Newly diagnosed - CANNOT care for cat

Sweet, sweet boy, Gabby, was just diagnosed and I don't have the financial means or routine life to properly care for this gentle soul. I desperately need to adopt him out. How do I go about doing that?

 

Where are you located?

 

It is difficult, especially in these economic times, to adopt out an adult cat. Add a special need like diabetes, and it becomes even more difficult. And you do have to think some about what's best for Gabby. Cats are terribly stressed by changes in their environment, which can exacerbate any underlying medical condition, including diabetes.

You cite financial means and a non-routine life as reasons Gabby needs a home. So many of us here face those same challenges.

Concerning finances: Here is a document called frugal feline diabetes with some tips. It's a touch out of date, but it gives you some basics. We can help you find glucometer systems that have the cheapest strips (which is really where the cost is)--I recommend the Walmart Reli-on system or Maxima AST available from Hocks.com. For both, you can get 100 strips for around $40, cheaper sometimes on EBay. Insulin also can be a large cost. The current insulins of choice, because of their relatively high rate of regulation/remission, are Lantus and Levemir. We recommend that people buy them in the pens/cartridges, which are 3ml tubes instead of the 10ml vial. We recommend this because the clock starts ticking on a tube or vial when you open it, and if it is going to have a short shelf life (like one to two months) after opening, it is better to be opening a smaller container. However, the 3ml pens/cartridges, which come in boxes of 5, are currently going for about $180 to $200 in US pharmacies. They are slightly cheaper mail ordered from Canadian pharmacies, but you have to really look for the lowest price.

Lancets and syringes aren't very expensive, $7 and $16 for 100, respectively. High protein, low carb wet food also is needed for treatment. Many of us post sales and coupon codes on the Supply Closet forum.

Concerning a non-routine life: There are folks here with multiple jobs, jobs that require they travel, jobs with extra-long hours. We find ways to cope. Some enlist the help of friends, family, roommates, and neighbors. Others learn that twice-a-day insulin shots doesn't necessarily happen every 12 hours.

Please let us help you help Gabby. Give us some more detailed information about how Gabby was diagnosed, what clinical symptoms of diabetes he is showing, what the vet has recommended for treatment, what you are doing for treatment. Also, tell us a little about the non-routine life that is causing you to believe that you cannot treat Gabby.

We may come to share your conclusion that you need to rehome Gabby. And I, for one, will not criticize you if that is the path that must be traveled. It is far, far better in my opinion to rehome a diabetic cat than to euthanize it or send it to the streets or a shelter. Direct rehoming--from personal residence to personal residence--also is better for the cat because it does not make that intermediate step in a shelter where it becomes susceptible to all sorts of diseases and stress that cause additional medical and financial problems.

I run a project called Diabetic Cats in Need. One of the things DCIN does is try to rehome diabetic cats. You can see from that main page that DCIN is trying to place 12 cats right now. Some have been on that list for six months. If rehoming is needed, DCIN can be one of your resources to try to do that.

Another thing DCIN does is try to relieve the financial burden of treatment for those who truly cannot afford it. Besides advice for cost-savings measures, some of which I've given you above, DCIN can provide insulin and diabetic supplies. DCIN does this in an attempt to keep diabetic cats in their original homes. Max is one example of a cat that DCIN helped to keep in his home. Max is now diet controlled and his family is very happy that they ultimately made the decision to keep him. DCIN also has been successful at negotiating with vets for lower prices.

Please send me a PM here or email me at vmaewood @ att.net (remove spaces) if you would like to talk about DCIN's help in either trying to keep Gabby at home or rehoming him. But please also give here the detailed information I asked for above, and see the wonderful way the many active members here can help you understand that you may be able to keep your extra-sweet boy Gabby with you.

 

Yes, I am the Mindy of Mindy & Max, and we are quite happy that we've been able to keep Max. I was kicking and screaming about it at the beginning (too much stress at work, plus a toddler and baby at home), but everyone here helped me through it, and Max is now in remission and doing great. I won't lie, it was really hard, but it was absolutely worth it. Please do give us the information Venita requested--I'm sure everyone here will do their best to help you keep your sweet boy too.

 

Are you aware of the chance your cat might go into remission and not need medication and treatment simply by changing the food? a lot of cats (but not all cats) do. My own vet recommends a simple food change for two or so weeks to see what happens.

If this is a case that rehoming is actually best for the cat, I wish you well finding a new home.

Connie

 

Now that Connie and Mindy have mentioned this, a cat I adopted in December who was rehomed for diabetes went into remission immediately, Mr. Darcy (previously known as Frisky). You can find his story on the DCIN blog as well.

http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/2009/12/fr ... as-va.html

 

Here is a list of organizations that can help with vet bills: http://felinediabetes.com/vetbills.htm