Anxious kitty, anxious mama dealing with new diagnosis

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thecamcorder

thecamcorder

Member Since 2020
Hi all!

My kitty was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and we’re having quite a rough time adjusting to this new lifestyle. I know it will get easier with time, but it still seems like a “two steps forward, one step back” kind of situation. My vet has been incredibly helpful and supportive so far, but I feel like I still need more support/reassurance/tips.

The basics of right now:

-Kitty was diagnosed in late January and started Lantus insulin (from the Solostar pen) on Jan 31. She currently gets 1 unit twice a day, but after her recent curve, that’s likely to increase soon.

-I’m using BD-brand, 31 gauge, 6mm syringes as she seems to notice them least.

-She’s on Purina DM canned food (2 cans a day), switched from Fancy Feast chunky chicken around the time of her diagnosis.

-I’ve also set up a Feliway diffuser and started her on Zylkene (per my vet) to help with anxiety/stress.

-We do injections on my bed as she enjoys sleeping on the bed and seems to be comfortable there. It’s also the best flat surface I have available for injecting her (besides the floor, which I’ve tried a few times with minimal success).

-I have a home glucose monitor (the AlphaTrak II) as I’m hopeful about eventually being able to monitor her glucose, but given the struggle with simple injections, we haven’t started home monitoring yet.

-I am doing this all on my own. No partner or helping hands, and while I have roommates, because of my work schedule (and what that means for Kitty’s injection schedule), I’m not able to lean on them for help.

Where I’m struggling:

Kitty has ALWAYS been a furry ball of anxiety. I rescued her at 5 y/o, and while I don’t know much of her history, from what I do know, her early life was mostly being bounced from chaotic situation to chaotic situation. She’s around 13/14 now, and while she trusts me, she’s still VERY skittish. She’s also never enjoyed being held or cuddled. So, as you might expect, getting her to settle down for an injection has been maddeningly difficult. Even when it seems like we’ve found a method that works (ie, I manage to give the injection without her noticing), it never works the second time I try. At this point, the only method that works consistently is the burrito wrap, but she HATES it. So far we’ve tried:

-Injections as she eats her meal
-Injections as she eats a special treat
-Injections after meal
-Injections mid-meal (pick her up while eating, inject, return her to food)
-I’ve also used both the “skin tenting” and “rolling” injection methods

Today, her anxiety was so bad, she ate half her food and then ran under the bed and clawed me as soon as my hand came near her. I waited her out then grabbed her and wrapped her up for the injection, but I’m worried that’s just going to make her more frightened of me over time. I’m at a bit of a loss as to how to get over this hurdle. At this point, it’s literally hurting me more than it is her (what with all the scratches and bites I’m getting). The one thing I haven’t tried is giving her the injection before a meal as the vet hasn’t given that as an option, and the vet techs were hesitant to green light it the last time I was there (Friday, and my vet was on vacation). I’m willing to try whatever I can to get her more comfortable with this new routine, but it seems like nothing I try is working. Any suggestions/advice/etc are greatly appreciated.

PS: I tried to cover all the bases, but if there’s anything I failed to mention, let me know!

PPS: Thank you already for the wonderful advice on this board. It’s been a resource since the diagnosis, though I only signed up today.
 
Hello and welcome. I think we can all relate to the nerves when we started. It will seem overwhelming, but will get better. I promise. :bighug:

Your vet has you started on a good insulin for cats, and a decent dose. You didn't need to change to the DM food. There's nothing special about it. In fact, the label says "dietetic", not "diabetic". Vet foods aren't typically the best quality ingredients. The Fancy Feast classics/pate are low carb. You want foods below 10% carbs. This list on Dr. Lisa Pierson's catinfo website - she's a vet specializing in feline nutrition, lists many of the foods available in North America, and their carb %. The dark blue on text in the last sentence is a link.

Cats are very good at sensing anxiety. I admit I was a basket case at first. You need to calm yourself down first. Deep breathing, maybe even sing a quiet song as you approach your cat. This post has some tips on shooting and testing. I too used the BD syringes and Neko barely noticed it. Make sure the bevel on the needle is pointing upwards.

As for shooting before the meal, you could give her a couple spoonfuls, but not her entire meal before. You do want to make sure she is feeling like eating before shooting. I shot after the meal, because my cat ate so fast. I did lots of stroking and cuddling first. My husband did the shot with cat on lap on a higher stool - where she had to think twice about jumping down. I did it on floor level, often with her nestled in her bed. Are you using your fingers to hold the syringe for a bit to warm up the insulin? During the day when paying attention to her, do all you do to get her ready for a syringe, perhaps even rolling her skin. Then give a treat and stop there. Associate the first part of shooting with something good. Eventually my girl purred during her shot.
 
Hello and welcome. Would you share your first name and your cats name with us?

I have a former feral colony cat myself. Hates being held or picked up. Do things on "her" terms.
So think about what your skittish cats terms are.

This document may help you. Written by a member with a skittish, former feral kitten under 1 year old with diabetes.
•Ear Testing Psychology
Those ideas can work for injections as well as home testing.

Sing to her, a silly children's song or even "row, row, row your boat". Helps to calm you down and that means you are not communicating your stress and fear to your cat.

Bribes. Find a treat she absolutely loves. Like Purebites freeze dried chicken, Halo Liv-a-Little treats, Bravo dried food medleys. Any sort of pure protein treat will do. Mine loves rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.

Get her used to you doing the touch and roll without an actual shot. Practice a dozen times a day or more.
Angle the insulin syringe.
Flank shots instead of in the ruff.
Clothespin trick on ruff. Sort of like vets do with a fractious cat that bites and claws.
Speaking of claws, hope you have been able to get them trimmed.

Thick leather gloves, like those fireplace gloves that let you pick up a burning log or elbow length motorcycle gloves. Less scratches for you.

What did we forget to answer?
 
Hope your vet knows not to increase by full units. We do 0.25U increases, so you do not bypass a good dose for your cat.
 
Welcome to FDMB!!

An alternative to using a clothespin, it a gadget called, "Clipnosis." This is a link to the report on the study that was done to see if the clip was effective. This is the link to the actual product on Amazon. The basic idea is you're scruffing your cat the way her mom did when she was a kitten.

I gave my kitty her shots when her head was in her bowl. She was very food motivated so didn't really notice what I was doing.

With both shooting and testing, I would begin to handle her scruff (if that's where you're shooting) and ears on a regular basis. Always give a treat when you handle those areas. The idea is that you want your kitty to associate your handling poke places with a treat. So, like Deb said, find something she likes.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hello and welcome. I think we can all relate to the nerves when we started. It will seem overwhelming, but will get better. I promise. :bighug:

Your vet has you started on a good insulin for cats, and a decent dose. You didn't need to change to the DM food. There's nothing special about it. In fact, the label says "dietetic", not "diabetic". Vet foods aren't typically the best quality ingredients. The Fancy Feast classics/pate are low carb. You want foods below 10% carbs. This list on Dr. Lisa Pierson's catinfo website - she's a vet specializing in feline nutrition, lists many of the foods available in North America, and their carb %. The dark blue on text in the last sentence is a link.

Cats are very good at sensing anxiety. I admit I was a basket case at first. You need to calm yourself down first. Deep breathing, maybe even sing a quiet song as you approach your cat. This post has some tips on shooting and testing. I too used the BD syringes and Neko barely noticed it. Make sure the bevel on the needle is pointing upwards.

As for shooting before the meal, you could give her a couple spoonfuls, but not her entire meal before. You do want to make sure she is feeling like eating before shooting. I shot after the meal, because my cat ate so fast. I did lots of stroking and cuddling first. My husband did the shot with cat on lap on a higher stool - where she had to think twice about jumping down. I did it on floor level, often with her nestled in her bed. Are you using your fingers to hold the syringe for a bit to warm up the insulin? During the day when paying attention to her, do all you do to get her ready for a syringe, perhaps even rolling her skin. Then give a treat and stop there. Associate the first part of shooting with something good. Eventually my girl purred during her shot.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for this detailed reply! I apologize if my response isn’t as long. I’m due for bed soon, so I’m a bit sleepy at the moment.

In terms of the food, I switched at my vet’s recommendation. That said, she was the one who initially turned me onto Dr. Pierson’s site with guidance similar to what you’ve given, so I was a little confused as to why she encouraged the switch. We had a diabetes “scare” back in July, which is when I switched from dry to FF canned. I chose that brand since it’s affordable and seemed to hit the right percentages. I asked my vet about switching back since the DM food is so pricey, but she was hesitant. Perhaps I should ask again? I’m not buying the food from the vet, so I’m not sure why they’d prefer one type over another.

I’ll take a look at that page. I’ve looked over it before, and I feel like I’m following the suggestions, but perhaps not!

In terms of meals, she’s actually VERY food motivated, and as soon as I approach her food plates (or even pull out the syringes and insulin), she’s raring to go. But once I go for her skin, she pulls away. I’m working on trying to get her used to my “manhandling” (for lack of a better word) by doing everything but the injection during cuddle times. I’ve also tried to use a capped syringe to “inject” her during those sessions. It hasn’t seemed to make a difference when it comes to actual injections yet, but perhaps that will come with time. I’ll try incorporating more treats into the process as well (I’ve been using Churus, which she’s wild for, but they’re harder for me to mete out in small doses).

Also, yes, I’ve definitely learned to warm up the insulin! I didn’t the first few times, and I think that’s part of what made her skittish (we were making progress with her not noticing the needle, but she could feel the cold insulin & it obviously bothered her).
 
Deb & Wink said:
Hello and welcome. Would you share your first name and your cats name with us?

I have a former feral colony cat myself. Hates being held or picked up. Do things on "her" terms.
So think about what your skittish cats terms are.

This document may help you. Written by a member with a skittish, former feral kitten under 1 year old with diabetes.
•Ear Testing Psychology
Those ideas can work for injections as well as home testing.

Sing to her, a silly children's song or even "row, row, row your boat". Helps to calm you down and that means you are not communicating your stress and fear to your cat.

Bribes. Find a treat she absolutely loves. Like Purebites freeze dried chicken, Halo Liv-a-Little treats, Bravo dried food medleys. Any sort of pure protein treat will do. Mine loves rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.

Get her used to you doing the touch and roll without an actual shot. Practice a dozen times a day or more.
Angle the insulin syringe.
Flank shots instead of in the ruff.
Clothespin trick on ruff. Sort of like vets do with a fractious cat that bites and claws.
Speaking of claws, hope you have been able to get them trimmed.

Thick leather gloves, like those fireplace gloves that let you pick up a burning log or elbow length motorcycle gloves. Less scratches for you.

What did we forget to answer?
Click to expand...

Thank you a ton for replying! And apologies for not including names! I was so caught up in detailing the situation, I totally forgot. I’m Cam, and she’s Kitty. I am not well known for my creative pet names .

That link looks super helpful! Thank you so much. That’s a good point about doing things on her terms. She definitely feels safer in low, somewhat enclosed spaces (I think there’s a term for that, but I can’t recall at the moment). Perhaps there’s a way to incorporate that into injection time.

I will definitely check out some of those treats. She’s had crunchy, carby treats all her life, so finding more diabetic-friendly options has been a real learning curve for me so far.

As for her claws, they are not trimmed. I grew up with a ton of cats, but because they were indoor/outdoor (which Kitty is not), we didn’t trim them, so I never learned how! I’ll ask my vet if they can trim them next time. Until then, I’ll look into some gloves .

Thank you again for the reply!
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to FDMB!!

An alternative to using a clothespin, it a gadget called, "Clipnosis." This is a link to the report on the study that was done to see if the clip was effective. This is the link to the actual product on Amazon. The basic idea is you're scruffing your cat the way her mom did when she was a kitten.

I gave my kitty her shots when her head was in her bowl. She was very food motivated so didn't really notice what I was doing.

With both shooting and testing, I would begin to handle her scruff (if that's where you're shooting) and ears on a regular basis. Always give a treat when you handle those areas. The idea is that you want your kitty to associate your handling poke places with a treat. So, like Deb said, find something she likes.
Click to expand...

Oh! That product looks promising! I’ve been scruffing her by hand, which seems to work. But it gets tricky when I need to use both hands for the injection. Thank you so much!
 
Just a few seconds to warm the insulin after you have drawn it into the syringe will help.
No reason to warm the entire pen (solostar pen or mini-vial) or 10 ml vial of insulin.

Certainly not in the microwave.
Right Krystie? @HelloKrystie
(Her boyfriend heated a bottle of Prozinc in the microwave while she was away on vacation. And did not "fess up" for days.)
 
You don't need to as your vet what food to give. Many cats get tired of DM over time. Vets generally don't get much training on feline nutrition. In Canada I've heard that Hills or Purina dose the training. :rolleyes:

Just to be clear on Kitty's reaction to shooting. Is it when the needle goes in, or when you inject the insulin? Some cats have a reaction to the acid base of Lantus, though typically only when you get to larger doses.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
You don't need to as your vet what food to give. Many cats get tired of DM over time. Vets generally don't get much training on feline nutrition. In Canada I've heard that Hills or Purina dose the training. :rolleyes:

Just to be clear on Kitty's reaction to shooting. Is it when the needle goes in, or when you inject the insulin? Some cats have a reaction to the acid base of Lantus, though typically only when you get to larger doses.
Click to expand...

I guess I just said I’d ask because they usually ask me what food she gets (and give a thumbs up or they make suggestions), so I just anticipate it’ll come up. :cat:

To your question: I’m not sure as it seems to change. My best broad read on the situation is that she doesn’t particularly like being physically manipulated, so she’s generally on edge when she gets a poke. As a result (I think), she’s acted bothered by the needle itself, bothered by the insulin, and not bothered by anything related to the injection. Just today, I towel wrapped her post-meal (after a fun “come out from under the bed now please” game) and got the shot (insulin well warmed in my hands) in and done with zero reaction from her. She was upset about the towel though.

Other days, she jumps as soon as the needle hits skin, and still other days, she doesn’t notice the needle, but pulls away when I press the plunger. :banghead:
 
Wendy&Neko said:
You don't need to as your vet what food to give. Many cats get tired of DM over time. Vets generally don't get much training on feline nutrition. In Canada I've heard that Hills or Purina dose the training. :rolleyes:

Just to be clear on Kitty's reaction to shooting. Is it when the needle goes in, or when you inject the insulin? Some cats have a reaction to the acid base of Lantus, though typically only when you get to larger doses.
Click to expand...

Just as an update: we just did the first poke of the day (yay, overnight shifts lol). Kitty was slightly less bothered by the burrito (since she hadn’t eaten all of her meal yet), so I tried to see when, if ever, she would start to kick during the poke. It seemed like she barely noticed the needle, but she kicked as soon as I hit the plunger. I didn’t warm it up nearly as much as yesterday, but it shouldn’t have been cold (rolled syringe between my fingers for approx 20-30 seconds). Is that a sign I should be concerned about her reaction to the Lantus in particular? Or just that I should spend more time warming up the insulin?
 
The feliway is a good idea. I have an anxious cat (luckily not my diabetic) and have 3 Feliway plug ins at all times. If one runs out believe me we know it. You may need more than one.
Refills aren’t too expensive on amazon.

since he’s skiddish to start getting him used to having his ears touched (which is where most of us test) I recommend you touch and rub his ears now so he gets used to having them touched. After a few weeks he will be less bothered by it. Touch his ears, give a treat.

speaking of treats, a great no carb treat is freeze dried chicken. I give Pure Bites brand. I buy the big bag for dogs (same thing) because it’s cheaper per ounce. I get it on amazon or chewy.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.
 
JanetNJ said:
The feliway is a good idea. I have an anxious cat (luckily not my diabetic) and have 3 Feliway plug ins at all times. If one runs out believe me we know it. You may need more than one.
Refills aren’t too expensive on amazon.

since he’s skiddish to start getting him used to having his ears touched (which is where most of us test) I recommend you touch and rub his ears now so he gets used to having them touched. After a few weeks he will be less bothered by it. Touch his ears, give a treat.

speaking of treats, a great no carb treat is freeze dried chicken. I give Pure Bites brand. I buy the big bag for dogs (same thing) because it’s cheaper per ounce. I get it on amazon or chewy.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.
Click to expand...

I just bought some Pure Bites on my way home, and while this afternoon’s injection was still tricky, the treats were at least a hit! I’ll check out the dog-size bag. That’s a great idea.
 
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