Kitty has diabetes

[makbike]

Laurie,

My beloved Scooter was diabetic. He battled many health issues for the last 9 years of his life and it did in with dignity and grace. When I learned he had become diabetic I was crushed but after the inital tears I decided I needed to learn as much about feline diabetes as possible. I visited the following site: http://www.felinediabetes.com/index.html and joined their forum. What a wonderful group of people.

If I could give you any advice about treating Morris's diabetes it would be to learn to test is glucose levels at home. The readings the vet will obtain will be inflated due to the stress of being at their office. The people at the feline diabetes board can give you a ton of advice about home testing. Your vet may be one of the few who supports it and if they do ask them to teach you how to test at home. Finally, home testing will actually save you a lot of money and may actually save Morris's life.

Feel free to PM me if you need any information or need an ear to bend. I so miss my Scooter but I know he had a wonderful life the 17 years he was with me. In reality his diabetes was just a little wrinkle and he once again taught me some important lessons.

Take care!

[sbctwin]

I hope your kitty is doing ok. When Kallie was diagnosed with diabetes, I really thought MY life would end having to give her shots TWICE a day. But you know what, it didn't phase her a bit. She accepted them. And I got really good at giving them to her. It took ME time to learn I wasn't 'killing her' when I administered her shot. I am so terrible when it comes to needles. In the end, that was not what she died from. She was doing really good in that respect. Diabetes in your kitty is NOT a death sentence. Adminster your kitty's insulin on a consistent basis and he/she will thrive. Kallie did.

[bmccasland]

Herald the cat was diagnosed as diabetic a couple of years ago, but fortunately for me his is controlled with Rx Science Diet W/D. About the same color as cheerios... He was fat (and was eating Science Diet Lite), then didn't eat for 3 days. Told his vet that not eating may not be necessarily bad, but was out of character. We had been battling his weight for years. When they checked his blood sugar, it was sky high. And he stayed overnight at the hospital. But so far he's been controlled with diet, so long as I'm vigalant that he only eats HIS food, and limited quantities. Currently new kitty, Callie, thinks his food is better than hers. Which makes keeping up with what HE eats a bit difficult. And besides, she doesn't need the special diet.

Anyway, PB, I hope your baby gets to feeling better, and maybe with the diet under control, and meds things will improve. Mimitabby is right, cats are obligate carnivores (must eat meat). I remember pretty much freaking when my French friend bought rabbit heads for her cat at the market. Was kind of strange to see it in the cat's bowl. Chipette the kitty thought they were a terrific treat! (and I'm generally not squemish )

[mimitabby]

rabbit heads??! GROSS!

[KnottedYet]

Do dogs get diabetes?

They seem to be more on the omnivore side of carnivory, I'd be interested to know if they handle carbs better than cats.

(Stinky Butt Dog eats Innova Evo, something like 40% protien without grains. Plus table scraps. Plus a frozen sardine in a Kong. Plus training sausage. Plus cheese in his puzzle toys. Plus whatever he digs out of the garbage.)

[aka_kim]

My late Domino, the best girl ever, was a diabetic in her later years too. I'm extremely squeamish and afraid of sharp objects , but giving the injections was easy and she actually liked to get them, along with the healthy treat and loads of attention that went along with a shot. I found the Feline Diabetes web site mentioned by makbike really helpful, and also monitored her BG levels. With a new high-protein diet and more exercise, Domino stopped needing insulin after less than a year.

[makbike]

Yes, dogs can develop diabetes as well. They seem to have a much harder time with it. I don't ever recall seeing a cat who developed catracts from diabetes but just about every dog we treated did. However, as with cats if owners are vigilant, watch diet, home test, etc the animals do well. As it was pointed out diabetes is not a death sentence if it is treated properly.