Cat Diagnosed With Diabetes
 

My approx. 10 year old cat has been diagnosed with diabetes. It has been suggested that he go on insulin, however I'm not sure if I want to go through with that. We have switched his diet to Nature's Variety canned food as I have read that he should be on a low-carb diet and that was the lowest carb food I could find. His blood glucose level has lowered 3 points in about a month since the switch.
Any one else out there with a kitty with diabetes? Is there anything else I can do for him at this point?

Sorry about the diagnosis, but once you get the hang of it, diabetes is really not so difficult to treat. My cat has been diabetic for over 10 years, and he celebrated his 20th birthday in May.

Do you know what range your cat's blood glucose levels tend to run? Have you considered testing his bg at home yourself, with a human glucometer? That would give you the most accurate picture of how he's doing, and it's a vital tool for getting a handle on this condition. Most cats really do need to go on insulin for at least a little while, until their pancreas can heal enough to start doing more of the work. Starting with a low dose of a long acting insulin (Lantus or Levemir) along with the low-carb diet, tends to really help. A diet change alone often just isn't enough, and the sooner you start insulin, the better chance the cat has of going into remission. I totally understand that the thought of giving shots twice a day, every day, might seem scary at first. It really does get easy, I promise! Most cats don't mind, it's just the clumsy human that has to get over it. :)

Some great websites with a ton of info for you to check out:
[url]http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page[/url]
[url]http://www.felinediabetes.com/[/url]

[QUOTE=Miaow;1060624]We have switched his diet to Nature's Variety canned food [/QUOTE]

Forgot to ask, what was he eating before the switch?