Friday, February 6, 2015

Pawsome Pet of the Week: Abby the Diabetic Cat

This week, we have a very special pet to share as our Pawsome Pet of the Week. Her name is Abby - a female Domestic Shorthair cat. She resides in Southern Maine with her foster mom, Miss Connie, from the blog Tails from the Foster Kittens, and yes - she's available for adoption from Animal Welfare Society.


What makes Abby a Pawsome Pet? We will let her foster mom explain:


"Abby was surrendered to the shelter back in April of 2014. She became diabetic and her owners blamed her for peeing all over the house (which is a symptom of untreated diabetes) and locked her in a cage. They kept her that way for quite some time before finally surrendering her.  Because of her needing a high protein low carb diet, she has been stuck in a cage since then, and because of that does not 'show' well at all. When she is here at the house she is attention seeking, loves to sit snuggled up to someone and be patted."
In fact, "being patted" and "soaking up attention" are her two favorite activities as of right now. She also enjoys having freedom and being able to walk around outside of a cage. Because of Abby's diet restrictions from her diabetes, she does not get much variety in her food but she does love a nice can of Fancy Feast Turkey and Giblets and freeze-dried chicken.


I wanted to ask Abby what her favorite thing about herself was, but it seems as though Miss Abby has a bit of low self esteem right now since she's been through a lot in her life most recently...

"I'm not sure Abby has the confidence right now to have a favorite thing about herself, which is why I found it hard to do this interview from her perspective. I'm sure right now she is feeling pretty low because she has gained so much weight while being in a cage for so long, and her legs are starting to show signs of cage stress (or diabetic neuropothy)."

Abby and her foster mom wanted to use this interview opportunity to help spread the word that diabetes in cats is a completely manageable condition.

"Diabetes in cats is totally treatable. A lot of cats can go into remission with a simple diet change. That diet also does not have to be expensive. There are many high protein low carb diets that are sold in most places you get cat food – like the Fancy Feast Classics which are sold pretty much everywhere. There are better more expensive foods as well if you prefer not to feed byproducts. You do not need the prescription diets.  
You can also test your kitty's blood sugar levels at home with a human glucometer. This saves the owner a lot of money and stress by not having to bring the kitty in to the vet as frequently and helps them have a better handle on treatment. A lot of vets suggest you inject blindly, not knowing what your cat's glucose level is when you give insulin, because they want to make as easy for the owners to treat as possible, knowing if you start talking about home testing a lot of cats will be given up because it is overwhelming for them.  
This is why there are four diabetic cats at our one shelter alone looking for a home. I know HART of ME also has a large number of diabetic cats looking for homes. Most shelters cannot take on the responsibility of a diabetic cat and they are generally euthanized on the spot."

Abby does not currently have any personal social media accounts, but you can follow Tails of the Foster Kittens on Facebook, where she does make regular appearances. You can also follow Animal Welfare Society on Facebook and check out Abby's adoption profile on the Animal Welfare Society website.


For anyone wanting to learn more about diabetes in cats, Connie recommends visiting FelineDiabetes.com. If you'd like to adopt a diabetic cat, check out the Diabetic Cats in Need Facebook Page and Blog.

Special thanks to Abby and Connie for sharing Abby's story and advice about managing cats with diabetes. Visit us next Friday for another Pawsome Pet of the Week! 

24 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that the people finally surrendered her. What a sad situation. Thanks to the foster mom. ☺

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    1. She's beautiful. My cat had diabetes for about 14 years. I always treated her with pills but bloodwork is expensive. She passed away at 16. She will always be in my heart. I love animals. I adopted 2 more young cats.

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  2. Oh wow :( What a crazy story.
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  3. We love your Pawesome Pet of the Week posts!

    Abby is such a beautiful kitty. It makes me really sad when owners give up their pets when they become ill; that is the time the kitties need our love and care the most. Connie does a wonderful job helping kitties while they await their forever homes. I admire her for being able to foster and care for so many kitties.

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    1. I admire her too. In a way, I am kind of glad that Abby was surrendered and found her way to a nice rescue. Her caged lifestyle doesn't sound very fun.

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  4. How nice of you to feature Abby. I've seen her on Connie's blog. It's a heartbreaking story but I think & hope it's going to have a very happy ending. She deserves a loving, kind and patient home. Connie has been such a good foster mom to her.

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  5. It just breaks my heart that someone could treat Abby so poorly, she seems like such a sweet cat, and doesn't deserve any of this. And she looks so much like Rhette! Rhette is overweight too, mom is trying to switch him to high protein diet, we think he's lost some weight, as she is always worried about diabetes. We are glad that Abby is being well taken care of. Love Dolly

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    1. Well, good luck to your lady and Rhette! Maybe Abby is Rhette's cousin or distant relative? ;)

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  6. Poor girl ! Fortunately she has a wonderful foster mom ! We hope she finally finds a forever home ! Purrs

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  7. abby....we R troo lee sorree ya had ta go thru what ya did but R veree happee in that ya haz peepulz in yur life rite now that care ♥♥♥

    we hope ewe reel eyez yur a gorgoeuz gurl ...

    N hay...we noe a few pals that has diabeetez N they iz doin just grate....

    heerz ta findin yur for everz N heerz two a mustard eel & marlin kinda week oh end ♥

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  8. She is beautiful. I'm sure she is enjoying being in a home even though it is only a step on the way to a full time home.

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  9. Sharing her and hoping she finds a forever home that can give her the care and love she deserves!

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  10. Abby is such a pretty girl. We purr that the right home can be found for her.

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  11. Such a sweet girl and she so deserves someone to care for her and love her.

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  12. She’s beautful and looks a lot like TW’s Nicky. I hope she finds a home soon.

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  13. Connie is an amazing woman,and does wonders with the cats and kittens she fosters,I really hope Abby gets a nice home soon,xx Rachel

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  14. Poor baby and we so pleased she has such a brilliant foster mum. Great feature. Have a super Saturday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  15. She is so cute, and I'm glad she's getting loved in a foster home. Tiger cats are my favorite! My friend had a cat with diabetes and she cared for him for years, and he did fine.

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  16. Thanks for featuring Abby. We hope someone sees her and offers her a forever home!!

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  17. Thank you for featuring Abby. So far there has been zero interest in adopting her, and that breaks my heart as she could make someone very happy.

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    1. Thank you for letting me share her here. I can only hope to get some new eyes on her. Will keep trying :)

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  18. Don't ask me why, but I had no idea cats could have diabetes. It just never crossed my mind. Thanks (again) for enlightening me to information outside of my world. Heartfelt story (as always) about a beautiful animal.

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    1. They sure can! Dogs can also get diabetes, which you may have already known about.

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