Diabetic shots for an old cat w/ kidney trouble

[MJIthewriter]

In this last year, our cat Waldo has fallen apart. We are treating him for hyperthyroidism for about a year now.  Recently his kidneys have started to give way.  I switched his diet to something for kidney health.  He was still not improving, so we scheduled another appointment earlier than the three months they advised to check his levels.

Now he's developed diabetes. His other levels seem to be stable. We're given two options on what type of shots we want to give him. One is designed for cats, but costs a lot more. The other is designed for human but can be used on cats.  I'm not sure what option would be better.  I'm also left with a decision, if this doesn't work how long I should give it before deciding to let him go.

[opus88]

hi Maddie, I agree diet can make a huge difference on the health of our kitties.
changing Nemo's diet to a homemade one(tried all the commercial ones) has completely disolved the urinary crystals he had and lowered his PH, not as good as it should be yet but coming.....the added fluid intake makes a huge difference.
Wellness is an excellent brand, my Nemo wouldn't eat that one either...I tried many before being forced into the homemade route.
Soooo happy to hear how well Maggie is doing, good for you mommy!..........yes PKs ears must be ringin...sure miss her here!

♥Opus

[Maddie6]

Thanks Opus for providing that link on the raw diet to MJ.  I had just joined this forum when I remembered PrettyKitty feeding her cat the raw diet and her cat loving it.  PK's ears must be ringing by now.  My Maggie kitty is looking so good since I've changed her diet to low carb wet, and she's loving the Wellness chicken and turkey.    I hope all this helps MJ.  I've sure had an education on what to feed cats since Maggie having diabetes (now in remission 4 months).    MJ, hang in there, and I hope Waldo is doing okay today.

[opus88]

Maddie has given you some good advice, I will also add the link to prettykitty's info on the BARF diet (bones and raw food) thats the one she fed her kitty Abby.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Pets/Cat-Nutrition-BARF-Diet/show/557?cid=2

Chicken/turkey are high in protein that kitties need and poultry is the lowest in phosphorus therefore easier on the kidneys.

I don't feed raw, my Nemo just wouldn't eat, but I do feed him a homemade cooked diet, however he doesn't have CRF or diabetes, so you'll need to do your home work to find out what is safest for those conditions.

Like Maddie said. Wellness canned is a very good food. I wouldn't ever feed a CRF kitty a dry diet!!!

♥Opus

[Maddie6]

Hi MJ,
I feed my diabetic kitty Wellness Chicken and another one called Sophisticat Supreme Chopped Grill.  They are both high protein and low carb.  I'm slowly trying to get her on all Wellness wet canned food.  Wellness Turkey is another good one, and these can be found at Petco or Petsmart.  The dry kibble food, unfortunately, will raise kitty's blood glucose.  The diet for diabetic kitties it has to be high protein, low carbsm, but I hesitated to recommend foods for Waldo as I know he also has kidney issues.  

I've never tried a raw diet for my kitty, but maybe if you start another thread entitled raw diet for cats, you may get more feedback.  I do remember PrettyKitty was feeding her cats a raw diet.  Here is a good website on nutrition for diabetic kitties where you can get some good info.  What kind of insulin is Waldo using?  Maggie was on Lantus Insuulin.  

www.catinfo.org

[MJIthewriter]

So far I can't say for sure.  I'm tempted to try changing his diet to a raw diet, but for the life of me, I cannot find any help online whether it is even possible to feed a CRF + diabetic cat such a diet and if it would help my cat's condition.

I'm terribly upset after searching for nearly an hour and only coming up with results that suggest it for diabetic cats (and mention about great recovery stories) but mention nothing about CRF...  Or I get results for CRF mentioning low protein diets, which once again are a bad thing for diabetic cats.

Help!  For this reason, I've been hesitant to get more dry food for Waldo, but I'm coming to the end of the bag, so I'd like to get something this week.  

Our new cat is struggling to put on weight it seems, very picky about moist food, and seems prone to vomiting.

[Maddie6]

Hi,
I'm glad to hear rhe Vet is satisfied with his levels.  Does he seem to be eating and feeling better, too?  Take care.