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Booger's Mom

Booger's Mom

Member Since 2018
I have been working from home for the past 6 years now and I just received a call from my uncle asking me to come work for him temporarily through his busy season helping out in the office of his ac and heating company. I have not been out of the house for long periods of time since booger was diagnosed. I am quite nervous about leaving him all day. I believe we have him on a good dose to where he doesn't drop real low at nadir. My question for you all is, how do you cope with being gone all day with a diabetic kitty at home? I know this may be a hard question to answer and that you just have to do it bc you have to work after all but any advice would be great.
 
I used to drive myself crazy daily about leaving Bella and I would worry all day, but as it was taking a toll on me, someone told me that i do the best I can every day for bella and I go above and beyond everyday and all of a sudden it hit me, I DO! So now when I leave I tell bella he’s not allowed in the water without me and momma would see him after while, do I still worry? Some, only when I leave him at a lower number but I leave him with what will help and again I’ve done all I can. Everyday I have more and more confindence that he will be just fine when I get home .
So I will say time is what it takes
 
Honestly, I've just had to get used to it. Having comfort with a dose helps immensely, as well as giving less of a dose if you're really worried. It can be helpful to give some extra food or have food available if you're concerned. That was one of the reasons I got Young Again Zero Mature dry food, so that he'd have food available if he went too low while I was gone. We also got a small silicone ice cube trays and started making foodsicles, which I thought was great for giving a wet food meal later. I'd leave one before I'd leave for work and he'd eat up when it thawed. I know other folks on here have an auto-feeder to give meals at timed intervals (totally on my to-buy list next time it goes on sale).

At the end of the day though, Bellasmom is absolutely correct. You do the best you can for your furry kiddo and it WILL get easier. Not saying every day will be easy, but it will get easier. :bighug:
 
I'm more conservative with my dose when I'm not home and leave food to graze on. It is what it is.

You could install a security camera to watch on your phone. Lol
 
All great good advice. Thank you all. My only concern would be leaving food out for him bc I am sure my other cats would eat it up before he even got around to it. I could put him in the bathroom with litter box, water, and food just while I am gone but them my paranoid side comes out and worries about an emergency and him being trapped. Ugh why am I so paranoid? lol
 
Booger's Mom said:
All great good advice. Thank you all. My only concern would be leaving food out for him bc I am sure my other cats would eat it up before he even got around to it. I could put him in the bathroom with litter box, water, and food just while I am gone but them my paranoid side comes out and worries about an emergency and him being trapped. Ugh why am I so paranoid? lol
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I have six cats. I leave out food and when I get home there's always some still in the bowls. I give the leftovers to my feral kitties outside (plus their own food). Just leave out enough.
 
I work all day long, and am gone about 10 hours of every weekday. There's nothing I can do about it, except to resign myself to the fact that I am a working woman, and I am financially unable to be a stay at home cat mom. There is nothing I would rather do, especially now that Jerry is diabetic. He isn't SEVERELY diabetic, last reading at vet on Saturday was 390, which is still high, but he plays with his toy still, eats normally, and pees and poops normally. I guess that's all I can ask for, with giving him his two insulin injections every 12 or so hours, and feeding him better food (more wet food, that is.) He has been a grazer for 14 years (all of his life, in other words), and I am not about to completely take that away from him, when he has been robbed of so much already. So, I leave Purina Muse out for him during the day, which at least is very high in protein, and grain free. I haven't even started to check his glucose, and he is already acting a bit differently around me, not as completely loving (although he is still loving), but he doesn't lie in my lap like he used to, which greatly saddens me. So, with all that being said, I can just imagine how much MORE scared of me he is going to be when I start pricking his ear. I may have already said this, but I am part of two or three conversations going on at the same time, so sometimes I forget who I say what to. I hate the thought of my loving cat being stand-offish and not loving me like he used to. It is just so sad it makes me cry every single day.
 
Rain7 said:
I work all day long, and am gone about 10 hours of every weekday. There's nothing I can do about it, except to resign myself to the fact that I am a working woman, and I am financially unable to be a stay at home cat mom. There is nothing I would rather do, especially now that Jerry is diabetic. He isn't SEVERELY diabetic, last reading at vet on Saturday was 390, which is still high, but he plays with his toy still, eats normally, and pees and poops normally. I guess that's all I can ask for, with giving him his two insulin injections every 12 or so hours, and feeding him better food (more wet food, that is.) He has been a grazer for 14 years (all of his life, in other words), and I am not about to completely take that away from him, when he has been robbed of so much already. So, I leave Purina Muse out for him during the day, which at least is very high in protein, and grain free. I haven't even started to check his glucose, and he is already acting a bit differently around me, not as completely loving (although he is still loving), but he doesn't lie in my lap like he used to, which greatly saddens me. So, with all that being said, I can just imagine how much MORE scared of me he is going to be when I start pricking his ear. I may have already said this, but I am part of two or three conversations going on at the same time, so sometimes I forget who I say what to. I hate the thought of my loving cat being stand-offish and not loving me like he used to. It is just so sad it makes me cry every single day.
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The must food you are leaving out is the wet food I hope, because the muse dry food is over 40% carb. One of the highest carb foods out there. Grain free is not carb free. They replace grains with things like peas and potatoes.

http://catfooddb.com/product/muse/Charmed+With+Chicken


There are only a handful of dry foods under the 10% carb limit. Dr elsley's, young again and epigen 90 are a few.
 
Rain7 said:
I work all day long, and am gone about 10 hours of every weekday. There's nothing I can do about it, except to resign myself to the fact that I am a working woman, and I am financially unable to be a stay at home cat mom. There is nothing I would rather do, especially now that Jerry is diabetic. He isn't SEVERELY diabetic, last reading at vet on Saturday was 390, which is still high, but he plays with his toy still, eats normally, and pees and poops normally. I guess that's all I can ask for, with giving him his two insulin injections every 12 or so hours, and feeding him better food (more wet food, that is.) He has been a grazer for 14 years (all of his life, in other words), and I am not about to completely take that away from him, when he has been robbed of so much already. So, I leave Purina Muse out for him during the day, which at least is very high in protein, and grain free. I haven't even started to check his glucose, and he is already acting a bit differently around me, not as completely loving (although he is still loving), but he doesn't lie in my lap like he used to, which greatly saddens me. So, with all that being said, I can just imagine how much MORE scared of me he is going to be when I start pricking his ear. I may have already said this, but I am part of two or three conversations going on at the same time, so sometimes I forget who I say what to. I hate the thought of my loving cat being stand-offish and not loving me like he used to. It is just so sad it makes me cry every single day.
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The ear had very few nerve endings and as long as you don't hit the vein they hardly feel it. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.
 
Janet, thank you for setting me straight about the food. No, I leave out the Muse during the day, and this shall be the last day that I do that. Is there ANY dry food that he can eat that won't cause his glucose to spike?? What do you recommend, or what does ANYONE recommend? Something that won't break the bank, perhaps? I recently purchased and opened a brand new 9 pound bag of this $22 food right before he was diagnosed...how convenient. Now my dog will enjoy it, because it is entirely too expensive to throw away. I called my vet this morning, after learning this shocking news (about 40% carbs!!!), and asked her to send me a rx for whatever she recommends for a dry and wet food for diabetic cats. The thing is that he doesn't need to lose weight! He is a full grown 12 pound cat, and is at a normal weight now. I hope whatever she ends up recommending (which is even more money on the cc, so happy about that), is not going to cause him to lose weight. So, what happens if I hit a vein in his ear? I can't really see his veins/and capillaries, so that is a very scary thought. I do want to have him eating only the very best food, which is just another expense in this ongoing nightmare. It is financially and emotionally draining me already, and I'm not even a week into it. I realize there are worse things (much worse) in life, but I just can't stand to see my innocent cat go through this. He is just the sweetest, and now he doesn't want to be around me as much. I guess I'm done ranting on and on about it for now.
 
Rain7 said:
Janet, thank you for setting me straight about the food. No, I leave out the Muse during the day, and this shall be the last day that I do that. Is there ANY dry food that he can eat that won't cause his glucose to spike?? What do you recommend, or what does ANYONE recommend? Something that won't break the bank, perhaps? I recently purchased and opened a brand new 9 pound bag of this $22 food right before he was diagnosed...how convenient. Now my dog will enjoy it, because it is entirely too expensive to throw away. I called my vet this morning, after learning this shocking news (about 40% carbs!!!), and asked her to send me a rx for whatever she recommends for a dry and wet food for diabetic cats. The thing is that he doesn't need to lose weight! He is a full grown 12 pound cat, and is at a normal weight now. I hope whatever she ends up recommending (which is even more money on the cc, so happy about that), is not going to cause him to lose weight. So, what happens if I hit a vein in his ear? I can't really see his veins/and capillaries, so that is a very scary thought. I do want to have him eating only the very best food, which is just another expense in this ongoing nightmare. It is financially and emotionally draining me already, and I'm not even a week into it. I realize there are worse things (much worse) in life, but I just can't stand to see my innocent cat go through this. He is just the sweetest, and now he doesn't want to be around me as much. I guess I'm done ranting on and on about it for now.
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whatis
You don't need Rx food. Many us feed Fancy Feast classics and Friskies pate. Not outrageously expensive. Freeze some in cubes, he can nibble as it thaws. We got a battery operated auto timed feeder, worked out great. You can learn to hit the "sweet spot" for BG, it takes practice and lots of rewards for Jerry. Use a little Neosporin with pain relief after the poke. You are very new to this, give yourself a break. It will happen. I suggest you start your own thread in main forum, get some additional eyes and help on this, ok? Hugs
 
Rain7 said:
Janet, thank you for setting me straight about the food. No, I leave out the Muse during the day, and this shall be the last day that I do that. Is there ANY dry food that he can eat that won't cause his glucose to spike?? What do you recommend, or what does ANYONE recommend? Something that won't break the bank, perhaps? I recently purchased and opened a brand new 9 pound bag of this $22 food right before he was diagnosed...how convenient. Now my dog will enjoy it, because it is entirely too expensive to throw away. I called my vet this morning, after learning this shocking news (about 40% carbs!!!), and asked her to send me a rx for whatever she recommends for a dry and wet food for diabetic cats. The thing is that he doesn't need to lose weight! He is a full grown 12 pound cat, and is at a normal weight now. I hope whatever she ends up recommending (which is even more money on the cc, so happy about that), is not going to cause him to lose weight. So, what happens if I hit a vein in his ear? I can't really see his veins/and capillaries, so that is a very scary thought. I do want to have him eating only the very best food, which is just another expense in this ongoing nightmare. It is financially and emotionally draining me already, and I'm not even a week into it. I realize there are worse things (much worse) in life, but I just can't stand to see my innocent cat go through this. He is just the sweetest, and now he doesn't want to be around me as much. I guess I'm done ranting on and on about it for now.
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It's new to both of you. Give a little treat (low carb) and he will start associating tests and shots with a treat.

Nothing really happens if you hit the vein.... They just feel it more and it might take a few seconds longer to stop bleeding (just squeeze it with a cotton round or tissue).

No need for expensive perscription food. Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods. Here's a food list. Choose foods under 10 percent carb.

There's only a handful of dry foods under 10. Young Again Zero carb can be found on Youngagainpetfood.com. (1%) They will send a free sample. I occasionally give a little epigen 90 as a treat. Or if I need to steer her numbers up a bit (5%). Dr elsley's clean protein chicken flavor (4-5%).

Your best option though is to mainly feed the low carb wet food.

I promise it all gets easier.


Here's a graph of where to test.
 

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Janet, you have been a wealth of information and help to me already. I contacted Youngagainpetfood.com, after reading their information. It seems like a good choice for Jerry. I asked them for a free sample of their food and treats. I guess I will end up going with Fancy Feast, even though it has those dreaded and unnecessary artificial flavors and colors...ugh :( Thank you, Janet.
 
@Rain7 if you aren’t yet testing, be careful cutting out the high carb food. That alone may lower Jerry’s bg and he may need less insulin.
 
He is still drinking a ton of water and peeing a lot. I just don't know what to do until I get my glucometer in the mail, hopefully in the next few days. So, should I leave out a tiny amount of the Purina Muse 40% carb dry food during the night, when I am giving him a Sheba perfect portion wet food before his insulin shot at 6am the next morning? He ate 2 perfect portions tonight, and I don't know what to do about his food! I'm so frustrated right now.
 
Rain7 said:
He is still drinking a ton of water and peeing a lot. I just don't know what to do until I get my glucometer in the mail, hopefully in the next few days. So, should I leave out a tiny amount of the Purina Muse 40% carb dry food during the night, when I am giving him a Sheba perfect portion wet food before his insulin shot at 6am the next morning? He ate 2 perfect portions tonight, and I don't know what to do about his food! I'm so frustrated right now.
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I'd give more wet food then that and forget the dry.
 
I just put out some (a small amount) on his plate. He is eating it. And he doesn't need to lose any weight, either. He is a healthy 12 pounds. The glucometer is apparently in the mail. He won't die if his glucose is 3 or 400, because it has probably been that way for a while. I can't stand leaving him without food for 11 hours.
 
Rain7 said:
I just put out some (a small amount) on his plate. He is eating it. And he doesn't need to lose any weight, either. He is a healthy 12 pounds. The glucometer is apparently in the mail. He won't die if his glucose is 3 or 400, because it has probably been that way for a while. I can't stand leaving him without food for 11 hours.
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Why do you have to leave him without food? Leave out wet food. My six graze all day and all night long.
 
Has anyone had any experience with Young Again diabetic cat food (Zero Mature)? I am considering it, but their philosophy is to free feed the cat, leaving out 2 cups at a time at ALL times, and they will just eat whatever they want...sounds strange to me. They say on their website to leave it for days on end, until it's all gone, and your cat will probably eat 8-12 pieces of this dry zero or 1% carb kibble, many times throughout the day. I would love to know if anyone has an opinion on this, or better yet, experience with using it on their diabetic cat. Thanks.
 
Now I am looking at Blood Sugar Gold on petwellbeing.com. It only has super fantastic reviews, none are bad, saying that it saved their diabetic cat's life, etc. Is this something that anyone here has had experience with? I'm very tempted just to buy it right now, but of course, these reviews could be fake or paid for all I know. I am a natural born skeptic.
 
There have been people here that have tried it, but I’ve never heard anyone say it worked. If you use the search at the right top of the page you can find those threads
 
Thanks. I just had the worst time every checking poor Jerry's glucose. It took me about 15 tries to get one bleeping drop of blood. His halfway mark was what I needed, and it is still high at 233. I guess that is better than his fasting reading this morning...405. I keep trying to remind myself that it "will get easier" just like everyone keeps saying on here, but for now, and for today, it is NOT easy at all. I'm done checking his glucose for the day. I was going to try it again later before his insulin shot, but I think he has gone through enough torture for one day. I'll just give him his dinner and shot as usual around 6. I am so thankful to God that I don't have real children! I'd never survive if they came down with something like diabetes or some other illness. I feel so sorry for parents of children with cancer, and I am trying to keep this in perspective, thinking about those people, going day in and day out with a little helpless human to spend gobs of money and time on to try to make them better. It must be a really horrible way to live.
 
Rain7 said:
Has anyone had any experience with Young Again diabetic cat food (Zero Mature)? I am considering it, but their philosophy is to free feed the cat, leaving out 2 cups at a time at ALL times, and they will just eat whatever they want...sounds strange to me. They say on their website to leave it for days on end, until it's all gone, and your cat will probably eat 8-12 pieces of this dry zero or 1% carb kibble, many times throughout the day. I would love to know if anyone has an opinion on this, or better yet, experience with using it on their diabetic cat. Thanks.
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Introduce YA food slowly, our cats couldn't tolerate it.
 
@Booger's Mom What happened? How did you work out the feeding schedule with going back to work? I hope things came together and you were able to figure out something that worked.
 
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