I feel for you petra. It is so hard when our babies aren't well.

I have two cats with rear leg weakness - one is diabetic the other is not. If her weakness is diabetes-related you might try methylcobalmin (a biologially active form of vitamin B-12) as this has produced good results for peripheral neuropathy (I make my diabetic-Dad take it too!) Be sure to read the label because most of the B12 we see is cyanocobalmin - not effective for this.

Feline diabetes is certainly manageable. There are more and less expensive routes to go regarding treatment.

I use PZI Idexx to treat my Elmo (avg $165 per 10cc bottle) but it lasts a long time (unlike Lantus - $85 p/m - toss after 28 days regardless of how much is left)

There are some great sites for learning about an treating feline diabetes
www.felinediabetes.com - a great place to learn and start
www.yourdiabeticcat.com - a bit more advanced/aggressive treatment is the protocol here

I have joined both groups and received incredible knowledge and caring from these folks.

Please let us know what happens Monday.

Have you tried canned pumpkin for the diarrhea?
Use the plain kind that has nothing on the ingredient list but "pumpkin", not the sweetened pie filling.

I wish you & your kitties the best.

This is kind of 'out there' because I wouldn't think of IBD in association with UTI (unless the UTI was stress related from being so sick), but has the cat with diarrhea been tested at all for IBD or pancreatitis? There are tests for cobalimin and folate deficiency. Also, tests for pancreatitis. Also, ultrasound is non-invasive.

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU assays for cobalmin/pancreatitis

Sorry, meant to say URI, not UTI. Has the cat been tested for FIV?

Puc, Sylvia and Silvergold, thanks for all the info!! Sylvia, she actually had an almost normal bowel movement this morning, after having been on prednisone for a few days. She is going back on antibios next week, I will keep the pumpkin in mind in case the diarrhea starts up again. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

Puc, thanks for the links, I will check them out if the blood test results show diabetes. I still have a faint hope it might be arthritis, but considering she has been on steroid shots for asthma for almost 9 years, diabetes is a very real possibility.

Silvergold, the vet suspects inflammatory bowel, that's why she decided to try the prednisone, and it does seem to be helping, finally. She has been tested and all blood tests came back normal. We initially thought thyroid, because her brother had that (we had the radioactive iodine procedure done and he is fine, knock wood). But the thyroid test was normal as well.

If you search on Feline IBD you will find there is a IBD support group that might be of help to you.

Just to point out, the tests I mention are not part of a normal blood panel. They would be sent to TAMU.

I didn't think long term use of steroid shots was recommended. As far as diabetics, it is easy and inexpensive to manage. It normally requires giving shots twice daily of insulin. A bottle of insulin only goes for around $40. Of course it depends on the amount of ccs given but usually cats don't get much so it could last a month or two, etc. Diet is very important. There is prescription cat food or you can do some research yourself and make your own food providing you give supplements.

Sounds like you have your hands full. Good luck.

Hi Petra - Were they able to tell you right away concerning the glucose part of blood tests today, or are they sending out the whole panel and you'll get back the test results later?
I have my fingers crossed for you.

Premier - I'm a mom to a diabetic kitty, can you share where you find insulin in that price range (and what kind)... me and my wallet would be eternally grateful! :)
It is great that you bring up diet as well - VERY important.

puc, I wasn't able to get an appointment yesterday, so I am taking her in this afternoon. I've been reading tons about feline diabetes, and I wonder how they would diagnose it via blood test? According to what I've read, cat glucose can skyrocket as a result of stress, so the reading at the vet would not be accurate. I guess the most accurate way is to test if there is glucose in the urine?

premier, the steroid shots are what seemed to work best for her. When I brought up side effect issues with several vets over the years, I was told cats have a much higher tolerance than humans and most do not come down with diabetes.

Well, her blood glucose is 222. Higher than normal, but they are going to do a urinalysis tomorrow. The only other strange levels were low calcium und potassium and total protein. Everything else was normal. The vet said he usually sees cats with levels in the 300's or higher, so 222 is not conclusive?

Well, if she is diabetic and this isn't stress induced it looks like you've caught her early which is great! 222 is only about a 100 points above normal (generally 70 - 120.) She may respond to careful diet management, though if she needs to continue the steroids to breathe it may progress to needing insulin over time. What does she eat now?

Depending on the outcome of the diagnosis from your vet I'd suggest learning how to test her blood glucose at home (just once a week or every few days, if you are up to it) to avoid having to take her back and forth for monitoring. It may seem daunting at first but it really does become easy and routine for most people/cats. Blood tests are more accurate (when the cat isn't being really stressed) as it tests the current sugar load in the bloodstream.

222 is the high, high end of normal but that is not bad at all. The testing is the same as with humans. You can do the quick test with the little meter. That reading is for that exact moment in time. There can be reasons why the reading is higher or lower than normal. Stress can elevate the reading. Preferred method is to send blood to lab. That test does a different type of reading and shows the average in the past 30 days. More reliable and not influenced by stress, etc.

If the cat is a diabetic, diet will be important whether using insulin or not. Your vet will be able to advise you on the diet. A quick look on the internet will also give you plenty of info. Low fat, low sugar, good protein and fiber are important. Avoid dry food.

puc13....Humulin N...NPH human insulin..by Lilly. 10 ml...100 units per mL. This insulin can be used by humans and cats and dogs. Most humans use this. I get it from Walgreens. Talk to your vet and see if you can switch brands if you are using a pet specific insulin. My vet prescribes this. Whenever you switch brands you have to redetermine the proper dosage but you should be able to do that it 30 days.

Thanks Premier. One of the reasons I don't use N (and others like Lantus for example) is that there is a short life once the seal has been broken (N says 2 weeks, Lantus is 28 days.) I do think the slower onset and longer action would be nice and provide an overlap once one is able to determine a pattern in the specific cat.
I specifically asked to switch to PZI and do like it. Though it is a bit pricey, it lasts until the bottle is empty, which can be several months, without any effect to potency.

Shoot, had her re-tested at the other vet today, and her glucose was 388. She also has glucose in her urine. So, the vet ordered insulin and we are to go back Friday to pick up the insulin, and so she can teach us to administer the shots. She wants us to start out with one shot daily. Also have prescription food and more info than I ever wanted to know, eek.

Puc, I joined the feline diabetes forum, thanks much for recommending it. The people are so nice and a wealth of information. Those of you with diabetic cats, do you home-test? I asked the vet about it, but she said it isn't necessary as insulin levels drop slowly and there would be no danger of her blood sugar going too low before a shot.

But the folks on feline diabetes all home test, one of them wrote their kitty had a level of 77 and if she hadn't tested him before giving him a shot, it would have been disastrous. So I am really considering getting a glucometer for her.