Damn Damn.. My Bubby-Cat is diabetic

[SoCalDem]

and the darned insulin is $100 a bottle:grr:

and now we have to sequester the food & cats.. I am stressing out..

We have a common food-bowl for the 5 of them, and now he's got to have special food & it's going to ruin the lives of the other 4 who are used to eating "at-will"..

We were so proud of him for losing weight & the poor guy's sick:cry:

[LeftyFingerPop]

1. I'm really sorry...

Separating the cats will be your biggest challenge. I hope that you can come up with some kind of plan for that.

The insulin is expensive, but I am told that one bottle lasts a long time on animals, usually. Giving the shots will not be as difficult as it may sound.

I wish you and your kitty well. :hug:

[joeybee12]

2. Aw, poor kitty...

the others will adjust although they won't be happy for a time.

[Betty88]

3. I have a diabetic cat too

The bottle will last you for months, depending on the dose. I have two other cats that have adapted to eating on his schedule quite well. And the better food has helped improve their health.

Everyone gets fed at 5:30am, a small amount of dry food is left out for "snack" he gets his shot while eating, then they get fed again at 5:30 pm. I put out a small amount of dry before bed time (so mommy can sleep the night...)

The food is what really costs and you have to learn about cat nutrition. On the upside I think they eat less of the good food then the old cheaper stuff. BTW I never fed them crap but you would be surprised what gets put into "premium" cat food. Good luck and I hope your baby feels better soon. Something to think about is that often a cat can get off the insulin simply by loosing weight and getting proper food.

[SoCalDem]

4. Thanks for the input.. It sounds do-able..

We already feed them Science Diet, so I guess the extra $ won't be that much :rofl:

I wish my husband's doctor could "prescribe" the insulin though.. we could get it for $20 that way:)

The vet said it runs about $100 a bottle :(

Bubby's blood chemistry was ok other than the diabetes & the vet said his case was "uncomplicated", so maybe it will be ok:)

[Betty88]

6. I used to give mine Science Diet too

When Sam first got sick I started feeding Innova Evo, very nice food both wet and dry. The key is low carbs high protein. Lots of good brands out there Instinct Rabbit is quite yummy or so I'm told quite loudly if I forget to leave "snack"

The price of insulin is crazy but a bottle does last for a long time.

[raccoon]

5. I'm really sorry. BTDT. :hug: nt

[hamsterjill]

7. Diabetic Cat in Our Rescue

Our rescue group had a diabetic cat for several months last year and the insulin was no where near that expensive. It was about $25.00 per bottle and a bottle lasted about 2 months with his dosage.

Vets can write scripts. I have found Costco Pharmacy to be the most cost efficient for meds and have several cat meds filled there.

Your situation may not be the same - but thought I'd comment on this just in case. Either way, I wish you well and appreciate you for taking good care of your kiddos!!!

[oregonjen]

8. If the insulin prescribed is Lantus, it's expensive

Lantus lasts up to six months and it has the greatest success in possibly getting cats into remission. If used with a prescribed cat food, there is a chance that the cat won't need insulin after a few months.
My cat was diagnosed with Diabetes and he's on Lantus, but unfortunately, he will need insulin for the rest of his life. It's not that hard to give shots, but it ties you down to a definite time schedule.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/glargine.htm

[SoCalDem]

9. I'm a stay-at-homer, so scheduling is no problem for me

The problem I have is schlepping that big galoot back & forth to the vets.. He's down to 18lb 7 oz..but with the carrier (7lb 4oz) it's a real chore to cart him around..and it stresses him out big-time..

The vet is going to have us in for a teaching session so we know how to handle this, and hopefully, we won't have to cart him to the vet very often once we get him stabilized:)

The food issue will be the hardest for us, since we have so many other furries:)

[oregonjen]

10. The issue with our cat is that he's indoor/outdoor

He's 14yrs old and chose us as owners 13 yrs ago, when he appeared at our back door. : )
He's always been indoor/outdoor, which now causes our problem. He seeks out other cat food left outside in our neighborhood. Then, when it's time to feed him his canned food, he's not hungry. I can't give him insulin unless I see the amount he's eaten. So, there are some days when he doesn't get a shot or two. Frustrating when you've spent the time, money and energy trying to get him well and regulated!
My husband and I figure that he's got a good life with us and is happy. That's the most we can do. We've tried to "make him an indoor cat" but that quickly stopped because of the constant howling to be let outside.

Good luck with your cat. I hope you can keep him away from the dry food and still make the other kitties happy.

[SoCalDem]

11. I'm sure they will adapt..eventually..

They were a bit pissed off when we started the strict twice-a-day feeding, but they got used to it. I guess we'll put Bubby in the bathroom for his special food & they'll have to line up at the other dishes:) & eat fast or he'll swoop in & "help" the minute he gets freed:)

[hamsterjill]

15. Vetsulin

Our cat was on Vetsulin.

I second your opinion that shots are not difficult. I'm a real weenie when it comes to needles and I learned to give the insulin injections without any problem at all.

[ceile]

12. My Fatty is diabetic.

He was dignosed when he was about 3 and he's 11 now. He's on Humulin N which is about $35-45 a bottle and generally lasts about 6-7 months. It's the needles that get expensive and the food of course. But my Fatty has had 8+ years of health after being very sick- I think it's worth it! Oh, and I don't bother separating the cat food- they all eat the diabetic food.
Good luck to you and Bubby!

[Betty88]

16. he looks like Sam

[Bertha Venation]

13. I'm sorry, SoCalDem

but I know Bubby-Cat is in good hands. :)

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Had similar issues here except it was hyperthyroidism, and yes it changed the eating situation. The

difference for us was we only have 2 cats, and after 2 years the second one came down sick too. (Genetics are an interesting thing, no?)

I hope you guys can work something out with your own kittehs. :hug:

[carlyhippy]

17. I'm sorry....I have a similar situation

I have 3 cats. One has to be on prescription food due to urinary tract problems. No more dry food, they all grazed on dry food all day before. Now no one gets dry, and I have to keep the cats separated when feeding canned food, because the others want the prescription food and the poor cat on the prescription food wants their food. It's a hard situation I know. I was afraid our cat was diabetic, but thankfully his blood work came back ok as far as that goes.

[applegrove]

18. So sorry. I took care of a diabetic cat. He was very used to the needles and didn't seem to mind.