Diabetic cat

[AngelsWithSilverWings]

My 11 year old cat has been unwell for a couple of days and has been having tests at the vets.

The vet just called and said her bloods show she is diabetic and we have to take her in tomorrow for insulin and they will observe her for the day.

I'm a bit shocked and just don't know what to expect.

She is insured unlimited for the condition with a cap of £2000 per year.

Anyone know how this all works? How much is this treatment is going to actually cost a year?

It depends on the vet in all honesty. I've looked after quite a number of insulin dependent cats and once they're stabilised as long as you keep to their diet and inject them twice a day 12 hours apart, it's usually quite straight forward.

It may take a bit of time to get the dosage right or they may hit it at the correct level quickly. Be prepared for drinking and piddling more than normal, this is something that's really important to monitor as it reflects how stable their blood sugar is. Same as in humans!

In terms of cost, there will be the insulin, syringes and sharps disposal containers, check ups and blood tests on occasions. Some clients of mine pay to get the prescription for the insulin etc from the vet then get the supplies on line as it tends to work out cheaper, I'm not sure if that will be covered by insurance though. Not all vets are happy about this but it might be worth a thought. Make sure it's exactly the same insulin though that is prescribed.

Thank you for replying. I'd rather keep it all through the vet if possible but I'm just worried that the £2k limit won't cover it.

Absolutely gutted now that my lovely cat sitter ,who visits them twice a day when we are on holiday , has just told me that she can't look after diabetic cats because of the 12 hour injections. She has a diabetic cat herself so knows all about it. They've never been to a cattery before so I don't think they will enjoy it at all.

Oh that's such a shame. I'm a pet sitter and I'd never not look after a kitty or anything else because of medication spacing. It's all the more important that wee ones are given the best possible care. As long as they're stable it's really not a big problem to be honest.

Check around, I'd be surprised if there's not someone close to you that wouldn't do it and is appropriately qualified. I'm a nurse to trade which helps but there are companies out there that I'm sure would he happy to help. I wouldn't be keen for her to go into a cattery either to be honest.

ps The vet would still prescribe the insulin but you'd take it elsewhere (online) to get the medication so your wee girl would still be completely under the vets care. Just in case the cost does go a bit wonky at some point, it's handy to know.

Thank you. I've been Googling and found an article that said the average insurance claim for diabetic cats is just over £1k per year so we should be ok.

Our cat sitter is absolutely lovely and we've used her for 10 years. It just wouldn't be practical for her to do the injections every 12 hours from where she lives ( she has moved further away in the time we have been using her)

She has recommend the cattery that she uses for her own cat and it does look l quite nice on the website so I'm coming round to the idea.

I've read that some cats only need the injection once a day in which case she would still be able to help us.

I'll ask around locally for cat sitters who can help too if it comes to it.

I just feel so sad for my lovely cat. It's awful when they start getting old.

Just thought I'd update. Cat had a curve test yesterday and it showed she is only slightly diabetic and won't need insulin after all. Very relieved.

Just got to try and persuade her to eat the new diabetic food now - she's flatly refusing all food today.