Advice for a Cat with Diabetes

Hello,
Please keep your fur-baby inside at all times. I am sure your veterinarian has given you the appropriate instructions on how to care for him/her. Having to give injections and maybe fluids is an easy task. It can be scary at first, but it is necessary. Good luck.

http://felinediabetes.com/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/list.php?8

I had a cat with diabetes and so did my daughter. She told me about this website over 10 years ago. It is a message board and you can join for free and you will get so much help from everyone there (all having diabetic cats). It is a hands on message board with so much experience and wisdom and compassion.

You can do this! I did and I owe it all to to Feline Diabetes Message board.
Good Luck! Your cat can have a good life if you avail yourself to the knowledge!
Sandra

I have had a cat with diabetes and now have a sweet beagle dog with diabetes. Insulin shots are the best way to go. It may seem impossible, unless you've done this before, but it's quite easy to give a dog or cat a shot, and plenty of places online and on You Tube that show exactly how to do it. Or if you need further information, I can walk you through it. But first of all, let your vet help you get started.

You can buy Humulin N over the counter at any drugstore, and syringes to go with it. A bottle of Humulin N at Walmart cost me about $25 and has last over 3 months, on the beagle I'm now treating at 3 Units twice a day. So the expense isn't really that much when you spread it out over time.

The cat I treated lived to be almost 14 years old. His problems started with his weight; a big gray short hair who wound up weighing over 25 pounds, and the cause of his diabetes. My vet put him on Humulin N, which I learned very quickly to draw and inject (again, your vet can walk you through this). He also put him on a special diet to get his weight down to a normal size which helped a lot.

Be sure to take your cat back on a regular basis to get his blood/glucose checked to make sure your dosage is right. There are signs you can watch for, also, that will indicate if your pet may be receiving too much or too little insulin. You'll learn all of that over time, and pretty quickly.

Most importantly, don't be too afraid to even try. Insulin shots are given just beneath the skin so it's not like plunging a needle straight in. My animals usually barely notice when I've done it. And always follow the shot with a small treat of some kind and your cat will learn she's getting a reward, which she'll look forward to.

Blessings to you and your cat.