diabetes!

[louisstools]

My 11 or 12 year old girl, can't remember on my current cup of coffee, just got diagnosed with the diabetes the other day. She also has bronchitis but that's not the point of this post. Anyway, I'm curious if anyone has some good internet resources on managing a cat with the diabetes. I did some googling but there's far too much out there to sift through and frankly most of it seems to be the same article.

Some particulars about my cat
- uncooperative with medicine, takes two vet techs to pill her
- low appetite, not motivated by food, on mirataz daily for 1+ year to stimulate the appetite
- extremely picky eater
- will only graze 11-15 times a day
- will not consistently do wet food, and even when she does it needs to be blended with water to thin it out
- will not do treats or food of any sort other than her "beloved" UTI prescription kibble
- her UTI prescription kibble is a combo weight management and UTI after it was reformulated

One of the biggest concerns is with her appetite (you can see my post history). The reason I took her to the doctor is because it had gotten lower and she was losing weight AND she was just guzzling water, but mostly due to low appetite...while on the appetite stimulant. This seems to be uncommon enough it's not mentioned in any of the diabetes pages I've seen. When we start insulin, I'm hoping it increases her appetite because we've been having to give her double and triple the dose of mirataz to even eat what she has been. I've read that the appetite decreases and that is a bit scary. Right now we have no plans to change her food but that might be something we need to do. My cat is so picky the vet is very hesitant because it's never gone well and we end up with a cat that isn't eating but will eat the UTI prescription kibble so we just go back to that. cat eating some food > cat not eating the proper food.

But yeah, any resources you have that are good I'd appreciate. And also just stories on how it was initially getting used to shots and blood readings with a cat that generally does not cooperate or things I should watch out for given some of the particulars about my cat.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. It’s important to get a veterinary glucometer and test at home. Talk to your vet about it. They should be able to order you one and show you how to use it.

 

[Biomehanika]

I don’t know anything about diabetes sorry, but if she is hard to handle and you think you’re going to need some extra help doing blood readings/medication and stuff at home in the future you may want to look into this cat swaddler Easier Vet Visits | Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap

I don’t actually have one yet but have been thinking of getting one for teeth brushing and stuff, but it seems to be ideal for harder to handle cats who need blood readings, meds, IV drips, all that kind of stuff because there are accessible pockets to the limbs/other areas while the cat is fully swaddled… so much easier and more secure than using a towel or blanket. Expensive but may be worth it depending on what you are going to be needing to do at home with her.

 

[fionasmom]

Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
This is one of the most comprehensive sites for feline diabetes. I have had two diabetic cats and joined with the second one.

Both of my cats were manageable for several years with insulin. Neither went into remission, but that is possible.

Ask your vet about the glucose meter or a device like Free Style Libre which is very popular with the two vets I use.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

Biomehanika Thank you for sharing this link to Cozy Cat Wrap. I have a cat that is impossible to do teeth brushing on. I think the swaddling ability would work better for her then the grooming bags you see. Video looks good for many other uses. So it may be worth the money.

 

[louisstools]

I don’t know anything about diabetes sorry, but if she is hard to handle and you think you’re going to need some extra help doing blood readings/medication and stuff at home in the future you may want to look into this cat swaddler Easier Vet Visits | Calm & Cozy Cat Wrap

I don’t actually have one yet but have been thinking of getting one for teeth brushing and stuff, but it seems to be ideal for harder to handle cats who need blood readings, meds, IV drips, all that kind of stuff because there are accessible pockets to the limbs/other areas while the cat is fully swaddled… so much easier and more secure than using a towel or blanket. Expensive but may be worth it depending on what you are going to be needing to do at home with her.

That’s a great idea

 

[louisstools]

Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB
This is one of the most comprehensive sites for feline diabetes. I have had two diabetic cats and joined with the second one.

Both of my cats were manageable for several years with insulin. Neither went into remission, but that is possible.

Ask your vet about the glucose meter or a device like Free Style Libre which is very popular with the two vets I use.

i’m curious what your routine was with one of your diabetic cats. Like how many shots did they get per day? When did you do it? How often did you measure the blood glucose just kind of curious about the nuts and bolts of living with a cat with diabetes once everything gets established.

 

[fionasmom]

Both cats were semi feral indoor pets, the first being more dicey than the second. I never did home measurement of glucose because it would have been impossible, so we made regular trips to the vet and did the best that we could. The first cat was in the late 90s and the second was about 10 years ago; however, I do recommend that you monitor yourself if you can. When Rikki and I were at his internist's office because of a health issue (he is not diabetic, so end of that story) a man was literally walking around the waiting room hugging anyone who would let him because he said that Free Style Libre had saved his cat's life.

One plus to using your own monitoring system is that cats become upset at the vet's. Once they are upset, they can have an irregular and incorrect reading of their glucose level. It is important that the dosage of insulin is not based on an incorrect reading.

Each cat received insulin twice a day at 12 hour intervals. 6 AM and 6 PM. It needs to be administered however your vet prescribes it. First insulin was Humulin and the second was ProZinc.

I could not have pilled either cat, especially the first one, but administering insulin is very easy once you are shown how. I am by no means suggesting that diabetes is not an extremely serious condition, but I would rather administer an injection to a cat than pill it.

 

[louisstools]

Both cats were semi feral indoor pets, the first being more dicey than the second. I never did home measurement of glucose because it would have been impossible, so we made regular trips to the vet and did the best that we could. The first cat was in the late 90s and the second was about 10 years ago; however, I do recommend that you monitor yourself if you can. When Rikki and I were at his internist's office because of a health issue (he is not diabetic, so end of that story) a man was literally walking around the waiting room hugging anyone who would let him because he said that Free Style Libre had saved his cat's life.

One plus to using your own monitoring system is that cats become upset at the vet's. Once they are upset, they can have an irregular and incorrect reading of their glucose level. It is important that the dosage of insulin is not based on an incorrect reading.

Each cat received insulin twice a day at 12 hour intervals. 6 AM and 6 PM. It needs to be administered however your vet prescribes it. First insulin was Humulin and the second was ProZinc.

I could not have pilled either cat, especially the first one, but administering insulin is very easy once you are shown how. I am by no means suggesting that diabetes is not an extremely serious condition, but I would rather administer an injection to a cat than pill it.

Yeah, I can’t give my cat a pill either. Did your cats get meals or were they grazers? My girls is a grazer and it’s about 13 times a day.

 

[fionasmom]

The first cat was a grazer due to my work schedule and the second had regularly scheduled meals.

 

[louisstools]

My girl is a grazer. We start breakfast around 6am and she gets 4 feedings that wrap up around 8am...then she does a nap and wake up for eat cycle every 2-3 hours. She normally doesn't eat overnight. In the evening, her eating is a bit less predictable. Obviously I'll talk to the vet but this seems like it might pose a problem with the shot times. We've tried getting her on a meal plan but she didn't eat...so we (me, vet, behaviorist) gave up and just let the cat eat when she wants.

 

[maggie101]

That’s a great idea

Great idea but not for all cats. My cat would not let me wrap it around her. I ended up throwing it away. Make sure where you buy it it's returnable.

 

[louisstools]

Great idea but not for all cats. My cat would not let me wrap it around her. I ended up throwing it away. Make sure where you buy it it's returnable.

I totally understand Maggie. There’s a fine line with what my cat permits and what she doesn’t. I am mildly concerned that she will not permit the new diabetes routine that we’re going to have to start. Historically in the past, she has been a nightmare for medicine. Even the mirataz , which just gets rubbed on her ear and she’s been getting for over a year, she still fights me on that every day.

 

[fionasmom]

In the case of the first cat I mentioned, both the vet and I figured that I would have absolutely no chance of giving her the insulin injection. However, it is really very unobtrusive, and I simply walked up behind her and picked up the skin the way that you’re supposed to, and she never even seem to know that I had done it and we just went on from there. I know you have other concerns as well but I really do feel that you’ll be able to give your cat the insulin.

 

[louisstools]

in the case of the first cat I mentioned, both the vet, and I figured that I would have absolutely no chance of giving her the insulin injection. However, it is really very unobtrusive, and I simply walked up behind her and picked up the skin the way that you’re supposed to, and she never even seem to know that I had done it and we just went on from there. I know you have other concerns as well but I really do feel that you’ll be able to give your cat the insulin

yeah, I think I’ll be able to do it. It’s a bit scary. I was on the feline diabetics forum that I think you linked me and boy those people are doing some high-level science with all of the measurements and charting, and oh my God. That is a little overwhelming! I just hope that we don’t have problems with the injection timing because her eating is so unpredictable in the evening. last thing I want to do is put her into what on the other forum they call hypo because she while might be a cat, other than my mom that cat is all the family I got left.

 

[fionasmom]

Some of the specialized groups are daunting at first because it seems as if they are presenting an overwhelming amount of information. You don't need all of it right now and you may never need some of it, so just take this one step at a time. Don't read what does not apply to you.

 

[louisstools]

I'm on that feline diabetes board you liked fionasmom - thanks. Lots of good information though it's not nearly as active as this forum is. I'm picking up some monitoring stuff recommended on that forum. It's human based but should be good enough.

Based on your experience, can you explain how you managed having consistent shot times with a grazer cat? I'm finding my girl tolerates the shots very well but with her being a low appetite grazer it's so unpredictable when or if she will eat. And does the amount they eat matter? My girl doesn't normally eat much in the evenings (after say 5 pm) and so really any time period 12 hours after the breakfast shot is going to be when she's done eating for the day. And I certainly can't make her eat, even with an appetite stimulant.

(I've asked this on that forum but it's not very active)

 

[fionasmom]

Sometimes the specialty forums are not as active as a place like TCS. I have not been on those boards for a long time, but I did receive replies, so keep checking.

The grazer cat, Hamy, had a good appetite and ate her food that was put out for her. I did feed her regular wet food in the morning and evening, which she mostly ate, but I always left dry food for all my pets because of the nature of my job. I know that she ate that during the day as she lived voluntarily in her own room and she and the other resident cat at the time were like two ships in the night.

I was instructed to give the shots at 6 AM and PM and that is what I did. The times were not consistent with a full meal, but it was all that I could do and she seemed to be okay with it.

If a current cat became diabetic, I could now guarantee meal times and give the insulin at exactly those times. Can you start to slightly adjust the times that your cat eats by rearranging the food schedule so that you get closer to a meal in the evening?

 

[louisstools]

Sometimes the specialty forums are not as active as a place like TCS. I have not been on those boards for a long time, but I did receive replies, so keep checking.

The grazer cat, Hamy, had a good appetite and ate her food that was put out for her. I did feed her regular wet food in the morning and evening, which she mostly ate, but I always left dry food for all my pets because of the nature of my job. I know that she ate that during the day as she lived voluntarily in her own room and she and the other resident cat at the time were like two ships in the night.

I was instructed to give the shots at 6 AM and PM and that is what I did. The times were not consistent with a full meal, but it was all that I could do and she seemed to be okay with it.

If a current cat became diabetic, I could now guarantee meal times and give the insulin at exactly those times. Can you start to slightly adjust the times that your cat eats by rearranging the food schedule so that you get closer to a meal in the evening?

No, I can’t do anything with the feed schedule. I’ve tried this a handful of times with my vet and our behaviorist, and my cat will not acclimate to it. She is hungry when she is hungry at exactly that moment and not five minutes later or before. sometimes she’ll go 10 hours without eating and then when she’ll eat, it’s like 10 kibble and that’s all she wants. so I really don’t think I have any control over when she eats because she hast to eat and that’s the main priority because the appetite is so so low.

 

[fionasmom]

Your vet has not given you a definitive answer yet about the feeding schedule?