Overwhelmed and Anxious

New on here but I have been reading the forums the last two months. My 11 year old cat Johnny was diagnosed two months ago, I haven't started insulin and have been battling with the process for a bit. I am overwhelmed, I am the ONLY person who will be able to monitor and administer the insulin due to cats temperament and I work two jobs and am gone many hours per day. Plus money wise I have already put the last two vet visits on my care credit, when you have over 100k in student loan debt adding to your debt is not a good feeling.

I switched food for both of my cats immediately. I tried some higher end low carb all meat wet foods. Neither one of my cats would touch it, so I followed the suggestion to stick to the Classic Pates from Fancy Feast and both cats happily eat it. So I have both my older cats on a low carb diet (can't hurt I imagine)

Johnny has cost me a lot of money over the last 11 years, he was a very sick kitten when rescued and over the years has been a chunky, lazy and skiddish cat with high anxiety (was on antidepressants for some time) I have been reluctant to start the insulin because I know my cat, quality of life for him getting monitored and stuck daily will NOT go over well. There are many days I don't even see him (he hides and stays away from noise and people) and even though I am his person there are many days I cannot get anywhere near him to even pet him. SO I imagine this now that I will be chasing him around the house daily, that will work out great. I have read people on here say "they get use to it, they come to you because they know they will feel better (sorry, they dont know why you are chasing them and sticking them)" I can promise my cat will never be that cat. So the amount of stress it is causing me that I would be causing so much for him.

Flash forward to this week. We have recently moved so maybe his constant meowing is because he seeks me out with a new home (2 1/2 weeks ago we moved). But he is not usually this vocal. Then he has initially lost weight, he was a fat cat and I moved him to a low carb diet so naturally he will drop some percentage of his weight. I worry that while I can see he still has a fat belly, I am also able to feel more of his spine when I pet him. I don't want my cat to starve, trust me.

So my sister is a vet tech (has been for 15 years) she has offered me a 3-4 month supply of Levemir and all the other needed supplies to get me started. Her son is diabetic but recently got a pump so she doesn't need much of what she has. My Vet was super pushy and made me feel shitty right away for not starting treatment at that time. So I am tempted to start, see where he is in a month or so then contact a new vet about getting an RX for the insulin.

 

Welcome MsCrystellee and Johnny. You mentioned that you have been reading the forums the last 2 months, and I sure hope that has convinced you that treating Johnny with insulin and home testing is the way to go. Johnny doesn't feel good, his body isn't able to metabolize and use the food he is eating well enough, that's why he has weight loss, and probably also why he is constantly meowing.

I suggest you do a couple of things, first,create a signature. This is going to give pertinent information about Johnny with every post and saves both you and other members from repetitious answering and asking. Here's a link on how to do that:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

Second, I ask that you post in the main forum. If you want, just copy and paste the message you posted here. That lays out the story very well. This forum is basically the welcome mat on the front porch and not as many members get the chance to look in as often as they would like. I guarantee you that you are going to get responses about your situation. Untreated diabetes is never a good thing, as it continues it damages organs, and you really don't know at this point how the diet change has affected the blood sugar level.

Third: I don't know much about Levemir, but the people who use it do and there is information on the insulin and how to use it in that Forum. Go to the forum list and read up on it, ask questions. Did your vet have an insulin recommendation on diagnosis?

You obviously care enough about Johnny to have been reading on the board for 2 months, and now becoming a member and asking for guidance. I know about spending money on a cat, we have been there done that, and we are also not wealthy. Our fur kids also didn't ask for the diseases and conditions anymore than a human child does. So we do what we gotta do, right? You will find answers and get lots of help here. Try us!

 

Welcome. Most of us start out overwhelmed, but it really does get better..really. Getting everyone on low-carb wet food is a great first step. It will be better for them all. If Johnny needs insulin, you really want to go ahead and start it. It will be worth the initial challenges when you see him feeling better. Without it, he will have a painful decline. Jump on your sister's offer! Levemir is a great insulin and free is a wonderful price. On the insulin-specific forum that covers Levemir, there are sticky posts at the top that you may want to read. There is one about a method called 'Start Low, Go Slow' (SLGS). Since you are not going to be able to do a lot of testing every day, it may be a good option for you. You can also post any insulin-specific questions you have on that forum.

I am not a believer that 'they come to you because they know they will feel better', but I know for a fact that they get used to it and that the degree of cooperation you eventually get may shock you. Mia is also a scaredy cat who is pretty skittish. I am the only one who does all of her shots and testing. In the beginning, especially with the testing, I thought it was a nightmare, but it very quickly got better. It helps to designate a specific spot as the testing spot and to always provide special treats and lots of love and attention. Mia's spot is in her cat tower, and she jumps up there for me to test her. She is so used to the routine of it, that she seems confused if I change something. The other day, I tested her a little earlier than normal, not right before her lunch. When I put down lunch, she would not go to her bowl without first getting up in her tower and waiting for me. I had to 'pretend' to test her, then she went to eat. I would never have believed that in the beginning - just like you cannot believe right now that you can ever get this to work with Johnny.

A lot of the problem is usually with us even more than with them... our nerves and stress from it. So, it helps if you can try to be really matter-of-fact about it. When you can efficiently and quickly get it over with, things go a lot better. I do not use a lancing device when I poke Mia's ear to test. I find it easier to hold the lancet in my hand so I have more control, and there is no clicking sound to startle her. It also helps to heat the ear up a little before you poke it; it will bleed much quicker/better. Some people use a sock filled with rice that they microwave. I just get hot water on the corner of a washcloth and wring out the excess. I hold it to her ear for a few seconds before I poke, then do the same after and wipe the area. You want to poke between the edge of the ear and the vein - not on the vein. As far as the shots are concerned, if you can do it while he is eating, he may not even notice!

You can do this!