? for diabetic kitty mamas

[hyphenate]

Anyone else have a diabetic cat? What kind of lifespan can I anticipate? Jessie is always SO hungry, even with insulin injections. Perhaps not a big enough dose of insulin? Trying to get a blood sample is nasty--I feel so sorry for her because I can't get much blood from her. She's lost half her weight in a year. She's going to be 14 this year. I'm giving her 6 units of Humulin-N a day right now. She's terrible though when it comes to eating--she pesters me all day regardless of what I'm eating myself. She wants food all the time. I try not to give it her, but if you have a cat, you know it's not the easiest thing to manage to do.

She was diagnosed June, 2003. By June, 2004, she'd dropped from 14 pounds to 7. Her eyes are bright, and she doesn't mind the injections, but she also has that look in her eyes that she couldn't survive another minute without food, which I know is a crock.

I know that she might not live as long as my old ladies, who survived to 16 1/2, 17 and 17 1/2. But any testaments from other mamas as to what I see in her condition?

Thanks to anyone who has had experience with this for your responses.

[EC]

1. I had a big grey Abyssinian that was diabetic

he was 22 lbs and lived 15 years...tore my heart out when he died...
his brother was fine and had a shorter life, he only lived 9 years....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Abyssinians come in grey? Cool!

I thought they were mostly sort of reddish. Beautiful cats, whatever color.

[EC]

8. Yes, a dark steely grey,

his brother was the reddish, brownish, blondish color....

[NYC]

2. My friend's cat is not doing well.

I would say it is about 9 months since he was diagnosed. Insulin went from 3 to 5 to 6, now 7. His hind legs are "awkward". At first the vet said cats who are not stabilized are like that, but this cat had been described as stabilized. His legs have worsened over the past 2 to 3 months (probably nerve damage, which sometimes results from diabetes), so that it greatly interferes with his walking. Sometimes, it appears he sits down, even though he had intended to go somewhere. He can no longer jump on things.

He is 11 years old, going on 12. He also lost weight, but he is not always hungry. Sometimes, he needs a great deal of coaxing to eat. He is slightly too thin, but not yet emaciated.

Why are you not allowed to feed her more?

[hyphenate]

12. Oh, I could give her all the food she wants

But I have to think of her blood sugar. I have 4 others who are not diabetic, and they're all at a healthy weight--for the most part. Garibaldi, my longhair is about 18 lbs. and none of it is real fat--he's just a big cat.

If I open a can of catfood (the larger one, which is about 14 oz.) Jessica could eat the whole thing without the others getting any! Like I said, you would think I'm starving her, when I'm not even close. I do double what I give her from that can, though, and put her into the bathroom to eat while I feed the others the rest. That way, she doesn't go gobbling up the others' food.

Except that she will try, anyhow!

I guess what needs to happen is to stabilize her glucose control and with the proper measures, she might put on a pound or two just to fill her out again, but it's difficult to get a blood sample to see if the 6 units I give her is enough. Once I have her on a stable dosage, I hope her appetite will calm down. At least that's my hope!

[trof]

21. It's called diabetic neuropathy.

They "walk" on their rear "elbows".
I had thought this was a permanent condition, but found that it went away when we got the insulin dosage right.
Tell your friend to try smaller doses twice daily.

[NYC]

22. She's giving twice daily doses.

As time has gone on, the veterinarian has increased the dose. This is done 12 hours apart, with a 2 hour window. She is following the vet's advice, and he goes to the vet approximately once a month.

He is not walking on his elbows. Still walks on his toes, but his legs are stiff, perhaps straight-legged. I don't really know what is going on while I watch him walk.

[trof]

23. Sometimes we call Ace "Mr. Wobbles".

He's kinda shaky on his pins.
Can't jump up on the bed any more, but he p-u-l-l-s himself up "hand-over-hand".

[NYC]

27. I think it's heartbreaking to watch.

The vet said he is not in pain. Still, it really bothers me.

I think this cat is going downhill, and I suspect it will not be reversed or halted. Some cats respond better to treatment than others.

[MADem]

3. I know nothing about the subject, but maybe these sites will help

http://www.felinediabetes.com/
http://www.thepetprofessor.com/cat-info/cat-diabetes.html

Good luck....cats are great, aren't they?!

[hyphenate]

13. Thanks for the links

I've pretty much explored most of those sites already, though, and I was trying to get an idea from actual cat owners. My vet wasn't particularly helpful on the subject.

I'm diabetic myself, and have to deal with some of this on my own, so it's not really the mechanics of it. The main thing I've been trying to figure out is how to get her to stop being ravenous all the time.

My cats have dry food out all the time, and I will give them all some canned food about twice or three times a week. They get treats thrown in as well about once a week. It's quite enough for all except Jessie. She spurns the dry food in favor of people food--whatever she can cadge out of me.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Here are two sources of info that might be helpful

message board for owners of cats with diabetes

http://p090.ezboard.com/fpetswithdiabetesfelinediabetes


website with lots of info

www.felinediabetes.com

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. My tabby and white buddy, Teddy, is diabetic.

He's had it for about 4 years and is now 13. He gets 4 units of insulin twice a day and has been doing well, except for about a year ago when he got pancreatitis, stopped eating and suddenly went into insulin shock. He was pretty sick for several weeks but finally recovered. He weighs about 9 lbs., eats enthusiastically but doesn't gain weight -- though he hasn't lost any, either. The vet told me that diabetic cats don't tend to have some of the same problems diabetic people and dogs can get, like visual and circulation problems. They can get some peripheral neuropathy, which usually shows up as walking flat-footed on their hind paws instead of on their toes, but if you take good care of them and watch their diet, they should have pretty normal lives. My ex had a diabetic calico who lived to be 18.

[hyphenate]

17. That sounds promising!

She's gotten a bit scruffy looking, and her litter habits are grossly neglected, unfortunately. I know that latter would get her a one way ticket to the pound for some owners, but a real cat lover would cope with it. She gets diarrhea on occasion, and that's the worst part to clean up! However, I look at it as the habits of a small child who doesn't know any better, and I love her too much to ever think of putting her down until I know there isn't any more hope for her condition.

[redirish28]

6. it is a lot harder when...

a cat has diabetes. I have had diabetes since 1977 and it is enough for me to make sure i do not yo yo my sugar and all, but for a cat it is near impossible. The cat can't tell you if it is feeling hungry, if it can't see, or if it is in diabetic shock, what do you do for that? I wish you the best of luck with your cat and hope all goes well, but i think it might be difficult.

[EC]

10. Yeah, that was all part of it, telling the symptoms of shock or what the

vet told me to watch for was the kidneys, I guess allot of diabetic cats go into kidney failure, so if he was listless or his eyes were glazed, I would bring him in to get checked. Being 22 lbs, he wasn't the friskiest cat in the world all ready, so it was a bit hard to tell when he was listless, he did get lethargic once because I didn't notice he was rather mopey. It is harder since they can get sick so quickly...

[grace0418]

9. My cat was 8 when he was diagnosed with diabetes

He was 10 when he died. He was really good about getting his shots and all, but his little body couldn't handle the disease. He was the runt of the litter and never very robust to begin with, but it was still hard to say good-bye. Try to give your kitty the best life you can, but be prepared for the possibility. Although some cats do just fine with the disease and live long full lives, some have associated kidney problems or other issues that eventually take their toll.

I sure do miss my little Beanie Weanie

[EC]

11. Beanie Weanie? cute..

mines name was Dinky, he was the runt too, but like I said he was 22 lbs when he grew up....

[grace0418]

16. His name was Beans (his brother, Frank) but naturally

he had a lot of nicknames.

[hyphenate]

18. My old ladies

died from kidney failure, one after the other. Sandi and Alyn were sisters, and 5 months separated their passings. Piccolo lived about a year and a half longer, and was 17 1/2 when she passed as well.

These other guys are all very healthy. The two males are very solid and muscular, and the other two girls are doing well for their respective ages. So it's obviously heredity, not environment which is the problem.

[queenjane]

14. My Percy lived for 5 years after being diagnosed at age 11

I had a great vet. She didn't believe in at-home blood testing, thank god, as the shots were difficult enough. We got him regulated, then I gave him one shot in the morning. He had regular checkups, and did really well until about a month before he died, when his systems began failing. I still feel guilty, because I should have put him down before I did, but I adored him and couldn't let him go.

About food: Percy was on the Hill's W/D (I think--I can't remember anything anymore) diet, but he was ravenous all the time. I decided I couldn't bear to watch him starve, so I baked turkey breasts for him. Removed the skin, chopped it, and froze it in zip bags. I gave him some in the morning and evening, and that helped sate his hunger. I also fixed de-fatted chicken and rice for him. I don't recommend going against doctor's instructions on your cat's diet, but this did work for Percy, and I think it extended his life. His weight remained stable throughout his illness.

I wish you luck. Diabetic kitties require lots of care and monitoring, your life has to be planned around it to a certain extent, and the supplies and special food are pricey. People told me I was nuts to do this for a cat, but he was my baby, and I would've done anything for him. I still miss him.

[hyphenate]

19. Thanks

I don't mind doing home testing as I studied medicine for awhile, and am diabetic myself, which means I have supplies. I also gave IV fluids to one of my old ladies when she was dehydrated.

But it's good to know that there is a decent chance for a long life (relatively speaking, of course!) for her.

[trof]

15. Injections once a day, or twice?

Ace was diagnosed about 4 years ago.
Through several weeks trial and error (and help from our vet) we found that he didn't handle a large a.m. dose very well.
Now he gets about 2 1/2 units as close to 12 hours apart as I can manage, usually around 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
His biggest problem has been weight gain.
I think Ace is around 12 years old. He wandered in here 9 or 10 years ago and the vet estimated his age at 2 or 3 then.

[ccjlld]

20. Trouble was diagnosed at

10 and lived to be 17. He tolerated injections twice a day much better than 1 a day. It took awhile to get his dosage right. I left dry food (Science Diet) out for him all day, but in the morning and evening when he received his injections, he got 1/2 can of Science Diet W/D. He did lose some weight initially, but stablized pretty quickly. In his last two years, he had problems with sinus infections and dental infections, so I really had to watch his teeth. His back legs atrophied towards the end and that's when we had to make that hard decision. Diabetic cats can live pretty healthy lives, but every case is different. Good luck with your furry baby.

[sleepyhead]

24. There are special diabetic diets

that may fill her up more and help to stabilize her blood glucose. Hill's M/D and Purina DM - both should be available from your vet. If you can't get those, try a good quality kitten food - canned only! Dry food is high in carbs, which is not good for diabetics as they cannot metabolize it well. Both the Rx diets and kitten food are higher in protein and fat, which will satisfy her and hopefully help stop wide swings in blood sugar.

She may also respond better to another type of insulin (I usually use PZI - needs to be special ordered - or Humulin L, and find that cats for whatever reason seem to be better regulated). Consider going to twice daily injections, as cats tend to metabolize insulin more rapidly than dogs or humans and most eventually need twice-daily dosing.

If she has not had any blood work lately, your vet may want to run a full chemistry panel, including a thyroid level - hyperthyroidism can cause some of the same signs as diabetes and will complicate the regulation process.

Another possibility for cats that cannot get regulated on insulin is to use oral starch blockers - Precose is the one that is most often used - instead of, or in addition to, insulin.

Obviously, don't make any changes at all without asking your vet. I just though I'd make some suggestions about what has worked for me in the past. Good luck.

[autorank]

25. We have a diabetic cat that is doing quite well!!!

I'm sorry about your kitty. I have a 12 yr old diabetic cat and it took a long time to stablize her. She had gained a lot of weight and was drinking water constantly. She also had great difficulty with her legs. We got her onto insulin and her bloodwork indicated that she needed up to 6 units twice a day. Then one day she went into seizures and I freaked. We took her to the emergency hospital and two days and two thousand dollars later she was stable. We lowered her insulin and now she is doing really well. I only have her blood drawn every few weeks. I've become experienced with her symptoms enough to notice changes and when I do, I just call the vet right away. I do not check her blood myself. My vet advises me against it. I also feed her a special diabetic cat food but I have several cats so she sneaks in there and eats out of their dish anyway. I've learned that it is vital that her injections be given every 12 hours within and hour to an hour and a half--at most. Good luck to you. It's really hard, but I've really bonded with this cat. When you take care of them in this way you get even closer than ever. I dread the day when she will die. My vet seems to think that she can still have a good life span.......

Mrs. autorank

[Lady President]

26. Kitten food?

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes at 10 and lived until 14, but he died of bladder cancer, not diabetes. He lost a lot of weight at first, but stabilized and did very well up until the day I had to put him to sleep.

I agree with everyone else who suggests shots twice a day. Once a day seemed to make his insulin level drop too much and he would be lethargic all morning. He acted like himself when we switched to twice a day. My cat was rather insulin resistant and needed 5 units twice a day, so you and your vet may need to tinker with the doses. In the first six months after his diagnosis I regularly took him to the vet for the day, and they took blood hourly. I don't know how your vet can decide on the correct dosage without regular 'insulin curves' being done.

My only real suggestion would be to have your vet order high protein kitten food for you. Kitten food is higher in protein than adult food and will help her feel full. I was also able to regulate my little guy's level easier when he switched food. He ate a special Science Diet kitten formula, but any high quality kitten food would help. (Kitten food is higher in calorie, so you can't fill the bowl.)

Give Jessie a pat for me. :)

[Dookus]

28. My old girl Polly

was diagnosed with diabetes at 14. I had her on daily insulin and a low-carb cat food (she could pretty much eat as much as she wanted). She lived about 18 months after her diagnosis, in good health right up until the last two days, when I found her seizing and was unable to stabilize her.