My Cat Has Just Been Diagnosed With Diabetes

[Lady Kate]

Poor Cyrus. She's managed to live 11 years with nary an illness of any kind, and now this. Insulin injections twice a day. I think it's harder on me than on her, though. She takes her shots like a little trooper. The needle doesn't even seem to bother her.

The other cats seem to know that something is different about her. Tigra won't stop sniffing her, and Calvin has been a little on the grumpy side whenever she comes his way. Vernon is the only one who doesn't seem to treat her any differently. But he's always been pretty laid back and easy going. It probably doesn't help that I've been extra lovey to Cyrus since finding out the news.

Anybody else here have a diabetic kitty or pet? What was your reaction? I was almost glad that it was diabetes and not something life-threatening. Learning to give the injection wasn't too bad once I got over my fear of hurting her. It's a bonus that she just sits there and takes it without any fuss. Poor kitty. The vet had me practice sticking her four or five times before he was satisfied with my technique. And the entire time Cyrus just sat there looking at me, like, "OK, try to get it right this time." What a great kitty.

[Heart On My Sleeve]

Well, I'm glad you had some decent training on the needle part...it can be a little scary.

My cat had diabetes but his diabetes "disappeared" after putting him on a strict w/d diet. He wasn't overweight and still isn't, I occasionally check his blood glucose just to make sure he's ok. I did have to give him insulin for a time and he kept "crashing", that's how we found out he didn't have diabetes any more. Very scary.

There are a lot of good cat diabetes websites out there including felinediabetes.com.

I understand cats can live a long, happy life with diabetes. Good luck!

[harmless]

No such thing yet, thank goodness.
Really glad to hear she's so good at taking the shots.
We had to give our Jesper some acne ointment and pills.
Talk about a pain in the hiney!
I think he would tear us both a new one if the husband and I had to give him a shot.
Good luck with it and well wishes your way!

[jsgoddess]

Yep, we got to enjoy sticking Tuffy with a needle for three years, with occasional times off as his obstinate pancreas started producing insulin again.

It can be a frustrating disease, but it's more manageable all the time. Tuffy was put on wet kitten food because of the higher protein and fat, and that helped him a lot. Be sure to ask your vet (if you haven't already) to see if there's an optimal food for your babe.

Good luck, best wishes, and trust me, it's worth it.

[Black Train Song]

Some people can't even afford to be diagnosed before they die.

Your CAT is one step above them.

Good for him.

[danceswithcats]

A friend of mine has to be the patron saint of sick kitties in suburban Phila. She had a kitty with diabetes and had to give him shots, no big deal to her-she's an RN-he also had a timed feeding tray which was nicknamed the Cat-O-Matic cuz he seemed to know when it was about to give him another portion of grub. He lasted for a good number of years, despite being partially blind and having lost many of his teeth, no doubt his years prolonged by Dot's loving care.

[Lynn Bodoni]

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic. Usually I give myself shots, but when I'm in the hospital, someone else gives me my shots. I think it's much easier to get a shot than to give oneself a shot. Insulin needles are very short, very thin, and very sharp. They're about the least painful needles around.

The other kitty might be sniffing Cyrus because her urine is extra sweet now, or because she's got a yeast infection. Diabetics are more likely to get any sort of infection, especially if the sugar is out of control. You need to be careful to check Cyrus over for problems frequently.

It could also be that the other kitty is sniffing because Cyrus smells of the vet, or because of the alcohol wipe, or just because they're kitties. Both of my cats are perfectly healthy, but they sniff each other a lot. It's a social thing with cats, like a smile between humans.

{TMI ALERT} Sometimes, my urine smells noticeably different...not that I take a sample and sniff it, but when I go, I detect a different smell. This usually happens when I'm sick and my sugar is out of control. {/TMI ALERT}

[laserkitty]

My kitty does not have diabetes, but we found out yesterday that she has diseased kidneys. On our trip to the vet yesterday we learned how to hook her up to an IV which we'll have to do twice a week so that we can give her extra water to help flush out all the oogey stuff in her body. Poor thing walked around all evening yesterday with a water hump on her back.

[the Lady]

Muffin lived at least 8 years after being diagnosed diabetic, even surviving a stupid vet who had her on a completely wrong dose. She didn't mind the needles either.
Mom finally had her put down at the age of 18 - and she was happy up until about a month before.
No teeth mind you, and she had some serious belly-hang from gaining and losing weight - but I think she was pretty pleased with her life. She even caught a mouse at the age of 16 (again, without teeth or front claws)

[monster]

Yep, my fatty Furball has diabetes. He was diagnosed at age 11 too. I've been giving him insulin shots for about a year and a half now. He is very good, especially because after his evening shot, he and his brother Jake get treats. My only issue is that Furball had lost a bunch of weight due to the diabetes, and now that he is regulated, he's gained it all back and then some. So my vet is watching Furball's weight very carefully. Other than that, no worries!

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by laserkitty

My kitty does not have diabetes, but we found out yesterday that she has diseased kidneys. On our trip to the vet yesterday we learned how to hook her up to an IV which we'll have to do twice a week so that we can give her extra water to help flush out all the oogey stuff in her body. Poor thing walked around all evening yesterday with a water hump on her back.

Oh, I've been there, too! Just don't squeeze kitty after sticking that big needle in her. She'll spring a leak.

[Hal Briston]

Our Majyk was diagnosed a few months back. He's been getting his injections twice a day, and he seems to be putting a bit of weight back on. Fortunately, he's not filling his litter box with one pee anymore.

My wife and I were very worried about the actual injection process, but like others here, we found that it's nothing. To mix the insulin properly, the vet showed us how to roll the bottle between your plams so you don't create air bubbles. When I roll it like that, the bottle clinks against my wedding ring. So now, twice a day, a <clink! clink! clink!> sound comes from the kitchen, and Majyk comes running in. I don't know if he's able to equate "daddy pinches my neck and then I feel better", or if he just likes needles. Either way, it's much better than the game of "hunt the cat" that I had assumed we would have to play.