lnicely
Shy Member
Posts: 20 
Location: Washington State..🍎
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Post by lnicely on Jul 2, 2015 3:32:39 GMT
One of my calicoes was diagnosed today.. We go back tomorrow for training on how to care for her.
Was a little thrown by my vet saying " if you choose to treat"
How hard is this gonna be?.. We have her sister too, who is fine.
I'm nervous!
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Post by peasapie on Jul 2, 2015 3:37:35 GMT
I think wet food is something your kitty will need more often. I looked into feline diabetes when my older cat started going that way, but he passed on before I went the full route of insulin and etc.
I have heard that feline diabetes is not overly expensive or troublesome to treat, but I haven't done it myself.
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Post by peano on Jul 2, 2015 5:41:27 GMT
I had a diabetic cat that I gave insulin to once a day. Coincidentally she was diagnosed not too long after I had DS; I had gestational diabetes and had to inject myself with insulin so by the time she was diagnosed, I was way past the squeamishness of giving an injection. It really isn't difficult once you get the hang of it, and the vet shows you how and where to inject so it doesn't hurt.
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Post by paigewh on Jul 2, 2015 5:47:10 GMT
I have been treating my 13 year old cat for a year. He gets a shot twice a day (every twelve hours) and I only feed him wet cat food. The syringes are tiny and don't hurt him at all. One tip ... Buy your syringes and insulin at Walmart. It's MUCH cheaper than anywhere else I have found. It is very manageable.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 2, 2015 5:57:58 GMT
We had to give my cat shots
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moodyblue
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,179
Location: Western Illinois
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Jul 2, 2015 12:35:28 GMT
My sister has a diabetic cat who gets insulin shots twice a day, I believe. Her husband does the injections on the cat.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Jul 2, 2015 12:49:32 GMT
I have been treating my 13 year old cat for a year. He gets a shot twice a day (every twelve hours) and I only feed him wet cat food. The syringes are tiny and don't hurt him at all. One tip ... Buy your syringes and insulin at Walmart. It's MUCH cheaper than anywhere else I have found. It is very manageable. My parents have a diabetic cat and she buys the supplies at Walmart too as it's cheaper! She also bought a glucosometer (I assume it's called that) to check his blood sugar at home rather than taking him to the vet for this. He gets really nervous at the vet and she figured it would be easier than making appt's and taking him in. Works fine for them. All in all his care is fairly easy to manage. She checks his blood sugar every week or every couple weeks, whenever vet wants her to and then calls it in to vet and he adjust insulin. Shots are easy, Mom taught my ds at about 19 how to do them and he does them when they go away somewhere. |
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cakatie
Junior Member
Posts: 77
Jun 29, 2014 4:45:05 GMT
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Post by cakatie on Jul 2, 2015 18:04:26 GMT
My beloved cat was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 15 and lived two more good years with treatment. She stayed on the same dry food she had always been on (never switched her to wet food) and I gave her injections twice a day. The insulin/syringes ran about $100 a month (drug store pharmacy, which was much cheaper than the vet's price) and were easy to do - the hardest part was being awake every morning at 7 and home every evening at 7.
She eventually died from lung condition at 17 but I never regretted the extra two years she had with me managing the diabetes. I'm happy to answer other questions if you have them!
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Post by meridon on Jul 2, 2015 18:09:50 GMT
We had a diabetic cat that lived for 2+ years on insulin before developing bladder cancer. We kept him on the same dry food because he was prone to UTIs and we also had 2 other cats at the time, so it was just easier to feed them all the same thing. Once I got used to giving him the shots, it really wasn't that big of a deal except for having to plan more for trips so he could either be boarded at the vets or have my parents come over to give him his shot while we were gone. Echoing to shop around so you're not paying an arm and a leg for syringes & insulin.
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Post by scrapsuzy on Jul 2, 2015 19:48:51 GMT
I have not had a diabetic cat, but have diabetes myself. I have a hard enough time keeping my own shit straight. I won't do it for an animal. I don't have a problem with others choosing to do so, but it just wouldn't be what I would do.
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scrappert
Prolific Pea
RefuPea #2956
Posts: 7,792
Location: Milwaukee, WI area
Jul 11, 2014 21:20:09 GMT
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Post by scrappert on Jul 2, 2015 21:07:38 GMT
When my cat was diagnosed, we have him insulin pills. Yes, pills...to a cat. Although the first few times was a fight, after that, I could just stop him, grab is head and throw the pill down.  Anyway, we had him on a diet food for diabetics, it was a hard food. Treated him for 3 years until he passed at age 16.  It is scary and nerve wracking! I don't know how I would have done with a shot. |
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Jul 2, 2015 22:56:40 GMT
Our tortoise-shell cat was diagnosed with diabetes about 12 years ago at the age of 5. DH was against dealing with shots (despite his lifelong diabetic father) so we decided to treat just with the Science Diet diabetic dry food. The vet said we should get 2-3 more years with her. Like I said, TWELVE YEARS LATER, she's still going strong! I'm sure not all can be controlled that way, but if shots aren't a good option for you, you CAN choose to go that route and see how it works. Fair warning, though - the diabetic food is about $40-$45 for a little 8lb bag.
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QueenoftheSloths
Drama Llama
Member Since January 2004, 2,698 forum posts PeaNut Number: 122614 PeaBoard Title: StuckOnPeas
Posts: 5,955
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Post by QueenoftheSloths on Jul 3, 2015 1:42:47 GMT
When my Girly Cat (see avatar) was diagnosed, my vet and I agreed to first try a different approach. She got her teeth cleaned, and then went on a grain free diet. I forget how long we gave this, but when she went back, the diabetes had actually disappeared. We kept her on the grain free diet for the rest of her life, and she eventually passed from kidney failure at age 15 1/2.
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MissChris
Full Member
Posts: 370
Jul 14, 2014 0:46:04 GMT
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Post by MissChris on Jul 3, 2015 4:56:06 GMT
I also had a tortoise-shell that was diagnosed with diabetes around the age of 7 years. I gave her twice daily insulin shots for roughly 8 years when she passed away. We had a few rough patches (insulin too high, insulin too low) and the vet bills did get a bit extreme during those times. My vet was very supportive and even tested her blood sugar level at no charge on multiple occasions. The syringes and insulin weren't overly expensive and I had no problem giving the shots after being showed how to do it properly. The only difficult thing for me was finding someone to watch her when we would go away, even for one day. I sometimes had to have her boarded, which cost extra due to her needing the injections.
Best of luck to you in your decision. If you don't think you can do it, just give it a try....you'll end up surprising yourself! (hugs to your kitty!)
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