r/FelineDiabetes

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes. I gave her medication but I don't know if me or the doc got it right. She diagnosed on the 1st and on the 5th it was bad and we put her down. Apparently the cat was sick but didn't show signs. She stopped eating and declined quickly. I had the choice to go to 24 intense care or put her down. I choose to put her down but I feel guilty. Could I have give her medication wrong? She stopped eating when I gave it to her and I didn't give her more because she just stopped eating and didn't react well. I know a life full of dr visits and shots wouldn't be the life she would want. Would the medication made a difference 🤔? Did I mess up? She had other organs failing too.

Maybe I just feel guilty? I dK

I didn't leave her side.

Hi, I need some advice on how to set up a schedule for my cat as I’m feeling super lost right now. He was just diagnosed (now on Lantus because of ketones) and it’s so overwhelming.

I work shifts, so I’m away from 6 am to 7:30 pm or 6 pm to 7:30 am (it changes throughout the week).

I’ve read that glucose should be checked before Lantus and that he shouldn’t eat for 2 hours before measuring, but that’s not really possible with my schedule plus he’s used to having food available at all times and I’m not comfortable taking his food away in case he goes hypo and I’m not there to see the signs. This way he can at least eat something and regulate it to some extend.

Another problem is getting blood for glucose testing I’m honestly not sure if it will be possible to do regularly due to his personality. In the beginning my vet put a monitor on him but he takes it off, also I financially wouldn’t be able to keep a monitor on him all the time anyway.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you manage it?
Thank you!

We’ve gone through a lot of Libres with him unfortunately and the costs are just racking in. No matter where we place it on his body, he pulls them off after a few days. We put a bandage around him where the sensor is placed to keep him from reaching the area but after a while he’ll just manage to pull it loose (even with superglue).

I have a medical shirt for him but when I put it on he just lays flat on his stomach and won’t move anymore. Won’t eat, drink or go to the bathroom. It paralyzes him.

I’m a bit at my wit’s end with him with how many sensors he destroys. Does anyone have another way to keep sensors on their cats?

We lost the fight with diabetes. He’s gone forever my poor baby. I want to die.

This past Friday our 7 year old cat started acting very strangely. A normally very social cat, he started isolating, very irritable, shedding lots of hair and just curled up in a ball/very lethargic. Also walking very strangely, head down low and back side up. Very little energy and can barely jump on bed.

Took him to emergency vet Sunday and the only abnormal lab was blood glucose of 403. Kidney function good, no ketones in urine. She said he was +2 for glucose in urine which was right below what would be definite diabetes (according to her). They give him some fluids and tell us to take to our normal vet in a week. She didn’t believe he was in any sort of emergency.

Back home today and I just don’t feel good. He is a shell of himself still. He will eat/drink if I bring him food/water and still using the litter box but is clearly not well. Lethargic, weak, growls and hisses and usually super friendly.

I got him in for Thursday. Can a cat safely stay with a glucose over 400 that long? ER vet didn’t seem concerned yesterday. I am terrified he is dying.

I never noticed him drinking or peeing a lot prior to this. Seems odd he started having severe symptoms straight away.

ich würde gerne an meinen letzten post anschließen und nochmals nach euren erfahrungen fragen. worauf muss man besonders achten, wenn eine diabetes-katze cortison bekommen muss? woran erkennt man, dass etwas aus dem ruder läuft, erste anzeichen?
wir sind immer noch in der phase der dosisfindung für das insulin, mein kater ist gut eingestellt, also eigentlich echt schlecht. mein tierarzt sagt, bei cortisongabe steigt der blutzucker und es muss mehr insulin gegen werden. wie verhält sich der blutzucker nach cortisongabe - steigt der schnell an, am selben tag? oder passiert das schleichend erst mit länger dauernder verabreichung?
ich wäre für antworten sehr dankbar, damit ich mich etwas darauf einstellen kann.

Hello Everyone, I’ll just jump right into it!

I have a cat who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, she’s 15, and we took her to the vet and she was diagnosed about a month ago after I noticed she was peeing outside her box.
She is on Senvelgo and currently managing her diabetes well but her UTI which was also present at the time of her diagnosis never went away and when I did a second urine test (vet gave it to me) on her when I noticed her frequently peeing outside the box again, we caught her uti was still bothering her. She’s been on amoxicillin 100mg one pill split in half, twice a day (so one pill everyday) as directed to us by the vet. The course is 10 days long.She’s been on this medication for around 7 days now, however she still has not stopped peeing outside the box. She poops in the box, and will occasionally pee inside either of the two boxes that we placed in the areas she would frequently pee in but still neglects them to go by the box.
I have ordered two new boxes, to replace our previous ones. I clean the floors with an enzyme cleaner everyday, replace the pee pads around the box, and clean the boxes everyday.
She will go in the box, just not all the time so unsure if it’s behavioral now, like if she has a fear of the box because of the uti. Both boxes are low entry and so are the new ones i’ve ordered. We have other cats in the home, however we have an automatic box+1 extra. So that’s four boxes for 3 cats.

Our vet says that we can try an anti-anxiety medication after this, but i’m just curious if anyone’s had similar issues with their diabetic cats? I’ve tried researching but haven’t found very much in regards to this issue with diabetic cats.

The credit cards are all maxed out from his treatment . I’m drowning in debt. I’m having to move to another apartment. In the mixed of all the packing my 12 year old diabetic boy stopped eating and drinking. He declined within the past day or so and last week his numbers were in the 200s … he was still jumping up and down and cuddling. Now hes just laying around I offer food and water and he turns up at it. I do this multiple times a times a day and he’s taking some in or mewing at me when he wants some. It’s a sad mew. I wish I could trade spots with him. Am literally doing a move 2 hours away, Finding a job, packing, unloading. This is so stressful. I need to take him to the vet but i literally don’t have family near me or friends willing to to help. Should I give him up for adoption? I’m worried I’m going to just go home and he’s going to be gone. I hate myself so much. I should be a better cat mom, I can’t afford this…

Hi, I’m very new to all of this and honestly just looking for some perspective from people who have been through the early stages of feline diabetes.
My cat is 10 & was recently diagnosed and has only been on glargine insulin for about five days. She also has a FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus, which I thought would make me feel more secure, but right now I feel like it’s doing the exact opposite.
She’s had some really low readings and some really high readings, and I’ve already taken her to the ER twice because I was scared by the numbers and by changes in how she was walking. Both times she ended up being okay, but now I feel like I’m constantly waiting for the next drop.
I’m checking the Libre way too often. Like, every few minutes sometimes. If I see her in the low 100s, I start worrying that she’s going to keep dropping. If I see a downward arrow, I immediately get anxious. I’m scared to leave the house for too long because some of her lows have happened hours into the insulin cycle, and I keep thinking, “What if I’m not here when it happens?”
I’ve basically been structuring my whole life around her glucose for the last few days. Since the first ER visit I haven’t returned to work for fear it’ll happen while I’m gone and because of how badly my mental health has been affected.I’ve cut outings short, I’m nervous about sleeping, and I’m constantly watching her behavior and the app at the same time. The frustrating part is that when I’m not looking at the numbers and I just look at her, she’s usually acting completely normal — playing, eating, sleeping, being herself.
I do have an AlphaTRAK 3 on the way because I want a way to confirm suspicious Libre readings, and I’m also trying to get a clearer feeding/monitoring plan from a vet who is more experienced with feline diabetes.
I know the beginning is probably the worst part because everything is new and the dose is still being figured out, but I guess I’m asking: did anyone else feel this consumed by the Libre at first? How did you learn when to actually react versus when to stop staring at the numbers and just watch your cat? And how did you get comfortable leaving the house again?
I love this cat more than anything and I want to take good care of her, but I also know I cannot realistically monitor her glucose every five minutes forever.

EDIT/Update: Thank you all for welcoming me into your community and providing support and advice! I’m so appreciative.
We ended up getting her able to eat because she’s used enough to her Grandma, but we didn’t have any luck with her shot as she was, quite honestly, feral in behaviour. Once the unfamiliar people left, kitty was much happier with just Grandma, who was even able to give her her pill. Kitty’s mom was okay with us skipping the dose.
Their regular vet is closed weekends but an emergency vet is assisting with the shots today and we’ll have kitty at her regular vet tomorrow (if her mom’s still in hospital) to support.
A very scary and stressful time for all… thank you all again for your guidance and comments. :)

—

My friend was hospitalized today after a heart attack. Her cat is diabetic and quite fractious with anyone but her. I know how to give her insulin shot but I also know she has to eat first—she’s “relaxing” on the floor nearby but refuses to eat.

She had her insulin this morning but needs her evening dose. If she won’t eat, it’s best I skip her insulin shot, correct?

I want to avoid stressing out my friend as much as possible and don’t want to ask her a load of questions. She’s already so worried.

I can reach out to her vet but I thought I’d start here in case anyone has advice for a newbie. Thank you!

Her name was Bee and she was less than 5 months from her 7th birthday. She love hugs and butt pats and was a wonderful sister to her fur siblings. Her bonded soul cat is lost without her and it’s been a challenge trying to keep his mood up. He’s been a shell without her. I still haven’t been able to throw away her insulin tube yet, it’s still in my fridge. Just a small vent trying to get these emotions out. Thanks Reddit ❤️

https://preview.redd.it/rxu6ai3g1qjh1.png?width=995&format=png&auto=webp&s=9bc6cc7e8f6ad126658078b11add6839145848b0

When he first got diagnosed he reacted very strongly to the insulin, which caused that huge up and down curve in the beginning. Then he stayed high for months. I kept upping the dose and it was like his body didn't notice. I started out low and slow, going up by 0.25 units every week, but it did nothing.

Honestly, it was advice on the feline diabetes messaging board that turned the tide. I know it's risky, but one of the members there had struggled with the same and suggested I up the dose more dramatically, and also up it after three days instead of five or seven. Obviously this carries a higher risk of hypoglycemia but I'm home most of the time and I could monitor him very closely.

So that's what I did. And finally in July it's like I broke through the insulin resistance and he started dropping.

Average glucose in July was 17 mmol. In August it's currently 10 mmol.

ETA: someone rightfully pointed out their cat had a good experience on prescription food. It can absolutely work for some people, we just had a bad experience and I wish instead of continuing to increase insulin and see high curves our vet had discussed other options with us, and I wish I’d known enough to push the conversation about those other options sooner. Prescription foods are not inherently bad at all (I have another cat on prescription food for bladder crystals and he’s been crystal-free for 7 years!), but it sucks when they aren’t working for you and you’re just throwing money into the wind.

My boy Ronald was diagnosed in January of 2021. Immediately went on ProZinc and was prescribed Purina Diatetic Management wet food. We’ve been on that for years and his numbers have always skewed higher and the vet has just increased his dose little by little over the the years.

The Purina DM has really been breaking the bank lately ($180 every 24 days isn’t feeling sustainable) so I had an appt with a new vet at our practice and said I’d done some research and wanted to try him on Fancy Feast classic pate.

You guys. Before, the lowest his curves would get would be around 180 but he’d sit in the mid 200s to low 300s most of the time.

I’ve been doing curves on a full Fancy Feast diet and a REDUCED insulin dose and his curves START below 300 after he eats and flatten out around 105-130. He stays there for a few hours and then gradually increases again.

The stress and money I have put into this for FIVE YEARS when we could’ve just tried a different food makes me irrationally angry. I feel like we could’ve gotten better control over this in the beginning. There’s nothing we can do and I should’ve spoken up earlier, but whew.

This is wild and I’m just grateful to this community for teaching me enough to be able to advocate for my guy.