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Pugsley & Feline Diabetes

This is a picture of my cat Pugsley, taken November 28, 1998. As you can see he was fairly skinny and scraggly looking. Pugsley was diagnosed with Feline Diabetes on November 2, 1998.

I had Pugsley on a diet since June, 1998. When the vet couldn't find his ribs he stated that Pugsley needed to lose some weight. As his food was cut down Pugsley became more aggressive towards Al and I when we would eat. He was so hungry he started dumping the trash cans to get at food. Al and I just assumed that Pugsley was having trouble adjusting to his reduced food intake. It would take time, I thought, but Pugsley would adjust.

During this time Pugsley was also drinking an enormous amount of water. I would fill his water dish early in the morning when I got up. I would refill the dish when I got home from work in the afternoon. Pugsley would also run to the bathroom for water, running us over in the process. In October, 1998, I went back East and was describing Pugsley's recent behavior to my mother. She suggested that Pugsley might be diabetic. I never heard of cats having diabetes before but I remembered what she said. When I returned to California I took Pugsley to the vet because he had been listless and slept more than usual. The vet took one look at him and annouced to Al and I that we had "one sick cat." After some bloodwork he confirmed that Pugsley indeed had diabetes.

One of the resources that Al and I referred to in trying to understand this condition is the Feline Diabetes web site. This is a great resource for people coping with diabetic cats.

This picture of Pugsley was taken May 17, 1999. He has been responding well to his insulin injections for the past three months. At his last vet visit he weighed 13 lbs. As you can see he looks healthy. Now if I can just keep him from getting fat again.

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