My senior cat has FIV and diabetes. How do I manage his health?

I would be concerned about either diabetes or hyperthyroidism in Fuu. The symptoms you described can be seen with both of these diseases that usually affect older cats. I would recommend taking Fuu in to your vet to have some blood work performed. This simple test can distinguish between these two diseases. If she has diabetes she will need insulin injections daily and hyperthyroidism can be easily treated with a daily medication as well. Good luck!

I would be concerned by the lack of normal urination in a diabetic pet - they are very prone to urinary tract infections due to higher than normal sugar content in their urine which can encourage bacterial infection. I strongly recommend a urine test to determine exactly what is going on. Your vet may have special cat litter to collect a urine sample or may be able to draw a sample directly from the bladder with a needle in order to investigate fully what is going on

I agree, those symptoms are concerning for intestinal, oral, or kidney disease. Unless the test was falsely positive, cats don't outgrow FIV. There is also no cure for the virus, though not all cats that have it will develop disease. I would recommend that Tiger get checked out by the vet. After a thorough physical exam and review of his symptoms, the vet may recommend bloodwork, urinalysis, or x-rays to see what is going on. Here is more information on FIV in cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/feline-immunodeficiency-virus-fiv-in-cats/

Glucose levels in cats should not change based on size. However, levels can increase with stress but anything over 300 is very concerning for diabetes. Several tests can be done to diagnose diabetes. A fasting blood glucose level in addition to a urinanalysis will diagnose most cats, but occasionally a test called fructosamine may be needed. Overweight mid aged male cats are more predisposed to diabetes than others. It sounds like you may need to visit with your veterinarian to make a plan for BB.

Hello, sorry to hear about Greg. GI signs in cats can be caused by infections, ingestion of foreign material and less likely by a dietary indiscretion (cats don't often eat other types of food they should not). Other common causes in middle or older cats include inflammatory bowel disease IBD or even GI lymphoma in older cats. With Greg having FIV, he is even at more risk of developing infections or other diseases such as IBD. He would require further diagnostics (in addition to blood and urine tests) to confirm these. It may include stool samples and an abdominal ultrasound. Even more, GI biopsies may be recommended if your veterinarian suspects that Greg may have IBD or GI lymphoma. You may try however, offering Greg a bland diet in case this is consistent with a dietary indiscretion. The bland diet could consist of plain white rice, skinless and boneless boiled chicken, and/or low fat cottage cheese. If these help then perhaps Greg may have a dietary indiscretion and will be ok within a few days. However, if he does not improve, has persistent diarrhea, develops a decreased appetite, lethargy, or vomiting then he should be seen by his veterinarian sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I'm sorry that Pepper isn't doing well! Yes, I do recommend having the fructosemine test done. Cats can have glucose in their urine due to stress, and this test will tell the vet if the glucose in her urine is due to stress or if she truly has diabetes. I hope this helps!

Hi there. Your veterinarian may be able to board Cody for a few weeks so that staff members can administer his insulin regularly, monitor his glucose levels, and make adjustments as needed until he's regulated. Keep in mind, though, that stress can affect glucose readings in cats - so it's generally better for this process to be done with the cat at home, if possible. You don't mention why you're having difficulty - giving the insulin injections, checking his glucose at home, feeding the appropriate diet, or something else? Feel free to post again with more information about what you're having trouble with. We would be happy to try and make some suggestions to help.