12/19 - Gen, AMPS >400, PMPS 326

Allie & Gen

Member Since 2025
Yesterday

I don't understand what his BG is doing right now at all. Also, he was super snuggly all night, but this morning as soon as he'd had breakfast he was the GRUMPIEST cat. And he tried to hide under the bed (again! this is not standard!) at shot time, so I had to move furniture and pull him out. I guess he's not feeling well, and I hate it.

They're letting us out early at work, and the weather looks very messy, so I'll probably be back home with him all afternoon/evening.

At least he pooped yesterday.

Anyway, I hope you all have a pleasant day! (It is so warm here, it's very weird!) And safe surfing to all your kitties. I need to focus to get some things done at work the next couple of hours, but I'm going to reward myself by checking in on all your sweet babies later. 😘

Oscar the Grouch Eugenides when I was leaving for work:
PXL_20251219_135617094.jpg
 
Poor thing. I've noticed my boy acts slinky when his numbers would suddenly spike after good ones. Perhaps that's the change from the lovey attitude? Hopefully someone with know-how will come on to possibly explain the digits
 
You need to hide his pogo stick 😁 . Seriously though, I’d continue to watch his behaviour, that may actually be a pain face, https://static-content.springer.com.../MediaObjects/41598_2019_55693_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
and anytime I see something regarding caregivers finding their kitty is not not being themselves, appy off, hiding, lethargy, I think pancreatitis, which can be painful. When Maverick had pancreatitis, I immediately suspected it because he didn’t want to eat like he usually did, and he hid, which was extremely uncharacteristic of him.
 
The muzzle/whiskers stuck out to me as a pain indicator in that pic too, like Christie said. Not trying to make you worry! Sometimes hard to tell with male kitties that have that more defined tomcat face. Could be so many things. Bouncing can make them feel icky, and hiding specifically around shot-time can sometimes mean a recent shot may have poked the muscle and they're hesitant. Plus you know you have the dental stuff. Just something to keep an eye on. There's actually a free phone app that guides you through the Feline Grimace Scale that I have found helpful when I'm feeling anxious about their health stuff.
 
Sorry for being AWOL today, folks. I'm just so tired. After biking home in the wind and rain I took a long afternoon nap and have been getting things done around the house.

And of course I'm really worried - and I admit I'm trying to cheer myself up with a little levity, because this kind of visible "grumpiness" does read as pain to me, too, and I feel so helpless. My poor, sweet boy.

Poor fella!!! Do you think it might be his teeth? Is he still on the antibiotic?
He is still on the antibiotic, yes. It could still be his teeth/the ruptured abscess, though I haven't noticed any visible changes around any of it. (He still won't let me get a close/sustained look at the wound area, but I wipe it carefully a couple times a day and it hasn't shown any kind of discharge since the very first time, when it was dried blood.)

You need to hide his pogo stick 😁 . Seriously though, I’d continue to watch his behaviour, that may actually be a pain face, https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art:10.1038/s41598-019-55693-8/MediaObjects/41598_2019_55693_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
and anytime I see something regarding caregivers finding their kitty is not not being themselves, appy off, hiding, lethargy, I think pancreatitis, which can be painful. When Maverick had pancreatitis, I immediately suspected it because he didn’t want to eat like he usually did, and he hid, which was extremely uncharacteristic of him.
So you think he's bouncing again? I'm so at sea at this point. Nadirs at all hours, and every time he goes low his cycle seems to do such a dramatic "V" - he drops all the way down, stays briefly, then goes all the way back up. And then a bunch of all-high cycles. It doesn't seem like a great pattern.

And oh, I hope it isn't pancreatitis on top of everything else. I know that's always a possibility, of course, I just ... don't know how I'd handle it with travel, etc. He does seem to still be eating normally, but the hiding has reoccurred a couple of times over the last week or so and it worries me a lot. Though I do feel as though there are lots of potential explanations for that part ... not feeling great because of the high BG, the ruptured abscess, his teeth in general, constipation (perhaps from the antibiotic) ... he hasn't pooped today, again; I'm thinking of trying a little laxative with breakfast.

I do have both the prescription appetite stimulant and anti-nausea med coming in the mail in the next day or two, as well, which I ordered based on advice here "just in case."

The muzzle/whiskers stuck out to me as a pain indicator in that pic too, like Christie said. Not trying to make you worry! Sometimes hard to tell with male kitties that have that more defined tomcat face. Could be so many things. Bouncing can make them feel icky, and hiding specifically around shot-time can sometimes mean a recent shot may have poked the muscle and they're hesitant. Plus you know you have the dental stuff. Just something to keep an eye on. There's actually a free phone app that guides you through the Feline Grimace Scale that I have found helpful when I'm feeling anxious about their health stuff.
What's the app called?

I shoot in his scruff, so I don't think I can have got him in a muscle, but I suppose it's possible. His scruff is a little harder to access, with the harness on.

And I mean, I've been doing so many things he doesn't like recently. Putting yucky medicine in his food (I don't think he notices/cares much about the antibiotic, but the liquid gabapentin got such a big negative reaction!), putting him in a harness full-time until I can figure out another good way to protect his sensor, installing another sensor after he ripped one off, shots twice a day (though he usually doesn't care too much about those), wiping his face multiple times a day and trying to hold him still to look at it ... forcing him out of his hiding spots because I'm worried about him getting a bunch of dust and grime in his wound ...

I wish I knew what's been bothering him so much. He came and snuggled me while I napped, which was nice. I've been running around since so he's curled up asleep in the living room.

I'm so glad we have a vet appointment Monday afternoon.

I'm planning on taking myself out for a lot of the day tomorrow, because I desperately need some outside time after weeks of mostly being cooped up at work or home (again). But I'm done with work until 2026, and theoretically we're heading to my parents' place on Tuesday, where I'm likely to spend most of my time inside with or near him and have a few other people to keep an eye on him as well.

Goodnight, friends. I'll try to be more social tomorrow at some point. Thank you all for your input and support!
 
Have you ever tried cbd for a cat? In my house, it's mostly used for pain management (arthritis) & inflammation.
Cbd's scariest side effects are rare and are: nausea, lethargy, and over grooming. That's it. It only stays in the system due so long, so if your cat experiences any of that, you simply cut back the dosage. But it's best to go slow, so this doesn't become a problem. I've only had over grooming happen, and I just gave less at their next dose and they went back to their usual grooming.
I've treated 2 older cats with arthritis with it, because no one's ever died, been injured, or had a class action lawsuit brought against a cbd company in giving it to their furry family member. I like that's it's not a drug and is all natural.
I also used it to treat a fella that struggled with stomatitis for years. After I started him on it? Wow, what a change. That's inflammation of the gums. In the 2yrs he was on it, not once did he have a flare up. Whereas he used to have at least 1 per month. Here's an article from the company I use now. Just in case you wanted to look into it.
 
The grimace chart was such an important tool for me to help me understand when my kitties are experiencing pain (Jude has FIC, which involves a lot of discomfort and pain). The idea behind the grimace charts is that cats are experts at masking pain, so it’s really challenging to know when they are suffering. You really can just look at the pictures, and it’s fairly clear. New scale interprets pain from feline facial expressions Also, you can take a picture and submit it to ChatGPT for assessment.

Allie, it’s so distressing for us when our babies are not “right,” and we don’t know what to do. I go through this somewhat frequently with Jude. For us, it’s a process of elimination in an attempt to get to the root cause. I’m glad you have a vet appt on Monday. You’re trying to do your best for Gen, and that’s clear; I hope you are able to get to the bottom of any issues he is having.
 
Yes on the bouncing, from greens on am cycle of Dec. 18th. Some cats also bounce from steep drops. The fact that he’s gone up and stayed there is a good indication he’s in the midst of a bounce, and you generally won’t see a discernible nadir when they are in the middle of a bounce until he goes into a bounce break. I’ll admit, while harder to see with all the Libre data, try to watch the pattern and waves of action of BG not just in one cycle or one day but over the course of several cycles. Glad you are on vacay now. Give Gen a few extra cuddles for me.
 
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