Category Archives: FELINE DIABETES

Topper Tuesday! Tacos or Sardines….

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Well, here it is Topper Tuesday and how will my cat crew be celebrating? I know, you are thinking with fish tacos and a hearty whiff of catnip. Not quite…but close! They will be dining on Sardine Meal Feast wet food by Nature’s Logic.

As you can see Topper can barely wait to sink his teeth into the new grub.

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Tacos are out of the question for the cats (too bad–can you just picture their cute little paws wrapped around a taco?), but…they can eat all the sardine pate they want. Another of their preferred choices is the beef feast. I like the food because it’s free of corn, wheat, rice, soy and gluten—all of which are hard for kitties to digest as these ingredients aren’t naturally meant for their digestive systems. It’s also potato free. With Lexington in diabetic remission, I’m on the lookout for food that does not contain potato because of its high glycemic index.

IMG_8181I’m happy that they favor another top-quality food. As we cat lovers all know, healthful food is key to healthy kitties. It looks like I’ll be back to buy more of Nature’s Logic feline feasts.

Feline Feeding Fact: I’ve recently learned that cats get “whisker fatigue” and eating from a deep or narrow bowl, which rubs their whiskers can cause irritation to these sensitive “antennas.” They may stop eating before they are full, appearing to dislike the food. Try feeing them in wide, shallow bowls or plates. I’ve been feeding my cats their wet food on saucers for years, and they eat kibble out of shallow bowls. Also note that plastic plates or bowls emit smells that our feline family find offensive, so stick to ceramic type feeding bowls and plates.

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Hello?  A little more paw-leeeez.

Crazy Cat Lady in the Lobby

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I was in the middle of responding to an email from a client when the demanding yowl from downstairs broke my concentration. “Lex?” Again, another loud, urgent yowl. I ran downstairs to find Lexington standing in the middle of my bedroom looking disoriented. He looked up at me and cried. I picked him up and he continued to cry as he looked aimlessly around the room. I put him down so I could pick up the phone to dial my vet. His back legs splayed outward and he stumbled. We rushed to the vet’s office. I suspected a blood sugar “crash” and was right.

Lexington’s blood sugar dropped to a very low level of 26 (normal range for a diabetic cat is between 100-200; non-diabetic, 80-100). He stayed at the vet for the rest of the day. When I picked him up at 5:00 his blood sugar was 70 and he was alert, chirping, and happy to see me. Two weeks prior Lex’s blood sugar level was 408. My vet shook his head at the drastic drop and thought that Lex could very well be in remission. There were new marching orders—no more insulin injections, and a follow-up blood sugar check in two days.

This morning I took Lexington to the vet for his follow-up blood sugar check.  A few minutes after he was taken back to the exam room, Johnna came out with Lex in his carrier in one hand, a thumbs-up on the other, and a big smile. “His blood sugar level is 115–he’s in remission,” she announced. “Yay! Oh my gosh! Hallelujah!” I said, jumping up and down and clapping. I was over-the-moon with joy; no more insulin, no more needles, no more worry. Lexington was healthy again. I was one very happy cat lady—and maybe just a little crazy. I finally stopped the pogo stick routine.

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There is a chance that the diabetes could return, but as Johnna said, “Keep doing what you are doing,” which is the grain-free, low carbohydrate meat-based protein diet, minimal grain-free kibble, and the easy part, providing lots of love.

The Battles of Lexington and Cat Lady

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Feline diabetes is a battle for both cat and cat lady, aka cat “parent” I’ve come to discover. Lexington’s new insulin regimen seemed to be agreeing with him until he went from being perky and playful to gradually becoming lethargic and withdrawn, which I noticed over a weekend after a few weeks of him being on insulin. I made a mental note to call the vet first thing Monday morning. But by Sunday evening, when I found him curled up in the back of my closet I that knew something was terribly wrong. I kneeled next to him, “Lexi, sweetie,” I said to which he responded by looking up at me with murky eyes. I watched him throughout the night in between random bouts of sleep. He ate a little and got up a couple of times, but his walk was slow and deliberate, taking all the energy he had and he went right back into the closet rather than jumping up onto the bed with me and Topper.

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I got him to the vet by 7:30 the next morning, and there he stayed until 6:30 that night under intensive care. I learned that his blood sugar was over 500, he’d lost weight, and he had a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in which the body becomes highly acidic causing all sorts of distress including sever dehydration. Without getting too scientific, DKA develops when the diabetes is not regulated or hard to regulate. The body is lacking insulin to the point of starving the cells of sugar they need to fuel the body, so in turn, the body starts to break down fats for energy—not good at all. DKA can be fatal if not caught and treated immediately.

Lexington spend the next 4 days under intensive care at the vet all day, and under my watchful eye each night until his blood sugar level finally lowered and no sign of ketones were in his urine. The vet increased the insulin by a half of a unit twice daily, and by the end of the week he was out of the danger zone.

A follow-up visit revealed that his blood sugar level was still way too high at over 600 (normal is about 80-100) even though he seemed like his old sweet and happy self. The good news was that the DKA had not returned. Another increase of the insulin dose was in order, which was done gradually over a week by another half of a unit in the morning and night.   So treating diabetes is very tricky—too much insulin will cause a dangerous decrease in the blood sugar, which can be critical, and not enough insulin can cause DKA. A knowledgeable and caring vet is a must (thank you, Dr. Sultzer)!

IMG_1491Lexi and I were on a scary roller coaster ride, but we’re off of it now—hopefully for good. He is lying on my desk sleeping peacefully; prior to that he was mischievously batting at my computer mouse. It seems this new dose is working. I hope some day I can report that the diabetes is in remission, but until then, we shall battle this thing together.

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