Hi,



I'm sorry, but this cat is very ill and needs to be under the care of a vet. Is there any way your friend can talk to the vet and possibly arrange a payment plan? Many vets are willing to do this these days.



The diabetes and liver disease need to be monitored and treated. The cat is probably not eating on his own because he is nauseated. I know you said that this diabetes is "mild" and hasn't required any treatment, but these things can change very quickly. At the very least, a prescription diet for diabetic cats should be fed, the canned version, since diabetic cats should not have dry food. And if a cat does need insulin, it's not necessarily something that has to cost a lot. There are ways of holding costs down, including learning to do simple blood tests at home.



I feel bad for your friend and the cat, but you can only do so much on your own. Force feeding is ok, as long as the cat doesn't fight it, but it's impossible to say whether this cat has a decent quality of life. At the very least, your friend should be able to bring the cat to the vet for an opinion.



PHKitkat

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• 17 YO cat, diabetic, won't eat - m_kelbell, Sun Jan 13 12:27:09 2008
• RE: 17 YO cat, diabetic, won't eat - PHKitkat, Tue Jan 15 19:14:53 2008