in introductory forum http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-member-with-diabetic-male-cat.161071

 

My understanding is if kitty isnt eating, then do not administer insulin

I am not familiar with that insulin, but offhand that sounds like a very high starting dose

It will be interesting to see what reading you get on the meter.

 

We have 258 on meter. Suggestions.

 

hello. Our cat is at 258 now on the meter for his insulin level He has not eaten or drank anything except soft dry treats. No pee yet today , and no poop for 24 hours. He is 9 years old and 13 1/2 pounds. Male short hair domestic. He is on NPH human insulin and gets 2 a day at 4 units. We can't get him to drink or eat anything , except dry cat iams treats We are not sure what his level should be, and are worried. He was diagnosed five days ago and our vet left the country for 2 weeks. Great timing I know. I posted original thread on the new member page. I apologize for that, i wasn't sure where to Start my post. I'm new to cats with diabetes and to forums. Thanks. My wife Paula and I are very sad, and frustrated because we are so worried about dehydration. How much should cats drink during normal day inside?

 

Have you tried tuna, or crushing the dry treats on top of some wet food? You may need to get some all meat baby food -make sure there's no onions or garlic-or wet cat food mix with a little water and syringe feed him. Try offering him some on your finger first. Is he trying to pee or poop and not producing?
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/syringe-assisted-feeding-video-and-tips.144367/

 

Have you done a "tent" test for dehydration? Pick up a fold of skin on the scruff on the neck. Same as you do for an injection. The tent should disappear quite quickly. Also, run your finger along the inside of his gums if you can to test if his gums are regular moist or tacky.

 

No not trying AT ALL! we put him in box and out he comes. We have tried several wet foods and he looks at em , smells em, and INSTANTLY WALKS AWAY So far the treats is all he will eat. No other health issues from panels taken. Just diabetes

 

He won't drink water either. He hasn't drank all day?

 

For now the skin pops right back. Gums are moist

 

To test if your cat ...?name...is dehydrated, pull up the skin at the scruff of his neck. If it falls straight down, he is probably hydrated. If it is slow to return to normal he could be dehydrated. Also feel his gums. They should be wet and slippery. If they are tacky, he could be dehydrated. Is he lethargic?

 

We have been around him all day so we know he has not drank anything

 

Yes he is lethargic. Gums are moist Scruff test good.

 

He's just not the same cat we are used to. He will play with me ,but he has no motivation to play by himself.....he used to though. We are just SOOOO in the dark with all this. The food, and water issue, is killing us. He will eat treats...... He will eat sour cream....we tried softening his dry food that he loved before, and NOPE won't eat that either.

 

I have not used NPH human insulin, but I think 4 units is a lot to start off with.
It is really good you are testing the blood sugar!
258 is higher than it should be but it could be a lot higher. I would not give insulin unless he is eating as his levels could drop too far without food.
Just seen your reply.......If he is lethargic and not eating or peeing, I would take him to the vet. I know your vet is away, but is there another vet you could go to? They could test for ketones which is important with a diabetic cat. Normally we test the urine for ketones at home with Ketostix, but if he is not peeing than you might need to get a blood test if he is not eating and lethargic. Or he might have pancreatitis....both treatable conditions, but you would need to see a vet.
If you do see another vet, I would ask if you could swap to a better insulin for cats...eg lantus, levemir or Prozinc. These are long acting insulins and much better for cats.

 

Just to add that it is all very stressful in the beginning.......we all understand as we have all been there.
It does get much easier as you learn about feline diabetes and how to manage it. You will be an old pro at it before you know it!!
Food is very important and we recommend only use canned or fresh food as dry food is too high in carbohydrates and too low in moisture content.
But don't worry about that today...first you need to get him to start eating anything and to drink and pee..and find out why he is lethargic.
Hang in there. You have come to the right place. There are some very knowledgeable people here who will guide you through this until you can do it on your own.

ETA
If he is walking away from the food after sniffing it, he could be feeling nauseated. The vet will be able to help there with medication.

 

Thank you very much. Will do.

 

Please keep us posted

 

This is very comforting to know. I did get the blood out of his ear, which was my first try, so my wife and I are stoked about that. We are going to ask another on call vet they want to see him for the drinking issue and being lathargic

 

Well done getting your first blood test! That is a big step forward and will help your kitty no end to have someone testing his BSL..blood sugar level.

So ask the vet about the lethargy, possible nausea, not eating, ask about testing for ketones and pancreatitis and about changing the insulin to a more suitable insulin for cats....also the dose. We think a dose of 1 or 1.5 units to start with is better, and then go up in 0.25 unit increments as needed.

 

I agree. I wouldn't worry about the insulin at this point. If you can't get some food and water in him, I'd go the vet and see if they can. Once you get him back eating, drinking, peeing and pooping, we can help with his numbers.

Good job getting the test!

 

To all concerned:
I've merged John's 911 threads.

Good luck with the on call vet!

 

Food and water first, I would say. If he hasn't drank anything all day, that's my first concern. Maybe wet his fur, and let him clean it off? It's sneaky, but it forces a cat to drink. The problem with diabetes sometimes, is the worse it gets, the worse you feel. For sure, he needs some water. Wet his fur.... put down an ice cube for him to lick... maybe even an eye dropper to put water into his mouth (don't force it, don't want him to choke and freak out).

 

But, the lack of urination also concerns me. That could be other issues. Our former cat, Sarge, got a mucus plug in his urethra, and nearly died because he COULDN'T pee. Is the cat going to the litter box and trying to urinate? If so, then it is an immediate vet issue.

 

That crossed my mind too, knowing males that cant pee is a life threatening situation, but it sounds like this cat is not trying. If he was blocked he'd be straining in box.

 

yes, it is very important to establish if the cat doesn't pee because he can't.
Have you noticed at all that he goes to his litter tray, moves around in there a little like he wants to do something and than he walks away and there is no pee? That maybe a sign of blocked urethra and is an emergency. Another option is that he is constipated so vet needs to be told that as well.

 

Update on our boy Trouble is at our vet hospital emergency care. He has pancreatitis and some other issues , which may require an esophageal feeding tube . He is now on a different insulin , and today was looking better, peeing , and eating dry cat treats again. He had an IV put in and his sugars got all the way down to 127. The hospital thinks that the pancreatitis might have caused the diabetes ....THE HOPE IS cure that , and the diabetes might go into remission . Thanks for all the help , you all have know idea how we appreciate ALL OF YOU! Please pray for our boy "Trouble" ...He needs to come home! Will keep you posted as we hear more from the doctor.

 

Sending prayers for Trouble. Hope he comes home soon!

 

Thank you. He looks a lot like yours in the profile picture

 

So pleased to see an update. Sorry to hear Trouble has pancreatitis but you are in the right place to get him sorted. Sounds like he is getting good treatment. What type of insulin did they put him on?.
Sending many vines for a full recovery.

 

Lantis or glargine

 

Thank u for the update. Glad to hear things are looking brighter!

 

First of all welcome John. Sorry to hear your babe isn't feeling well. Now you know what it is and it can be treated. Prayers for speedy recovery. Please keep us posted.

 

Thank you

 

Thank you

 

Update on our boy ....Looks like he is going to get the feeding tube , so that sucks, but doctors think he will only need it for couple weeks. Yeah!!! They think that once his pancriuos has healed itself, he may not even have the diabetes any more We are praying for this result.

 

fingers and paws crossed for your furbaby

 

I recommend that you join Yahoo's Feline Assisted Feeding group
https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/info
The will answer any questions you have about tube feeding.

 

Thank you for keeping us posted, sounds as though he is doing ok now but obviously a very worrying time for you.
Everything crossed for a speedy recovery.

 

Thank you. We are hoping he doesn't need one. If he does, you can bet we will be looking for advice.

 

OMG our boy is Home and EATING! He has gone to his food 4 times since we got home at 6pm. It's 10:30 here now. We will see how he does overnight, and tomorrow . With the IV removed around 5:30 he probably won't drink much, but by morning we hope he is thirsty as well. His blood sugars are normal again, and the doctor thinks he may not need to be on insulin at all , if his pancreatitis issues keep on the mend and he keeps healing. We are so happy to have great support like " you all" and our wonderful , but expensive animal hospital. Lol. We will keep troubles situation updated for you all . The doctors stated that the whole diabetic issue, " they think" was due to the pancreatitis . GOOD TO KNOW. It sounds like we dodged one bullet, and used up one, or two of his " nine lives ". We are not out of the woods yet, but we are on the right path.

 

My Max has had chronic pancreatitis for nearly 8 years. I hope they sent you home with nausea medication, cerenia most likely and sub-q fluids should he not want to eat, pain med, buprenex. It did lead to diabetes for Max after 6 years I think though the years blend right now.

 

John, so happy to hear that Trouble is feeling better and he got diagnosis and the right treatment.
Sending prayers and vines,
Marlena & Rocky