wasting away

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Sandjules & Mama Cat

Sandjules & Mama Cat

Member Since 2018
Hi, all.

Mama Cat is still losing weight, is bony and gaunt. I've updated the latest readings ... she really does seem to be doing well on 2u. Based on what I've noticed, it seems like I could go a little higher, maybe to 2.5? Though I guess I'll have to test her after she eats before we give her a shot. Her fairly recent Xrays and ultrasounds don't show any issues with her organs, her blood work came back normal, except for some elevated liver enzymes. Both vets I consulted weren't too concerned about that given her scans were fine. They have ruled out cushings.

She eats every chance she gets. She gets at least 2 cans of Friskies pate each day, a little more most days. She has started peeing at random places in the house, though we've also seen her use the litter boxes. She seems disoriented at times, we're thinking she's partially blind (her pupils are always large), but she hears just fine ... comes when we call her. She's sort of twitchy sometimes. She loves to be loved on and purrs.

I suppose I'll take her back to the vet, but I honestly don't know what they'll do besides traumatizing her bloodwork. Any feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Julie
 
Hi Julie. I'm sorry to hear that Mama Cat is having some problems, but happy to hear that she still loves affection and is a little purring machine. I'm a little confused about when you do BG testing. The most important time to test Mama Cat would be before her AM meal, and then again before her PM meal. You don't want to test her after she eats, as eating will elevate her blood glucose level. It's very important to test before she eats, then give her her insulin shot after she's had her meal. No changes can be made in her dose until you know what her blood glucose level is before she eats. Those numbers that you get between her meals tell you how well she's responding to the insulin, so those numbers are needed as well. But always test first before she eats, and if that number is low, her insulin dose would either be skipped or reduced. Not knowing that pre-meal number puts her at risk of giving her too much insulin and putting her into hypo.

I wish I had some useful advice or ideas about what could be going on with Mama Cat right now. Hopefully some other members will have some ideas for you. I will say that as I was reading your post, it struck me that maybe she's experiencing a little bit of dementia. That's very common in our older felines. How old is Mama Cat?
 
According to your signature it looks like she is on Vetsulin. She may need a longer acting insulin instead to help keep her levels under control. The ones that work well for cats are Lantus, Levemir, ProZinc and BCP PZI. The first two are human insulins. If these are prescribed a

sk for a prescription for the pens instead of vial. It is more cost effective to buy it this way. The other two are pet insulin your vet can order for you. Your vet can also go to BCP's website to order the first vial for free for you. https://bcpvetpharm.com/request-your-free-samples/

All of these work well for cats.
 
Daddy Jack's Mommy said:
Hi Julie. I'm sorry to hear that Mama Cat is having some problems, but happy to hear that she still loves affection and is a little purring machine. I'm a little confused about when you do BG testing. The most important time to test Mama Cat would be before her AM meal, and then again before her PM meal. You don't want to test her after she eats, as eating will elevate her blood glucose level. It's very important to test before she eats, then give her her insulin shot after she's had her meal. No changes can be made in her dose until you know what her blood glucose level is before she eats. Those numbers that you get between her meals tell you how well she's responding to the insulin, so those numbers are needed as well. But always test first before she eats, and if that number is low, her insulin dose would either be skipped or reduced. Not knowing that pre-meal number puts her at risk of giving her too much insulin and putting her into hypo.

I wish I had some useful advice or ideas about what could be going on with Mama Cat right now. Hopefully some other members will have some ideas for you. I will say that as I was reading your post, it struck me that maybe she's experiencing a little bit of dementia. That's very common in our older felines. How old is Mama Cat?
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks so much for your thoughts and feedback. Yeah, we think dementia is a possibility. She paces a lot, in a fairly set circuit of the house. Burning calories she can't afford. LOL

I do try to test her before she eats, but sometimes can't get to her quick enough (waking up, getting home, etc), and figure I'll get what I can. Definitely agree that it's best to test before she eats. I don't think she's getting too low before food anyway. But will try to do better.

She's about 10 years old.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
According to your signature it looks like she is on Vetsulin. She may need a longer acting insulin instead to help keep her levels under control. The ones that work well for cats are Lantus, Levemir, ProZinc and BCP PZI. The first two are human insulins. If these are prescribed a

sk for a prescription for the pens instead of vial. It is more cost effective to buy it this way. The other two are pet insulin your vet can order for you. Your vet can also go to BCP's website to order the first vial for free for you. https://bcpvetpharm.com/request-your-free-samples/

All of these work well for cats.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your feedback. I'll ask her vet.
 
Just putting it out there but has the vet done bloodwork to test for hyperthyroidism? I had a cat, she was about 17 when diagnosed was always calling out, gone from being quite chunky to losing heaps of weight - at the time I thought it was a combination of aging/dementia and she was mourning her sister who had passed away recently. Turned out she had hyperthyroidism - some medication (I can’t remember if it was one or two tablets a day) and she was as good as gold until she passed away at the ripe old age of 19.
 
I agree with Myrtlesmum about checking for hyperthyroidism. I am all too familiar with the dementia that affects senior cats but mine is 21+ years old and his didn't start until he was about 18 or 19. 10 seems rather young to be experiencing dementia although if her eyesight is diminished that could cause her some confusion. How is her appetite? Is she ravenous all the time? Has the vet done a urine culture to rule out a urinary tract infection?
 
At only 10 yrs. old, your cat is very unlikely to have dementia. I agree with others about having her tested for hyperthyroidism. Symptoms include weight loss, increased appetite, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, vocalizing, urinating outside of the litter box and muscle weakness.

You should also have her blood pressure checked, and I wouldn't put this off. Dilated pupils are a symptom of hypertension and is seen in cats who have had untreated hyperthyroidism for some time. The increase in blood pressure can cause retinal detachment resulting in blindness which may be reversible with treatment. Hypertension can also affect the neurological system which might explain the twitching.
 
Have her checked for hyperthyroidism but I have to ask how are her kidneys? Has she ever had her blood pressure checked? High bp can cause detached retina. I would not raise her dose since you are getting numbers in the double digits.
 
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