Disclaimer: I am not a vet and this article is not intended to provide medical advice. I am simply sharing our experience as owners of a diabetic cat. Please contact your vet for medical advice.
Meet Lady
Lady was a homeless cat that my husband and I took in just before we got married 11 years ago. You can read more about her joining our family here. Because she was a stray we don’t know her exact age but we believe she’s about 12 years old. Lady is a sweet girl that gets along great with our other cat and our dog, also both former strays. As she got older we starting to notice her behavior changing.
Signs and Symptoms
We started to notice some odd behavior in Lady that prompted us to get her to the vet to be checked out. She was grooming a lot, pulling out clumps of hair that we’d find all over the carpet. She was drinking a lot of water and seemed very thirsty. The water dish was empty much more often and the litter box was being used a lot more. She also seemed to be begging for food all the time and was always hungry and restless.
We took Lady to the vet and some blood work revealed that she was diabetic. Our vet walked us through what we’d need to do to take care of our girl and we’ve been treating Lady with insulin shots successfully for nearly a year now. We started with a low dose of insulin which ended up being adequate for her. We learned that too much insulin can cause hypoglycemia which is very dangerous.
A Day With a Diabetic Cat
We manage Lady’s diabetes in two ways: with her diet and with insulin. We needed to get her on a low carb diet so we switched from the dry food she had always eaten to wet food. She eats Fancy Feast pate (the gravy styles have cornstarch = carbs), something you can find in any store and we feed her one can in the morning and one can in the evening.
She also gets two insulin shots a day and we do those at the same time she’s eating, morning and evening about 12 hours apart. It’s pretty quick and easy to give them to her while she’s distracted with her food.
What It Means for the Owner
Life with a diabetic cat is definitely manageable but you have to be committed. Here are a few things we’ve learned that might help you if you have a diabetic pet or are considering adopting one:
Insulin Shots: Insulin is a bit pricey. There’s no sugar coating it. However, the bottles that we get do last quite a while and we get them at CVS where they gave us a prescription card that saved a few bucks each time we refill. The syringes are also available by prescription and they’re not a major expense at all. The needles are pretty short, so if you’re picturing a big long needle, think again! Insulin needs to be kept in the refrigerator and rolled between your hands before drawing a shot. You don’t want to shake it to mix it, just gently roll it before getting your shot ready. It’s very easy to measure but you do need to take care of it. It’s in a glass bottle that you’re not going to want to be careless with and break. And what do you do with all the needles? We keep them in an empty juice or milk carton and when it’s full we take it to the vet to dispose of.
Giving The Shot: We find this is easiest to do when Lady is eating because she’s more focused on her food than she is on getting a shot. It’s a very quick little stick. You’ll want to pull up the loose skin between the shoulders on the cat’s back and give the shot there at an angle, not straight in. Just try to vary the shot spot a bit so you’re not sticking the exact same spot every time you give an injection. The needle is so small and with our cat, her fur is so dense, you may not even feel the needle go in. The more you can visually see what you’re doing the better.
Things to Look For: It’s possible your diabetic pet’s care needs will change over time. We’ve had to have Lady checked once in a while and fortunately her condition has improved. Other than regular vet visits, how do you know when you need to get your pet to the vet because something might be wrong? You need to monitor their behavior and if you notice that they seem hungry all the time that might be a sign that they need a check up. If you notice an increase in their usage of the litter box, or that they’re drinking more water, that can be a sign too. A couple of times Lady was walking around sniffing everything and her balance seemed off, very bizarre behavior. She was hypoglycemic then and we fed her to get her blood sugar up and that seemed to do the trick.
Bottom Line: To have a diabetic pet you need to be committed and stay on schedule a large part of the time. We’ve had times where we’ve had to skip a shot because we weren’t home and it wasn’t the end of the world. But on a day-to-day basis, you need to stick to a routine, and you need to keep your eyes open for any changes in your pet’s behavior. Having a diabetic pet is totally doable if you are willing to make those commitments. In the end it’s just a new routine to get used to and once you do, it’s very rewarding to be able to care for a pet that needs a little extra TLC to lead a happy, healthy life.
If you’re looking to adopt and are interested in learning more about diabetic pets that need a forever home, you can find your closest pet shelter and plan a visit. Let me know if you have questions about Lady and our life with her!
Ann says
Our doggie needs adequan shots monthly to help with pain management for a hip issue he was born with, but we don’t administer. You are truly a loving pet owner.
Lindsay says
You get it then, Ann. Anything for your pets! They’re part of the family. 🙂
Chuck says
Lady is a good sport and I’m glad readers will be able to see a snapshot of what it’s like to live with a diabetic cat. It’s rewarding to take care of her after living together for almost 12 years and I think she understands that we are helping her.
Lindsay says
She’s lucky to have you! You take such good care of our whole family! 🙂
karen a. says
Thank you for such an informative and caring story. Lady is a lucky cat to have such loving people and vice versa.
Lindsay says
Thank you for your comment Karen! You’re right, I think we’re all lucky to have each other. 🙂
Kelly says
My 6 year old cat was Diagnosed today with Diabetes. I am going in later on to discuss our options. Thank you, this was very helpful!
Kelly
Lindsay says
Oh Kelly, I’m sorry to hear that, but don’t lose hope. And please let me know if I can answer any questions for you. Our cat actually seems to be getting better and today, in fact, the vet told us to stop her injections for a while and see how she does.Good vibes coming from our family to you and your cat!
Linda says
Hi Lindsay,i am so happy to read about Lady.at least Lady is giving me some tips on how to take care a diabetic cat.i just got to know that my male cat,Dandy,4 yrs old ,suffering from diabetic.his kidney are 75% lost and the remainder of 25% will have to support his life.he has been hopitalized for 10 days.now and years,the vet told me that i have to give him an insulin shot for two days once.i am not a doctor and it makes me scared to shot the insulin on him.but by reading about Lady,i hope i can get clear clue managing my diabetic cat.thank you to our sweet Lady.
Lindsay Frank says
Thank you so much for your comment Linda. I’m so glad you found this post and feel a little more at ease about caring for Dandy. I know if feels overwhelming but it’s not bad at all once you get into a routine and get comfortable with it. Sadly our Lady had cancer and we had to say goodbye to her about 2 months ago, so your comment really warmed our hearts to know that she’s helped someone. There is a diabetic cat at our local shelter that has been there for 2 years and no one seems to want. We wanted to give it some time after losing Lady but we are talking about adopting again and that cat is at the top of our list. You are a good mommy to Dandy. It’s hard to care for a sick pet, I know. I wish you the best of luck. Please come back and keep me posted on how he’s doing!
Linda says
Hi Lindsay,i am so happy to read about Lady.at least Lady is giving me some tips on how to take care a diabetic cat.i just got to know that my male cat,Dandy,4 yrs old ,suffering from diabetic.his kidney are 75% lost and the remainder of 25% will have to support his life.he has been hopitalized for 10 days.now and years,the vet told me that i have to give him an insulin shot for two days once.i am not a doctor and it makes me scared to shot the insulin on him.but by reading about Lady,i hope i can get clear clue managing my diabetic cat.thank you to our sweet Lady.thank for the reply LIndsay.sorry to hear that Lady has left us due to cancer.if i were at your place,i cant imagine how solemn am i looisng Lady.she was a wonderful lady and pretty.hoping that our pretty Lady rest in peace.i have lost plenty of young cats who was suffering from parvo virus.they were not vacinated yet during that time.loosing them just like loosing part of my life.some people saying that iam crazy for having 50 stray cats at home.i have kinds of cats.three legs,handiccaped,blurred eyes sight etc.all of them i picked them from re side of the road,restaurant and some just came to my home since young.me and my family treat them well and get themselves vacinated routine.
Talking about my cat, Dandy,he just discharged from the veterinar hospital 3days ago.his diabetic is controlled at the moment and i have to note down the reading every four hrs.two days once,i have to give him the sub Q fluid underneath both sides of his stomach.pity him.besides,there a few tabletsfor him to take twice daily.after two weeks i have to bring him again for the doctor review.i hope and pray so that everything will be fine whereby he doest not really depends on certain procedures for life.
Bridget C says
Thank you for this, It’s the most down to earth cat with diabetes blog I have read. My cat has had all of the same symptoms, the hair pulling was so strange but is nice to know I’m not alone.I am trully sorry about your cat. Thank you again for all of this.
Lindsay Frank says
Thank you for your comment Bridget. So glad you found some helpful info here. And thanks for your condolences. We miss Lady very much, she was a gem! We did go ahead and adopt that diabetic cat from the local shelter so we’re still giving insulin shots twice a day here. 🙂 Once you know how to take care of a diabetic pet it’s not so intimidating. And it’s very rewarding to know you’re playing such a vital role in their health. Good luck to you and your kitty!
sophie says
hello,
I do have also a diabetic cat named Loustic, we shot him for about 4 years now, and it is quite easy to do. The only difficulty is when we go away for holidays or week ends, we have to find someone not frightened doing the shots to take care of him. We do control his diabet ourselves with human apparatus, but it is quite difficult to get some little blood drop to check glycemy when we want to control if the insulin dosage is good. Otherwise, that’s quite easy, but when we learn about his diabet, I was completely worried about the shots, but finally very easy. I hope my english is not too bad, I’m french.
Lindsay Frank says
Thankfully we have a pet sitter who is a former vet tech, so she is comfortable giving the shots when we travel, but you are right, that is definitely one of the challenging parts! Thank you for your comment Sophie. Love to your Loustic!
Jazz says
Hi Lindsay! My boyfriend and I just put in an application to adopt a little cat named Katie and she has diabetes. We were wondering if you have any tips, items or just experience based ideas that you could share with us to prepare us and our home for our new arrival!
Lindsay Frank says
Hi Jazz! That’s so exciting! I love hearing adoption stories, especially when the pet is going to require a little extra care. Our current diabetic cat, Patches, was at the shelter for 2 years (their longest resident ever!) because owning a diabetic pet can be intimidating. But it doesn’t need to be. It’s honestly not a big deal if you are able to provide the regular care they need and know what to look for to see if she needs to have a check up. The shots are not hard to give. The needles are so tiny, I don’t even think our cat reacts most of the time. It’s very quick. So just have confidence when you do it. Sometimes when the cat thinks you’re freaked out, it scares them a little bit too. As far as preparing your home, I can’t think of anything special. I do recommend taking any shelter pet to your vet pretty soon after adoption. They’ll let you know what to feed her, what signs to look for, and when she should come back for another glucose test. But I bet your shelter has all of this figured out and she’s stable on the food and dosage they have her on. Good luck to you! Would love an update after you bring her home, and if I can help further, please comment or email me!