poutine pete

petey is doing great in la belle province!

Attention Petey is no longer fat

My boy Petey is down to 15 pounds (from a high of 22)
Disciplined feeding of high protein wet food (Purina D/M perscription) and lots of play have made all the difference.
He is all kitteny now - still has his pissed off moments of and general vibe of ennui but a very active and agile cat once again!
I feed him teeth cleaning treats to balance the wet food - except to get them I throw them the length of the apartment and he runs after them -
I basically make him run the length of the place back and forth between 10 -20 times a few times a day - (i break up one treat into 4 pieces)
Here is to a happy cat in the new year!!

petey the cat is really all that

So now that I have changed the cat's diet - he looks ten years younger (tho he is only 8), his coat is stunning, he has lost a lot of weight, he has the energy of a kitten, and folks keep commenting "oh my god he looks so amazing" and " i did not know Petey could run" and so what I want to know is Where Can I Get Some of That -
That's right - WTF can I eat more/less of so I am not the old Petey -meaning lazy, irritable, with bad skin.
Anyways, I have to go and run his bath - he has a hot date tonight. I am staying in and cleaning his litterbox.

soft shiny fur

so for years i just thought my cat had dry skin from living in this dry apartment. apparently he had dry skin because the food i was feeding him was dry. a couple of weeks on wet food and his fur is BE- U - T- FUL.

off insulin for now

I cannot stress the importance of home glucose testing! No diabetic would shoot themselves up without first checking their glucose levels. Cats are no different. The protocol is to shlep your cat to the vet once a week to get their glucose tested. But if during that week their numbers drop you would never know - unless you test yourself. Ergo I tested Petey and he was measuring in the 40s and 50s - which means giving him insulin would make him sicker. The very nice vet at Ellicott Small Animal Hospital, Dr. Stevens (who is kind and excellent) reviewed Petey's numbers with me on the phone (no shlepping cat to vet and thus stressing him out - which affects their readings) told me to cease the insulin until his numbers reach over 150 - then to give only 1ml. I have been reading that a change of food alone can reverse diabetes in some newly diagnosed critters. I feel Petey is one of those critters. I also feel that the medical community is very quick to prescribe medicine without trying alternatives first. Many clinics first try changing the food before they send their clients home with needles.

Before I wised up to home testing I brought Petey in to the vet for a glucose test - his number was 70. A little digression here - to take the blood they shaved part of his leg and made him scream - barbaric when all they needed to do was prick his ear or foot pad. But I continue to maintain that medical treatment (animal and human) takes the needs and comfort of the patient last in all cases.

But I digress, back to the reading - right then and there I should have been told not to administer insulin until his numbers (if his numbers went up). He was on the new high protein low carb wet food and that may have taken care of the problem. But instead I shot him up twice a day for another 4 days - which did him no good at all. Insulin is a powerful drug. The cat mistook an open piece of luggage for his litter box - he NEVER does that. Anyways, all to say levels this morning were at 56 - so no insulin today or last night.

Again - I watched youtube videos on getting a sample of blood from your cat's ear - it is so easy and painless. I did not have to warm the ear - I just rubbed it between my fingers for a few minutes as part of an overall calming him/massage session. If your vet will prescribe you a meter - the peeps at Rite Aid can get you a discount of 20 percent. The Rite Aid pharmacists on Delevan and Delaware are extremely helpful and compassionate.

Diapetey

Petey the cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. The affliction is common in house cats of his size. I feel very responsible - and of course I am.
He is being well taken care of by the Ellicott Small Animal Hospital.
He is on 2 ml of insulin twice a day and Purina D/M wet food - which has the highest protein levels and lowest carb of any food out there. I feel very duped by the cat 'health food" industry. I overpaid for fancy food for years - and of course now being more educated I can see that including blueberries in cat food was purely for my sake (the health conscious cat owner) - cat's don't eat blueberries. Live and learn.
Needless to say I am the same weight since high school - my cat weighs 21 pounds.

Petey is responding very well to treatment and there is a very good chance that if he loses some weight, his condition may go into remission.
We are hopeful.

Diabetes is not cheap.
The initial vet visit and diagnosis - I brought him in because he was walking strange and lying on the floor trembling - was 165.
The insulin was 90 - but I am told it can last months (at least 3-4)
Glucose testing is 21 a week.
Other various costs - food - needles - all add up
when all was said and done I spent over 400 - but I am told that the cost is heaviest at the beginning -

He will need to get tested weekly - so that is 84 dollars a month - which is CRAZY - I am looking into a home testing meter but it is not so easy to get blood from a cat, as I witnessed in the vet's office.
However, it is very easy to give him the needles - he does not seem to mind at all.

Right now, I am on the couch and he is beside me - very content.
The situation is definitely a big drag and I worry about him - but I hope that we can turn this around!

Cat at work

At least one of us is on top of our reading