Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks.. I think as one gets older you tend to run up against alot more sad stories. It breaks my heart to think my dad will not have his Kitty as he has always loved kitties. He owned a business years ago and use to feed and name all the ferral cats that lived near it and even caught a kitten that had an injured knee took it to the vet and then brought it home. The cat remained semi ferral but did let my parents eventually touch it but was not a cat you could hold.
When my mom was sick a ferral cat and her kittens moved in to the bushes in his yard so he fed them and named them and it was a great distraction for him got his mind off the fact my mom was going to die. ( she too use to enjoy sitting out front and watching the cat and her two kittens) Well after my mom died he decided to contact a woman that had come into his business and seen those ferral cats and had captured them and had them neutered and spayed so the numbers would not increase, then returned them to see if she was still doing that.She told them she was. He did not want there to be even more ferral cats so he had her come up trap the cats. She said she would return them like she had the others , but then she changed her mind and kept them. My dad was heart broken as he spent alot of time out side talking to the cats.It took him a long time to get over that so I can imagine how this will be for him and am thankful he at least has my one dog that lives with him. A friend told me to get him another cat but due to his age and the fact he has dementia and I do not know how much longer he will be able to live in his home I can not get him a new cat as where would it go when the time comes? I am not taking in two cats being I do not really even want one! I think life is often cruel for the elderly.
Maybe he can go visit with a neighbor who owns a cat. Maybe he can volunteer at a humane society or local shelter. I know at one shelter I contacted they have people who interact with the cats to socialize them. Maybe he can do something like that. A lot of cities have a service for the elderly that can pick them up and transport them to drs and other places, maybe you can check into that so he can volunteer.
Try getting in touch with his local area agency on aging. There are programs out there, some taxpayer funded and some private pay, that are designed to help keep the elderly in their homes- help with housekeeping, shopping, meals on wheels and the like.
I worked for one of those for a while, and while I'm not sure we had any aides that gave shots to pets, pet care was on the list of activities they were allowed to perform in the name of keeping the elderly happy and in their homes. And while we were always on a tight budget in terms of funding, someone with a dementia diagnosis has a couple more pots of funding available to them than someone who does not.
Also ,I don't know what the financial situation is, but if he's well off, you might look into paying a pet sitter to come by once a day and give the cat a shot.
I had a diabetic cat for years. His sugars, as a lot of other diabetic cats, can be difficult to control. I don't know how someone who has dementia could possibly do it. They have to be monitored for low sugar and high sugar and can die from hypoglycemia or get DKA from hyerglycemia.
Maybe a pet sitter, as someone suggested.
T
My mom would go to the ends of the earth for any of the animals in her care.But you are correct I have no special attachment to this cat, now if it had been the cat they had before who was a loving easy going cat it would be different.
Why don't you discuss the cat's diet with the vet first? Many cats and people have been cured by untra-low carb diets. There are people and pets actually getting off insulin. Get rid of the dry food and start feeding this cat canned MEAT only. Read the labels. Not all are expensive. I pay about .40 a can for mine at PetsMart. This cat may not need insulin after a brief time on canned meats in stead of dry carb cereal called kibble. These dry foods are all sugar when they hit the cat's system. Totally unnatural diet for obligate carnivores like cats.
Why don't you discuss the cat's diet with the vet first? Many cats and people have been cured by untra-low carb diets. There are people and pets actually getting off insulin. Get rid of the dry food and start feeding this cat canned MEAT only. Read the labels. Not all are expensive. I pay about .40 a can for mine at PetsMart. This cat may not need insulin after a brief time on canned meats in stead of dry carb cereal called kibble. These dry foods are all sugar when they hit the cat's system. Totally unnatural diet for obligate carnivores like cats.
I picked the cat up from the vets today and was not too happy as when I talked to them the other day I told the girls at the front desk that because my dad will not be able to care for the cat the cat will be coming home with me so I would like the cats records so I can give them to my vet since he will be the one in charge in the future. Well they did not pass that on and now will have to fax the info to my vet. The vet had no idea the cat would be leaving town. I have always found the vets at this clinic to be difficult as they are not open to anything new and still insist on things like yearly vaccines and even giving unnecessary vaccines. I see $$$$$ in their eyes! My mom being of her generation never questioned them so they loved her and she loved them ( they did however give her some big discounts but she spent a fortune there over the years . Even now they talk about how wonderful she was and how they still miss her any time I go in). I don't think they like me much as I do question them and being I have worked in a human hospital for 30 years I do understand things more then the average owner! I also asked them to shave him down to a lions cut as he is long haired and being I do not really want a cat and don't have time to groom a long haired cat and he will be strictly indoors and this is California I figure it will be better to keep him in such a cut . They said Ok we can do that . well they did not do that so now I will have to have it done once I am back home...errr I am wondering if the front desk at this vets pays any attention to anything you say!
I decided to pick up the cat and not waste my time asking too many questions as I will save them for my vet.( he is use to it and much more open minded.He and I have great discussions) This vet did say that cats unlike humans can never come off the insulin yet that is not what I have been reading so yes I had been planning on what you suggest going with a higher protein low carb diet and I do plan to moniter his glucose levels at home and if he does not need a shot he will not get it! If I can get him undercontrol with diet which I hope will be possible I will return him to my dad and have my brother check his blood sugar a couple times a week and as long as it stays stable he could live with my dad so wish me luck! If it doesn't work out I guess I have a cat.
I have dogs and belive me know all about how important a good diet is. My oldest is now 14 and ran agility for most of her life and except for stiff hips she is in great health. Even my dog that died from nasal cancer was healthy despite his cancer and my vet bills until then were very low. I really belive alot of health issues in pets are due to diet as most of the pet food out there is crap and not healthy nor is people letting their pets get obese.
It will be stressful for the cat to move in with me as he doesn't really like me, he will only be indoors and right now he is indoors/outdoors, he will miss my dad alot and miss the dog. I am hoping my younger dog who is a very gentle sweet silken windhound will become his buddy as he seems to really like the cat and loves to cuddle so maybe the cat and he can cuddle
My vet told me mine could possibly not need insulin after a length of time. She's come down alot on her dosage but is still on it for now. Definitely discuss this with your own vet.
Dry food diets CAUSE diabeties in cats. There's even a book written about it. titled Your cat.
I think your dad should be able to visit and see the cat whenever he wishes if you do take him in. That way its fair to him as well.
Dry foods do not "cause" diabetes in cats. Just because there is a book, doesn't mean that is the underlying factor. If you cannot feed wet food, add water to the dry food. Hydration is key with a diabetic or really any cat. www.catinfo.org has some great information. Canned food is always best because it ensures your cat is getting the correct amount of moisture and this site links to a food chart specifically for diabetic cats. You will find that even the "lowest quality" foods in some people's minds are actually quite sufficient for diabetic cats. Whatever you do, don't let the vet talk you into buying their prescription food. It isn't worth the money and usually is worse than most foods you can buy.
I fed my diabetic cat "all meats," but forgot the brand. Then, changed him to Artemis--chicken and turkey had just "meats"--no grains-- in them. His sugars were lower w/ those versus canned w/ grains in them. It's hard to find canned food without any grains though. That's why I stuck to Artemis and another brand I found at our stock shoppe.
The dry pushed his sugars up a lot. I stopped giving him dry, but the vets never told me. I figured it out myself, along w/ millions of other things. I never found any vet well-versed on diabetic cats. It was trial and error on my own basically. But, having a medical background helped.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well after my mom died he decided to contact a woman that had come into his business and seen those ferral cats and had captured them and had them neutered and spayed so the numbers would not increase, then returned them to see if she was still doing that.She told them she was. He did not want there to be even more ferral cats so he had her come up trap the cats. She said she would return them like she had the others , but then she changed her mind and kept them. My dad was heart broken as he spent alot of time out side talking to the cats.It took him a long time to get over that so I can imagine how this will be for him and am thankful he at least has my one dog that lives with him. A friend told me to get him another cat but due to his age and the fact he has dementia and I do not know how much longer he will be able to live in his home I can not get him a new cat as where would it go when the time comes? I am not taking in two cats being I do not really even want one! I think life is often cruel for the elderly.
. 
