Older Cat with Diabetes - What Would You Do?

If you can easily afford it, or even budget for it and are willing to at least try - Why not? If you can give the cat a good quality of life - go for it! I have seen several diabetic kitties that have been managed quite easily and live for years on the diabetic treatments. I definitely think it would be worth trying for a little bit and then re-evaluating. Especially for a pet you have had for such a long time. I wouldn't give up yet.

I would absolutely, without hesitation give the treatments and diet a try. If you do go away you can get a house sitter that is a vet tech or board him at the clinic. I have seen great success with treatment.

I have treated a cat with chemo, had tumors removed of multiple animals, spent $1,100 on dental treatments for my cat and even had my mouse at the vet for a skin condition. I see it through as long as they have a chance and are not miserable.

Good luck!

If I could afford it, I would try the new diet and injections the money for the hospitalization. I do think it's a lot of money....is it a lot of money for you?

Honestly, as a cat lover and life long cat owner, I would say let him live HAPPILY and then put him down. I would probably switch to the wet food but forgo the insulin injections at this point. Cat's hate the vet, they hate shots, they hate being away from home. If it buys him an extra year but you spend the whole time making him miserable and fighting to give him shots, what did he really get out of it?

As long as he's generally healthy and friendly and you're doing what you can with diet, I'd just let him be. When he takes a turn for the worse, then I'd put him down.

Hi E.,
I had a diabetic cat for 5 years. She became diabetic at 7 and lasted another 5 years. It took a few months to get the diabetes under control and then we had 4 good years. The insulin twice a day was easy. The end of her life was hard. The last year she lost a lot of weight and we had to adjust her medication. Near the end she was dehydrated and I had to give her daily fluids with an IV bag.

I am not sure at 15 years I would chose this course. Before we got the medication under control, she would urinate outside of her box because she could not make it in time. I think she suffered the last year of her life. Near the end she lost control of her back legs. Your cat might easily take to the meds, but she might not. You could try and new diet and let nature takes its course.

I had my son the same year my cat died... I spent $0 on the birth of my child and over $2000 on my cat. There were a lot of visits to the vet and a lot of heartache.
It is a very tough decision. Hugs

I can easily afford advance treatments for my pets however I choose not to go this route. The problem is that animals don't know what's going on. It's not like you can explain "Ok I'm going to poke you to test your blood and then give you a shot but it's to make you feel better." In their minds you are just tormenting them and putting them in pain.

When something comes up that can be corrected in a couple visits I'll do it. My cat Tanner was attacked by something and I had him treated and brought him for follow up visits for the next 2 weeks. My dog Milo had a couple issues and he was treated.

My job as their humom is to give them a good quality of life for as long as possible and then to let them go when I can no longer do that. Non treatment of a condition isn't being a neglectful owner. It's an option available that you might want to discuss with your vet.

You are telling my story E..

I had a 16-year-old cat who became diabetic. My ex is a vet. I am somewhat of an animal activist. I work with rescues. I always put the best interest of the animal first. And I have free vet care so money was not an issue. And I chose not to do the testing/medicating/diet because I knew my poor cat just couldn't handle all of that.

My cat HATED going to the clinic more than anything. He was scared and freaked out constantly. And my ex and another employee there (who is a complete animal activist) suggested that my cat could not handle the stress, and I would basically be keeping him alive just for me. They also said the whole process isn't easy -- especially the injections. I have friends who have done this, and I know what a burden it can be. You can't miss injections -- you have to schedule them regularly. One of my friends had to leave many events in order to go home and give her cat insulin.

I let my cat live a few more stress-free months, but he wasn't doing well in other ways. He was going blind and having trouble breathing. I knew it was time when he was having very labored breathing on my kitchen floor and couldn't get up. I took him in and had him euthanized. It was so hard, but making him last longer would have been harder.

Sorry you're going through this. It is a difficult decision.

I just adopted a diabetic cat whose previous owner's no longer wanted to "deal" with his special needs. Anyhoo, he is younger than your kitty - but with a strict diet - Science Diet WD only at one to one and a 1/4 cups per day - his diabetes is under control and he currently has no need for insulin.

I am under no illusions that his diabetes could progress as he ages, but, since I currently have a kitty in renal failure that I administer sub Q fluids to every couple days at home, I am used to extreme medical conditions.

So, yes, I would do the testing and see if there was an improvement. I would research and explore all options. I would talk to my vet about a payment plan to spread out the initial expense. Oh, wait, I have done this. LOL

But that is me.

Every family, every pet owner is different. You have to decide what is best for you, your family, and your pet. And know that whatever decision you make (or have made) is the right one for you - that is all that matters.

Hugs.

Really depends on quality of life to me. If the cat can still be relatively happy and pain free, then yes I might do this.

How is your budget? If you can easily afford this without taking money from key things like groceries or mortgage/utilities, then sure. If you have to rob Peter to pay Paul to do this, then no...

If your budget allows it, certainly keep him healthy as long as you can. But if it's too much of a financial burden, love him hard and let him go. I spent $1200 at a weekend emergency vet a couple of years ago when our beloved cat was listless with a high fever and wouldn't drink. My husband was upset, but he loved that cat, too. It certainly took a lot of that year's "play money" out of the budget, but I was OK with that.

Given that the cat is 15 years old, I would probably have it put down. Not only does he have to get two shots a day, he has to be in a strange place with strange people for multiple days just for the hope that there will be no underlying conditions discovered once his diabetes is under control. But then I'm also the type of person that, while I get attached and consider pets part of the family, I don't consider them to be like one of my children. My apologies if that seems heartless. I hope you will find comfort, whatever your decision was.

ETA: I should have said I would not medicate but would let him live out the rest of his days at his home until his health was bad enough for him to be euthanized. I forgot people can't know what's in my head unless I type it out on here.

I did this, and was happy that I did. My cat lived for a good number of years with the injections, and was healthy and happy. I don't remember any of it being that expensive, but I used dry food and gave her generic insulin. Surprisingly, they adjust well to the injections, and don't seem to mind at all. My cat was NOT a good sport kind of cat, but she never had a problem with them.

I've always taken seriously the welfare of any creature I choose to put under my care. I can't imagine looking at someone who has given me love and companionship for 14 years, and saying "you are too much work, so you die." If he's only 15, he might live three to five more happy years if you choose to do what is required.

We had a cat with diabetes. The vet prescribed injectible insulin without a bunch of tests. We fed her non-prescription wet food. She did just fine for several months until my daughter accidentally overdosed her on the insulin.

If this were my cat, I'd find a vet that would work with me without having to do all the tests. Yes, it's ideal to treat the cat as a human and make everything as perfect as possible but I suggest that you can continue to enjoy your cat by just using the basics.

We did not catch ours soon enough so he already had organ shut down & had to be out down, but before I knew I was ready to spend the money & do the injections.
I think what happened was for the best because I had a new baby at the time.
The other kitty died shortly there after.

What did you decide?

We have an eleven-year-old cat who we are fairly certain is diabetic, based on her eating, drinking, and urinating habits, and the fact that her urine smells like syrup. We have not had her tested, nor do we plan to. For the nonce, she seems content and not in any discomfort. We have found that she can eat Purina Cat Chow and not get sick, so that's all she eats. She would not tolerate daily injections. When she gets to the point that she no longer seems to be enjoying her life, we will have her euthanized.

Such a personal decision - we had a beloved cat that became diabetic at about 14. We did everything we could to "save" him and keep him alive, hospital stays, insulin injections, the works. At the time he and his brother were pretty much our "family". We weren't rich, but we didn't think twice about spending the money to try to save him. It turned out that he didn't respond well and he died after a couple of short months. Those months were absolutely devastating for us, and terrible for him because he was such a vibrant little guy that in the end couldn't even drag himself to the litter box. But I would not have changed a thing. It seemed more like an emergency at the time, rather than a choice about quality of life. His brother lived to a ripe old 19. This was years ago, and we adopted two kittens shortly after his death - and now they are 15 years old. Quite frankly I'm not sure I would go to such extreme measures with them. Finances would play a part, and our family dynamic is different now. Also this may sound mean, but Bob was a really special cat. As human as I've ever seen a cat be. So anyway all of that plays into the decision you have to make. Sometimes it may be kinder just to make them comfortable until the end of their life without taking extreme measures. I don't think I could put one of them down, however, just because they were diagnosed, unless it seemed like they were really hurting. I think it all depends on you, your circumstances, and your cat. Good luck to you.

had this problem with a cat. He too was 15 and a loved friend and companion. However he was a barn cat (not an expensive breed), and had lived a long healthy amazing life. we chose to put him down and get an adorable new kitten, who as we speak is pushing 11 years and is again a wonderful pet!
best wishes with your decision.

Just for the record, you can start the diet +/- insulin without hospitalization and then follow up in a few weeks. When I've started diabetic cats on insulin, I typically do not keep them in the hospital for a number of reasons: They stress out too easily, and that will usually mean they may not eat very well (or at all), and stress alone will make a cat's blood sugar spike up for a short time - so if I keep checking blood sugars on an already stressed-out cat, they may still be high regardless of starting insulin. Or could be affected by getting insulin without eating well. I would show the owner how to the do the injections, have them call me if any issues, have them start Kitty at home, and then go from there.

There is a blood test that can be done that checks for levels of an enzyme called fructosamine - it can be used as a measure of blood glucose (sugar) control over the previous 2 weeks. So if there is good blood glucose control, the fructosamine level will reflect that by being low - if the fructosamine level is high, then control for the previous 2 to 3 weeks has been poor. Whatever momentary spike in blood glucose that a cat may experience from stress (i.e. trip to the vet, blood draw, etc.) will NOT affect the fructosamine reading. So in my book is a much more preferable method of monitoring diabetes control in a cat - rather than having them have to stay in the hospital and get poked every hour or 2 for a blood sugar reading, they come in for one quick blood draw and that's it.

There are also some insulins that only have to be given once a day rather than twice. One is Lantus, which is more pricey compared to some others but I've gotten good results with it. You might want to ask your vet about it, and about checking a fructosamine level in a few weeks, and see what she thinks.

I had a grey tabby who had a big tumor on her foot, which I noticed just after I had my D. She was a 12 year old rescue cat who I had since she was a baby, about 2 weeks old. My Mother had just died too, and I just could not give up on that cat. She had surgery to remove the tumor and many tests. My H drove her 1 1/2 hours out and back every M and F for radiation treatment for her Cancer. She recovered and we had her a couple more years. I don't know if I'd make the same decision today.
I have heard of diabetic cats doing quite well. They adapt to the treatment. I would treat the cat. especially if it's not an overwhelming financial burden. I even know a blind cat that does well. Cats are tenacious animals. Good Luck.

I'm sorry this is happening to you. Pets are such an important part of our lives. People seem to be of two minds, either that pets ARE a family member - one of the children, and the other camp thinks "it's just a cat". I'm somewhere in the middle. Try to think from the animal's standpoint. You've had a happy, healthy life. You've been loved and had a wonderful home. Now you are sick, no longer feel well enough to play, and have twice daily shots to look forward to. I think when you have an animal, you have to love it enough to let it go. So many people let animals linger and suffer for selfish reasons. I would love him, hug him, and humanely allow him to go. Again, so sorry about your pet's illness.

at 15 years old, I'd put him to sleep.

Do your homework as to what is specific of the new diet the cat will need. You might be able to find something very close in regular canned cat food. My cat has FLUTD and instead of the prescription canned diet I opted for Special Diet made by Friskies for a fraction of the cost for science diet! (and now I'm waiting to hear back if she is hyperthyroid as well and she is almost 13yrs old) Also, generic insulin might be an option or not at all if the vet thinks the diabetes can be diet controlled. Or, just let him live out his time with you happy and comfortable since he is a senior. If your vet is insistent that this is the only way and needs to be done, then take his paperwork to another vet for a second opinion because this one is only about the money and not the benefit and well being of your cat.

Good luck
S.

I would put him to sleep if he is in pain. I would never spend that much money on an animal.

I would put it down.