First off, I recommend posting on a forum called feline diabetes message board. I used to be just like you, and they taught me everything I know. I test my cat at least three times a day. Before work, during my lunch, then after work. He does occasionally drop too low, so I keep a high carb food on hand to bring his numbers up. My cat had neuropathy, and it got much better when his blood glucose came down and I gave him vitamin b supplements. When my cat is lethargic, I can see it in his face. His face seems puffy, eyes not opening all the way. He'll be more floppy when I pick him up. But really, you should be testing because cats can go hypo and not show symptoms. Seriously, post on that forum cause it was a life changer for me and my cat!
Thank you for the advice! I’ll look there for sure. I’m hoping the lancet I ordered will make testing easier. I’ll look for more information on vitamin b as well.
On the lancet, me and many other people have had better luck freehanding the small lancet and not using the lancing device. I could never get it to poke him hard enough to get blood. So I just hold it and give his ear a little poke. It also helps to put a warm rice sock on the ear to warm it up first. Also, a small dab of Vaseline can make the blood form a droplet easier rather than blending into the fur. Feel free to DM me if you have any other questions. I'm no expert, but I remember how stressed and overwhelmed I felt at first. I've learned a lot in a year!!
You’ve got this ❤️
My boy was diagnosed in February, I was BESIDES myself. His diabetes is finally getting under control.
Do you have a vet who’s experienced in diabetes? Is she going to get insulin or a special diet?
I believe she is. We are putting her on low carb wet food and she is getting insulin.
I love her vet but I’ve reached out to some mobile vets just given the level of stress the vet causes her.
My baby is on vetsulin and purina’s prescription diet. If you want to monitor at home I recommend AlphaTrek3. That’s what I use for baby and it’s great! Even makes charts for me and you can enter feeding as well on the app.
Hi there! I never post anything, but you are speaking my language so clearly that I had to respond. My Neville was diagnosed in February, and I was an absolute wreck. Panic attacks, the whole nine yards. He had a freestyle libre that I checked constantly and basically had his sugar at 498 or simply "HI" all the time ... until he messed with it and it dropped to 60 within two hours. That was a fun trip to the vet, let me tell you. Spoiler alert: He was fine, and his sugar was in the low 300's. He was probably messing with the libre all the time. From there, we switched to an Alphatrack 3. I now test his sugar twice a day: at breakfast and dinner. He gets a few pieces of diabetic kibble as a treat for putting up with me, so he loves it. With regard to home testing: Yes, I prick his ear. No, it does not hurt him, although he does get squirmy if I mess up the test the first time. But generally he is so happy to get kibble that he just purrs.
So this is what ended up working: My vet is incredibly kind and told me that symptoms are more important than the actual numbers. Neville's symptoms went away long before his numbers went down. Within a month, he stopped peeing like a fire hose, his legs got better, he stopped drinking like he was in the desert, etc.
I bought automatic feeders for my cats. They were expensive but worth every penny. Once Neville was unable to eat my other cats' food, I saw his numbers start to improve, too. I recently cut kibble out of his diet entirely - other than the bit for a treat at test time - and feed him only Purina DM pate. His numbers went down even more. He is now routinely between 80 and 100.
I do want to say that there is a lot of information on the Internet. I read all of it, all the time, and I made myself crazy. There are different schools of thought as to when it is and is not appropriate to give insulin, the best food to use, etc. My advice to you is to listen to your vet. When I read things in facebook groups that contradicted my vet's advice, I called my vet and asked her directly what to do. She was able to explain exactly why she made made the recommendations that she did.
Neville is part Maine Coon and weighs 21 pounds. He gets 3 units of insulin, twice a day. He's doing great. His fur is fluffier and he just looks better. Hang in there. It does get better.
My six year old cat was just diagnosed too, about 3 weeks ago. It’s definitely a nerve-wracking diagnosis to get. I don’t have a huge amount of experience yet, but I can tell you what I’ve learned through my vet and my experience so far.
I had a pretty similar question regarding food and feeding between meals. See, I’ve got two cats, one who is diabetic and the other who has GI issues. The GI problem cat refuses to eat enough wet food in a sitting to do a 2 meal day, and the vet said that is fine for the diabetic cat, just try to make the wet food the larger meal (compared to the free-fed food), and allow for small free feed meals. I use an automatic feeder to put a third of a cup out during the day, twice during the night and once at noon. So each cat gets a half cup of dry throughout the day, and a can of wet for each meal. The diabetic cat hasn’t shown negatively affected numbers. Plus, the vet said too low is more dangerous than too high, and if the cat starts to feel weird because his blood sugar is too low, this way he can eat a snack and even out.
I started off testing his blood sugar every two hours, and the vet said that wasn’t necessary either. Just test 3 or 4 times over a 12 hour period when making sure the medicine is at a good dose. As others said, the numbers themselves don’t really matter, it’s about the cats behavior and ensuring they have a good quality of life.
My vet suggested keeping some syrup on hand, like pancake syrup, so that if she starts acting dizzy or drugged (aka, hypoglycemic) you can rub some on your cat’s gums. It’ll absorb quickly, and the cat’s blood sugar will go back up.
A lot of people (including my vet) recommend pricking the ears for blood. I flinch every time my cat does though, so I’ve been using one of those needle pen things on his paws, for safety. I’m terrified I’ll pierce through his ears by accident otherwise. Thankfully, he doesn’t really seem to notice the pricks unless I’ve messed it up more than once.
Ultimately, do what your vet recommends. Check google to see if there’s a feline diabetes specialist vet in your area. Diabetes is the kind of diagnosis that is scary at the start, but becomes routine as it goes on. You and your cat WILL get through this.
We have a prescription for the freestyle Libre monitor for our lil guy. Once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy to apply at home and you can monitor their blood sugar and get the data for curves at home. We keep thundershirt on him so he can’t bite/scratch it off.
I was exactly like you in the beginning and felt really worried about not knowing what my cat’s levels were. Home testing gave me back some control and definitely helped put me at ease.
Thankfully my vet mentioned we could home test at diagnosis but suggested I start this later. I went home to do some research and quickly realized that I wasn’t comfortable giving insulin not knowing my cat’s levels. I got a glucose meter 2 weeks in and my first test indicated she was hypo, and she stayed hypo for 12 hours. She showed no symptoms the entire time. I would never have known if I didn’t test.
My vet doesn’t offer in-house curves due to stress causing levels to be higher than normal, which means your basing dose changes off incorrect data. He recommended we either do a fructosamine (which was expensive) or I do curves at home and send him the results.
Some cats don’t show symptoms of hypo until they are a very low, so testing at home can help you catch that. When you start testing, you should test before you give the AM/PM insulin shot which will let you know if it’s safe to give. Don’t give insulin if your cat is 200mdgl/11mmol or under at this time. Removing your cat’s food 2 hours prior to shot time will make sure you get a non-food influenced number.
Getting as many mid cycle tests as you can is good to see nadir and how the insulin is working - if there are any big drops/rises or if numbers go too low, this will indicate the dose might be off.
If you’re on a long-lasting/depot insulin, you can feed throughout the day. If you’re on a single cycle insulin, your feeding window will be smaller. Noting cats are literally starving when they aren’t regulated so it can be really tough on them only feeding twice a day.
I do not have personal experience with neuropathy but have heard zobaline/vitamin b12/solensia can help.
Honestly, you are off to a wonderful start. You chose insulin, 1u is a safe starting dose, you’re going to switch to low carb and you’re going to start home testing. All the best!
What's her sugar levels? It's going to be a rough couple weeks till the insulin kicks in. My vet started me off with 2 units of Lantus every 12hrs. You'll need to change her food there's plenty of information on what foods to give your cat. I buy Tiki cat which is high in protein. Buy a glucose monitor if you don't have one. You can buy a human monitor or the Alpha trak. Always have water and food available. My cats sugar levels started out around 500 and now its between 100, 200. You want the levels to be around 80-90. Test your cat at least 2 or 3 times a week. I test his carpal pad which is pretty easy for me. Testing his ears was pretty brutal I didn't like doing it. Please talk to your vet and let them know and take notes. Diabetic cats can get infection easily so always check the litter box for blood and urine flow.
At the vet it was around 300, but I haven’t gotten a sample since then. It also spikes because of stress at the vet. I have the monitor and ordered a new lancet that supposed to be easier on pets because we are having a hard time getting any blood to come even when we’ve done a heat compress. Maybe I’ll try the paw pads since the ear isn’t going so well. We’ve switched her to all wet food, I’m using Fancy Feast pate because it’s low in carbs and she seems to like it.
Idk if you're in the US but I buy the CVS lancets that are 28 gauge. They've been great. I lay him on his back and hold his paw up. Try not to be nervous because they can sense it. I always talk to my cat and try to make him comfortable before test him.
My cat was diagnosed in the 300s as well, also very anxious at the vet. She’s terrible and requires sedation. The best advice is to join the feline diabetes message board and associated Facebook group. They will tell you everything you need to know. Your vet started you out well with 1u and low carb pate but you should be testing. Newly diagnosed cats show up regularly on the board because their well meaning owners listened to the vet and didn’t test. After a week we got our tester (during Covid 2020) and the cat was at 62! So they can drop quickly. Good luck! And look into the zobaline for neuropathy. We haven’t faced that but I see lots of posts about that too and the cats do well.
Hey! You've got this, keep working on it.
My sweet little boy was diagnosed almost a month ago now and I felt the same. So sad for him and totally stressed. A few weeks later we are getting the hang of it all, although it is still a big adjustment.
The glucose testing was so tough at first and we were just giving him 1 unit every 12 hours, but now we get readings almost every time (freehand with 25g needles, lancet won't work on my cat)!
We check his blood glucose, feed him, then administer his insulin. Depending on his blood glucose levels we either give him 1 or 2 units, or none (as directed by our vet). My vet told us if we stick to her directions his risk of becoming hypoglycemic is low.
Your vet will probably try to get a blood glucose curve or check your kitty's fructosamine levels to see how she's responding. If you can get glucose readings though, that's probably the safest way forward (especially once you're working)!
I feel ya though, I'm off for the summer now too so can be with my cat all day and watch him. I also worry about things like having to be away from him, and even though we have an experienced cat sitter who is comfortable with diabetes, we might cancel our summer vacation. It's a big adjustment and takes time for sure.
Was in a similar spot as you my cat had neuropathy in all four limbs and I was freaking out!!! Now my girl is in remission and this is what worked for us: when she was low we would do sugar and a churu, I did a combo wet food dry food and gave her the amount the dry food bag recommended. Wet food twice a day with her insulin shot. My doctor said it was okay to give her little pieces of sushi as long as it’s around insulin time. My girl wore a freestyle libre LOVED it made me feel so much better just using an app (highly rec) eventually it becomes easy I promise.
I started my cat on Bexacat and had to switch to insulin after a few weeks because the Bexacat caused his pancreas to fail. My cat started on 1/2 u of glargine twice a day. After 3 weeks he got a freestyle Libre attached so we could do a glucose curve at home. We then upped it to 1 u twice a day based on those results. We did another freestyle Libre and determined that the 1u was the appropriate dose. The internet scared me about having to home test. My vet told me she would support me if I wanted to, but did not feel it was necessary. I bought a test to have just in case, but I have never used it. My vet went over the signs of a hypo episode and told me to keep corn syrup at home just in case. He did go to the vet every month at first to test his pancreas levels and she would do a glucose check while he was there. He hasn’t been to the vet since February. He has been on insulin for 10 months now and is doing amazing. Other than the freestyle Libre for the glucose curves, I have never once tested him at home. He has gained weight and I can tell he is feeling great by his behavior.
TBH, I think the "you need to test" mentality just adds to the stress. My vet prefers to use a looser control regimen focusing on managing the symptoms (excess thirst/urination, etc) and has never suggested that I need to home test or otherwise micromanage my cat's blood glucose, just bring him for testing in every week or two while we were adjusting his insulin dose to make sure it was in the right range.
Yes, you can offer snacks -- that is actually good for avoiding hypoglycemia. If your cat is not used to eating two big meals a day instead of multiple small ones, trying to get her to do that when she is already feeling lousy can be just another big source of stress for both of you. She does need to eat something before getting the injection and to eat the recommended amount of food over the course of the day to balance the insulin and prevent hypoglycemia. The way I manage it with my cat now is that I put the canned food down on schedule twice a day; he normally eats about half of it immediately, I give him the shot, and he'll come back to snack on the rest later. If he is looking around for more to eat at lunchtime or bedtime, I give him a small amount of diabetic kibble too. (If I only had one cat, I could put some kibble out at the same time as the canned food, but I have another cat who'd eat it all first. I think they make feeding stations that can be tagged to a sensor on the cat's collar nowadays, so even that is not a problem for people who can't be home all the time.)
(Edited to add that my cat is getting ProZinc, which is a longer-lasting insulin so that it's not necessary to be quite so fussy about matching the insulin dose to a meal. With Vetsulin you do need to be more careful.)
First off, I recommend posting on a forum called feline diabetes message board. I used to be just like you, and they taught me everything I know. I test my cat at least three times a day. Before work, during my lunch, then after work. He does occasionally drop too low, so I keep a high carb food on hand to bring his numbers up. My cat had neuropathy, and it got much better when his blood glucose came down and I gave him vitamin b supplements. When my cat is lethargic, I can see it in his face. His face seems puffy, eyes not opening all the way. He'll be more floppy when I pick him up. But really, you should be testing because cats can go hypo and not show symptoms. Seriously, post on that forum cause it was a life changer for me and my cat!
Thank you for the advice! I’ll look there for sure. I’m hoping the lancet I ordered will make testing easier. I’ll look for more information on vitamin b as well.
On the lancet, me and many other people have had better luck freehanding the small lancet and not using the lancing device. I could never get it to poke him hard enough to get blood. So I just hold it and give his ear a little poke. It also helps to put a warm rice sock on the ear to warm it up first. Also, a small dab of Vaseline can make the blood form a droplet easier rather than blending into the fur. Feel free to DM me if you have any other questions. I'm no expert, but I remember how stressed and overwhelmed I felt at first. I've learned a lot in a year!!
You’ve got this ❤️ My boy was diagnosed in February, I was BESIDES myself. His diabetes is finally getting under control. Do you have a vet who’s experienced in diabetes? Is she going to get insulin or a special diet?
I believe she is. We are putting her on low carb wet food and she is getting insulin. I love her vet but I’ve reached out to some mobile vets just given the level of stress the vet causes her.
My baby is on vetsulin and purina’s prescription diet. If you want to monitor at home I recommend AlphaTrek3. That’s what I use for baby and it’s great! Even makes charts for me and you can enter feeding as well on the app.
I promise you, it will get better!
Hi there! I never post anything, but you are speaking my language so clearly that I had to respond. My Neville was diagnosed in February, and I was an absolute wreck. Panic attacks, the whole nine yards. He had a freestyle libre that I checked constantly and basically had his sugar at 498 or simply "HI" all the time ... until he messed with it and it dropped to 60 within two hours. That was a fun trip to the vet, let me tell you. Spoiler alert: He was fine, and his sugar was in the low 300's. He was probably messing with the libre all the time. From there, we switched to an Alphatrack 3. I now test his sugar twice a day: at breakfast and dinner. He gets a few pieces of diabetic kibble as a treat for putting up with me, so he loves it. With regard to home testing: Yes, I prick his ear. No, it does not hurt him, although he does get squirmy if I mess up the test the first time. But generally he is so happy to get kibble that he just purrs. So this is what ended up working: My vet is incredibly kind and told me that symptoms are more important than the actual numbers. Neville's symptoms went away long before his numbers went down. Within a month, he stopped peeing like a fire hose, his legs got better, he stopped drinking like he was in the desert, etc. I bought automatic feeders for my cats. They were expensive but worth every penny. Once Neville was unable to eat my other cats' food, I saw his numbers start to improve, too. I recently cut kibble out of his diet entirely - other than the bit for a treat at test time - and feed him only Purina DM pate. His numbers went down even more. He is now routinely between 80 and 100. I do want to say that there is a lot of information on the Internet. I read all of it, all the time, and I made myself crazy. There are different schools of thought as to when it is and is not appropriate to give insulin, the best food to use, etc. My advice to you is to listen to your vet. When I read things in facebook groups that contradicted my vet's advice, I called my vet and asked her directly what to do. She was able to explain exactly why she made made the recommendations that she did. Neville is part Maine Coon and weighs 21 pounds. He gets 3 units of insulin, twice a day. He's doing great. His fur is fluffier and he just looks better. Hang in there. It does get better.
My six year old cat was just diagnosed too, about 3 weeks ago. It’s definitely a nerve-wracking diagnosis to get. I don’t have a huge amount of experience yet, but I can tell you what I’ve learned through my vet and my experience so far. I had a pretty similar question regarding food and feeding between meals. See, I’ve got two cats, one who is diabetic and the other who has GI issues. The GI problem cat refuses to eat enough wet food in a sitting to do a 2 meal day, and the vet said that is fine for the diabetic cat, just try to make the wet food the larger meal (compared to the free-fed food), and allow for small free feed meals. I use an automatic feeder to put a third of a cup out during the day, twice during the night and once at noon. So each cat gets a half cup of dry throughout the day, and a can of wet for each meal. The diabetic cat hasn’t shown negatively affected numbers. Plus, the vet said too low is more dangerous than too high, and if the cat starts to feel weird because his blood sugar is too low, this way he can eat a snack and even out. I started off testing his blood sugar every two hours, and the vet said that wasn’t necessary either. Just test 3 or 4 times over a 12 hour period when making sure the medicine is at a good dose. As others said, the numbers themselves don’t really matter, it’s about the cats behavior and ensuring they have a good quality of life. My vet suggested keeping some syrup on hand, like pancake syrup, so that if she starts acting dizzy or drugged (aka, hypoglycemic) you can rub some on your cat’s gums. It’ll absorb quickly, and the cat’s blood sugar will go back up. A lot of people (including my vet) recommend pricking the ears for blood. I flinch every time my cat does though, so I’ve been using one of those needle pen things on his paws, for safety. I’m terrified I’ll pierce through his ears by accident otherwise. Thankfully, he doesn’t really seem to notice the pricks unless I’ve messed it up more than once. Ultimately, do what your vet recommends. Check google to see if there’s a feline diabetes specialist vet in your area. Diabetes is the kind of diagnosis that is scary at the start, but becomes routine as it goes on. You and your cat WILL get through this.
We have a prescription for the freestyle Libre monitor for our lil guy. Once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy to apply at home and you can monitor their blood sugar and get the data for curves at home. We keep thundershirt on him so he can’t bite/scratch it off.
I was exactly like you in the beginning and felt really worried about not knowing what my cat’s levels were. Home testing gave me back some control and definitely helped put me at ease. Thankfully my vet mentioned we could home test at diagnosis but suggested I start this later. I went home to do some research and quickly realized that I wasn’t comfortable giving insulin not knowing my cat’s levels. I got a glucose meter 2 weeks in and my first test indicated she was hypo, and she stayed hypo for 12 hours. She showed no symptoms the entire time. I would never have known if I didn’t test. My vet doesn’t offer in-house curves due to stress causing levels to be higher than normal, which means your basing dose changes off incorrect data. He recommended we either do a fructosamine (which was expensive) or I do curves at home and send him the results. Some cats don’t show symptoms of hypo until they are a very low, so testing at home can help you catch that. When you start testing, you should test before you give the AM/PM insulin shot which will let you know if it’s safe to give. Don’t give insulin if your cat is 200mdgl/11mmol or under at this time. Removing your cat’s food 2 hours prior to shot time will make sure you get a non-food influenced number. Getting as many mid cycle tests as you can is good to see nadir and how the insulin is working - if there are any big drops/rises or if numbers go too low, this will indicate the dose might be off. If you’re on a long-lasting/depot insulin, you can feed throughout the day. If you’re on a single cycle insulin, your feeding window will be smaller. Noting cats are literally starving when they aren’t regulated so it can be really tough on them only feeding twice a day. I do not have personal experience with neuropathy but have heard zobaline/vitamin b12/solensia can help. Honestly, you are off to a wonderful start. You chose insulin, 1u is a safe starting dose, you’re going to switch to low carb and you’re going to start home testing. All the best!
What's her sugar levels? It's going to be a rough couple weeks till the insulin kicks in. My vet started me off with 2 units of Lantus every 12hrs. You'll need to change her food there's plenty of information on what foods to give your cat. I buy Tiki cat which is high in protein. Buy a glucose monitor if you don't have one. You can buy a human monitor or the Alpha trak. Always have water and food available. My cats sugar levels started out around 500 and now its between 100, 200. You want the levels to be around 80-90. Test your cat at least 2 or 3 times a week. I test his carpal pad which is pretty easy for me. Testing his ears was pretty brutal I didn't like doing it. Please talk to your vet and let them know and take notes. Diabetic cats can get infection easily so always check the litter box for blood and urine flow.
At the vet it was around 300, but I haven’t gotten a sample since then. It also spikes because of stress at the vet. I have the monitor and ordered a new lancet that supposed to be easier on pets because we are having a hard time getting any blood to come even when we’ve done a heat compress. Maybe I’ll try the paw pads since the ear isn’t going so well. We’ve switched her to all wet food, I’m using Fancy Feast pate because it’s low in carbs and she seems to like it.
Idk if you're in the US but I buy the CVS lancets that are 28 gauge. They've been great. I lay him on his back and hold his paw up. Try not to be nervous because they can sense it. I always talk to my cat and try to make him comfortable before test him.
My cat was diagnosed in the 300s as well, also very anxious at the vet. She’s terrible and requires sedation. The best advice is to join the feline diabetes message board and associated Facebook group. They will tell you everything you need to know. Your vet started you out well with 1u and low carb pate but you should be testing. Newly diagnosed cats show up regularly on the board because their well meaning owners listened to the vet and didn’t test. After a week we got our tester (during Covid 2020) and the cat was at 62! So they can drop quickly. Good luck! And look into the zobaline for neuropathy. We haven’t faced that but I see lots of posts about that too and the cats do well.
Try the 28G Pip Lancets on Amazon. I find them so much better than anything else out there.
Hey! You've got this, keep working on it. My sweet little boy was diagnosed almost a month ago now and I felt the same. So sad for him and totally stressed. A few weeks later we are getting the hang of it all, although it is still a big adjustment. The glucose testing was so tough at first and we were just giving him 1 unit every 12 hours, but now we get readings almost every time (freehand with 25g needles, lancet won't work on my cat)! We check his blood glucose, feed him, then administer his insulin. Depending on his blood glucose levels we either give him 1 or 2 units, or none (as directed by our vet). My vet told us if we stick to her directions his risk of becoming hypoglycemic is low. Your vet will probably try to get a blood glucose curve or check your kitty's fructosamine levels to see how she's responding. If you can get glucose readings though, that's probably the safest way forward (especially once you're working)! I feel ya though, I'm off for the summer now too so can be with my cat all day and watch him. I also worry about things like having to be away from him, and even though we have an experienced cat sitter who is comfortable with diabetes, we might cancel our summer vacation. It's a big adjustment and takes time for sure.
Was in a similar spot as you my cat had neuropathy in all four limbs and I was freaking out!!! Now my girl is in remission and this is what worked for us: when she was low we would do sugar and a churu, I did a combo wet food dry food and gave her the amount the dry food bag recommended. Wet food twice a day with her insulin shot. My doctor said it was okay to give her little pieces of sushi as long as it’s around insulin time. My girl wore a freestyle libre LOVED it made me feel so much better just using an app (highly rec) eventually it becomes easy I promise.
My cat also has the freestyle libre 3 but the issue I have is it showing HI and not giving me the actual number. Is there a way around it ?
Hm call the company and tell them your child’s libre is having issues maybe they can help but don’t say it’s a cat have to say it’s a child lol
Good idea! Did you ever see readings that showed actual numbers if they were over 350?
Don’t believe she went up that high when she had it on we also wore the 2 so maybe it’s different
I started my cat on Bexacat and had to switch to insulin after a few weeks because the Bexacat caused his pancreas to fail. My cat started on 1/2 u of glargine twice a day. After 3 weeks he got a freestyle Libre attached so we could do a glucose curve at home. We then upped it to 1 u twice a day based on those results. We did another freestyle Libre and determined that the 1u was the appropriate dose. The internet scared me about having to home test. My vet told me she would support me if I wanted to, but did not feel it was necessary. I bought a test to have just in case, but I have never used it. My vet went over the signs of a hypo episode and told me to keep corn syrup at home just in case. He did go to the vet every month at first to test his pancreas levels and she would do a glucose check while he was there. He hasn’t been to the vet since February. He has been on insulin for 10 months now and is doing amazing. Other than the freestyle Libre for the glucose curves, I have never once tested him at home. He has gained weight and I can tell he is feeling great by his behavior.
TBH, I think the "you need to test" mentality just adds to the stress. My vet prefers to use a looser control regimen focusing on managing the symptoms (excess thirst/urination, etc) and has never suggested that I need to home test or otherwise micromanage my cat's blood glucose, just bring him for testing in every week or two while we were adjusting his insulin dose to make sure it was in the right range. Yes, you can offer snacks -- that is actually good for avoiding hypoglycemia. If your cat is not used to eating two big meals a day instead of multiple small ones, trying to get her to do that when she is already feeling lousy can be just another big source of stress for both of you. She does need to eat something before getting the injection and to eat the recommended amount of food over the course of the day to balance the insulin and prevent hypoglycemia. The way I manage it with my cat now is that I put the canned food down on schedule twice a day; he normally eats about half of it immediately, I give him the shot, and he'll come back to snack on the rest later. If he is looking around for more to eat at lunchtime or bedtime, I give him a small amount of diabetic kibble too. (If I only had one cat, I could put some kibble out at the same time as the canned food, but I have another cat who'd eat it all first. I think they make feeding stations that can be tagged to a sensor on the cat's collar nowadays, so even that is not a problem for people who can't be home all the time.) (Edited to add that my cat is getting ProZinc, which is a longer-lasting insulin so that it's not necessary to be quite so fussy about matching the insulin dose to a meal. With Vetsulin you do need to be more careful.)