Cat Won't Take Shots

[buzhovey]

Hi. I'm Eileen and new to this whole diabetic and posting situation. My cat, Penny, is about 11 years old She was diagnosed with diabetes about 2 months ago. She's on the DM wet food and Iams original dry food. My problem is she's so thin and skinny I can't test her because I can't get any blood from her. At the vets she's all over the board with her glucose curve testing. She is to get a shot twice a day and we only manage one. At night she's starving and so I can actually get near her to give her her shot. In the morning she is not hungry and I can't even find her as she hides as soon as she hears me get up.

Can I put the insulin dose in her wet food? Maybe if she is not getting her shots she'll stop hiding and start getting better. She has put some weight back on but is now starting to look like she's going back downhill and I'm afraid she won't make it through the summer. Her quality of life sucks right now as far as I can tell. I've tried giving her special treats and love after her evening shot hoping she'll adjust but she just growls and stomps off. For the first 2 weeks after starting insulin I couldn't get within 5 feet of her at any time, except dinnertime. That attitude is starting again.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[terri1962]

Eileen

I had a cat that was hard to give a shot to as well. She hated it, but she got used to it. I would gather up her shot testing things and take them all into an extra room. I would then usually have to go dig her from under the bed or from behind the couch.
Couple of things, the Purina DM, I am sure the vet prescribed that to you. You don`t need and take it back and tell them the cat won`t eat it, and after awhile most cats really won`t eat it. Take up the dry food, most people here do not feed their diabetic cats any dry cat food.
Most people here feed Fancy Feast Classic variety or Friskies Pate styles.
No you can not put her second dose of insulin in her food, it must be given by a syringe. What kind of insulin is she getting? If she is only getting one shot per day, that's why her numbers are all over the place.
Also might help if you run to Walmart and pick up a real cheap meter like a Relion micro or confirm to test her.

Terri

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Oh, Eileen, big (((hugs))) to you; it sounds like you're having a really tough time.

OK, first off, take a very deep breath.... And now another one....
It's early days in your cat's FD diagnosis. You don't have to do everything all at once. And it will get easier. Honestly.

A couple of things jump out at me from your post.
Does your cat normally hide from you? Is this what she typically does, or has she only started doing this since you've started to give insulin shots and have tried to hometest her?
Giving shots and tests should not hurt your cat. So, maybe we can help you to tweak your technique? Many of us give our cats their shots while they are eating a meal, and they normally don't even notice the shots.

Also, I'm wondering why your cat isn't hungry in the mornings. Most newly diagnosed diabetic cats are very hungry (unless there is some other health issue going on).
Do you think she is really not hungry, or do you think she has she become scared? Or are you aware of other health issues?

As Terri asked; what insulin are you using, and what dose?

Please do tell us all that you think may be relevant. We really do want to help you and your kitty.

Welcome to FDMB,

Eliz

 

[buzhovey]

Thanks for your posts. Penny has always come running for food. Since the diabetes she has been almost aggressive about getting fed at night. She's only started hiding or disappearing since the shots started. I do give her her evening shot while she's eating, which is when she starts growling and also makes an attempt to escape. I can grab her though and sweet talk her and give her the shot without much trouble. It's only the a.m. shot she refuses.

Taking dry food away is not so easy. I have 5 other cats who insist on dry food along with the small amount of wet food they get.

Penny has never been overweight but she dropped to 2 pounds until we got her on the DM food (it's science diet version - she likes it). Now she's about 4 but she's starting to look like she is losing again. She gets Fancy Feast mixed in with her DM and she eats it all.

Her insulin is Lantus. I've got the meter and test strips but honestly, I can't get a drop of blood out of her ears or feet. I'd say when I was trying to test her, is when she started getting annoyed with the poking and pricking. Now, she just wants nothing to do with a needle.

I won't give up but sure had hoped I could have medicated her food.

She's on 1.2 units of the Lantus, twice a day===== well, once a day.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

...She's only started hiding or disappearing since the shots started. I do give her her evening shot while she's eating. She's on 1.2 units of the Lantus, twice a day===== well, once a day.

Hi,

It might be that there is something not quite right with your shot technique (and the kitty is feeling discomfort). Or, sometimes, and in some cats Lantus can cause a stinging sensation... I don't use Lantus so will leave that to others to talk about.

Eliz

 

[Suzanne & Cobb(GA)]

Hi Eileen!

We had trouble with Cobb initially trying to get enough blood to test. The more you try, the ears will learn to bleed. What kind of meter are you using? The ReliOn Confirm takes a very small drop of blood. I've gotten a reading with a tiny tiny amount. Have you tried warming up the ears with a warm cloth? We filled an empty pill bottle with hot water, out it under Cobb's ear and then pricked the ear as the bottle was there to keep the ear flat.

How are you giving the shot? You're going parallel to the cats body, yes? Just under the skin? Not sticking it in like you or I would get a shot? Where are you shooting - scruff of neck, back leg?

At one unit Penny probably isn't feeling a sting from the Lantus, although it is possible she is sensitive to it.

Let us know some specifics and we can help fine tune your approach/technique and get Penny the insulin she needs!

~Suzanne

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

Hello.
I can very much relate to what you are going thru.
In the beginning, I really had to use that hunger to my advantage. Mine always hated the shot part and I had to use her most favorite treat in the world to get any sort of
cooperation. In our example, it was raw shrimp cut up tiny and put in her food. I had to learn to shoot fast while her head was in the bowl.

You will have to spend some extra time getting her to come to you for treats. You want her to learn positive associations with food or treats. So I would give her some
at other times besides shot time.
You will just have to find out what really gets her attention. It could be deli meat, tuna, shrimp, turkey .

When mine started growling and posturing to fight back, I would have to get someone to help hold her down. It's definitely hard to shoot a moving target.
Mine has always been the alpha of the house... over other cats and dogs, and she thought she was over the people too.
One time I had to make her know that she would allow me to give her the shot. And she submitted. ( I was so surprised)

It sounds like you might also want to narrow her choices for hiding. Close closet doors. Create a barrier with boxes taped together ( custom sized) to fill up the space under the bed .... make it so she can only get under the edge where you can reach .... that way she still feels like she's hiding but you can get her when you want to.