Newly Diagnosed Cat - Urinary problems

I have a newly diagnosed cat with feline diabetes and am at my wits end. My cat (Sabre - 10.5 years old) was diagnosed in May 2010 and has been on 4 unit insulin shots twice a day plus low-carb/high protein diets ever since. He is always demanding fresh water and urinates EVERYWHERE plus he is starting to defecate all over as well. I have pretty much covered my basement in puppy training pads and am so tired of cleaning up pet waste that I could cry. I have tried every litter/litter box that I can think of but to no avail. Does anyone have any advice? I am so frustrated!

Please help!

 

Welcome. Has Sabra been to the vet recently to try to determine the problem? What insulin are you using and how was the dose determined? Do you have any recent blood glucose values? Most of us hear test the blood glucose eves ourselves using a human meter. That way we know what is going on and can adjust the dose accordingly. Sabra may be getting too much insulin or not enough.

 

As Larry has suggested, the best way to find out what is happening with your baby is to hometest. Getting blood glucose levels at the vet is difficult because many kitties are stressed by the car ride and the noises and smells. Stress raises bg levels. If dosages are based on numbers at the vet, the dose may be too high. But you just won't know until you start taking her blood glucose levels at home.

If I were you, I would go out and get a meter tonight. You want a human glucometer that sips and takes a tiny sample. The cheapest one is the ReliOn from Walmart. Its strips are also the cheapest. Here is a video that shows you how it is done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn

It seems clear that your kitty isn't regulated since he is still filling the litter box and drinking so much. But you can't tell if he is getting too much or too little insulin unless you test him at regular intervals, like human diabetics do, to regulate their blood sugars.

The other part of the puzzle is to feed wet, lo carb food. BUT DON'T CONSIDER CHANGING UNTIL YOU ARE TESTING. Wet lo carb can drastically reduce blood glucose numbers, overnight. You want to be on top of the numbers before that potentially happens. A vet website will give you more info: http://www.catinfo.org

We can help you. All of us have or had diabetic cats and they are regulated. Some of them even go off insulin. Don't despair. Start reading and asking questions.

 

I echo what the others have said.

For your specific current problem: stop by your local hardware store and pick up a black light (ultraviolet light) from the fluorescent lightbulb section, or stop by a pet store and get a flashlight-like device called a StinkFinder. Wait until dark, turn off all the lights, and wave the light over any suspect surfaces. Areas that have been urinated upon (and sometimes some other objects) will fluoresce in the light. That'll enable you to determine what areas may need more cleaning.

To get rid of the urine smell, use white vinegar. Some stores sell it in gallon jugs, which is what I think you'll be interested in. In my area, prices range from 1.89 to 3.29, so it can pay to shop around. Once you have the vinegar and have identified the area(s) needing treatment, splash vinegar over the area that needs to be cleaned and swirl it around a little. If the urine has been sitting there for a while, I'll usually let the vinegar sit for about five minutes, then I mop the vinegar up with a towel.

I throw the towels in the laundry with regular detergent and another cup of white vinegar, and they're fine too. I've also done t-shirts, pants, etc, with white vinegar. Thicker items like pillows or such might need a couple of cups of vinegar in the laundry cycle to clear the smell.

HTH --

Jean and her Gwyn

 

One thing I have discovered is that most puppy training pads have a pheremone or hormone that attracts animals to pee there. You get into a catch 22 - you need the pads to sop up the pee, but they pee because they are attracted to the pad too. You will be better off buying the incontinence pads that are meant for beds and chairs in the maxi pad isle at your local grocery store. Same thing, only larger, meant for higher volumes of liquid, cost less, and you get more pads.