Does anyone have any experience with feline diabetes?

Our cat was already 15 when she was diagnosed with the disease and was insulin dependent right away. We certainly switched to a lighter food as well, but what it required was 2 daily shots. Essentially all you needed to do was get a piece of loose skin around the neck and inject it there...I'm very needle phobic and for a long time I was afraid to try, but one time my wife was not home at the time the cat needed her shot, and I had to give it. From that point on, I realized it really wasn't bad.

Basically, if it can be controlled with food, great, you'll have no problem...and it's certainly possible, just as much as it's possible for a pre-diabetic human to change his/her diet and not have to go down that road. I really don't think you'll notice it, particularly if it's your only cat. If there's more than one cat, which was our situation, it might be a little harder if you don't intend to feed all your cats the same thing. Whereas we always leave food down for our cats and fill the bowls a couple times a day when they all eat the same thing, if you have more than one you might want to consider having set meal times for the cats, where you'd bring one into a room and feed that cat, then continue until all cats are fed. Obviously this is time consuming and doesn't lend itself to travel, because even if you have someone catsit, usually you're not going to want to ask them to go to that level. You do of course always have the option of boarding your cat if you travel (or bringing the cat along when possible), but a lot of cats really don't like to be put in a kennel in some strange place (imagine that).

With insulin dependency it's a bit harder, for the same reason it would be if you have different cats that are fed different things, because within one hour of the same time every day, 2 times per day, you need to give the cat a shot, and make sure the cat eats right afterwards so as not to develop low blood sugar. It's definitely doable, we did it for 2 years, and again travel is difficult unless you have a really close friend who is reliable and willing and able to stop by two times a day when you're out of town to give your cat a shot and make sure the cat eats. Or again, you can board the cat or bring the cat with you.

In terms of cost, expensive foods may seem a lot more pricy when it comes to reading the sticker, but realize you're going to be feeding the cat 2 cans of food a day, so maybe you're talking a few hundred dollars a year for food, whereas maybe you get by for a couple hundred if you were to just buy dry bagged food...if that's going to break you, then that's what you have to worry about. If not, then it's probably worth doing.

The other expense is if you do have insulin, it seems to me I spent maybe $100-$150 a year on insulin and needles, maybe not even that much...the stuff wasn't very expensive. All told, even if you take this cat to the vet more often than you would a non diabetic cat, and do all sorts of things that you might not otherwise do, I can't see it costing more than an extra $100 a month vs what a healthy cat would cost, and probably closer to $50. Chances are you pay that now for cable or sattelite TV or a cell phone, or high speed internet. Other than mixing the food and maybe feeding the cat(s) actively instead of just laying food down might consume a couple hours a month of your time.

Our cat sadly just before New Years' Eve 2003/New Years' Day 2004 just went to stand up one day, then fell on her side and pretty much acted paralyzed. We spent quite a bit in vet's bills just to have her observed, keep her hydrated, etc., and eventually to euthanize her. Now, she was 17 years old, which isn't bad for a cat, and maybe the high blood sugar caused her to eventually have a stroke or something, but I don't really think you can count how a cat dies and how much that ends up costing you in the whole "is it worth it" discussion, because the cat's going to die some day, maybe while sleeping, or the cat may linger, causing you a great deal of expense and heartbreak...could happen either way with any cat for any reason at any time, so I wouldn't worry that maybe the condition was going to wreak havoc. If you're committed to controlling it and doing what the doctor says, you can have yourself a loving companion for many years to come.

I own a male 10 year old, NOT overweight, diabetic cat, and he takes insulin. If your cat is not on insulin, that is better, but I have a feeling that it might not stay that way.

We have been dealing with his diabetes since last fall, and it's quite a bit of work and can be a bit expensive. Frequent vet visits are needed to monitor his diabetes, as tcats are hard to regulate on insulin, to get just the right dosage. We started on human insulin for him (about $20 bottle), and now have to use some specially made for cats, which cost over $100 for a teeny tiny bottle--but you don't use much so it will last quite awhile, probably 3-4 months. Needles cost about $24 for 100 of them which is going to last less than 2 months.

With insulin, they need an injection (which isn't so bad to do, even for me that had a bit of a phobia about needles before all this; and you inject the cat when they are distracted by food so it's not hard to do it) twice daily so that could be a problem for busy people. We are lucky that I work at home so I'm available most of the time to handle the injections. It will also mean you will have needles and insulin in your home, both of which can be a problem if you have small children.

We love him alot, and will do whatever we need to to help him out. But I do think I would think twice about adopting one if I had time and/or money concerns. Once you already own a cat and he developes it, that's another thing. But it should be well thought about to bring a cat in that you know has it.

We are now dealing with a side effect of the diabetes, feline diabetic neuropathy. The cat has some nerve damage in his hind legs due to the high amounts of glucose in his body, and has trouble walking.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me! I've really learned alot about the disease!

A helpful website: http://www.felinediabetes.com/

And frankly, even if the cat does become insulin dependent, that's not such a big deal, really. You give a shot daily, and that's it. And really -- shots aren't that big a deal, once you've done it once or twice.

My ex's cat was diabetic, and after a year or so of shots, he actually went back to normal range. One thing about cats is that how you take the blood can affect the blood glucose reading. It's possible that this cat isn't fully diabetic, in which case diet alone will usually stop the progression of the disease.

Bottom line is that only you will know if you feel up to taking on this sort of an issue. If you do, good care makes this into a maintenance issue, rather than something more seriousl. Good luck with whatever you decide.

My oldest is diabetic - look, here is the reality of the situation ;

I feed raw. The hills m/d prescription is only available through a veterinarian, it's expensive over time, and you can't really mix it with just any food, because most cat foods have carbohydrates, and giving diabetic cats carbohydrates leads to serious complications. I used to feed the hills too, and then i changed veterinarians due to moving and he told me about raw feeding - i thought it was weird, but i tried it, and when i started doing it, she got healthier and healthier. I have a second cat with colitis, which is irritated bowel, and it fixed him too. Raw is less expensive then the prescription diet, but more effort. The good news is, if you make it yourself, you know exactly what your cat is eating and can monitor content and amount more carefully. You may need to purchase some supplements at a specialty pet store (such as taurine) to mix into the food, and you may need to purchase a grinder, but ultimately it saves money and is better for the cat. If you're grossed out by raw, you can cook your own cat food too, to keep it low carb!

If he DOES become insulin dependant, the worst is that you will have to give shots, approximately twice daily. It's not that bad. I do my own vaccinations here at home aside from rabies, and you get used to doing injections after awhile. It is not THAT expensive, probably the most expensive part of the whole thing if he needs injections will be the glucose curve test where the vet may keep him overnight once or twice.

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Don't know of anything you can do at home. Treating feline diabetes is not cheap or easy. Blood glucose levels have to monitored regularly. It does help to feed a high fiber diet. There are several on the market. Ask your vet for other options for food perhaps. Regular feeding times are just as important.

Hi,

I also adopted my cat from a shelter with feline diabetes. He is on the exact same food schedule, and has not needed insulin. I tend to stick to higher end foods for the "other food" portion, but usually got with whichever one is on sale at Petco. One thing to be careful of is feeding the cat treats! The only time mine has gotten close to borderline needing insulin is when I had fed him a ton of hairball treats.

So, overall, I've found that if I actually stick to feeding him the way I'm supposed to, all is good....

Hope that helps!