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I just found out last night that my 12 year old cat Mobius has diabetes. For those out there with diabetic cats, I have a few questions about how you manage the condition. (Don't worry; I'm working closely with my vet. I just need a "real world" perspective.)
1. Do you do blood or urine testing?
2. Is you cat on pills, insulin, or both?
3. Is your cat on a prescription diet?
4. If you have multiple cats, how do you manage?
Thanks a lot for your input!
My diabetic cat is no longer with me, but I can help you with these questions. (my info is from 2002, so not really that old)
1. Do you do blood or urine testing? both, Regular blood tests by the vet and urine tests at home to make sure his levels aren't changing unnoticed.
2. Is you cat on pills, insulin, or both? Y.Lee was on insulin shots, twice daily, 12 hours apart.
3. Is your cat on a prescription diet? Yes, he was given Hills prescription w/d.
4. If you have multiple cats, how do you manage?Well, I feed all my cats in carriers, so this was never a problem. You may need to stop free feeding (if you do) and go to regular sceduled feedings. This will be beneficial for the diabetic because he MUST eat in order to give him the insulin, and you can monitor his food better if he is fed on a schedule.
Best of luck with Mobius. He (and you) will be fine once you get your routine set.
I'm sorry to hear about Mobius and send my best wishes.
Unfortunately I can't be of any help beyond this :(
Moby update: She is in isolation for now, so I can closely monitor input and output. I need to figure out how to go from free feeding to scheduled feedings; I've always used free feeding.
The good news about Moby: she likes the peace and quiet of having her own room! She was VERY good at the vets' where they first had me give a placebo shot then her first insulin. (I've done distemper shots on kittens; this is tons easier.)
Now if I could only get her to pee on demand... ;) :p
I'm sorry to hear about Moby's diabetes. I have no experience of dealing with it in kitties, but I wish you all the luck in the world! ;)
Hi,
Sorry to hear about Mobius. I went through exactly the same thing with my guy Cody. Cody lived almost three years after being diagnosed. He had his ups and downs but we never regretted the extra time we had together. The first vet who treated Cody put him on Humulin H insulin twice a day but Cody's sugar was still very unstable. We had to visit the vet at least once a week because he just wasn't right. This vet didn't seem to know what else to do so I found another vet who had a lot of experience with diabetic pets. This vet put Cody on Humulin N which stabalized his sugar immediatley. Soon Cody was his old self again, eating and playing, and being his old love bug self. I gave Cody shots twice a day as he ate his meal. He did not eat a prescription diet because he was so picky and wouldn't touch it so he stayed on canned Friskies.
Do not give your cat any cat treats or people food - he needs to eat the same food and amount every day. My vet did regular blood tests. He advised me not to do blood or urine tests at home because they are not very reliable.
The best thing you can do at home is observe Moby's behavior. Look out for signs of shock, strange behavior, not eating - or eating or drinking too much and take notes. Keep an emergency vets number nearby and buy some Karo syrup. If Moby seems to be in shock you may have to put some of the syrup on your finger and have Moby lick it to give him extra syrup but call the vet first.
Also, watch out for diabetic neuropathy. This is a neurological condition which is sometimes severe and sometimes mild. Cody's was mild. Sometimes his head would shake a little bit and his back legs were weak. In the end, it got severe and he couldn't walk, so I knew it was his time then.
Good luck to you and Mobius. It is a very big commitment to care for a diabetic pet but of course they are worth it. Post and let us know how you and Moby are doing.
Diane- Mom to Gracie and Ally
and the late great Cody
Here is a photo of Cody - My Angel
Gracieally, welcome to Pet Talk! Moby is on PZI insulin. She appears to be stabilizing. My vet is having me use the Keto-diastix to test her urine. Her input and output are very constant. She was Dx with a senior panel, not from symptoms, so we caught it very early, I think.
She is the BEST patient! :)