? Boarding diabetic cats

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MJW

MJW

Member Since 2017
I've called 2 vets about boarding Yum. Neither has 12 hours of office hours, so she wouldn't get her shots on a 12 hour schedule nor would she be monitored over 15 hours as she is at home. Is that acceptable?
 
Personally, I wouldn't leave my boy at a place that can't keep his insulin shots. I have a place he'll be staying for a few days when I have to leave and while their business hours are like usual times, the staff is there 12 hours a day. Do you have the option to ask a Vet tech to come to your house to keep Yum on the 12 hours schedule?
 
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When I've had to leave Radar at the vet's office because I was out of town, I have always reduced his dose for safety because nobody else monitors his bg levels the way I do. In fact the vet's office doesn't check bg before giving shots when Radar is boarding. And no one is there overnight when he is most likely to go lower. And they also do not stick to a 12 hour schedule so Radar's cycles are wonky. My suggestion is that you try to find a vet tech who can come to your house.
 
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I've used pet sitters for 15 years. No one has ever been able to touch Yum except me. (Big mistake on my part, socializing a feral cat.) I might have the latest sitter come out and try to touch Yum when I am here, to make sure it is impossible without a lot of training. I could take Yum with me out of town, but I think that would be really really hard on her.
 
Jan Radar said:
When I've had to leave Radar at the vet's office because I was out of town, I have always reduced his dose for safety because nobody else monitors his bg levels the way I do. In fact the vet's office doesn't check bg before giving shots when Radar is boarding. And no one is there overnight when he is most likely to go lower. My suggestion is that you try to find a vet tech who can come to your house.
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Yes. If I do leave, I will probably lower the dose.
I could just leave her off insulin for a few days. Probably not a good idea though with her at 2.75f units BID.
 
MJW said:
I've used pet sitters for 15 years. No one has ever been able to touch Yum except me. (Big mistake on my part, socializing a feral cat.) I might have the latest sitter come out and try to touch Yum when I am here, to make sure it is impossible without a lot of training. I could take Yum with me out of town, but I think that would be really really hard on her.
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I briefly contemplated taking Radar with me out of town last summer but he's so scared of the engine noise that I quickly abandoned that idea.
 
MJW said:
Yes. If I do leave, I will probably lower the dose.
I could just leave her off insulin for a few days. Probably not a good idea though with her at 2.75f units BID.
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There are things that are much worse than going without insulin for a few days... you must do what you feel most comfortable with.
 
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Have you looked to see if their are boarding places/catteries that will do shots? @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey found a wonderful one that was run by an ex vet tech who did testing. I know of two such places near me where the people are OK giving shots. And I would lower the dose if someone else is shooting, preferably a dose on the line.
 
Jan Radar said:
There are things that are much worse than going without insulin for a few days... you must do what you feel most comfortable with.
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Thank you for saying this out loud. Stopping her insulin would be easiest on her emotionally. Stress is bad for diabetes. I can watch her with a cat cam. I will ask my vet if this is an option in her opinion. Yum was briefly diabetic before Christmas, on 1 unit or a half a unit for a few days. We stopped it when I traveled and when I came back she was in remission (with a diet change). Ignorance was bliss then...
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Have you looked to see if their are boarding places/catteries that will do shots? @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey found a wonderful one that was run by an ex vet tech who did testing. I know of two such places near me where the people are OK giving shots. And I would lower the dose if someone else is shooting, preferably a dose on the line.
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Hadn't looked into those kinds of places yet. I've just started testing the water. The thought of sticking Yum in a cage so I can travel makes me cry. Push will come to shove at the holidays.
 
Another take on the no shot thing, my 97 year old aunt has a diabetic cat. Not really hers but he decided he didn't like the othet kitties where he lived so showed up where she lives. The owner comes in once a day to give a shot. Not ideal, but the cat won't go home. My aunt got a lap cat out of it. She's had the cat at her place for over a year.
 
We've traveled with Callie three times now, and she gets so upset, I can't give her the insulin for the travel days at all since she won't eat anything. The days we're not traveling but visiting she does eat a little, but it's challenging. I hadn't thought of leaving her home without insulin, but I know it would be much less stressful on her. Hope you can get something figured out for Yum.
 
Skipping the insulin while one was out of town would have to be considered very carefully, in my opinion. For example, A cat that has ketones in its history might not be a good candidate for skipping. I'm sure there are other circumstances that might be dangerous for the cat if they were alone and without insulin... every cat is different and we humans have to weigh the options and do what seems best for our particular kitty.
 
MJW said:
Stopping her insulin would be easiest on her emotionally. Stress is bad for diabetes. I can watch her with a cat cam. I will ask my vet if this is an option in her opinion. Yum was briefly diabetic before Christmas, on 1 unit or a half a unit for a few days. We stopped it when I traveled and when I came back she was in remission (with a diet change). Ignorance was bliss then...
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Jan Radar said:
Skipping the insulin while one was out of town would have to be considered very carefully, in my opinion. For example, A cat that has ketones in its history might not be a good candidate for skipping. I'm sure there are other circumstances that might be dangerous for the cat if they were alone and without insulin... every cat is different and we humans have to weigh the options and do what seems best for our particular kitty.
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Hi there! I agree with Jan. After reading the remarks on Yum's spreadsheet as well as being very familiar with ketones and how they begin to develop... I'd strongly suggest finding a cat sitter/vet tech who will be able to give shots as usual... albeit a reduced dose because many cats don't eat as much as usual when their caregiver is away. It appears that eating consistently may be a problem anyway. If that's not possible, I'd take her with you. One of the vet techs who used to post here recommended giving Calms Forte before traveling. The dose was one pill crushed and mixed in food the night before the trip and one pill given crushed in food the morning of the trip. I've used Calms Forte with my kitties many times and found it to be very helpful. Our car trips were generally 10 - 13 hours long. Covering the carrier with a light sheet or blanket also helps to keep them calm while traveling.

According to her spreadsheet, Yum has experienced issues with inappetance, vomiting, and diarrhea for the last couple of months. Withholding insulin combined with those issues is like sending ketones an engraved invitation to walk right in the door. Having dealt with ketones on more than one occasion, I wouldn't take the chance if I were in your shoes.

The basic recipe for developing ketones which can quickly turn into DKA = an insufficient supply of insulin + inappetance + infection OR other systemic stresses.


FWIW, just my thoughts...
 
According to the website Jill linked, Calms Forte contains corn, tapioca and lactose. If your cat is sensitive to any of these, I'd recommend using with caution or not at all. Some people have success with the pheromone sprays, like Feliway, and some people here recommend other similar products. Frankly, none of those ever worked for me, but ECID.

I have run the gamut with my cats - taking them along, having someone come to the house, boarding at the vet, and finally boarding with my wonderful vet tech (she isn't actually retired - still has all her credentials current) pet sitter. My older cats were not accustomed to travelling and didn't do it well, so that wasn't the best solution for them. That's why we have started early with Boris and Natasha, getting them used to going places with us.

The sitter that came to the house worked out pretty well, although she had a day job, so couldn't test during the day. We simply reduced the dose and she used the timed feeders to make sure Cinco and Harvey ate (and the civvies) ate. She stopped sitting for us when Minka needed subq fluids twice daily - Kathy doesn't like needles and only barely tolerated giving the insulin injections. She flatly refused to use the "harpoons" fluids require.

We boarded them at a local vet facility for a while. They were erratic at shot times and didn't test as much as I asked. Only the techs were allowed to test and shoot, not the kennel personnel. The techs followed the vet's instructions on dosing, which did not match with mine. They used to be a 24 hour clinic, but then they switched to 14 hours. After they shot a 50 and didn't test again I went looking for someone else and found Dawn. She used to be a vet tech at the University of California at Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the #1 rated in the country. She has a large property with a barn and guest house and started her own business caring for special needs animals - especially those undergoing chemo or radiation treatments at UCD. She is wonderful. She does keep them in cages, but they are large ones, and she takes them out several times a day to play with them and make a fuss over them. Obviously, she is one of a kind, but I found out about her from the oncologists at UCD, so I suggest you ask your vet, and the vet techs there, if they know anyone that sits for special needs pets.

How soon are you leaving? Is there time to get someone to come over a few times to become acquainted with Yum, so that treatment will be possible? You mentioned your most recent sitter - would he/she be able to come over several days in a row, to get Yum used to that? I would suggest he/she pet Yum and offer food and or treats, so Yum associates him/her with good things, before attempting to test or shoot. If you feel this won't work and can't find someone more qualified to care for Yum, taking Yum along is probably your best option. Take her favorite bedding and toys and other familiar things to ease the stress. Maybe have a practice drive a couple of times before you go, to get Yum used to riding in the carrier when it isn't going to the vet.

I hope you get this worked out. I know from my own experience how stressful it is to try to travel when you have diabetic cats.
 
I feel for you - this is such a vexing, stressful issue for many of us. I've always been afraid that Murphy would hide from a sitter and they wouldn't be able to find him in the house
 
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