...or even your own experience.

My sweet, 16 year-old Kitty has been on-and-off sick of late. He was diagnosed with diabetes about six years ago (for which board members here gave me great advice,) and has been doing well with that. His latest challenge is recently diagnosed pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas,) and IBD (inflammation of the small intestine.) The vet tells me that these are not unusual conditions in older, diabetic cats. Supposedly both conditions can be managed, but he's had three flareups within the past six weeks, so I'm trying to figure out if this is a battle we both can fight. He intermittently has had a host of GI issues including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and watery bowel movements.

So far, the vet has given him two doses of injectable Cerenia, an anti-vomiting med. This seems to work well, but only for about two weeks or so at a time. He also has access to both an appetite stimulant in both topical and pill form. That also seems to do the trick. The vet has also given him fluids when needed and a dose of pain reliever during his worst bout.

I'm thinking if he can go about once a month or two to the vet for a Cerenia injection, and make do with pills the rest of the time, this might be workable. I am looking hard at quality of life issues for Kitty to make sure that I am not pushing him too far. I want him to enjoy whatever remains of his old age.

If you, yourself have either of these conditions (or know of someone who does,) how painful are they? That is one of my major worries, as I don't want Kitty to be in pain. He has previously rejected Gabapentin in the form of chewable treats, but I suppose an oral suspension might work. The trouble is (as with any pet,) it's often difficult to determine if they are in pain. I don't think he generally is, but I don't know for sure. He just seems to be frustrated when he can't eat, or can't eat as much as he would like.

Thanks in advance for any advice that you may have.

My girlfriend's 8 year old cat just got a diabetes diagnosis that requires twice daily injections. Doing better now.

I've been giving Kitty twice daily injections for about six years now (he uses Lantus, which is a long-lasting insulin.) Diabetes care is very manageable. The main problem is finding someone to care for your cat if you travel.

There is a group on Facebook called "Feline Diabetes Support Group." They strongly advocate for daily glucose testing (which I have never done,) but they have a lot of good suggestions for suitable foods, along with other tips.

I don't have any advice but I had a miniature dachshund that developed pancreatitis when she was older. It broke my heart that she probably suffered more than I knew. When she finally had to go to doggie rainbow bridge, I was devastated. I was not willing to put her through more suffering with her several health issues and had to do the best thing for her.

Thanks for caring for your kitty so well. I hope she does well on her treatments.

Thanks, Dagny. I quizzed his veterinary team closely, and no one is anywhere near ready to throw in the towel just yet. I have an appointment for him tomorrow, in which I will hopefully work with the vet to develop a care plan for the immediate future. This is all new for me, so I'm taking it day by day, week by week.

I don't know anything about these particular medical issues, but I care about your cat. (I am predominately a cat person and always have been.)

My best good energies are going in your cat's direction.

I hope they help at least a little bit.

Aww, thank you, Tevai. I appreciate that. <3

About 20 years ago we had a miniature Schnauzer, he came down with pancreatitis.

The vet put him on a diet of chicken, rice, egg and brewer's yeast. He lived on that for a few months until he had stroke.

Thanks for the info. I've been giving Kitty both chicken and baby food.

Does a parent count?

Yes, absolutely. Give me what you've got. The advantage of a human is that they can speak, while my sweet kitty cannot.

All I can offer are 1) the observation that pancreatitis can be so very unpleasant that people often follow bouts with clear do-not-resuscitate orders, and 2) there is two-directional relationship with diabetes since the I of L organs that produce insulin are situated within the pancreas.

Best of luck, summer.

several of my cats have had inflammatory bowel disease, with the same symptoms as your kitty has. i think the illness was more of a problem to me than it was for them.

thirteen-year-old blithe was euthanized last year after we had tried everything possible to help. i didn't want to leave any stone unturned. i don't think she suffered until the end. my vet suspected she also had lymphoma.

after she died, her long-time companion, clement, was so sad and lonely that we decided to adopt two rescue cats to keep him company. both cats had the same issues of vomiting and extremely stinky, explosive diarrhea. the six-month old kitten had giardia, which was quickly treated with medication. the eleven-month-old cat did not respond to any medications we tried. the vet finally prescribed science diet i/d food and it has helped immensely. unfortunately, the food is expensive and all six of my cats must eat it so that merlin doesn't ingest the wrong food accidentally.

good luck with this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2021 12:37PM by noone.

I appreciate your feedback. You sound like an awesome cat parent!

Kitty went to see the vet today. He got his Cerenia shot (anti-vomiting,) fluids, and was sent home with Cerenia pills. He promptly ate a decent lunch, so for right now, things are on the mend. The vet mentioned the possibility of a steroid-like drug, but wants to consult with a colleague due to to Kitty's diabetes. She did mention that lymphoma does often go along with IBD, but can also be treated with meds if necessary.

I feel better that for right now, I have a plan. But the vet stressed that this is still a work in progress.

I don't really have any advice, because we're doing all the things we're not supposed to do.

It was the opposite for my dog. He had pancreatitis and was treated at the Emergency Vet. About four months after that, he was diagnosed with diabetes.

His sister, who lives with my sister, had pancreatitis twice, but she has not developed diabetes.

They told us to really watch his fat. And too much protein isn't good either. They put him on a prescription diet, but he got tired of it and wouldn't eat it anymore.

For the past year, we've fed him the same food that we eat and he seems to be thriving. At first, it horrified the Vet. But we figured that our dog is an old fella, and he has been through a lot, so he can have whatever he wants, for as long as we still have him.

But again, he seems to be thriving on everything they told us not to do. He's running up the stairs like a puppy, even though he's now blind. Now the Vet says, "Whatever you're doing, keep it up. He looks great."

I guess the only thing to do is to find what works best for your pet. Sometimes they thwart our best efforts to take care of them by refusing to eat what we'd like them to eat.

I'd say that if whatever you're doing right now seems to be working, then stick with it. They do seem to have sensitive systems. If you change things around too much, their tummies can really get upset about it.

Good luck with your kitty. I hope he continues to improve.

Your dog sounds wonderful! Yes, I'm letting Kitty guide me about what he wants to eat. If I'm not sure, I give him a choice of two things for his meal, and I see which he favors.

Fortunately, my cat doesn't currently have any issues, but she's very finicky. I always have five different bowls on the floor, hoping that she'll like one of them. No, she's not spoiled at all.

Lol! I'm lucky that Kitty has never been fussy about food, and likes a variety of foods. But his current illness has definitely put a new twist on things.

Definitely. You have to get more creative on what you feed him. Something that he likes, but doesn't irritate his pancreas.