PLEASE HELP--Newbie

Hi everyone! I came across this site while researching my daughter’s cats' symptoms. First off I'm an unemployed single mom with VERY limited funds. "Stormy" started loosing weight and loosing hair symmetrically on his hind quarters also he would drink excessive amounts of water and urinate large amounts. His appetite became insatiable, and he has what appears to be neuropathy in his legs based on what I have been reading. I need to start with a low carb diet change before I can take him to a vet. Can ANYONE give me some tips?? How does a cat get diabetes anyway??? Please help!!! Oh Stormy is about 10 1/2 or 11, not really sure we got him as a kitten when a neighbor turned him out.

 

Re: PLEASE HELP

Hi welcome to the best place ever for Diabetic cats.. It seems like dry food contains a lot of carbs and our kitties do not take kindly to this.. If you read the little stickies you will learn lots.Can food pate is the lowest carbs I think .You can get a list of can foods that are good here too check out Janet and Binky`s list ..Its all here under the notes ok If you need more help you can request it in you subject line Hope this helps Kath & Trey :mrgreen:

 

Re: PLEASE HELP

Some kitties are just genetically predisposed to get diabetes, some are steroid induced diabetics, some have conditions such as acromegaly or insulin resistance, and some have overworked pancreases due to the ultra high carb kibble that is commercially produced. There are a few flavors of canned food out there under various brands that are low carb and high protein. You want to aim for 10% of calories from carbs or less. Many of on here feed the Fancy Feast "classic" flavors. I think most of the flavors of FF are still on Janet and Binky's old canned food chart.

Also, you can go ahead and home test the cat to see what kind of glucose levels you are dealing with before the diet change and after the diet change. That way you will know if it has any effect. Also pick up ketostixs at your local pharmacy. They are pretty cheap and you just stick it in the cat's urine (stream or collected puddle) to check for ketones. If any are present, then kitty really needs to go to the vet and get a script for insulin asap because ketones are not something to be messed with.

Keep us posted on how he does!!

 

Re: PLEASE HELP

hi and welcome. There is a lot of valuable info here. Poke around the site and check out the FAQ and the Health Links especially.

Since you have financial issues, you may want to request a Newbie Kit immediately so you can get a meter and strips mailed right away. Getting your cat on the low carb wet food, as per the Janet and Binkie list, is going to be critical. It doesn't have to be expensive food either. I just saw the big cans (13 oz, I think) cans of Friskies pate' for 84 cents each today at Walmart. That would easily feed a cat for a day.

If you can get your meter and get testing right away, then you could possibly avoid the cost of some diagnostics such as a fructosamine test (3 week average of blood glucose levels). You would be able to bring the testing results to your vet and he may be able to determine if your cat is diabetic from those readings, and from regular blood work which would probably be necessary to rule out other causes. If your cat is diabetic, the low carb wet food will help a lot but your cat will almost certainly need some help from injected insulin. Without appropriate insulin dosing, he can get very sick and need hospitalization. Also, a cat's best chance of becoming diet-controlled occurs when the diabetes is treated quickly, and the BG is brought down. High BG damages the pancreas over time, and of course the cat can get very sick too. High BG means sugary pee and saliva, and this often leads to urinary infections, dental infections, poor healing, etc. High BG also leads to nerve damage which is why the cat's back legs don't work so well -- but this is reversible especially with methylcobalamin treatment and of course reduced BG. The high BG can also lead to a very serious condition of ketones in the blood, which can be fatal in short order, and requires hospitalization to treat. I say all this so you realize that even with an immediate diet change, you really do need to get the cat in to the vet quickly.

If you go to catinfo.org, you can learn a lot about basic cat biology and their nutritional needs.

If you post your general location (nearest big town, state), then someone may be able to give you hands on training in hometesting your cat. But there are plenty of people who learn by watching the videos.

I know you will have a lot of questions, so don't be afraid to ask away.

laur

 

Hi Relaymamma

Your kitty needs to see the vet this week. By all means start the diet change but this is not a substitute for an exam. Why do you think your cat has diabetes, besides the urination and weakness? Have you been testing his urine at home, or his BG?

Please make an appt with your vet asap, just as you would for yourself or your kids if you felt ill or they were weak. Your local humane society may have a low cost clinic or be able to direct you to one. Good luck.