Continuation of Bob's Staff

Suzanne & Darcy said:
What was your question?
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My question was: he was around 131 mg preshot so I skipped his dose yesterday. I was wondering if I should give the shot in between two dosing times if he would go too high then, or always wait until the next dosing moment when having skipped the previous one, no matter how high he goes until then?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
How is Bob today?
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Bob seems to make a tiny tiny bit of progress with his values going so low every time. He ate his first wet food since last week, and this morning he was using his scratching post again. However, the Libre is totally dead after only 3 days, the notification to change it has appeared, so I'm on my own again. Which is not easy with his values going into all directions and the need to skip doses to prevent him from going too low. But I read some tips on how to get blood manually, warmed up his ear very well, put the lancet into the right angle, and looked for his sweet spot. And my first attempt was a good one, without Bob completely freaking out, so victory!

I'm still looking into the instructions on how to create a spreadsheet, while also trying to perform my job as a freelancer, doing my household and giving my daughter the attention she needs because today is her birthday while Bob is in the centre of the attention all the time. And within 10 minutes we have to leave for the vet to remove the Libre and check his blood again. I'll try to finish the spreadsheet as soon as I can ;-)
 
Bob's Staff said:
My question was: he was around 131 mg preshot so I skipped his dose yesterday. I was wondering if I should give the shot in between two dosing times if he would go too high then, or always wait until the next dosing moment when having skipped the previous one, no matter how high he goes until then?
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No. If you decide to skip a shot, I would not recommend shooting mid cycle unless you are prepared to take days to gradually get him back on schedule again.
 
Bob's Staff said:
Bob seems to make a tiny tiny bit of progress with his values going so low every time. He ate his first wet food since last week, and this morning he was using his scratching post again. However, the Libre is totally dead after only 3 days, the notification to change it has appeared, so I'm on my own again. Which is not easy with his values going into all directions and the need to skip doses to prevent him from going too low. But I read some tips on how to get blood manually, warmed up his ear very well, put the lancet into the right angle, and looked for his sweet spot. And my first attempt was a good one, without Bob completely freaking out, so victory!

I'm still looking into the instructions on how to create a spreadsheet, while also trying to perform my job as a freelancer, doing my household and giving my daughter the attention she needs because today is her birthday while Bob is in the centre of the attention all the time. And within 10 minutes we have to leave for the vet to remove the Libre and check his blood again. I'll try to finish the spreadsheet as soon as I can ;-)
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We have people who can create a spreadsheet for you in a few minutes.
 
Since you don’t have a spreadsheet, it’s hard for me to give specific guidance. We don’t just take a single BG number in isolation (like his lower than expected pre-shot value yesterday) to make dosing decisions. We need to know what has happened before and know his patterns and trends. However, in Bob’s case, it is probably far better to give a reduced dose rather than skip the shot entirely (to prevent him from climbing too high which is going to be harder on his kidneys.). So when you do get a spreadsheet, we will be able to see where he is, whether he’s been rising or falling or stable in BG, etc. and then we will know how to handle the situation.

So what happened after you skipped the dose? Did you get any manual tests afterwards or Libre data? I am sorry your Libre is dying prematurely. Many Libre users here apply their own Libres and keep spare ones on hand at home (using no glue by the way) and put a little shirt on over it.
 
Bob's Staff said:
My question was: he was around 131 mg preshot so I skipped his dose yesterday. I was wondering if I should give the shot in between two dosing times if he would go too high then, or always wait until the next dosing moment when having skipped the previous one, no matter how high he goes until then?
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Suzanne & Darcy said:
We have people who can create a spreadsheet for you in a few minutes.
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I agree on the spreadsheet, it is very difficult for Suzanne or any other member help you with dosing or any other major concerns without it, the BG numbers are not only good for us but for you and Bob, would you like another member to create the spreadsheet for you, see, you telling us the recent BG number is hard for Suzanne or any other member to decide a certain or correct answer, reviewing the spreadsheet's daily pattern is very important, we are not trying to burden you more than you already are, but we are very very numbers oriented.
 
CORKY said:
Good afternoon from this part of the World, How's Bob doing today?
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Well, the other reason I did not have the courage to make a spreadsheet, is because I didn’t know it would still be useful… And in fact, our beloved Bobcat is no longer among us 😢😢
Our vet visit yesterday did not turn out well, although his glucose level did not go up too high anymore the last few days (I gave him 0.5 units yesterday, when his preshot level was 209, and he remained within range with 110 at nadir), his kidney function had further declined, he was becoming too weak due to not eating, and we did not want to put him through another traumatising hospitalisation with little chances of survival. So we decided to let him go that same evening. He put on his angel wings being where he most loved being, right in my arms. Now I’m totally devastated and lost 😢😢😢 💔
 

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Bob's Staff said:
Well, the other reason I did not have the courage to make a spreadsheet, is because I didn’t know it would still be useful… And in fact, our beloved Bobcat is no longer among us 😢😢
Our vet visit yesterday did not turn out well, although his glucose level did not go up too high anymore the last few days (I gave him 0.5 units yesterday, when his preshot level was 209, and he remained within range with 110 at nadir), his kidney function had further declined, he was becoming too weak due to not eating, and we did not want to put him through another traumatising hospitalisation with little chances of survival. So we decided to let him go that same evening. He put on his angel wings being where he most loved being, right in my arms. Now I’m totally devastated and lost 😢😢😢 💔
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Oh no. I am really really sad and sorry to read this update about your dear Bob! I completely understand and my heart goes out to you! It sounds like he loved you so much. It is right that he was in your arms. It will be very hard for you to be without him. I’m so sorry.
 
Thanks for your support, it is indeed not easy for others outside this forum to support me because they do not understand how it feels 💔💔💔 I am switching between anger, pain, frustration, gratitude, relief for Bob and guilt at an astounding pace. One minute I am relieved for him that he has finally found some rest, and one second later I feel so heartbroken it almost feels like I am dying myself. We miss him more and more every day. Tomorrow he will be cremated and at Christmas he will be back home with us cat_wings>o

Do you happen to know if there are any Belgians on this forum who could use any of the medications I have left? We do have a whole pile left, besides the Prozinc ... :oops:
 
We are here for you as well, and please use the grief support link I send you, it really help vent all those felling to others that feel as you do, I myself was hearbroken you gave everything in your heart to save him, so don’t feel guilt he had your lovevtill the end.?In our Main Forum there’s a thread called SUPPLY CLOSET you can post what you want to either sell or donate, if it’s far members donating will ask to pay postage, I have used it it’s a great idea, thank you it’s the Holidays So please gather yourself with your loved ones, Bob is flying high in Cat heaven.
 
We have a supply closet where people offer meds and stuff to others. But I don’t know about people in Belgium necessarily. You might want to look into places where you can donate medications locally. Are there any rescues who could make use of it? I have donated medications to my veterinarian before. They give them at no charge to people whose pets need them.
 
Bob's Staff said:
Thanks for your support, it is indeed not easy for others outside this forum to support me because they do not understand how it feels 💔💔💔 I am switching between anger, pain, frustration, gratitude, relief for Bob and guilt at an astounding pace. One minute I am relieved for him that he has finally found some rest, and one second later I feel so heartbroken it almost feels like I am dying myself. We miss him more and more every day. Tomorrow he will be cremated and at Christmas he will be back home with us cat_wings>o

Do you happen to know if there are any Belgians on this forum who could use any of the medications I have left? We do have a whole pile left, besides the Prozinc ... :oops:
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I have been thinking about you. I completely understand what you’re going through. Your emotions sound completely normal to me. I have lost two cats in 2025, a young one very unexpectedly and another young cat after a short battle with what we thought was autoimmune disease. It went bad very quickly and we tried everything to save that little man. I have gone round and round in my mind about what we could have done differently. Some days I feel very guilty for not being able to save them. In my case, I believe he was failed by the vets, but really I am responsible because I should have advocated for them more strenuously. But we (the family) all did the best we could with the resources we had. Kidney disease is truly horrible and eventually always fatal.

I would like to see some photos of Bob when he was healthy. I would like to hear more about him and what made him so special to you.
 
Yes, and so do I, you and I that last day we were posting almost all day, was a day that took me back when Corky was just diagnosed I felt so inadequate, the vet also failed me, one other vrt told me to euthanize him,, I felt your desperation within words, we tried, You tried, luckily I found this Forum and saved Corky’s Life. I feel your pain. Take good care of yourself, grief is a process🙏🌹
 
CORKY said:
I was in bed and without glasses when I saw you post, sorry for being brief I was hoping I wrote legibly, I am sure that Bob cannot be replaced, but perhaps when you heal some more, you might want to adopt again, here's the link for the supply closet as well, Stay well, we are very glad we were able to give you

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/supply-closet-for-sale-or-free.15/
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Thanks for the link, but in the meantime all his meds and other supplements have left the building. Unbelievable how many cats are ill and need them 😪

We will probably adopt again later on because I cannot stand the idea of an empty house, but this will need some time first. Bob should be succeeded, not replaced. So you are right that adoption will be for when I have healed a bit and can open my heart again for a new fur baby.
 
CORKY said:
Yes, and so do I, you and I that last day we were posting almost all day, was a day that took me back when Corky was just diagnosed I felt so inadequate, the vet also failed me, one other vrt told me to euthanize him,, I felt your desperation within words, we tried, You tried, luckily I found this Forum and saved Corky’s Life. I feel your pain. Take good care of yourself, grief is a process🙏🌹
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I will always cherish that special night when I was in total desperation, being assisted to you to guide me through that horrible situation, which was a success in the end. I cannot thank you enough for that 🙏🙏
 
Bob's Staff said:
Thanks for the link, but in the meantime all his meds and other supplements have left the building. Unbelievable how many cats are ill and need them 😪

We will probably adopt again later on because I cannot stand the idea of an empty house, but this will need some time first. Bob should be succeeded, not replaced. So you are right that adoption will be for when I have healed a bit and can open my heart again for a new fur baby.
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I am glad, you were able to give away Bob 'supplies, This is a Worldwide Forum, and yes, so many cats that suffer from diabetes, I myself never in a million years thought that cats can get FD, and I had cats forever, Corky caught me my surprise, no one in my family suffered the illness, so I did not know the symptoms, I was told at the hospital the main reasons FD is caused, Genetically, overweight, and since an inside cat does not exercise as much, and the main thing I found out about here, was that they cannot digest carbs, so their pancreas damage. You are beginning to slowly heal by considering adopting again, I can't imagine having an empty house as well, is not a replacement, is healing, You take care Enjoy your holidays in your grief, We are here for if you were to need us again, now you know what to look for, hopefully that will not happen. ;) :bighug:😿
Bob's Staff said:
I will always cherish that special night when I was in total desperation, being assisted to you to guide me through that horrible situation, which was a success in the end. I cannot thank you enough for that 🙏🙏
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at that moment I was assisting you, I went back to one night at the beginning of this journey, that a member did the same for me from about 7:30PM to 4:40AM, until Corky finally stabilized, for me it was a joy to be there for you and give back what was so freely given to me, I must tell you though the
De Javeu was so real that I woke up in the morning with my neck in welts and a rash, I rushed to the Drs, it so happened that it was from stress, got some meds, and realized how much this FD takes a toll on us when we have no support, So thank you for giving me the trust that opportunity.🫶
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I have been thinking about you. I completely understand what you’re going through. Your emotions sound completely normal to me. I have lost two cats in 2025, a young one very unexpectedly and another young cat after a short battle with what we thought was autoimmune disease. It went bad very quickly and we tried everything to save that little man. I have gone round and round in my mind about what we could have done differently. Some days I feel very guilty for not being able to save them. In my case, I believe he was failed by the vets, but really I am responsible because I should have advocated for them more strenuously. But we (the family) all did the best we could with the resources we had. Kidney disease is truly horrible and eventually always fatal.

I would like to see some photos of Bob when he was healthy. I would like to hear more about him and what made him so special to you.
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I'm so sorry to hear that. Two cats in one year is even worse, can one even feel more pain than the pain you already felt then? But I can tell from all your efforts that you did everything you could and they were both surrounded with tons of love and caring. How are you doing now?

I am also a member of a kidney disease forum and you are completely right, the messages I see there ... it's horrific! 😵‍💫😵‍💫 From that point of view, our Bob had a short journey with his kidneys and did not have to suffer too long ... I think.
My feeling of guilt goes into different directions: I feel guilty because I wonder if maybe I should not have let him struggle those last three days just in case he would grab this 25% chance of survival. On the other hand, I feel guilty because I was not able to help him anymore and there was nothing I could do to make him better. And I also feel guilty because in his last moments, he was even more nauseous due to the first injection to make him sleep, so his last moments in this world were even more miserable than the previous days. I know that's how it goes, but it still feels awkward ...

Bob was so special to me because I always work from home and he was there with me the whole time at my home office, almost 14 years long. When I went to the toilet, I was hurrying to get back within two minutes because otherwise he would leave his cosy spot and come to look for me and I did not want him to make that effort. No matter where I went, Bob was always there. When I went to the couch, my pants had not even touched the couch or he was already on my lap, giving me "the look" because I was not sitting down fast enough according to his expectations. When I was ill, he would stay on my lap or by my side 24/7. When I was pregnant, he hugged my belly like he wanted to go live inside there with the baby.
He was very easygoing, but on the other hand he was the guy with the opinion, never impressed, always curious, and always there with his "I don't give a damn" and "What are you looking at" face, which you can clearly see in this picture with his little brother who died 10 years ago because a not so friendly neighbour decided to reduce the number of neighbourhood cats .... 😖😖
Even at the vet, he totally owned the place and would start exploring everything immediately, not being impressed by anyone or any circumstances. You can see this on the picture where he climbed up to stand and watch outside the window 😆
He was always very fond of eating. Even when I opened a can with peaches for me, he came rushing into the kitchen to make some big drama because it sounded like a can of wet food 😄 Spoons with still a drop of wet food on them, had to be investigated and cleaned thouroughly (see the picture with my daughter holding his spoon 😍)

We went through a whole journey already with Bob, who became ill exactly 2 years go (after which he already had surgery on both eyes because of curly eyelids bothering him, but that was solved). He stopped eating and was hospitalised. Potassium went critically low and he did not react at all to injection straight into his blood. There was diagnosis number 1: hyperaldosteronism. His situation become very critical and wouldn't last 24 hours longer, but the next morning he suddenly recovered and came back home as a broken boy. Still not eating well, he ended up at university vet clinic, where we got diagnosis number 2: genetically acquired hypothyroïdism, so he was born with it! To the potassium supplementation twice a day was added leverothyroxine twice a day, and he recovered completely very soon. Because he was litteraly a big boy, they decided to test his growth hormone, just out of curiousity. It was just above range, so he was clearly developing acromegaly too. This diagnosis number 3 was his 12th birthday present ... They also heard some unusual heart noises and his heart was too big, so they smashed diagnosis number 4 into our face: early stage HCM.
Because of the acromegaly we knew diagnosis number 5 would follow very soon: diabetes. In January 2025 we noticed him eating more and losing weight, so we knew it had arrived. Because of his acromegaly and potential future insuline resistence, they decided to put him on this new medicine Senvelgo, they did not know much about. We were scared as hell he wouldn't survive this big risk of DKA, but it felt like we had no other choice. Bob did a great job, apart from some diarrhea which we could manage with probiotics. In summer he started loosing more weight and vomitted very heavily, and his BUN was way too high. I was thinking about switching him to insulin to release his kidneys from this heavy weight of Senvelgo, and there comes the guilt again: I should have done it. I have no idea if it would have made a difference and if insulin would have worked for him on the long term anyway, but it keeps bothering me 😣😣
His situation remained kind of stable with Porus One and early renal food, until it went downhill very fast a few weeks ago. He was hospitalised, but because of his HCM he could not get the fluids he needed. He came back home with insulin and slightly better kidney values, but not good enough to fully recover at home. And the rest his history 😭😭😭😭😭

I have attached some pictures which are really characterising him. And I'm sorry for the long message, but I'm so in love with my handsome little boy, it's almost unbearable 🥺🥺🥺 I couldn't stop crying this morning when he was being cremated, realising this makes it even more final now that his body is forever transformed into ashes 😥😥😥😥
 

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Such beautiful pictures, beautiful memories to hang on to! Think about the he beautiful moments and years of love each other had, and you did everything possible for him do not doubt yourself, unfortunately cats hide illnesses for so long that the owner sometimes does not know it until the illness has compromised their immune system sometimes all of the sudden everything goes hay wire! You did good you gave him an amazing life, and a respectful goodbye as you both deserved
 
CORKY said:
I am glad, you were able to give away Bob 'supplies, This is a Worldwide Forum, and yes, so many cats that suffer from diabetes, I myself never in a million years thought that cats can get FD, and I had cats forever, Corky caught me my surprise, no one in my family suffered the illness, so I did not know the symptoms, I was told at the hospital the main reasons FD is caused, Genetically, overweight, and since an inside cat does not exercise as much, and the main thing I found out about here, was that they cannot digest carbs, so their pancreas damage. You are beginning to slowly heal by considering adopting again, I can't imagine having an empty house as well, is not a replacement, is healing, You take care Enjoy your holidays in your grief, We are here for if you were to need us again, now you know what to look for, hopefully that will not happen. ;) :bighug:😿

at that moment I was assisting you, I went back to one night at the beginning of this journey, that a member did the same for me from about 7:30PM to 4:40AM, until Corky finally stabilized, for me it was a joy to be there for you and give back what was so freely given to me, I must tell you though the
De Javeu was so real that I woke up in the morning with my neck in welts and a rash, I rushed to the Drs, it so happened that it was from stress, got some meds, and realized how much this FD takes a toll on us when we have no support, So thank you for giving me the trust that opportunity.🫶
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Me neither, I was assuming people get a cat, it dies 15 years later because it gets old, and that's it! But instead, I got entangled in a world of diseases I had never heard of and doctor Google became my best friend, since the vets hadn't seen his cocktail of diseases before and did very often not know what to do ...
One thing I learned, is that I will definitely adapt my cat's food habits in the future because of the carbs, as you mentionned too.

I will indeed stay on this forum also afterwards if that is OK? Hopefully I won't need it anymore for future cats, but in this short period of time it has been valuable to me and I will also not hesitate to refer people to this place for guidance. For now, I will continue seeking support in my grief process on the grief support page, which I will definitely need.

I do believe our night did throw you back to your own experience with this, I think that is a situation with Corky you will never forget. I'm sorry to hear Bob's horrible night made you suffer too that next morning. Hopefully you got better soon with the meds you received ❤️

I did trust you more than 100% that night, as I knew the people on this forum take these things very seriously and have enough knowledge to do this ❤️
 
Bob's Staff said:
Me neither, I was assuming people get a cat, it dies 15 years later because it gets old, and that's it! But instead, I got entangled in a world of diseases I had never heard of and doctor Google became my best friend, since the vets hadn't seen his cocktail of diseases before and did very often not know what to do ...
One thing I learned, is that I will definitely adapt my cat's food habits in the future because of the carbs, as you mentionned too.

I will indeed stay on this forum also afterwards if that is OK? Hopefully I won't need it anymore for future cats, but in this short period of time it has been valuable to me and I will also not hesitate to refer people to this place for guidance. For now, I will continue seeking support in my grief process on the grief support page, which I will definitely need.

I do believe our night did throw you back to your own experience with this, I think that is a situation with Corky you will never forget. I'm sorry to hear Bob's horrible night made you suffer too that next morning. Hopefully you got better soon with the meds you received ❤️

I did trust you more than 100% that night, as I knew the people on this forum take these things very seriously and have enough knowledge to do this ❤️
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Thank you I am grateful for your words, and please do stay along with us, let us know when you adopted, in case you may have concerns , questions you or can review notes, we are always happy to hear from our Members experiences. I was a pleasure! and yes the stress is gone, for now, cats have their own mind and ae unpredictable, Corky will be 13 mid year and there's is Coco 1/2 Main Coon she will be 6 in April. But thank God they are both very healthy and spoiled rotten.
 
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