Knowing my cats death was my fault

[SarahR123]

My baby Jimmy was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago after I noticed he had lost quite a bit of muscle mass.  The vet got him regulated and then into remission and weaned him off insulin. 4 months later he was showing signs and losing weight again. This time it was much harder to regulate him but he had been doing pretty well, but had ongoing issues with the increased drinking and peeing. 

 

We had a 3 day vacation planned, this was the first time we had gone out of town since his diagnosis and I didn't know what to do. Jimmy always got very stressed going to the vet and my husband and I decided not to board him for that reason.  I thought he would decline at a vet and probably wouldn't have eaten. We also talked about a vet tech coming to give the shots, but Jimmy being a very very shy cat, there is no way he would have eaten for a stranger much less being able to be found and caught to give the shot.  So we did neither of those options and hoped he would be ok off the insulin for a few days with a friend stopping to check on the food. When we got back he was lethargic and wheezing. We rushed to the emergency vet and 12 hours later he had to be put down. 

 

My heart hurts so bad, I know I let him down and I will never forgive myself for the poor and stupid choices we made. I honestly don't know how long he would have lived if we hadn't of left, as the ER vet thought his kidneys must had been failing. But we caused his immediate death. I feel like a terrible person, but I would never have put him in harms way intentionally. We just did not think he would decline that fast. I'm so sorry my baby and I will miss you forever. 

[KayC]

I am so sorry, this has to be so hard.  There's no way of knowing how long, but I'm thinking he probably didn't have long.  Diabetes is hard in pets, my boss' dog had it and within a year of diagnosis, she was gone, in spite of the shots, special diet.  It's hard.  I'm sorry for your loss.
http://media.wix.com/ugd/0dd4a5_e934e7f92d104d31bcb334d6c6d63974.pdf

http://www.pet-loss.net/guilt.shtml

[CatLover78]

I feel for you... I just lost my cat 4 days ago to diabetes as well. She had it for two and a half years. She was always difficult to regulate and had a low blood sugar seizure two years ago, but recovered. After that I always checked her blood sugar before giving her any insulin. She was great for two years until I had to take her to the vet for a checkup. They said she was fine but that her insulin wasn't regulated as well as it could be because if I checked her blood sugar and it was on the low side, I would skip a dose. I was told this is not how the insulin Glargon works and I shouldn't check her blood sugar and just give her the insulin. We lowered the dose and it worked well for a few months. Then just last week I found her in a seizure again. I rushed her to the animal ER. This seizure was worse than the last. Her temp fell 10 degrees. She was at the vet for two days. She seemed ok when she came home, but just weak and worn out. But she started going downhill quickly. She stopped eating and then stopped drinking. She could barely walk, her legs would shake, and she was obviously in pain. I had no choice but to put her down. I feel like it was my fault for not checking her blood sugar and letting it get to the point of a seizure again. I feel horrible! She was 13 and had the very start of kidney disease, so the vet said that could have been what made her go into the seizure. I just wish I had listened to my gut instead of the vet and checked her blood sugar. I miss her so much... my little Princess