Newly diagnosed Diabetic Cat

My cat has been diagnosed with diabetes this past Friday. The doctor suggested i start him on Lantus given 1x a day because i dont have the time to give insulin 2x a day. I was feeding him friskies indoor wet food saucy seafood bake, and when im not home i leave dry food out. I just started to buy fancy feast classics. He also has neuropathy in his hind legs. I checked the price for lantus. It ranges from 300-500 dollars. That is way too much... to buy every month or every other month.

 

Most insulins work better when they are injected twice per day, once every 12 hours. Lantus is very good, I have heard, but also very expensive. My cat was diagnosed 4 years ago and has been on Novolin N ever since. I get it at Walmart for around $25 a vial, lasts 3 to 4 months [depending on how many units he needs], requires no prescription [in my state. Can't comment on any other location], and the syringes are around $13 for a box of 100--also, purchased at Walmart. Many people here use the Walmart human meters Confirm or Micro to monitor. Strips are less expensive than for other monitors. While the human monitors read lower than the Alpha Trax pet monitor, they are invaluable for tracking how well the insulin is working for kitty and helping to keep him safe. I hope you can arrange your schedule to be able to treat your furbaby. Diabetes is a horrible disease that, if left untreated, will make your cat very sick before dying a very painful death. Read as much as you can, particularly the stickies at the top of each forum, and ask lots of questions. You will find a wealth of information, very caring and knowledgeable people who will help you.

 

Many of the folks using lantus buy it from Canada from Marks Marine pharmacy. 5 3ml pens are about $165 and that's enough to last most people about a year.

 

If the diabetes has not gone undetected for a long time, there is a chance he may go into remission - if you can get his blood glucose stabilized fast. The neuropathy in his hind legs could also improve when you get his high blood glucose under control. If going with Lantus means you get it under control faster, his chances of remission are better. If he goes into remission, you won’t be giving insulin for the rest of his life, wo one vial might be all you will have to buy. You will need to check his blood glucose even when in remission, but you won’t have to use insulin. I was able to use the cheaper insulin and get my cat into remission, but I was available 24/7 to test and give shots and food. My cat’s diabetes returned and now I am considering switching to Lantus or one of the others if I can’t get his blood glucose evened out with the cheaper Novolin or Vetsulin. You may want to post over in the Lantus group and see what the benefits of Lantus are. Then you can decide. Do take action though. Every day that his blood glucose stays high increases his chances of permanent damage and decreaces his chances of remission.

 

The lantus is expensive, and at the moment, i can't provide for him or my other cat anymore because im nearly homeless. At this point, Im looking to give him up. I tried but my own stability is at stake and i just lost a cat last week. Emotionally and finacially i can't bear it. Are there adopters out there who will take on a diabetic cat ?

 

Yes, there are. There is a group that takes some of them, but I can’t remember where I saw the post. Hopefully someone else will see this and reply. If not, try re-posting with adopter wanted in the subject line. I am sorry you are suffering so much loss right now. I can understand not being able to care for a diabetic cat right now. My heart breaks for you.

 

Oh okay thank you. I will make a new post

 

Emotionally it is overwhelming at first. We are here to support you in that regard. I promise the care gets easier. There is a wonderful organization that may be able to help financially if you qualify. It is called DCIN (Diabetic cats in need).

@Chris & China

 

At first it´s devastating and we were very scared because we have never put a syringe in our whole life!

Thanks to this forum we have managed to improve the daily Diabetes routines with Ron. In this forum there are marvellous people!

Above all our cats need a lot of love, a safed home and a deep knowledge about the Diabetes, keep calm, step by step and in the different topics you will find a lot of information.

Regards.