Snatch and jab

First of all the good news. Max, who featured in a recent post (A Short Tale) has found a new home. We hope he settles.

Today we are going to meet Snatch, an eight years old tortie-chintz lady. Snatch came into our care from a loving home in January. She had a companion Stella who was very thin. Snatch on the other hand was very fat! We soon put two and two together and made a hefty four.

We realised quite quickly that the girls didn't get on that well, so we put them in separate pens and concentrated on trying to build Stella up and tone Snatch down. Stella responded well, and was soon rehomed, but Snatch gave us cause for concern as she seemed constantly hungry and drank pots of water into the bargain. Once again a trip to our vets was needed.

Several blood tests later the diagnosis we'd suspected was confirmed. Snatch has diabetes.

This isn't as bad as may be imagined. She simply requires a controlled diet and a daily injection of insulin. Of course it took several weeks for us to work out the appropriate dose of insulin, but now, several weeks after diagnosis, she is stable and her weight has settled at a reasonable level.

It has led to interesting speculation about her name - she couldn't have been diabetic all her life, she wouldn't have survived, but she must have been a greedy cat from being quite little to have been given such a name. Or was it for something else? We'll never know.

Snatch is now ready for a new home. She will need to have a controlled diet and therefore may be better having a home with no other pets (so that she can't steal their food!). Her new owners will have to give her a daily injection of insulin and ensure that she eats properly around the time of her injection, but other than that she is a lovely friendly cat who deserves a chance. Maybe soon we'll be blogging to say that she is settled and happy in her new home !