DOTTIE HAS DIABETES

I’m sure she and you will do fine, Jeankit. Many kitties have lived well with diabetes and adjusted to the insulin shots. My vet even had a diabetic kitty once.

Awww, poor Dot 🙁 {{{{Dot and JK}}} I know that you’ll be able to do whatever you have to in order to keep her healthy, JK.

Prayers for Dottie,Jcat has a diabetic cat and knows very much about that and should be able to help you. {{{{JEANKIT}}}}

Diabetis can be treated, Kinker had it and would lie in front of me while I gave him is injection and then he got a treat afterwards. Walgreens has a good pet med program, buy the card for $20 annually and the meds are discounted. A box of 100 syringes was $11 and the bottle of insulin was $20 (lasted quite a few months).

Good thoughts for both of you ….

Giving insulin really isn’t as bad as people seem to think; my Dad put off taking his beloved Velvet to the vet b/c he was sure that he would never be able to give her insulin. When he finally started, though, it was not bad at all. She got so used to it that she would come and sit by his chair when it was time for her shot- just part of her routine.

Zappo has been diabetic for 7 years now. He had one hypoglycemic reaction, which was pretty scary; as he is aging and losing muscle his insulin requirements are decreasing. You need to know how to treat suspected hypoglycemia- it is an emergency! The biggest inconvenience is that we have to board him anytime we want to take a trip; I have friends who will cat-sit but won’t go near a cat with a syringe. And Zappo wasn’t very happy changing from free-feeding to meals twice a day, but he did. We have a glucometer, and I swear the husband is more trouble than the cat when it comes time to check his sugar! Admittedly, the Lantus he’s on is not cheap, but he uses only a unit a day so it lasts quite awhile.

I know there are some very brittle cats, but with my n=2, it has not been that difficult. And don’t beat yourself up about her becoming diabetic; being overweight and eating high-carb foods are risk factors, not determinants. You can only minimize, not eliminate, risk.

I attach the link on diabetes from Cornell veterinary medicine; it includes treating hypoglycemia. (I can elaborate on my experience if anyone wishes) http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/diabetes.html

If your vet is still open go get some of the pellets for collecting urine. What you do is take a clean, empty litter box (or facsimle thereof) and put the pellets in for her to scratch. you have to leave her in a room with the box “till she goes” but it makes it easier to collect the urine. Good luck and I’ll say a prayer for her (and you!)

Jeankit, I’m sorry to hear about your Dottie having diabetes. *hugs*

My Alice kitty is diabetic. Like others have said, it can be managed. Giving insulin shots is not difficult and most cats adjust well to getting them. Just be sure to make the procedure a gentle loving time and Dottie will learn that she feels better for getting the shots and that you always give her lots of good love.

The link Kiplings Cat gave to the Cornell web site is an excellent source to read and learn from!

And the plastic pellets Jetta and Boo Boo’s Mom speaks of is the easiest way to get a urine sample. Substitute it for litter in a scrubbed clean and empty litter tray. After Dottie pees, then pour the urine back into the sample cup and take it to the vet for analysis.

I don’t know if it would work for Dottie but my Alice kitty has gone into remission after she began eating the special dry food I have for my Mandi cat who has a protein allergy. Mandi eats Royal Canin’s Hydrolized Protein dry kibbles available from the vet. It is soy based with no other carbohydrates. Soy has a very low glycemic index. Alice also gets some Fancy Feast canned food of the classic variety so there is no carbs in it, not even for gravy; just meat. Now, all that said, be sure to work with your vet to find what diet works for Dottie! Not all cats respond the same. Alice used to be on special diabetic dry food which didn’t help in her case. But obviously it does for many cats or it wouldn’t be so widely used.

Good luck. And always know that any of us with experience with having diabetic cats are happy to share our knowledge and help you find all the resources you need to get educated on how to help your precious Dottie.

Oh, I’ll add one strong suggestion. Start keeping a log of when and what and how much Dottie eats, how much she drinks, how much she pees, how she is feeling, if she throws up, etc. Also, once she is on any medication, especially if giving her insulin shots, you need to log the time and dose you gave. Otherwise at some point you’ll be unsure just when you last gave a shot. It is as important not to overdose as it is not to miss a dose.

I bought a cheap students composition book from the dollar store to keep my log in. After trial and error, I developed my own charting system for logging entries.

What is of great help is to take that log book with you whenever you take Dottie to the vet so he (or she) can see at a quick read the specifics of how Dottie is responding to diabetic care.