Worried

Hi my name is Toni. I just found out on Friday that my 7 year old cat Lucky has diabetes. It's very overwhelming. How do I even know if his insulin is working? He has lost weight and drinking a lot of water but now the water drinking has not been so much as it was. He's on new high protein food from the vet. Does the insulin start working right away?

 

Welcome to FDMB.
Frequently, you will see lower appetite and thirst, and less urination and defecation, as the insulin takes effect. Some insulins take a while to build up in the system (Lantus and Levemir).
What insulin, what dose, and how often is it being given?
What food, amount, and feeding frequency are you using?

 

Welcome Toni! Don't worry--with the right treatment, diabetes is very treatable in cats. Bandit has been diabetic for 7 years now, and he's still doing great! He was also diagnosed at age 7.

The best way to know if his insulin is working is by home testing his blood glucose. Did your vet recommend this? Unfortunately, some vets do not for whatever reasons, but it is absolutely vital to getting his diabetes under control. You can use any home glucose meter to do this--one of the popular ones around here is the Relion at Walmart because it's inexpensive and easy to find strips.

The only prescription (vet) diet that is appropriate for a diabetic cat is Purina DM canned. Anything else you vet gave you is going to be too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. However, you don't need to feed a prescription food--there's nothing special about them that makes them better than many commerical foods for cats, so all you're paying for is the label (Purina DM is virtually the same as the Fancy Feast Pates, if you look at the ingredients). You just need any low carb, canned food that is less than 10% carbs. If you visit http://catinfo.org/, there's a chart that lists many commercial foods and their nutritional breakdowns--just pick any food that is less than 10% carbs.

What insulin did your vet start you on and what dose?

I know this all seems overwhelming at first, because there's a lot of information to absorb, but if you have any questions at all, please come over and post them in the health forum!

 

Hi Toni. Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be
My kitty J.D. was diagnosed when he was 11 and lived to be just over 20, thanks to this message board and all the help, support, and guidance they gave me.
Testing blood sugar at home is highly recommended here. Let us know if you have any questions.

 

Welcome Toni and Lucky
Yes indeed, this 'sugar dance' is overwhelming, but you've come to the right place to get advice and help from other people who have a lot of experience with diabetic cats.
My girl Baco was diagnosed 2 months ago, and it was also really overwhelming for me, but with the help of this forum and a lot of advice from all these sweet people I’ve managed to get Baco almost of the juice.
She is already been of the juice for 9 days now.

So I wish you good luck to get Lucky stable with insulin and hope to read more of your journey!