I Love Cats

Diabetic Cats ?

By: rainy329

Written on November 25th, 2007

Hi! I am new here and I have 2 cats: Angel, 5 yrs old, DLH, spayed, tail-less (born that way, maybe part Manx) black & white coloring about 7.5 lbs and Harriet Potter 8 yrs old, DSH, spayed, black & white, about 16 lbs. They were both rescues to our family and are loved very much. Harriet is diabetic and, yes, with the vet's help, we are trying to bring her weight down. She gets insulin shots 2x/day so she is insulin dependent.
I was just wondering if anyone here has a diabetic cat and how do you work through some of the challenges that come with it ? Other than being diabetic, Harriet is just your normal cat.

By: rainy329

Age: 46-50 , Female

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6 responses

rainy329

Yes, We have been home testing Harriet for 3 years now and have been giving her insulin shots 2x daily as per the vet. We are trying to keep her maintained. Over the years, we have gone through 3 types of insulin and nothing is a miracle worker. Our vet says to monitor her and give her the appropriate dosage. Basically we are doing the best we can. She is a cat that does not respond well to treatment unfortunately.

Sep 29, 2009
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gryfnn

I didn't know that cats got diabetes! I thought it was just humans. It must be difficult to care for a diabetic cat. Also "thyroid" --my goodness!

Sep 25, 2009
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julia9874

Hi Rainy,

do you home test your kitty? You might not be keeping a good control over the glucose, and testing her blood could help you get a better handle on that. She could also be developing a thyroid condition. It is pretty common.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cat+testing+diabetic&search_type=&aq=f

Sep 25, 2009
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rainy329

I know that I wrote that thread 2 years ago so I will give an update. Harriet is now 10, but I think that her diabetes is finally taking its toll on her. She has dropped a tremendous amount of weight in a short time, going from 17 lbs to 12 lbs in about 4 months. In reality, that would be a great weight loss, but I am beginning to think that her body is just not getting the nutrients it needs. It's too much weight for a cat to lose in that short amount to time. Other than the weight loss, she is still pretty active and seems to be happy. She continues to be monitored and if at anytime, we think that her quality of life is suffering, the decision to send her on to the Rainbow Bridge will have thought about. For now, she is doing pretty well all things considered.

I love diabetic cats (all cats) too! Since I wrote this last, we have taken in a kitten that we found in our driveway (just sitting there, looking as cute as can be). It's been a year since he chose us to be his family, and we couldn't be happier. Murphy is very active and a joy to have.

Angel is still with us also. She is now 7 years old and she is still as lovable as can be !

That all for now. Thanks to those who have responded !

Sep 25, 2009
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julia9874

me too

Sep 22, 2009
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julia9874

apparently diabetic cats aren't very popular around here :)

I cared for my diabetic cat for 7 years when she died of cancer at age 16. I've since taken three fosters in from a local shelter.

I hope you are doing well with your kitty.

Oct 6, 2008
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