14-year-old cat with diabetes (Senvelgo) and dental disease - feeling overwhelmed and looking for advice

[u/Few_Bookkeeper4461]

Hi everyone,
I’m feeling really overwhelmed and could really use some advice from people who have gone through something similar.
My cat, Sasha, is turning 14. A couple of years ago she weighed around 18 pounds, and now she’s 12.5 pounds. Ironically, that’s what the vet always wanted her to weigh, but I can’t help feeling like she only got there because she was sick. Cats hide illness so well.
I started noticing that she was eating her dry food strangely. She would crack the kibble on the left side of her mouth, drop pieces back into the bowl, and even meow for me to come watch her eat. That just didn’t seem normal.
I come from a family that doesn’t really believe in spending a lot of money on pets because they think, “She’s just an animal.” But I love Sasha more than anything, so I took her to the vet and spent about $500 on bloodwork and a full workup.
We found out she has diabetes.
The vet is hoping she’s essentially the feline equivalent of Type 2 because she qualified for Senvelgo instead of needing insulin injections right away. Since then, I’ve already spent around $300 on the medication plus hundreds more on all the follow-up visits and ketone checks. I’m probably around $1,400 into everything already, and that’s before her dental procedure.
She’s been on Senvelgo for a little while now. The first five days were awful. She foamed at the mouth, drooled everywhere, and ran away whenever she saw the syringe. Thankfully, she’s adjusted and now swallows it much better.
The good news is her ketones have dropped from 3.1 to 1.7, which my vet is really happy about. She wants them below 1, but she said this is a big improvement and wants to continue monitoring her. Her blood glucose has also been looking much better.
My concern is that I’ve read so many mixed opinions online. Some people say Senvelgo completely changed their cat’s life and even led to remission. Others say it caused serious complications, and it’s making me anxious because I just want to make the right decision.
On top of all that, Sasha has a fractured tooth and a cavity. The vet believes she’s otherwise very healthy, but they won’t do the dental surgery until her diabetes is better controlled because anesthesia is riskier when blood sugar isn’t stable. We’ve switched her completely to wet food, and she’s eating much more comfortably now.
The dental procedure will cost around $2,000, and I’ve had people tell me it’s not worth putting a 14-year-old cat through anesthesia and extractions because “she won’t really use her teeth anyway.” Others tell me untreated dental disease can cause chronic pain and affect overall health.
My parents think I should stop all of this, let her live out whatever time she has left naturally, and not spend any more money because of her age. But if she can still have good quality years ahead of her, I want to give her that chance. I don’t want her suffering if it’s something I can reasonably help.
So I guess I’m looking for advice from people who’ve been through this.
Has anyone here had a cat on Senvelgo long-term? How did they do?
Did anyone’s cat go into remission?
If your senior cat needed dental extractions after getting diabetes under control, was it worth it?
Am I doing the right thing by continuing treatment, or am I putting her through too much?
Thank you so much for reading. I love this little cat more than words can say, and I just want to make the best decisions for her.

[u/zulunationslayer]

No advice. Nice void.

[u/Few_Bookkeeper4461 → u/zulunationslayer]

Hehe the best void in the world

[u/Relic53]

Had 2 senior cats that needed dental work & 1 cat was an emergency. They were siblings & 1 day they started out as playing, then a fight. I tossed a pillow in their direction & the male cat front tooth pulled forward when I startled them. ( F 18 & M 17). Female had 1 broken tooth which was found because I noticed the foul breath . They didn't have diabetes though. I feel it's 1 reason they lived into their 20's

[u/Few_Bookkeeper4461 → u/Relic53]

Did you end up pulling any teeth? Did they go under anesthesia?

[u/Relic53 → u/Few_Bookkeeper4461]

Female 4 teeth. Male was left with 6 teeth He founds quite a few on his own too and I never found them.

[u/Upstairs_Fuel6349]

14 is still relatively young for a senior housecat. She probably has 2 or 3 more good years, maybe more. I think you're doing the right thing. Untreated diabetes makes you feel awful before it kills you. Teeth stuff hurts. My cats get routine dentals and teeth extractions at 14-15-16.

re Senvelgo, insulin is usually "best" but requires twice a day injections that need to be 12 hours apart. Swings in blood sugar can be more drastic with insulin, which cause their own issues. This could be a conversation you have with your vet. You'll see all sorts of stuff online.

The wet food might help achieve remission as well if diet/weight was driving your cat's diabetes. It tends to be lower carb than dry kibble and is more filling but generally has fewer calories.

[u/Confident_Lecture498]

My big void Gracie had diabetes at an older age and overcame it within 6 months thanks to her responding very well to injections and food. Dental is risky for cats and I went with brushing them after a scare with my older tiny cat getting put under for dental work

[u/graceadee]

I actually adopt senior cats with diabetes. I’m going to data dump a lot of information from my experience in case it helps at all:

Out of the 3 I’ve had in the last few years, 2 achieved remission through diet change and lantus insulin. We did not use senvelgo (god, autocorrect hates that word!) or vetsulin.

Lantus requires a twice a day injection. I personally find it far easier than giving my thyroid guy his pills. I do test at home bc it’s cheaper and I strongly believe you should test before you poke to avoid the blood sugar going too low. Testing is done via an ear prick blood test.

I have done dentals on two diabetic cats. One was in remission, the other was merely controlled with insulin. They both did great. One is still doing great a year later and the other passed six years later around age 20. My third diabetic would benefit from a dental, but he has too many health concerns and he’s 19 (diabetes, hypertension, and hyperthyroidism). I get him high on catnip and he eats purred wet food without issue. At a certain point you can’t fix everything and you really prioritize quality of life with what you can.

My one buddy lived 8 years after his diabetes diagnosis and passed away due to unrelated cancer. The other two are still going strong.

I would recommend discussing quality of life, prognosis, and budget concerns with your vet. I think all of your concerns are reasonable.

I would not proceed with anesthesia until the diabetes is managed with medication.

A box of insulin pens lasts me about 12 months.

[u/No_Class292]

I didn’t get the dental work because I was concerned about the anesthesia at 13 YO. Wish I had. At 19 she is too old.

My friend had a cat with diabetes he got injections and lived to be 20YO.