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How to determine if my diabetic cat's insulin dosage needs changing?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 14 years and 9 months old | 9.5 lbs

Hello. My cat has diabetes. Presently she has injections of 4ml twice a day (morning & evening). I have an electronic insulin blood calculator. If I take 5 readings in one day and pass the results to you will you be able to tell me if to increase or reduce the insulin levels administered. Thank you Carmen.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

Veterinarian

Published on March 29th, 2019

Hi, you would probably need to go through a consultation as this allows several messages and much more in depth advice. Important information such as when was she first diagnosed and what dosage of insulin she was started on and if she had any blood tests afterwards and what they indicated. What was her initial weight and how is her weight doing. What do you normally feed her and what times. Is she allowed to go outside, what other medications is she on. There are lots of things to consider and a face to face examination is always advisable at least once every six months. However in the short term, you could have a consultation with one of the experts here, hope this helps !

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Tomasz Wnuk
Veterinarian
Published on October 4th, 2017
Please, do not change the dose of insulin until you can discuss it with your vet. Spot check of glucose level is not always reliable, and it is always necessary to get at least a few low/high reading before we change the insulin dose. Glucose curve, which is reading of blood glucose every few hours over 12hrs, would be ideal in Whisper case before the insulin dose is changed. Please, get in touch with your vet and liaise with him on this.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on October 12th, 2017
I would suggest you take her to a vet clinic to be monitored for the day. She may be fine but she may also get hypoglycemic which can be life threatening. They will likely have you skip the evening dose of insulin.

It is best to consult with a local vet. I definitely would not suggest that you leave her home alone with no one to watch her.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner
Published on January 10th, 2018
Our biggest concerns with an insulin change is that the cat's blood glucose will drop too low on the first day of the change (so within 12 hours for a twice daily insulin, but most commonly 4-8 hours after the injection). That is the reason your vet wants you to monitor Kitty tomorrow. If Kitty appears wobbly, weak, lethargic or does not eat, contact your veterinarian. If Kitty continues to weaken and will not eat, most vet recommend rubbing a small amount of Karo syrup on their gums then seeking veterinary care immediately.
I have attached a handout with more specific information about diabetes below.
https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=631
The scruff is often the easiest location to give insulin, but since you will be injecting Kitty twice a day, you want to try to prevent scar tissue development as much as possible, so it is recommended to change injection sites (even just rotating from the scruff to a shoulder or from the left side of the scruff to the right side of the scruff) as much as possible.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answers your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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