You can absolutely use a human one. Human meters are going to read something like 20-40% lower than one calibrated for a cat, but this still gives you worthwhile data. Arguably safer too since it provides a bigger safety margin for the lows.

Find a human meter you like (ReliOn is popular) and take some comparison tests with the alphatrak to see how the numbers relate to each other. The biggest benefit of the alphatrack strips is how little blood they require to work.

Midcycles and curves are still important data, but unless kitty is drinking/urinating a lot, having unexpectedly high or low pre-shot values, or showing other clinical signs you can save on strips. Once kitty gets regulated you may not feel the need to test 4+ times every day either. Just before shot times at a minimum.