CallieGirl
Member Since 2021
I live in a rural area where animals get dumped and/or are rarely fixed, Red was one of those strays. He was badly beaten up, skinny, and scared of us when he showed up almost 2 years ago. It took a few months before I could pet him, but he's become very affectionate and sweet once he knows you, but he hates other animals. He's been through a lot, mostly because of fighting, and once it was possibly a person who badly hurt him. He's been fixed, but it hasn't helped, he still attacks the other cats that live here, and now a new stray has shown up who is beating him up, and has injured him a few times. I've been trying to find a home for him where he can be indoors and an only cat but no luck so far.
Recently he seemed to have gained a lot of weight suddenly and he didn't want anyone touching his sides or lower back. I took him to the vet (not an easy thing to do and the vet has to sedate him to check him), and his bloodwork came back positive for FIV and Diabetes. His glucose was 321. Is there any possibility that's due to stress, I saw something mentioned about that possibility on the lab report?
I'm leery about giving him insulin because although he's here most of the time, he is still free to come and go, and sometimes he takes off. I have no idea what he might be eating when he leaves (probably the cat food left out by a neighbor for her outdoor cats) and he hates wet food. Right now he's hanging out here almost all of the time since it's cold and he has a heated cat house on the porch, but there are still times he leaves. He's gotten used to be locked on the porch for about 6 hours ( so the other cats can get some fresh air without him attacking with them), but there's no way to keep him here all the time to monitor what he's eating. As for the FIV, does it affect diabetes, I haven't been able to find anything. He once had to have surgery and a drain put in for a bad abscess and it took nearly 6 months for it to heal, which I assume was due to the FIV, so I was wondering if it might cause any issues with the diabetes.
I don't know what to do, the vet suggested he be put down, but he also suggested that the first time brought him in after he was injured and asked what to do about the fighting. Red really is a sweet guy and has such an adorable personality, I can't do that. For now, I've been giving him tuna with a tiny bit of wet cat food mixed in, and a small amount of dry food on the side. I'm hoping he'll get used to the wet food flavor and be willing to eat more of it. I know fish is bad for cats, but it's better than the dry food for right now.
Help.
Recently he seemed to have gained a lot of weight suddenly and he didn't want anyone touching his sides or lower back. I took him to the vet (not an easy thing to do and the vet has to sedate him to check him), and his bloodwork came back positive for FIV and Diabetes. His glucose was 321. Is there any possibility that's due to stress, I saw something mentioned about that possibility on the lab report?
I'm leery about giving him insulin because although he's here most of the time, he is still free to come and go, and sometimes he takes off. I have no idea what he might be eating when he leaves (probably the cat food left out by a neighbor for her outdoor cats) and he hates wet food. Right now he's hanging out here almost all of the time since it's cold and he has a heated cat house on the porch, but there are still times he leaves. He's gotten used to be locked on the porch for about 6 hours ( so the other cats can get some fresh air without him attacking with them), but there's no way to keep him here all the time to monitor what he's eating. As for the FIV, does it affect diabetes, I haven't been able to find anything. He once had to have surgery and a drain put in for a bad abscess and it took nearly 6 months for it to heal, which I assume was due to the FIV, so I was wondering if it might cause any issues with the diabetes.
I don't know what to do, the vet suggested he be put down, but he also suggested that the first time brought him in after he was injured and asked what to do about the fighting. Red really is a sweet guy and has such an adorable personality, I can't do that. For now, I've been giving him tuna with a tiny bit of wet cat food mixed in, and a small amount of dry food on the side. I'm hoping he'll get used to the wet food flavor and be willing to eat more of it. I know fish is bad for cats, but it's better than the dry food for right now.
Help.
