Not exactly "health" but an issue

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Dad of Marcus&Stinky(RIP)

Dad of Marcus&Stinky(RIP)

Member Since 2016
I have been giving Stinky his shots for just over a week now. The problem is catching him.

This is the cat that I adopted last year as a 16 year old. He loves to be petted and get attention. He will come out to the living room and demand that I pet him while I'm stretched out on the couch.

But.......

This is all on his time. He has learned that morning and after I get home it is shot time. He will hide. And run. Today was especially difficult and I had to grab him and he might have spit a little (there things falling off the couch too so that could be the noise too. If he did it was brief)

I don't want to hurt him. But with something like today I am not I even got his dose in. As it is, I know I will need to to take him to the vet to be monitored for his blood because catching every 2 hours will be impossible.

Anyhow - without "knowing" him, anybody have any advice ? it's just me and 3 cats here. He will hide in the basement and under beds making it hard to chase him down

Thanks in advance....
 
Does he like treats? I can pick up the treat bag and crinkle it and everybody comes running. If you try this make sure you give them all a few treats, then pick up Stinky for tests or shots.
 
I remember someone saying they put boxes under the bed making it possible for kitty to go under the perimeter but not so far that they can't be retrieved. I close off access to the bedrooms when I have to get one of my furkids into a kitty carrier because he hides the minute he see the carrier come out.
Does he hide when you come in the door from work or get out of bed in the morning or is there a trigger like unzipping the test kit or seeing the insulin needle? If you can determine what spooks him, it will be easier to figure out how to outsmart him. As far as the shots are concerned, you could try giving his shots while he is eating. I often give my girl her meal and shoot while she has her head buried in her bowl and she's so busy she doesn't notice.
 
I use a special treat as a reward for testing, I would imagine you could easily apply this to a shot. Squallie gets his favorite treat ONLY at test time, so that makes it a more pleasant experience for him. He gets other types of treats sometimes during the day, but only his fave for testing. If Stinky is eating when you shoot, you could just drop the special treat into his food bowl after the shot.
 
Are you home testing? I ask because sometimes if the insulin is disagreeing with the cat (e.g. wide swings in BG levels, or the particular insulin being used making the cat feel like carp) and they may try to avoid the injections.


Mogs
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Is there a way to alter shot time??
I know some people have a meter and supplies by the bed so if he sleeps with you maybe you can test while he is sleepy--shut the door and get the shot to bring back in the bedroom and shoot and give a yummy treat?

I also agree with Mogs because insulin is a hormone--has behavior changed? Dre was miserable on vetsulin and crabby-on lantus he could care less-

hugs...:bighug:
 
Tom, sorry to hear you have such a problem.
We have to outsmart them and find a solution, your situation is even more complicated as you said you don't know Stinky that well.
I shot Rocky while he's eating, on the counter top and it works very well for us but I have a different reason for doing so. Rocky really likes being tested and injected and he purrs throughout and tries to rub against my hand so he moves a lot and this is the "difficulty", at least he doesn't move while eating and doesn't notice his injections. He doesn't even mind when he is resting on my lap, he does not react to me sticking needles in him. Obviously it does not hurt him and he associates needle with food.
I'm not suggesting that you don't inject properly but it is worth considering your technique to make sure it is not painful for the cat.
And I really like the suggestions above.
I'm sure things will improve with time and practice.
Feel for you.
Hugs from
Marlena & Rocky:bighug:
 
Sorry I haven't around in a few days - too much going on.

I think some of this was this being new to me and like Marlena saying, Stinky has only been with me a year.

The last few days have been way better. The key, for me, is to get him in the guest room (then I shut the door). We might play a little game of him changing spots under the futon, but once I get him he lets me give him the shot. He's not thrilled, but at least he's given up the basement hiding. I did the treat thing Friday and that worked too. Changing times isn't much of an option because of my work schedule.

When he is in my room, and he get's under the bed I have to get him away from there.

The next adventure will be testing him. He goes to the vet Wednesday all day to be monitored there. Then I need to figure out how to do it myself and by myself.

I do appreciate all the advice and comments - this place is great to newbies.
 
Critter Mom said:
Are you home testing? I ask because sometimes if the insulin is disagreeing with the cat (e.g. wide swings in BG levels, or the particular insulin being used making the cat feel like carp) and they may try to avoid the injections.


Mogs
.
Click to expand...
I think it's just more he does not like to be picked up or handled (except for extreme petting. That is greatly appreciated!)
 
Sounds like things have improved and you've made a big step forward. Learning this sugar dance is all about taking one step at a time.

Many folks here have a special place for testing and giving shots. Some folks use a countertop or table to be able to get kitty at a good height. Kitty gets to know there will be a treat coming and they gradually become more co-operative. They are smart little critters and I think that they come to realize that what we are doing with the testing and shots is actually making them feel better and that too influences their co-operation in time. I started off with one spot in the family room and then created a second on the main floor but now quite honestly, I can test my girl anywhere in the house barring one of her brothers deciding to come supervise the process! :woot: My little one often comes to get me when it's test/shot time now. Like your Stinky, my Menace hates to be picked up but will let you pet her on her terms until your hand falls off! :rolleyes: I too deal with this all by myself.

There are some great instructions HERE.

The main things to remember.....

You must approach testing with a "can do" attitude. If you are anxious, Stinky will pick up on that and not be as comfortable about the process. Kitty ears do not have a lot of nerve endings so they barely feel the poke.​

Make sure Stinky's ear is warm. You can use a little rice sock warmed in the microwave or an old pill bottle filled with warm water held against the ear for a few seconds before testing. Just remember to check the temperature on your ear before placing it on Stinky's ear.​

Get some gauge 26-28 lancets (alternate site lancets). The lancets that come with most glucometers these days are gauge 31-33 which make it more difficult to get a sufficient bead of blood at the beginning. With time the ears grow additional capillaries and then the smaller lancets may work.​

If you attempt a test and aren't successful, give Stinky a treat anyway and let him go and try again later so he learns to associate the fussing with his ears as a good thing.
​
Hopefully this will get you started for now. Keep us posted and definitely holler if you need more assistance!
 
So now the latest issue....

(He sees the vet tomorrow so I can ask her too. An all day blood monitoring)

He is still peeing on the carpet. I watched him tonight do it. He did it right in front of me. And it was a lot. I also think he defecated today while I was at work on the carpet which is new. The water dish was empty when I got home, which would make me think that somebody drank a lot of water today.

When he gets a spot to pee on, I try to clean it as well as I can as soon as he does it (and the steam cleaner had a few days of cleaning on it, boy did that reek when I dumped it. I guess I should have dumped it right away, but I digress)

He is acting OK. Other than that.

But what do I do about the wetting? I brought a litter box into the living room, but that's not ideal to have in my living room

Any ideas? Or will this play itself out and I need to wait to see what the vet says after testing his blood all day tomorrow?
 
And he just used the litter box up here.

But i don't need on in the living room!!

It also tells me he is drinking a lot of water. I guess I'll see what the doc says tomorrow (assuming he is catchable in the AM)
 
My cat Diggy loves to make eye contact while he pees in the corner right next to the closet. Its like 4 feet from his litter box, so I'm not sure why he chose that spot. It's very frustrating having him make messes that you have to clean up, especially when you know he knows better. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. But when a diabetic cat isn't regulated yet, they are extremely thirsty so they drink a lot, meaning they pee a lot. That's actually how I found out Diggy was diabetic; he just wouldn't stop producing these giant lakes all over the floor. But anyway, it's just something that happens when there's something wrong with a cat. Definitely bring it up at the vet's so they can check for any other underlying problems, like UTIs and such, but I'm willing to bet it's just due to the increased thirst that comes with untreated diabetes. (I know you've been treating him, but he's still new to this whole insulin thing and I'm sure his body isn't used to it). Good luck to you and Stinky :)
 
That's how I found out too - somebody was wetting so I took one cat in that was getting thin. He has kidney disease. Then I caught Stinky peeing.

Sigh. He was just in a few weeks ago and had no infection . So I assume it's just him getting used to it. Hopefully the box up here stops him for now.
 
Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too! ....some of the same techniques work with shots too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well.

When you're first starting, it's also important to use a lower gauge lancet, like 25-28 gauge. Most of the "lancet devices" come with 33 gauge lancets and they are just too tiny to start with. The bigger lancets (that are lower numbers) make a bigger "hole". As you poke more and more, the ears will grow new capillaries and will be easier and easier to get blood from...we call it "learning to bleed"

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
 
Diabetics are prone to urinary tract infections so it certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility even if things were deemed clear a few weeks ago.

The other thing that might be the problem, is the carpet underlay/underpadding especially if the carpeting is wall to wall. There may still be a scent there that Stinky can smell but you can't. Did you use an enzyme cleaner? Not sure how you deal with the underpadding in that case but there are sprays you can get to deter cats from furniture etc. so perhaps that might help. Hopefully someone with carpeting can offer more solutions.
 
Stinky is home from the vet.

He was on 1 does of insulin. He is being moved up to 2. His first glucose reading was 177 and then it shot up to over 400. That would explain the wetting.

The doc was encouraged and thinks he is coming around, but we need to get this fixed.

The next blood testing is in a 2-3 weeks and maybe an occasional test if I can between then

He's out with me and his "little sister" right now. He seems plenty perky tonight, but the vet recognizes how nervous and scared he is there.

Thanks again everybody
 
Vet stress may raise the glucose 100-200 mg/dL. And switching to low carb food may reduce glucose by 100-200 mg/dL. What are you currently feeding? (It isn't in your signature.)

An increase of a full unit may be too much and overshoot the best dose. Unless the nadir (lowest glucose post-shot) is pretty high, we prefer to increase by 0.25 units at a time. This may be eyeballed or measured using calipers.

Take some time to read over the sticky posts at the top of the Lantus/Levemir section. You may find them helpful in optimizing how Lantus works for your cat.
 
Ugh. This is all so confusing.

He is eating a Purina Pro Plan DM dry food. I have a can that I think he likes which is also a DM food. I'm still kind of in an experimental way finding the nuances of all of this
 
I use large size puppy/dog pee pads when I've got a cat with an outside the box issue. But if they're going all over the place, definitely time to check for a UTI or other physical health issue. The times when I've had a cat pee a lot all over, it was a physical health issue, not behavioral, even though I thought at first it was behavioral in 2 of them. With just one, it was behavioral. With that one, he would look right at me and if he didn't get what he wanted, then he would pee right in front of me. I couldn't have any cat beds because he considered them to be upholstered litter boxes, and he knew he deserved royal treatment, so of course that's what they must be. He lived to be 22 years old.
 
So I am thinking I just over reacted to the whole new process. The shots are getting much easier. Occasionally I need to get him out from under my bed (then he goes under the futon). But then he is easy to give a shot to and I have had a few days where I can walk up to him and give it him. When it's that easy I always try to give him a treat.

To top it off, I don't think he has urinated on the carpet since Thursday and his fur is feeling better.

The next adventure will be testing blood!
 
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