Cat not cooperating with taking insulin injection

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Chibishuman

Member Since 2014
I posted about Chibi becoming diabetic sometime back. Although, I hadn't posted here in a while, things were going well. I would give her her meal or a snack and give her her injection. I had this down to an art form. In fact I marveled at how easy it was to do this.

I jinxed myself. Over the last month, she has been flinching, trying to bite me (not that that would be a problem since she has no teeth), and running from me when it is time for the injection. And just yesterday, she turned around and tried to smack me and let out a yowl (she's not real vocal so this surprised me). I am completely unnerved and afraid to give her the injection. I have an appointment to take her in tomorrow to work with a vet tech to see what I'm doing wrong. I'm not giving the injections in the same spot, but the same general vicinity, that is around the back of the neck. I have an area slightly lower down that was shaved for me at the vet's office to give injections, and it is in that area that I am accustomed to doing this. I am concerned that maybe I need to find another area to give the injections far from the back of the neck. But as I said, I am now completely unnerved.

At her last vet appointment, a couple of weeks ago, her blood sugar was 227. It's not where it should be yet, but better than last summer when she became ill.

Any suggestions would be helpful. I have to give her an injection before I go to the vets office tomorrow and I'm worried that even if I do get to do it, I might not get all the insulin in.

Thanks.
 
What I do with My Patches II is to feed her most of her canned. Then with rest in her bowl I inject her when she is eating that. If I just try to inject her she tries to bite me
 
Are there any other changes in Chibi's behaviours or clinical signs at all? Also, it would help to know which insulin you are using.
 
I had that issue too.
Shadow would bolt and sometimes turn around to bite me( also no teeth)....

Her favorite treat in the world is raw shrimp. So I would chop up shrimp, add a little food, and while she ate it,
I had to quickly give that shot..... If I took too long, someone would have to help hold her.
So I learned to be quick.
She had several spots shaved so I could get skin fast.
This was the only time she got the shrimp so it was quite the reward for her.
Lantus stings ( plus the cold) and she seemed to be very sensitive to it.
I can't poke her without her knowing like some can. She feels that needle. ( sting or no sting)

There were a few times that she really rebelled and I had to exert my dominance. I would catch her as fast as I could
and say, we Have to do this..... and that also seemed to help. ( she is the alpha in our house over everyone)
and when I showed her that I was really her alpha, it helped her to submit.
I also taped and made boxes to fit under the middle of the bed so she couldn't get under there out of my reach. She could
only get a foot away from the edge. She thought she was hiding but I would just show up and gotcha.

Another thing to check on yourself....
the needle has a bevel.....
they can feel the needle more if the point of the needle is on top so you want the bevel on top.....
scroll down to the picture of the needle/bevel on this page http://www.felinediabetes.com/injections.htm
 
I do not think the position of the bevel makes any difference on insulin needles. WHen giving subQ luids with the larger needles you want the bevel up to better ensure that you will puncture the skin vice just sliding the needle across the skin.
 
Is he on lantus? Max had the same issues when on lantus, I think the insulin was really stinging him after I gave it so he would bolt from me as soon as he saw me coming. I got a lot of fur shots during this time cause he'd flinch and hiss. We switched to levemir, and have had no problem.
 
I haven't had any issues with Panther he gets up in his seat ans lets me do what I need to no joke
 
Are you testing Chibi's blood glucose at home? BG test results taken only at a vet's office may be higher than usual due to stress. I'll never forget the day Alex was 71 at home right before we got into the car to go to the vet's. I tested her during her exam. Her BG was 300. Same meter (mine)! Chibi's readings at home may be a lot lower than what you're seeing while at the vet's office.

The reason I'm asking is we've seen what you've described with cats who previously took shots with flying colors suddenly become aggressive and/or run away at shot time because they were trying to tell their caregiver they're done with insulin. My own cat growled and ran away from me at shot time right before she went off insulin both times. She hasn't been the only one. I've seen several other cats do the same.

You might want to try testing Chibi's blood glucose at home. You never know... you might be pleasantly surprised.
 
Thanks to all of you for your replies, concerns and helpful suggestions. Yes, she is on Lantus, but it has never been an issue before. As I said before, at her regular visit a few weeks back, her blood sugar was 227. I also noticed that she was remarkably calm on the way to the vet's office. Usually, when I take her in the car, she has diarrhea.

However, in this most recent visit, she did have her little accident in the car. Fortunately the vet's office is always kind about it and cleans her up. Her blood sugar was 325 at this most recent trip. I worked with my vet to give her an injection and he had to push my hand. I was that overly unnerved and I am still, except for a couple of times, finding that I am the one being hesitant. I have to wonder if she senses that and is reacting to it. Maybe it's me who is the problem. I will say, however, that if those higher readings were because of the stress on her car trip, maybe I would find that she is trying to tell me no more insulin. That would be the best thing ever.
Larry and Kitties said:
What I do with My Patches II is to feed her most of her canned. Then with rest in her bowl I inject her when she is eating that. If I just try to inject her she tries to bite me
Click to expand...


I always try to have snacks or a meal for her when I do this. She is happy to take the food, just not the shot that goes with it. What do you feed Patches II?
 
Critter Mom said:
Are there any other changes in Chibi's behaviours or clinical signs at all? Also, it would help to know which insulin you are using.
Click to expand...

It is Lantus and I've never had any issues with it before. When I took her in last week as I mentioned I was going to in my post, her blood sugar was 325.
About three weeks before that it was 227--and again this was after a road trip to the vet's office. I have noticed that she is not urinating quite so much or drinking huge amounts of water. She is eating well. Personally, until they checked her blood sugar at the office, I was beginning to wonder if she really needed the insulin anymore.
 
Jill & Alex (GA) said:
Are you testing Chibi's blood glucose at home? BG test results taken only at a vet's office may be higher than usual due to stress. I'll never forget the day Alex was 71 at home right before we got into the car to go to the vet's. I tested her during her exam. Her BG was 300. Same meter (mine)! Chibi's readings at home may be a lot lower than what you're seeing while at the vet's office.

The reason I'm asking is we've seen what you've described with cats who previously took shots with flying colors suddenly become aggressive and/or run away at shot time because they were trying to tell their caregiver they're done with insulin. My own cat growled and ran away from me at shot time right before she went off insulin both times. She hasn't been the only one. I've seen several other cats do the same.

You might want to try testing Chibi's blood glucose at home. You never know... you might be pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...
This is what I would like to happen.
 
When I first began giving insulin, Squeaker was very co-operative. After a short period of time he got cranky about it. He would growl, try to bite, and swat with his claws out. I had to try to physically restrain him at injection time. So, I got a pheromone collar and started using Rescue Remedy. It worked very well to keep him calm until he chose to remain calm on his own. You might also consider trying cat nip spray. I don't think it's anything really wrong so much as it is they are feeling really crummy and get irritable about the whole process.
 
Just yesterday I was trying to see if I could get my kitty to tolerate the whole "tenting" thing. I went outside and grabbed some catmint (similar to catnip) from the garden and placed that in front of her. She did NOT care what the heck I was doing to her while she was rubbing her face all over the catmint. Maybe something like that might help?

Also, I use this feliway spray for when I take her on car rides. Perhaps spraying the space you use to give her insulin beforehand will have a calming affect? Best of luck to you!
 
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