11/20 Pumbaa AMPS/197

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Pumbaa

Pumbaa

Member Since 2012
NOTE: This SS is in reverse with the most current data at the top.

No thread for yesterday, 11/19, but it was a good day! Pumbaa's numbers ranged from a high of 258 @ AM +4, to a low of 169 @ AM +8.5. I had really expected him to drop lower than he did last night, but I'm very thankful that he didn't! I'd much prefer more even numbers like he had yesterday to his wide swings from highs to lows in one cycle!

I tried something new (for me) last night. Instead of napping on the sofa with the TV on while waiting to get a PM +6 (an on), I went to bed to nap instead. No TV sounds waking me up before the alarm did, no aching back from the sofa. Plus, for the PM +9 reading, Pumbaa was on the pillow next to me, which meant no chasing him around the house! So, even though the longest nap I got last night was about 2-1/2 hours long, and I was very groggy when the alarm woke me this morning, I feel like I got better sleep and will be able to face the day better and be more productive! Yea!!!!! :)

I'm still rethinking Pumbaa's injection times, but what it boils down to is that, with the later nadir's on Levemir, I'm still going to have to get a PM +8 or +9, and that means I still only have around 3 hours to sleep before getting up for the AM cycle. And I can't really skip a +5 or +6 because he's dropped low at those times, as well (see the 11/2 PM cycle for one example). I just never know with the little guy.

Now that Pumbaa has evened out on this dose, I'm thinking I should raise him to 2.25U tonight, because his highs are still above 200. Input is welcome!

Suze
 
Pumbaa is getting in some good numbers isn't he? And you didn't have to chase him down for it (A huge plus!)

You've held him for 5 days and his numbers keep getting better. I'm of two minds- finish the day out in the 2u and see how many blues he gets today and tonight on the 2u dose as he has been dropping/settling into it and raise it in the morning. Or raise it and see if that will take him lower.

You've been going back and forth on the dosing from 2u to 2.75u maybe it is time to do the drop method at 2u+1 drop, 2 drop, 3 drop...
 
Hey - same PS as Cami this am!

Do you know that sleep cycles are about 90 minutes for most people? If you try and wake up after an hour, or 2 hrs, you are in the middle of the deep sleep state and it is very hard to wake up from it, plus it disturbs your sleep rhythms more. You might try for 3 hour or 4.5 hr increments and see if that works better for you. It might require a bit of finding your own sleep cycle times. Also, make sure you don't have any light on while you sleep. The light from TVs and computers is blue, which is morning light, so it totally messes up your circadian signals. ANY light, though, will interfere with falling and staying asleep.

I agree that you may need to start the "drop" dose changes soon, but maybe not off 2u, maybe off 2.25u, but I would try that and hold it for a good long time (counter to what Tilly is saying). Pumbaa seems to really need a longer settle time - I think. I know others don't - so that leaves you having to make a decision "between" conflicting suggestions. You know Pumbaa best. Let the patterns in his SS guide you.
 
Sheila & Beau & Jeddie (GA) said:
Hey - same PS as Cami this am!
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Well, I certainly hope that Cami isn't emulating Pumbaa for the rest of her numbers today!
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Yikes, Pumbaa! Where did that 395 come from????? Seriously, I have no clue where that came from! And, he even got good exercise this morning playing "chase the reflection of the sun off of mom's watch and race around the kitchen floor".

Sheila, no I didn't know that sleep cycles were 90 minutes. And, last night, I kept the bedside light turned on so that I would have an easier time waking up when the alarm went off. *LOL* My only problem staying asleep is that damn alarm waking me up to test Pumbaa. ;)

Suze
 
Heather:

So you're the one who jinxed me today, hmmm???? *LOL* "You've held him for 5 days and his numbers keep getting better." Have you looked at his numbers lately, today? :roll: I really, truly have no clue where that 395 came from. From what I see, he cleared his bounce yesterday, and his numbers yesterday should not have triggered a new bounce.

I'm really thinking it's time to increase him tonight.

Suze
 
Interesting that he dropped 100 points by +7. Maybe that 395 was a bad test?

I think the increase tonight would be ok.....it isn't Friday. ;-)

Carl
 
Carl & Bob said:
Interesting that he dropped 100 points by +7. Maybe that 395 was a bad test?
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While it's not the first time he's done a 200 point spike in 4 hours, I really need to get my brain to tell me to immediately retest when something like this happens. I did go look at the meter again, afterwards, to make sure I didn't see a 295 and write down 395, but, 395 it was. At the same time, a 295 would be much more in line with his numbers yesterday and today.

Carl & Bob said:
I think the increase tonight would be ok.....it isn't Friday. ;-)
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*snort* You saw what he did last Friday night, right? :roll:
 
Dose increase to 2.25U tonight.

I've been going back through Pumbaa's SS and looking at his history on Levemir and his dose increases and how long he stayed at one dose, etc., to try and figure out if I need to keep him at a dose longer to settle in, or if I should just bite the bullet and do the "3 days then increase" of TR. I see benefits to both ways, depending on what cat's SS I look at. I've tried both ways with Pumbaa, and neither one has prevented the bouncing (and occasional dives). I think the slower approach is easier on his body and better for his overall behavior. But, am I just procrastinating getting him to the really true breakthrough dose, where his bounces pretty much subside? I don't know!

I'm sorry that I have these questions now that Pumbaa's SS is in reverse order. Hopefully, the fact that I've always put every dose change in red type will help. It's always helped me, no matter which way the SS read. Look for the red type dose unit, and that makes it easy to see why the dose was adjusted (lower rows) and how he reacted to the dose change (higher rows).

I also figured something out today, about why I'm not having a problem adjusting to Pumbaa's SS in reverse. For years, I've dealt with very complex spreadsheets used to populate website databases with products. If there was a date column, that only told me either when the product data was entered or when that product was finally incorporated into the live database. The dates were only helpful fields, not the fields driving the SS, like they are with the BG spreadsheets. I'm very used to sorting SS data based on several parameters (i.e. website category/website subcategory/sku or maybe website category/website subcategory/date entered), depending on what my immediate needs are, and being able to read the results up/down/left/right, because this is how I've had to work with spreadsheets. This isn't the norm for many of you who view our cat's spreadsheets and give us advice, and in most instances (unless you are viewing the SS on an newer Android phone) you don't have the option to sort the data to suit your needs.

That said, I'm still not changing Pumbaa's SS back to the old "new info at the bottom" order (yet), because I still think that this reverse order makes total sense for everyone. The questions that arise are based on what is happening today. Yes, we may have to scroll back to look at history to figure out what is happening today, but today is the key. I can't believe that any company that is tracking more than 4 weeks of sales data makes you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the SS to see that sales sucked today. *LOL* Like I've said before, it's all what you get used to.

Carl, trust me, I truly understand your past job and having to give the departments what they wanted for SS data analysis. But some people are still holding on to their rotary dial phones/impeding progress to this day, 'ya know what I mean? *LOL* I'll bet you did some eye-rolling and sighing and experienced frustration when you saw how much you could improve the data that was being received and increase department efficiency.

Another very busy day today, but it really helped that I napped in my bed last night in between Pumbaa test times, instead of napping on the sofa with the TV blaring. I'm going to work on what Sheila said about us humanoids having 90 minute sleep cycles, and see how I can incorporate this into Pumbaa's PM testing times. The only problem I have, so far, is not knowing when I will finally fall asleep before I set the alarm to wake me up after 90 minutes. I also slept with my bedside lamp on last night, because I knew that the light would help wake me up and get me out of bed when the alarm went off. I'm afraid that if I don't leave a light on, I won't get up, because I am solar-powered/light-driven. I might try my salt lamp tonight, and see if that soft light is enough to allow me more deep sleeps during these naps, yet give me enough light to wake up and test the little guy.

Suze
 
Do you have an average time it takes to fall asleep? You could add that to the 90 min increments to set your alarm. You might try a night light that is not white - I think I read somewhere recently about changing the nightlight bulb to a red Christmas light bulb (would have to make sure it fit) because red light doesn't effect circadian cycles.

I am actually getting used to the reversed SS, although I still have to remind myself what I am looking at - and I like the fact that the pertinent numbers are "right there". I think that if someone had thought about this originally - for THIS purpose - reversed would have made more sense. We are only used to looking at data top to bottom because of accounting sheets that add top to bottom. Nothing is getting added here. I also like the mouse over function so if publishing it is what it takes so be it. I checked my Google (? - whatever they are calling it now that is stupid because "docs" fit so much better) (oh yeah, "drive") and I had zero SS of other people listed there, so I don't think its a big deal. I used to have dozens of them before the switch to "drive". Who cares? Some people just want to complain and find "reasons" why something they didn't think of doesn't work.
 
I just tried getting a PM +3, and because Pumbaa was right in front of me, and because I had not closed off doors, he ran away from me, and went and hid in the litterbox/guest room, then made me chase him around the living room/dining room when I closed off the other rooms. He's such a little ****! *LMAO* I wish I could get this on video! I did use bribes to get him to settle down for his test, but that also brings out the others. *LOL*

This isn't a great photo, but this is my 3 animules (left to right, Larry, Pumbaa and Beck) being lured by Stella & Chewy's freeze dried salmon and chicken bites.

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Sheila & Beau & Jeddie (GA) said:
Do you have an average time it takes to fall asleep? You could add that to the 90 min increments to set your alarm. You might try a night light that is not white - I think I read somewhere recently about changing the nightlight bulb to a red Christmas light bulb (would have to make sure it fit) because red light doesn't effect circadian cycles.

I am actually getting used to the reversed SS, although I still have to remind myself what I am looking at - and I like the fact that the pertinent numbers are "right there". I think that if someone had thought about this originally - for THIS purpose - reversed would have made more sense. We are only used to looking at data top to bottom because of accounting sheets that add top to bottom. Nothing is getting added here. I also like the mouse over function so if publishing it is what it takes so be it. I checked my Google (? - whatever they are calling it now that is stupid because "docs" fit so much better) (oh yeah, "drive") and I had zero SS of other people listed there, so I don't think its a big deal. I used to have dozens of them before the switch to "drive". Who cares? Some people just want to complain and find "reasons" why something they didn't think of doesn't work.
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No, there is no "average time" it takes me to fall asleep. It totally depends on how tired I am, and how stressed I am by current events. No matter how tired I am, my brain just won't shut down when it is trying to process major problems. Reading fiction allows me to shut down quicker than anything, because I cause my brain to start concentrating on something other than my life/reality. But even if I pick up a Dean Koontz novel, my ready for sleep time all depends on what else has been happening in my life. But I do know that reading puts me to sleep quicker than watching late night TV, so I am glad that I no longer have TV access in my bedroom!

The salt light provides a deep orange glow, and supposedly clears the air at the same time. I'll be trying this tonight, since a TV in my bedroom is no longer an option. Thankfully!

I am so glad that you are getting used to the "reverse SS" you have no clue! (((HUGS))) Thank you for giving this a chance and seeing the positive side to this! Especially since I have no problem admitting the negatives. I really do try to stay open minded!

Suze
 
He probably thinks the "chase" is a game. Leanne does that when I need to get her into the car to come home from vacation. She even rubs against furniture and flops on the floor - until I get near enough to grab, then she runs away. Now imagine two cats doing that out of shear panic when you are trying to evacuate because the building next door is on fire!

Have you tried taking melatonin to help you fall asleep? It works well for me, but I'm not sure how it would work if you need to wake up a few hours later - might make you really groggy. I take a 1/4th of a 3mg tab 30 mins before I head to bed.

You know, you might just forget about testing overnight until you get yourself well rested. Pumbaa has not dropped to a dangerous low number (I consider that below 30), so it's a matter of just not having the data to tell you what might have happened overnight. I just don't think that is critical at this stage. Get a before bed test, feed him and head to bed.
 
Sheila:
I remember you posting about having to evacuate due the the fire next door. That had to be stressful! I'm laughing about Leanne, though, because that's pretty much what Beck does when I take her with me to my mom's house. And we won't even talk about her "keep away from mom" game when it was time to leave the no-leash dog park. haha_smiley

Pumbaa does think the chase is a game! I swear he snickers at me as I chase him around the furniture and down the hallway. *LOL* And he frequently turns his head to look back at me to make sure I'm following him. But I get the last laugh when Beck appears out of nowhere and nails Pumbaa with one of her front paws. It's insane around here, especially at 3 am. *LOL*

I've tried Melatonin, which is great on those nights when I really can't fall asleep and don't have to get up in the middle of the night. Most of the time I don't have a problem falling asleep, especially if I read for a while. My biggest problem is my ability to totally obliterate the sound of an alarm once I am in a deep sleep. :roll:

38 was the lowest Pumbaa has ever hit (to my knowledge) on 6/15/12, and he still showed no signs of going hypo. :thumbup I think I'm still just paranoid due to Pumbaa's diving days on Lantus, and not wanting to wake up and find a dead kitty. But after his PM +5 last night, I did pack up and go to bed 'cause I didn't think there was any chance he would go dangerously low. I look forward to those nights!

The reason I'm trying to rethink injection times is because any test before +5 is pretty worthless right now, since his tendency is to go up until +4, and then start to drop down at +5. Getting a +6 is even better, because then I can figure about how many points he's dropping per hour, and try to estimate if he will drop too low between +6 to +10. Right now, with how Pumbaa's numbers are trending, what would be ideal for me would be 11 o'clock injection times. Then at night, I could go to bed right after shooting him, and get 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and be able to test him at +6, +8, +10, etc. But I don't think my boys would adapt to main feeding times of 11 am and 11 pm, since they didn't like that 8 am/8 pm schedule a few weeks ago.

I'll figure something out, and appreciate the suggestions! For now, just making that one change of napping in bed instead of on the sofa has really improved the quality of my sleep time!
 
Well, if you think about it I am sure you know that a PS of (say) 300 and a +6 of 120 does NOT mean the BG dropped a steady 30 pts per hour and that there is no logic that say, there fore in another 2.5 hrs the cat will be hypoing. Doesn't work that way. Most cats hang steady or climb in the first couple of hours then start to come down - as you pointed out is the case with Pumbaa - and nadir between +6 and +9.

All this means that, all that matters is what Pumbaa's lowest nadir tends to be. In my experience 38 is not a dangerous number. Beau has been in the 30s many times with no symptoms. That doesn't mean I want a cat on insulin hitting those lows, just that they don't worry me that much if they happen.

I really don't think you need to get +6s or +8s at night if you get them during the day - unless you have a really oddly low PS and decide to shoot a full dose on it (and why would your do that anyway?) Cami was 106 last night and I reduced her to .5u (from .75u) and got a +1 because there was no way I was going to stay up or get up to monitor her, especially because I had a splitting headache.

Can you leave food out where the cats can get it and Beck can't? Will Larry leave food for Pumbaa or will he eat it all? Most cats that start to go low (below 50-60) will be hungry and seek out food.
 
Sheila & Beau & Jeddie (GA) said:
Well, if you think about it I am sure you know that a PS of (say) 300 and a +6 of 120 does NOT mean the BG dropped a steady 30 pts per hour and that there is no logic that say, there fore in another 2.5 hrs the cat will be hypoing. Doesn't work that way. Most cats hang steady or climb in the first couple of hours then start to come down - as you pointed out is the case with Pumbaa - and nadir between +6 and +9.
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Yeah, I know it doesn't work that way, but that's the only method I can think of to try and figure out if Pumbaa has any potential of dropping to the point where I need to watch him closely and maybe intervene, especially with these later nadirs. I don't know how else to try and predict the future, 'cause my crystal ball is broken. ;)

Sheila & Beau & Jeddie (GA) said:
All this means that, all that matters is what Pumbaa's lowest nadir tends to be. In my experience 38 is not a dangerous number. Beau has been in the 30s many times with no symptoms. That doesn't mean I want a cat on insulin hitting those lows, just that they don't worry me that much if they happen.
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I know, in my brain, that I shouldn't be so paranoid about Pumbaa going hypo, with all of the data I have so far. And also knowing that so many people don't even home test their diabetic cats at all. But my nature is that I am responsible for Pumbaa, and he's on my watch, and I need to be there for him if he gets in trouble. I need to relax about this, but I don't know how to change my responsibility MO. :roll:

Sheila & Beau & Jeddie (GA) said:
I really don't think you need to get +6s or +8s at night if you get them during the day - unless you have a really oddly low PS and decide to shoot a full dose on it (and why would your do that anyway?) Cami was 106 last night and I reduced her to .5u (from .75u) and got a +1 because there was no way I was going to stay up or get up to monitor her, especially because I had a splitting headache.
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Look at the 11/16 PM cycle. I should have gotten a +7 or a +8, but I failed to wake up when the alarm went off. Based on daytime readings, he shouldn't have dropped that low, but he's unpredictable. I finally caught him at 51 at +10, but it looks like he was already back on the upswing. I have no clue how low he dropped while I slept, but I'm thankful that he's still alive.

Also, I'm still confused about this entire shed/current injection thing and what actually affects the current cycle. Some people say that the current injection dose affects the current cycle and others argue that it doesn't. It may be a case of ECID, but I still haven't figured out if Pumbaa reacts to the current injection or to the shed. Help?

Sheila & Beau & Jeddie (GA) said:
Can you leave food out where the cats can get it and Beck can't? Will Larry leave food for Pumbaa or will he eat it all? Most cats that start to go low (below 50-60) will be hungry and seek out food.
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Pumbaa and Larry get their food up on a table where Beck can't get at it. They free-feed and I make sure that they always have food available, although I do pull their food 2 hours before Pumbaa's PMPS. And yes, I have noticed that Pumbaa instinctively eats more when his numbers are really low, and I am very happy about that! When I have to put out additional food at night (because not much remains of their main meal), I watch to make sure that Larry doesn't snarf it all down and leave nothing for Pumbaa later in the night, when he might need it. I let Larry eat to his fill, and then add more food for later. I'm very, very thankful that neither of my cats have been doing the snarf-and-barf routine in the last few months! Larry used to binge and purge on the dry food all the time. I had to keep reminding him that this isn't ancient Rome and the kitchen isn't a vomitorium! *LOL*

So, yes, I need to work on my paranoia that Pumbaa is going to drop too low some night when I am sleeping and go hypo and die on me. And I need to keep trying to figure him out so that I can, hopefully, predict better when he has the potential of going too low. I think a lot of my late-night testing has been in anticipation of the (crossing my fingers) day when he settles down into just greens and blues, and these major swings go away, and he's in need of dose decreases because his pancreas has kicked in again. It's kind of like training for a marathon. *LOL*

Suze
 
On the 16th? Maybe he was in the 40s. Not a number to worry about. Also not a number to aim for, meaning if he hit that consistently you would probably want to dial back the dose just a hair.

There is really no way to predict when he is going to go low. You can guess at it if the PS is on the low side or a early spot check is showing a drop in stead of a rise. I think you are over thinking it. Yes, Pumbaa is your responsibility and it will always be your watch, but in all the combinations of PS's, doses, and spot checks he has never been in danger.

As for the effects on the current cycle thing, I think it is ECID. You just have to learn how your guy responds. There is a lag and cumulative effect that carries across several cycles, but I do think there is an "immediate" response to a dose change. Otherwise, reducing the dose on a low PS when you don't have data and/or can't monitor would be pointless and useless. But I think there is a good chance that the response on the first cycle after the change is not the limit of the effect. You can see it over several cycles - probably like a tsunami: greater change = greater and longer effect.
 
Suze,

Granted with everything going on in my life right now I haven't been around a lot but I've been at least reading the condos and trying to catch up some. So I'm going to throw out a few things here that I have learned over the several years and multiple FD cats that I have had the pleasure of caring for. Some I'm pretty sure you have already heard..First and foremost...If you don't take care of yourself, you can not care for Pumbaa. That means you need your rest as much as you need to keep an eye on him. With all of my diabetics unless they were running extremely low at night they got a "lights out" test at +3ish and that was it. I honestly can say that unless I just happened to be up for some reason I haven't tested multiple times at night and have seldom missed at least a good 6 hours of sleep, and that is about all I ever get regardless of being owned by a diabetic cat. Also I don't have the luxery of leaving food out for my herd because they can and will eat everything within seconds of it hitting the floor. :lol:

I understand that Pumbaa is your child and he is on your watch. Just as all of mine are my kids and on my watch. That is one of the reasons that if I suspect that Autumn is going to go low at night I have her come sleep with us so that I can feel her if she gets in trouble, which knock wood she has never done as she tends to run higher at night but I think that may be the way I feed at night so that I can get some sleep with 4 meezers in the house. The feeding schedule here is breakfast and morning meds at 7am, lunch at 1pm(+6 for Autumn), dinner at 7pm and then a nightly before bed meal at 10pm when mom does the lights out test. That gives Autumn that extra food load to carry her through the night. Autumn like Pumbaa will seek out food if she is running low and on several occassions has come to tell me she needs to eat, I listen to her as she knows what she needs when she needs it.

I have learned not to freak out at a low to mid 30 range test, and honestly I think the 2 cans of gravy food I have in the house have been here since I adopted Maxwell 2 years ago. And while this may or may not apply to Pumbaa, Autumn has taught me not to break out the HC or even the MC food unless she hits the 20s early in the cycle. Just a little of her regular food will boost her back up, she also doesn't get a dose reduction unless she pulls a super low several times on a current dose...she has taught me that she can have those wacky days where she goes low for no real reason and if I reduce all I'm doing is setting her up to swing wildly and just end up going back up again.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Mel, that's all really good experience to relate.

I think that I learned to "chill" with Beau, but certainly now that I am on my 3rd FD, I take it all is stride and don't loose my beauty sleep ( :lol: ) worrying about the 'what if' scenarios. But others here, like Vicky, taught me that lows aren't dangerous until maybe the low 30s - and I wouldn't even use the word "dangerous" just maybe "note worthy" - you want to pay attention to them, of course and feed and retest. Cats are pretty good about heading for the food dish when they get below about 60-70.

It really is a matter of learning your cat and trusting the data. I don't see anything in Pumbaa's SS that tells me he drops into the 30s unexpectedly.
 
Mel (and Sheila):

WOW! I'm glad I never had kids because I would have been an awful, overprotective mom! Seriously!

I think all of the information about "get your hypo kit ready", etc., etc., scared the bejesus out of me when Pumbaa was first diagnosed, and even though he has never shown any signs of going hypo, I've still been petrified that he would one night.

Thank you, both, for relating your experiences, so that I can lighten up about this. Especially since Pumbaa does always have food available at night and he instinctively goes and eats more when his numbers are low. Whew! I am so looking forward to going to bed tonight, without worrying for once!

I think I'm going to do what Mel does, and that is, make sure Pumbaa eats/gets some treats (low carb, of course) when I do his pre-bedtime test. That way I'll know his little belly is full to take him through the night, as well as having food available overnight if he goes low.

Also, Pumbaa does normally sleep on the pillow next to me most nights, and I'll even bet that Beck (the drooler) would come and wake me up if anything went wrong.

Thank you, thank you, thank you both!!!!!! (((HUGS)))

Suze
 
LOL Be owned by a couple of meezers for awhile and you will quickly learn the value of stuffing their little bellies right before bed... :lol:

And actually I'm almost willing to bet money (If I had any after feeding 14 cats and a drooler) that Beck most certainly come get you if something went wrong. She is bred to protect her flock and since I'm pretty sure she has never seen a sheep she thinks Larry and Pumbaa are her flock as well as being well a drooler who are pack animals so they look out for their pack. I know King has no idea that his kitties aren't a true pack, a stray cat in the yard gets barked at but let me have one of "his pack" outside on a leash and he is Mister Protective. And I absolutely can't take him and one of the cats to the vet's at the same time because if that cat cries out in any way King will back that vet up against the wall faster than a bear can find honey. :o The one and only time Musette tried to go hypo on me over-night King was frantic running between her and me and daddy. The same thing happened just recently with Onyx and his breathing problems if Onyx was breathing even slightly labored King picked up on it quicker than I did, and would go between the kitchen when the meds are kept, Onyx and me. He had quickly figured out there was something in there that mommie would give his buddy and then his buddy wouldn't breath funny again. Most of the time I think King only tolerates the cats but let one be in trouble and he is Johnny on the Spot.

Guess it is kind of like siblings most of the time they are trying their best to kill each other but when one is in trouble the others are right there to get help or help themselves.

Also I think I'm able to chill out more because I have such a house full. When there are 16 (14 cats, 1 drooler and a DH) you can't be worried about everyone all the time, without completely losing your mind. I know I have to sleep because if I don't I can't function to care for everyone and then someone gets the short end of the stick. Now granted there have been times when Autumn has run lower than normal that I have excused myself from something outside the house to run home quickly and test her, but then come right back to wherever I've been. I also try to remember what it is about cats that made me choose them over dogs for the most part and that is because for the most part they are so self-sufficient. I think I would be far more worried about hypo in a diabetic drooler than I am with Autumn. Especially our drooler who while he is a good boy just isn't the brightest bulb in the lamp.

Now go re-read the Letter From Your Cat over on Health...lol

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang

PS if you haven't looked go look at Autumn's SS from today
 
Well, ladies, last night I got a +5, sprinkled some Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw on their food so that both cats would fill their bellies before bedtime, made sure there was still enough food out so that if Pumbaa needed it in the middle of the night he would have it available, and went to bed without guilt for once! :)

I got nearly 6 good hours of sleep, and even had a bizarre dream...definitely a sign that I was in a deep, restful sleep! Pumbaa was on the pillow next to me when I went to sleep, and he was there when the alarms woke me up this morning. I don't kid myself that he was there all night...he's a cat...he was off doing late-night cat things. *LOL* And the food dish was empty when I got up this morning, so I know the two boys were busy and hungry at some point during the night.

Mel, I love how calm you were yesterday, and sitting here typing while Autumn was at 37. The old me would have been following her around with honey and test strips and meter, checking my watch every 20 minutes for test times. *LOL* (Yes, I did go re-read the Letter From Your Cat!) I love that King watches out for your kitties, and hope that Beck would do the same thing, not just because she's a border collie, but because she raised Pumbaa from the time he was about 7 weeks old.

My only question to you both (Mel and Sheila), is, what took you so long to point out that I was insane for napping on the sofa and testing Pumbaa throughout the night? :lol: Now we need to work on Chippendale's, because I swear he NEVER sleeps.

BTW, my mom was here for dinner yesterday, and after we ate, it was time to test/feed/shoot Pumbaa. She's been here during this routine before, but last night was the first time she really paid attention. She was amazed at how calmly Pumbaa sat on my lap at the kitchen table, with his front paws on the table, while I tested him. And how he pretty much ignored me when I injected him while he was eating. We won't discuss one of her cats spitting his pill out about 6 times later last night, even though I had food around it--he ate the food and spit out the tiny little pill--fastest tongue in the west, I swear! *LOL* And no, the pill pockets don't work with him because he eats the pill pocket and still spits out the pill. Once I catch mom's other cat (Theo and Pumbaa have definitely discussed how I need more cardiovascular exercise) he's easier to administer eye drops to and give his pill, although last night he decided to pretend like he had swallowed, and the minute I let him off of my lap, he spit out his pill, too! *LMAO* Now I get to tease my mom about how much more well-behaved my cats are than hers. *LOL*

Suze
 
Suze,

Oh, you don't know how happy I am to read this. I have worried about you for months because of the sleep issue, and while I couldn't say you were "wrong" to be so vigilant, I was concerned you would crash. Here's hoping you'll get more comfortable with trusting Pumbaa to eat when she needs to and to wake you if necessary. Have good Thanksgiving weekend.

All my best,
 
I guess I didn't realize just how stressful the overnight testing was - or that you "cat-napped" on the sofa, not really getting quality sleep. You got so overwhelmed with taking care of your mom a few weeks ago and finally "asked" for help by telling us how stressed you were.

I'm glad you got a good night's sleep last night and saw that Pumbaa can take care of himself if you give him the "tools" to do so.

So your mom brought over her cats too for Thanksgiving dinner? Or was that after you went back to her house later? Beau sometimes spits out his pills, but I try to drop them way back in his mouth (pull his head back so his nose is straight up) and usually that does the trick. Don't have any suggestions for the guy who eats the food/pill pocket from around the pill and then spits it out. I usually find that "pilling" a cat like that works better, but you have to be sure of yourself and fast. And they need to have their claws trimmed.
 
Thank you, MommaDale. Hope you and the family are also enjoying the weekend! (((HUGS)))

Sheila, I went back to my mom's last night after dinner here so that I could do my normal cat duties and chores over there. Thank god she only lives 3 miles away!

Pill administration: Yes, head back, hold mouth open and drop pill way back in mouth, hold mouth closed and blow gently on the nose (which is supposed to make them swallow). The 6-time-spitter-outer (Freydo) manages to work his tongue so fast that a split second after I drop the pill in, he's already whipped it out of his mouth. Phtoooey! Last night he reminded me of one of those ball-throwing machines in a batting cage. *LOL* The other cat (Theo), will pretend like he's swallowed, but will have worked the pill to the side of his mouth, and after I put him down, spit it out on the floor. (Not all the time, just some of the time, thankfully.) Of course my mom is entertained daily by all of this. :roll: It's pretty sad when giving one cat insulin is a lot easier than giving other cats their pills!
 
Have you ever tried a "pill-shooter"? I have to use one on Mullet. He bites the hell out of it, but better that than my fingers.

Carl
 
Carl, no, I had never even heard of a "pill shooter". I'll have to look that up. Unfortunately, it wouldn't have helped tonight as I couldn't even get one of my mom's cats out from under her bed. I tried shooing him out using my mom's cane as a prod, but the little stinker would just move to a different spot where I couldn't reach him. And he ran and hid under the bed the minute I got in the house...so there wasn't even time to close doors like I do here for Pumbaa test times. :roll:

Suze
 
Thank you for the links, Carl! It looks like these get the pill further back in the throat than we can, manually, and forces them to swallow instead of working it around in their mouths and spitting it out.

But again, it all depends on being able to capture the kitty in question in the first place. :roll:

Suze
 
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