6/22 Junior PMPS 156

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MauiGuppy

MauiGuppy

Member Since 2011
Thank you for all your support yesterday. I missed Sienne's post on giving a BCS and wound up skipping the shot and giving him lots of LC food. Junior was so mad at me last night that he slept on the couch. I woke up surprised not to find him in bed with me, asking for his breffis. When I found him on the couch, he must've forgotten where he was because he looked surprised that he was on the couch and not on my bed.

And this morning's attempts at ear pokes reminded him why.

He was so wriggly that I was afraid he was going to bite me in the face again. No blood again.

I gave him his .5u shot and fed him his food and pills. Not thrilled about shooting him blind but I figured it would be better than missing 2 shots in a row. Plus his BG would be higher in the day than at night and this losing streak has to end at some point! Today we're practicing making a better burrito with lots of treats.

On a side note, thank you for your healing vines re: my close friend Susan. She was diagnosed with Bell's Palsey and came home from the hospital yesterday. BP is where nerves are damaged and half your face droops. It takes some folks months to recover, some years. Hers is mild and hopefully for her it'll be the former.

Have a great day everyone!
Bonnie
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

Good morning Bonnie! Sorry about the issues with Junior and his shots and testing! Also, healing vines for your friend Susan. I work with a guy who had a mild case of Bell's palsey. A year later and he is much better. However, it has been a long road to recovery.

Hope you have a great day!
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

I'm so sorry you've been having trouble testing Junior. Has he always been tricky to test? Poor kitty, and poor you....

Glad to hear Susan has a diagnosis and is on the road to recovery. Many healing thoughts for her!

Amy
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

Thanks guys!

Quick background: When we started this dance, my vet and vet tech trained me on paws. I even asked them about ears b/c this forum seem to be all ears and said they didn't really do ears, just paws.

So when ear pokes were hard, I'd revert to paw just to get numbers in. And if you poke them too much, like I did on 6/20, they don't bleed as well the next day.

He had always been ok but in LA he started getting aggressive. He'd bark like a dog but would still cooperate. Even before we left on our 3-week trip, I planned on focusing on ears when we got back.

But something in him switched when we got back 1-1/2 weeks ago. I didn't first mention it on the board but his aggression noticeably escalated every day. First it was nips. Then he bit my hand and palm. Ok, I put on a sweatshirt. He still managed to claw me through my sweatshirt and my forearm looks like a candy cane. He bit my face Monday.

I feel calm and don't freak or get upset but I do get nervous don't poke as fast when I finally see where I want to poke. At least his ears bleed easier now, thank God for that. It's the poking and scraping on the fingernail now.

Other behaviors have changed too. In the mornings he doesn't wake me up for breffis anymore. He doesn't come over when I call him now. Some treats have lost its effectiveness and I've switched around.

I'm hoping eventually he'll be as calm as Sienne's Gabby and all the other kitties but I wonder if it's too late. He used to be so happy. His middle name Matahachi was named after a samurai's lovable side kick...funny, happy-go-lucky, but cowardly and not too bright. Hoping my old Junior will come back to me!
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

Have you had bloodwork done lately? I wonder if something else could be going on, like HyperT, which can cause aggression. Bloodwork could be worth doing, if it's been a while....
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

Oh Bonnie! I am so sorry. Tarragon can be a handful when he is crabby and not in the mood, especially at night. I have worn long sleeves and used the burrito wrap when he is really upset. I hope Junior will get there once he starts feeling better. It is so hard to know what is going on in their little bodies and what effect it has on their mental state.
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

The good news is that D'Artagnan's bean Mococo and I just confirmed a time for her to come over tomorrow. Our cats were diagnosed about the same time and D'Artagnan was squirmy when he first started out.

@TrixieCat Good point. He hasn't gotten bloodwork done lately but he was diagnosed with HyperT in January, a month before diabetes. I'm taking him to the vet in a few weeks for another health certificate for our upcoming trip and will look into that again. I think he's tired of being poked and doesn't realize that ears are less sensitive. Not the same as paw pokes or insulin pokes.

@Melissa I know! I wish they could talk! Who am I kidding? I don't know want to know what he's saying. Junior would be spewing a bunch of expletives and giving me the middle finger if he had fingers.
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

He probably is just tired of being poked, but if he's HyperT, maybe his dose needs an adjustment.

Trixie gets a little squirmy at times, too, but not nearly what you deal with. She pulled my personal favorite move with her +5 today...flicking her ear at the split second I try for the poke, so I get my finger instead of her ear. It's a skill I truly admire :lol: ! Glad you've got another Pokie Guide coming over for some help!
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

One of the things that was emphasized in my foster training is that cats respond better when you approach them as though whatever you are doing is routine. Get up, go to the bathroom, start the coffee, poke the cat, brush your hair, feed the cat, etc. It’s just one of the things that happens, don’t make a big deal out of it, just go to the cat and do it so they don’t think it’s a big deal. I’m sure you have noticed that when a vet tech needs to give meds, they don’t hesitate, they just confidently grab the cat and give the meds, and the cat looks shocked but the meds are in before they can do anything about it. Confidence is key! My cats have totally bought into the routine, so it works.

Another tip I got from a foster mom was if a cat is really difficult to pill or trim nails, do it in an enclosed space. She has a tiny bathroom and that is where she medicates foster cats who don’t trust her. She said they seem to calm down when they realize they don’t have an escape route (and if they get away, at least they can’t go far). The really tough ones she will take into the shower stall to do whatever she has to do. That’s the opposite of making it no big deal, but it works better for some cats (you still have to be decisive and confident, though). That is why Lucy’s testing spot was in the bathroom, even though it wasn’t long before I didn’t have to close the door anymore. For pills I still have to close the door.

hang in there!
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

Hi Bonnie.
Sorry that Junior is getting really feisty lately. It must be very frustrating for you.

Others may have already suggested this but have you tried putting a tiny dab of Neosporin ointment with pain relief on the ear?
I used to put it on BigMac's ear before a test and then wipe most of it off with the warm rice sock.

Since I'd use the Neosporin for cuts myself, I knew it had a slight numbing effect for a few minutes. I figured if the ear was numb, it would be easier for both of us to test.

When I first started testing I was naturally sad, upset, and worried about BigMac and the thought of testing was very unpleasant. I wanted to do anything I could to make it easier.
That is why I used the pain relief formula ointment. Those first times to test my normally calm sweet kitty was a strong and wiggling Tasmanian devil.
It broke my heart to have to wrangle him down and then burrito him or have two helpers hold him. (He is a big strong kitty.)

I got on the board to ask for help because all those videos showing how easy it was to test a kitty .... just was NOT happening here.
There were lots of good suggestions that I tried to follow. But for me, the best one was that someone said that I was probably telegraphing my frustration and nervousness to my kitty. Even if I was outwardly calm.

She said I should 'believe it' first. I had nothing to lose... so I went to where I had plopped BigMac down on the counter, lined up my testing supplies and said out loud, "I am SAVING your life and I WILL do this." I believed it too. I let go and didn't restrain him as I usually did and to my astonishment, he was calmer and I got a good test. I did that every day, even though I pretty much HATED to test and we improved. (I did have to hang on firmly to his ear because he likes to flick his head. :o ) Part of my problem was that I had a terrible meter because it needed a huge drop of blood, 1 ul, which is crazy compared to the new meters. But even with that old meter, we did better because I KNEW I was saving his life by testing.

I know your kitty is different and may have other issues so I'm not saying this and expecting Junior to be an angel. Of course not!
I'm just letting you know that yes, we do understand that testing is often very hard on the kitty and the owner.
Who knows, maybe by telling our stories there is a little tidbit you can use to help with Junior.

Best of luck and lots of hugs!
 
Re: 6/22 Junior

Thank you everyone for stopping by with all your suggestions and support. I've neosporined the cat and me and I think that does help a bit. We also switched to the bathroom so the confined space should help. The space is a little tight for a good burrito but we've been practicing today and he seems better at it. I'm hoping that his escalated freak outs is because he's tired of being poked and not because he doesn't see an escape route.

I agree that confidence is key. Sienne also talked to me about that. I was on such a high when I finally hit that 72 the other day and I'm trying to stay confident with each failed poke. You'd think I'm drawing blood from an alligator or something! Where's the Crocodile Hunter when you need him? :-P

Thanks again guys and wish me luck for today!
 
Junior's mood improved today and by the time Mococo came over, he was his old charming self. My little Matahachi.

Huge thanks to Mococo for stopping by and showing me how to test my squirmy and sharply fanged cat. It was tremendously helpful to hear her experiences...seeing how to hold his head, how much force to use, how much/how often to give treats, even how to organize your supplies. And Mococo came out unscathed! The evening was absolutely invaluable.

His PMPS are higher than usual but it's probably due to stress from getting poked by someone new. I'm sure it'll be at normal range once the stress level comes down and he gets used to this new method.

Looking forward to better home tests!
 
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