Diabetes Treatment

Can people hear please share your experiences with treating a cat with
diabetes? In particular:
I second your request, even though I am pretty late in commenting.
One of my cats has very elevated blood glucose.
Did you give the injections yourself? Did the cat become more cooperative
with time?
I have not yet started insulin injections. Somehow, I think that
Tasmania might become cooperative, but not with me: my anti-
depressant medication causes me to tremble, and I'm taking another
drug for that, but *I* would not like to get any sort of injection
from me.
What sort of costs will be incurred if I treat this?
As yet unknown.
My concern is that I myself am Type II Diabetic. My physician
(I think that any physician should be a vet first, but that
is another topic) prescribed glipizide (trade name glucotrol: it
sound like something I would use to kill glips with) and Actos.
These two drugs seem to be more or less controlling my diabetes.
I am a mammal; Tasmania is a mammal. I am a male, so I am accustomed
to drugs for osteoporosis working only for human femals; simian
drugs might not work on felines.
The vet said that insulin injections were the only treatment. I have
not asked her, but I wonder if the FDA isn't doing something
wretched here. White mice are different from humans (primarily because
they have been bred to be susceptible to cancers.)
I am an omnivore, Tasmania is a carnivore, so our internal chemistries
are different. Still, I don't see, offhand, why a diabetes treatment
for humans ought not work for a feline.
Thoughts?
(It has been a year or so since I got my home Linux system up
enough to use 'nn' again; I apologize for my tardy postings.)
How long did your diabetic cat live after beginning treatment?
I will be googling for more information, but any responses here would be
much appreciated.
Thank you.
J.Otto Tennant

Good reasoning, Otto, but as someone who also has Type II and takes
exactly the same oral meds for it as you do, I remind you that humans
requiring insulin injections for *either* their *worse than ours* Type II
OR their Type I, which will kill them quick w/o regular insulin, have
*worse* diabetes than we do. Your vet has told you your cat has
diabetes; it needs insulin injections, trembling hands or not. You grab
the cat's neck scruff skin (like while its eating) and stick the very tiny
needle in (like tuberculin syringe: tiny, tiny needle...your cat won't
even feel it and you can shake all you want).
The FDA has nothing to do w/it, Otto. Bottom line: your cat will
die w/o insulin injections, just like humans w/Type I would. Forget
oral meds for your cat. I kept a diabetic cat alive by regular care
like this for 5 years after diagnosis so I know what I'm talking about.

"J. Otto Tennant" wrote in message
...
"Elle" writes:

[... I delete ...]

Can people hear please share your experiences with treating a cat with
diabetes? In particular:

I second your request, even though I am pretty late in commenting.
One of my cats has very elevated blood glucose.

Did you give the injections yourself? Did the cat become more cooperative
with time?

I have not yet started insulin injections. Somehow, I think that
Tasmania might become cooperative, but not with me: my anti-
depressant medication causes me to tremble, and I'm taking another
drug for that, but *I* would not like to get any sort of injection
from me.

What sort of costs will be incurred if I treat this?

As yet unknown.

My concern is that I myself am Type II Diabetic. My physician
(I think that any physician should be a vet first, but that
is another topic) prescribed glipizide (trade name glucotrol: it
sound like something I would use to kill glips with) and Actos.
These two drugs seem to be more or less controlling my diabetes.

I am a mammal; Tasmania is a mammal. I am a male, so I am accustomed
to drugs for osteoporosis working only for human femals; simian
drugs might not work on felines.

The vet said that insulin injections were the only treatment. I have
not asked her, but I wonder if the FDA isn't doing something
wretched here. White mice are different from humans (primarily because
they have been bred to be susceptible to cancers.)

I am an omnivore, Tasmania is a carnivore, so our internal chemistries
are different. Still, I don't see, offhand, why a diabetes treatment
for humans ought not work for a feline.

Insulin is insulin. No problem there. You don't need a special 'cat' type
insulin to treat - human/vet grade works fine.

My brother's 16 year old cat had diabetes. The shots themselves were no
problem, but his kitty did get very good at hiding every morning. The shots
didn't hurt her (see desc. of injections), I just don't think she liked
being handled. She lived for 1.5 years after starting the shots and died
from other complications of old age.

This is a life or death situation for your kitty. If you want to keep her
alive, she must have the shots.

-- maryjane

J.Otto Tennant

Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit.
Charter Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

"J. Otto Tennant"
..Can people hear please share your experiences with treating a cat with
diabetes? In particular:
I second your request, even though I am pretty late in commenting.
One of my cats has very elevated blood glucose.
Did you give the injections yourself? Did the cat become more cooperative
with time?
I have not yet started insulin injections. Somehow, I think that
Tasmania might become cooperative, but not with me: my anti-
depressant medication causes me to tremble, and I'm taking another
drug for that, but *I* would not like to get any sort of injection
from me.
What sort of costs will be incurred if I treat this?
As yet unknown.
My concern is that I myself am Type II Diabetic. My physician
(I think that any physician should be a vet first, but that
is another topic) prescribed glipizide (trade name glucotrol: it
sound like something I would use to kill glips with) and Actos.
These two drugs seem to be more or less controlling my diabetes.
I am a mammal; Tasmania is a mammal. I am a male, so I am accustomed
to drugs for osteoporosis working only for human femals; simian
drugs might not work on felines.
The vet said that insulin injections were the only treatment. I have
not asked her, but I wonder if the FDA isn't doing something
wretched here. White mice are different from humans (primarily because
they have been bred to be susceptible to cancers.)
I am an omnivore, Tasmania is a carnivore, so our internal chemistries
are different. Still, I don't see, offhand, why a diabetes treatment
for humans ought not work for a feline.
Insulin is insulin. No problem there. You don't need a special 'cat'
type insulin to treat - human/vet grade works fine.
My brother's 16 year old cat had diabetes. The shots themselves were no
problem, but his kitty did get very good at hiding every morning. The
shots didn't hurt her (see desc. of injections), I just don't think she
liked being handled. She lived for 1.5 years after starting the shots
and died from other complications of old age.
This is a life or death situation for your kitty. If you want to keep her
alive, she must have the shots.
-- maryjane

Insulin, Otto, and the sooner the better for your cat. Insulin is a cheap
medicine, especially compared to those expensive oral diabetes meds
we take. I, however, do not need or take anti-depressants and if they
make you shake bad or you do *not* want to do the *life-saving* (for
your diabetic cat) routine of regular insulin injections as I described,
get someone else to do it ASAP or your cat will go into pancreatitis
and if you think your last vet bill was high, you gotta nuther think
comin' from vet treating pancreatitis! Either way, take action, now.
P.S. Those two diabetes meds you mentioned (the ones I take also)
have NOTHING to do with osteoporosis! (???).