Frecking out my cat may have diabetes.

[afirmrose]

The vet is running some blood tests but he feels that Louie might be diabetic. Help.

[laurajhawk]

I haven't experienced this, but my sister has had several diabetic cats. They (sister and cats) adjusted to the routine with the injections quite easily and the cats lived normal happy lives. Hope it helps. I'm sending good thoughts to Louie!

[Chomper]

They will teach you how to give insulin shots. There's a lot to do, managing their blood glucose levels, but if you're up to doing it, Kitty can have a pretty normal life. The two cats my family has had that were diabetic were pretty insulin resistant which is frustrating because you never find the right dose of insulin. But they did pretty well for another few years and both died of other causes.

[carolyn jane]

Sometimes shots aren't even needed - Science Diet makes a cat food for diabetic cats. My sister's cat started out needing shots (small doses) but after stabilizing with the shots and the food, she was able to discontinue the shots and continue with the diabetic cat food. Hope all goes well with your cat!

[PhyllisG]

We had a diabetic cat also and tho she did need shots it was not a hassle. I dont think there was a specific food at that time.

[acey]

As others said, it's not so bad.

My Kitschy had diabetes. But with insulin shots twice a day, she thrived for a long time. I just injected the shot at mealtimes. It goes into the scruff of the neck so the cat doesn't feel a thing (at least, she didn't - but NOTHING could keep her from her food).

Just one word of caution: We went on vacation and my dear friend, who has been an "uncle" to my cats for years, accidentally gave her 1.0 mg of insulin, not 0.1. She went into a coma and seizures, lost her personality, and became basically an atavistic snarling zombie. We kept her alive for a year in hopes she might recover some of her personality, but to no avail.

So just always be very, very judicious with the shots, especially when explaining it to a catsitter!

It was really tragic for us and for my dear friend. But the point is, your cat can still have many good years left. Just err on the side of too little.

[juliel]

years ago we thought our cat had diabetes. we were able to get off insulin by a major food overhaul. we changed from dry to all wet--grain free. here's a good site that could help you:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/

wishing a good outcome for you and your cat. my furballs will keep their paws crossed.

[afirmrose]

Thank you everyone for your help. He is not happy with me right now. He hates the vet.

[laurajhawk]

Of course he does, and please don't worry that hating the vet means he'll hate the medical treatment (if you have to do the injections). That will become part of his routine, he'll be at home where he feels safe, and it won't be a big deal

[jaj999]

It's also much easier if you can can do the blood testing yourself. My cat would be so stressed by the vet visit that his blood sugar would spike so we never got good results. It was much better when I could do the basic testing myself. Edited to add - Bob was diagnosed when he was 15 and lived another pretty healthy 5 years.