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Hi all,
My 11 year old cat was just diagnosed with diabetes. He is very sick right now and lost a lot of weight. I am so numb right now. And overwhelmed. I am scared for his health. And most of all, I have no idea how to pay for his insulin and prescription food. He was already eating a high protein low glycemic food so the vet said he needed prescription. He was given prozinc insulin.

Any words of encouragement or advice on how to afford all of this is needed. I feel devestated by all of this. I just want my kitty to be healthy.

 

Hi and welcome!!!

Diabetes is a manageable disease. But first and foremost you do not need to buy prescription food for a diabetic cat. You just need food that is 10% or less in carbs and most of us here feed our sugar kitties Fancy Feast pate which is totally fine and good quality. The expensive vet prescribed food has nothing special to it other then the price tag and it’s mainly not human grade quality. I’m not sure about prozync cost, but members here will be able to direct you to the most affordable places to get it from. We always recommend home testing to make sure your cat’s BG levels are okay, but even that doesn’t require an expensive meter with expensive test strips. Most of use use Walmart’s ReliOn which is $9.99 and you can get 100 test strips for about $17. Baby steps but just wanted you to know even that is affordable.

you’ll get more replies soon about prozync, how many units is he starting on? We advise to start with 1 unit and then go from there. You don’t want to start at a high dose right away. can you tell us your name? Is your cat Bear?

welcome again!!

 

Cats live long lives with diabetes so don’t panic and we’re here to help. Ask as many questions as you need btw!

I want to add that it’s common for unregulated cats with diabetes to lose weight as they can’t process the nutrients on the food and eat but are always hungry and do lose weight. Diabetic cats also burn calories just by peeing since there sugar in their urine. I suggest feeding him more to help him gain weight back. Do you know his ideal weight? A good rule of thumb is ideal weight times 20 to get the daily calorie intake he should be getting and then I’d add a bit more since he needs to put weight back. Also, I’m not sure what your vet said but cats do not have to eat twice a day only. It’s okay to feed him smaller meals throughout the day. It’s better for their pancreas and it works better too since cats are mainly grazers

 

Welcome to FDMB! We are glad you found us. We know the overwhelming feeling that comes with this diagnoses. You have found a safe place to land. This is a dedicated community of cat lovers that are tide together by this disease. We are family here and now so are you. There are places to find financial help. One is Care Credit. Another is DCIN (Diabetic Cats In Need) Others here may have more Ideas for you so please be patients for more replies.
We try to help each and every kitty cat that comes here so please feel included. You just may want to start here:

New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Theres a wealth of information here with good people to help you decipher it all as it pertains to your self and your kitties needs.
I see you have already met Ale she always is full of helpful advice. Cant wait for you to meet the rest of your new family!

Again welcome to the best darn site on this planet to learn everything you need to know about feline diabetes.
jeanne

 

Thank you!
He is starting on 1 unit twice a day. My name is Katelyn and my diabetic cat is named Cosmo. My other cat is named Noah.

I was feeding Cosmo a low glycemic dry food and so the vet is saying that since he was still getting sick while eating it that it must mean he needs prescription. I really don't want to do that because he has been on the urinary food before and it made him constantly vomit. We went grain free and he got a lot better.

 

MANY here feed Fancy Feast Pate. All of the pates are 10% carbs or under. For diabetes thats a perfect cheaper food than prescription.

ETA: All dry food is packed with carbs We try to shy away from the crunchies.

 

JT is right. Diabetic cats need to transition away from dry food. Can you find an equivalent wet that is not prescription. If Fancy Feast is an option, I’d go with that. Here’s Dr. Lisa’s food chart that lists pretty much every food out there and its contents.

 

Thanks Ale why didnt I think of that?

 

Forgot to mention this in my main post. I do a combo of dry and wet. I have really tried in the past to get him on an all wet diet, but even with a slow transition he ended up with hepatic lipidosis. He has always been a very complex cat medically. I am going to try getting on all canned again, but for now he is so sickly that I am just ttying to get him healthy again before I start making too many changes with him. I bought him some fancy feast pate to try with his breakfast.

Eta: the hepatic lipidosis was from going on a hunger strike during the food change. It took a year to get him to even eat half wet food. I love him, but he's kind of a butthead about food

 

You might try getting some FortiFlora....it's a powder that's advertised as a probiotic (but it's not a very good one) but it's made from the stuff they spray on kibble to make it so irresistible to cats.

When my China was being extra finicky, I could sprinkle just a little on her food and she'd eat it like she'd been starved. I joke that I think she would have eaten sawdust if I sprinkled it with FortiFlora!

Don't get "grain free" and "low carb" mixed up. The manufacturers just removed the grains and replaced them with stuff like potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and chickpeas....not exactly "low carb" ingredients!

As for the weight loss, I totally understand how you feel. Take a look at China's profile. When she was diagnosed, she was less than 7lbs......within 5-6 months of being on Lantus and listening to the people here instead of the vet, she was almost double that.

 

It's not just grain free, it's actually low glycemic. No potato added or anything like that. I work in the pet nutrition field and worked at a vet clinic for 7 years. I'm just totally out of my element with my own cat having diabetes I know what I would tell my own clients to feed their diabetic cats, but it just feels so overwhelming when I'm dealing with my own pet.

The weight loss is so scary to me because he has always been thin to begin with. He lost 5 pounds. He did well with getting his insulin this morning. He still just looks so sickly. How long does it take for kitties to start feeling better after they start insulin?

 

Dr Elseys dry food has less carbs than any sold at your Vets OR on the shelves. Young again is also a "LOWER" carb substitute although *I have read here that some kitties have problems with it.

 

lol I think we are ALL guilty of this.

 

It’s not a quick fix sadly. We always say here they feline diabetes is a marathon not a sprint. It could take weeks or months to get a cat regulated and feeling better. If you’re willing to try home testing, that can make things a lot easier and faster as you’d be monitoring daily and able to adjust the dosage more often. Let us know if you’d consider that.

the weight loss is because of what I explained above. They’re not able to process the nutrients in food. Minnie lost a ton too. Like 7 pounds which is a lot of a cat, but she’s back at her ideal weight now. I’d let him eat as much as he wants know so he can start putting some of the weight back. did you look up your food on the chart? What’s the carb content?

You just have to be patient

 

Teal'c was a 20 lb cat, yes over weight. By the time of DX he was 12 lbs. Got down to 10 lbs before we got his BG under control. He is now at 15 lbs and if he keeps going we may need to put him on a diet.