Cat runs & hides every time Grrrr

[Susan & Claudio]

I know it's been about 6 weeks since I've posted. But... I've been lurking and learning. I haven't started a ss because I am having a hard enough time trying to give my cat his insulin shot, let alone BG testing.
All went well for about 3-4 days. Then he started hiding immediately after he finished eating. Behind the sofa, under the bed, etc. Amazing how many places a cat can get into to get away from me. So I thought I'd give him his shot while he was eating. Big mistake. He promptly stopped eating and hid for 3 hours. Next I tried when he walked away from eating. That was a big no. He'd either run like a bat out of hell or attack with claws and teeth. Looked like Edward Scissorhands attacked me. Now when he eats, he keeps one eye on his food and the other eye on me. If I so much as stand up from where I'm sitting or get within 3 feet of him, he bolts. And stays hidden for a couple of hours. Tempting with any treat was a no go. I have now resorted to shooting him when he falls asleep after eating. Which means I've had to change his shoot time to 8am/8pm.
If I attempted a test before he eats, the above scenario occurs. And with him hiding, I won't be able to give him his insulin. At this point I feel it's more important to get the insulin in him than testing. No need to remind me of the importance of testing. I know. Believe me, I am watching him like a hawk for any variances in him. I am working on trying to win back his confidence. But the funny thing is, he'll snuggle with me after I give him his shot. Go figure,lol.
Sorry for the long post. But I had to vent to someone.

 

[Charlene Byrne]

Hi Susan,
My situation is not exactly the same but I empathize and I'm sorry you and Claudio are going through this. We brought our kitty Tommy home last Friday after urgent care and then 5 days in the hospital with DKA. He is pretty good with the shot while eating but not testing. I have SO much anxiety around testing him and have tried 3 times but can't get enough blood. Plus, he jerks his head and I'm afraid I will hurt him more. I'm sure he feels my anxiety I have been in a funk since last night after trying to test Tommy. I know we need to keep trying and we will. I may have DH try this weekend since I am working until Tuesday.

I tried using some neosporin with pain relief last night before poking his ear but it didn't seem to help. It will get better for both of us with practice, though
Take care,
Charlene

 

[fourcatmom]

I'm sorry too to hear about your problems with shooting and testing. This is our second rodeo with a diabetic cat so we have a little more experience under our belts, but what has worked for us is just repeating the same thing over and over. Now Sophie comes to the bathroom when I say "time to check your blood!" She jumps up on the sink counter and waits. She gets a treat every time she gets her blood tested, so she knows that there's a reward in it for her. I tuck her under my left arm, her head to the right, rub her left ear, bend it back onto my thumbnail, free-poke with the lancet, and grab the blood on the strip. I scratch her under the chin while we wait for the reading to come up. Then, she gets a treat, and we go to the kitchen for food.

We also give her her shot while she is eating. She eats on a chair (we have three other cats so she prefers this). We put the food down for her, then for the other cats, then go back to her, grab the scruff, tent the skin, and inject. On rare occasion does she bend her head back (like when someone else gives her a shot when we are out of town, and even that's rare).

Cats are really creatures of habit! Start associating a treat with every diabetic treatment action you need to perform. One little crunchy Temptation treat or one piece of kibble will not affect the glucose and it goes a long way toward training Claudio to do what you need him to do.

If he runs and hides every time you try to feed/test/shoot, maybe start feeding him in the bathroom or another enclosed area (laundry room maybe?) where you can keep him confined, so to speak, until the duties are done. We started with Sophie in the bathroom and at first, I had to chase her down, pick her up, and carry her in, plop her on the counter, shut the door, and hold her down forcibly to test her. Once she learned there was a treat involved, she got the picture. ALSO - we had problems with her peeing on the floor because of another cat that we adopted....we now reward her with one treat whenever we see her use the litter pan, and believe it or not, if I'm scooping, she'll come down, pee in the box, and sit looking at me for a treat.

I'm not sure that you have to worry about hurting him when you test, either. Sophie makes a little "mrp" sound when I stick her ear, but she doesn't seem to mind....eventually the skin toughens up a little and there's much less discomfort with testing.

Claudio will soon see that good things happen after he gets tested. If you associate the testing with a treat or do it right before a meal, he should come around. Whoever said cats aren't trainable was a lunatic! Good luck!

 

[Chloe007]

Hi Susan,
My situation is not exactly the same but I empathize and I'm sorry you and Claudio are going through this. We brought our kitty Tommy home last Friday after urgent care and then 5 days in the hospital with DKA. He is pretty good with the shot while eating but not testing. I have SO much anxiety around testing him and have tried 3 times but can't get enough blood. Plus, he jerks his head and I'm afraid I will hurt him more. I'm sure he feels my anxiety I have been in a funk since last night after trying to test Tommy. I know we need to keep trying and we will. I may have DH try this weekend since I am working until Tuesday.

I tried using some neosporin with pain relief last night before poking his ear but it didn't seem to help. It will get better for both of us with practice, though
Take care,
Charlene

For what it's worth (and I'm new to this too) I noticed that Neosporin before a poke didn't do much to help, instead I use that after as a healing agent and for before testing I use Vaseline. The Vaseline seems to help the blood "ball up" if that makes sense? So it doesn't seem to as easily drip down/spread, instead it will be in an almost neat little ball of blood which is helpful to make sure I'm getting a big enough sample. It helped me a lot, but I also have a very patient/docile cat that is already jumping on my lap for a test as soon as he hears me open his kit (I bet you'll get there soon too!). Also, I'm sure it's already been mentioned to you before but using a rice sock was a complete game changer for me. Anyways, I hope Tommy is doing well and I hope testing starts getting better for you guys.

 

[Susan & Claudio]

Charlene Byrne & Chloe007
Thanks for the words of encouragement. My frustration is starting to build. Once we get over this hurdle I'm sure things will become easier. I hope, lol.

 

[Susan & Claudio]

If he runs and hides every time you try to feed/test/shoot, maybe start feeding him in the bathroom or another enclosed area (laundry room maybe?) where you can keep him confined, so to speak, until the duties are done. We started with Sophie in the bathroom and at first, I had to chase her down, pick her up, and carry her in, plop her on the counter, shut the door, and hold her down forcibly to test her. Once she learned there was a treat involved, she got the picture. ALSO - we had problems with her peeing on the floor because of another cat that we adopted....we now reward her with one treat whenever we see her use the litter pan, and believe it or not, if I'm scooping, she'll come down, pee in the box, and sit looking at me for a treat.

I'm not sure that you have to worry about hurting him when you test, either. Sophie makes a little "mrp" sound when I stick her ear, but she doesn't seem to mind....eventually the skin toughens up a little and there's much less discomfort with testing.

Claudio will soon see that good things happen after he gets tested. If you associate the testing with a treat or do it right before a meal, he should come around. Whoever said cats aren't trainable was a lunatic! Good luck!


THANKS forcatmom !!! That obvious solution never occurred to me. Wonder if I'll be the first person here that tests and shoots while in the bathtub . Gotta remember to bring my winter gloves with me for hand protection.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Also find a low carb treat he loves and only give it when you test and shoot. A couple good treats are freeze dried chicken and freeze dried bonito/tuna flakes. Soon he will associate testing and shots with getting a treat. Even if you do not get a successful test, still give him the treat.