diabetic cat

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Not sure if this is any good but just noticed that Royal Canin do a a speical dry food for diabetic cats:  http://www.nutrecare.co.uk/latest_detail.asp?prod_id=1833&offset=36

[JackSpratt]

I do indeed use the tiny vein in his ear - it's a lot easier if your cat is lightly coloured as it's possibly to see the vein pretty easily. You have to shine a torch on it if it's a darker cat!

LJ is a really chilled out cat, he seems to have no touble with anything. He's 11 but acts of indescriminate age depending on his mood!

[bisley boys mum]

its good to hear from other owners, Liz, your boy sounds like he is living life to the full, which is great! when TC was first diagnosed we had to inject twice a day and i couldnt imagine us doing that, but he is a star, when we tell him its jab time, he jumps on the bed so its easier and just lies there - im convinced he understands it makes him feel better. He is on just 1 jab every 2 days which seems to suit him much better, but he hates going to the vets for the day to have his BS taken at several points during the day - he's a very fussy cat when it comes to cat litter and wont wee anywhere but home which isnt good when he's at the vets from 8am to 6pm!!

Hello to Junkie too, im very impressed you do blood tests every few days, as we tried this and its not very easy, do you do it in his ear? i tried this with TC but the hated it and got stressed so i didnt persevere. he's a house cat so we keep a careful eye on him, he 15, not that you would know it! he seems to have put some weight on but we will see when he next goes to the vet..

Thank you to everyone  for all the posts so far, its really interesting to hear other owners experiences

[Liz]

We have a diabetic boy aged 12.5 years young diagnosed 7 months ago.

he is stable and out crusing the neighbourhood again and leading the Clan Cats outside privilages mob again.  he is back up to nearly 7kgs and is a star with our vets and considering he used to be a nasty feral he is now a purrpot and loves his dinner so is ok.  He is off to the vets for some more bloods but apart from that we have our boy back.

Please feel free to pm me, he is injected twice per day and gets his extra treats at this time saves him reminding us of the first 5 years we had him when he was knocked out for every shot due to him shredding everything in site!

[Ela]

Cats Protection has compiled a register of people who have or have had experience with diabetic cats and who are willing to offer support and advice (non veterinary) to those with diabetic felines. For a copy of the register, please send an A5 SAE (stamps to the value of 50p) to: Helpline, Diabetic Cat Register, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath RH17 7TT

[JackSpratt]

Hi.

We have our very own Little Junkie too. He was diagnosed around two years ago and was on insulin up until around three months when he had an "episode." His BG reading was 1.8, which I was informed was really low. We then managed to get him up to a 'safe zone' and I do blood tests at home every few days to make sure his levels aren't too high. He has lost a lot of weight recently though, so the poor lad still has to go to the vets next week.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

We have other owners with diabetic cats and am sure they will exchange their knowledge with you 

[bisley boys mum]

i would be really interested to hear from other diabetic cat owners out there. our cat TC has been diabetic for about 20 months now and seems to be doing ok (fingers crossed, touch wood etc) but he had a nasty episode about 6 months after being diagnosed, his Blood sugar was 1.5 and we very nearly lost him, but he is a fighter and recovered. then about 6 months later we took him to the vet for routine check and they took his BS and it was 1.1 - they were amazed as he should have been in a coma but was walking around perfectly fine. took him home, gave him some honey, took him back in the evening and it was very high!!! we have since changed insulin and he is now on a long acting one and we only inject him once every 2 days but he is due to go back for a check up and im dreading it as it stresses him out. he seems to be doing ok but im sure they will increase his dosage but im losing faith in the vets cos they didnt get to the bottom of the problem - any one else had similar experiences? he is such a fantastic cat (he recently lost his brother benson) and is very intelligent and i dont want to stress him out with lots of trips to the vet all over again, at one time he was going 3 times a week!