| Feb 1, 2001 My eldest cat, Maggie, was diagnosed with feline diabetes about a week ago. I was very afraid that she would have to be put down; although my gut reaction was that she had diabetes, by the time she actually was at the vet, I was fearing renal failure or kidney disease as being possible diagnoses. So what did I see in my suddenly-elderly kitty? The most telling signs were that she was drinking a LOT and peeing a LOT - mostly water, and mostly on the floor instead of a litterbox. There were other signs - oily fur; fur loss; loss of vision; loss of weight. I was determined that she should not suffer, but the idea of losing my friend of over 10 years was very very hard. Friends who know Maggie well were (and are) amazingly supportive. And all of this terror has simply served to remind me that time is precious, and the time we have with loved ones, even more so. I suppose that this is my Valentine's Day lesson for me to learn in 2001. I hope I'm learning it well. Maggie, of course, is taking all this much better than I am. She waits on the stairs for me in the morning, then walks to the kitchen and waits for her shot...purrs when I give it to her...and then goes to the food bowl and starts eating, usually before I can start to fuss about it. I found a wonderful support group at http://www.felinediabetes.com. Hopefully you who are reading will never need to join this "club"...but if you do, there it is. (Update: 2/13/01 The insulin Maggie is getting is pretty high - 9 units 2x a day - but it's finally starting to work on her; her glucose levels are finally lowering!!! And she's handling the biweekly trips to the vet like a trooper. Thank goodness she likes car rides! ) |
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