Cement Paws?

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nekomemeng

nekomemeng

Member Since 2019
I just noticed my cat have clumps of litter at one of his back paws. He refused to let me remove it and I’m so worried he is hurting.
Im a little scared that his diabetes is worsening because he is not cleaning it OR he is voiding too much.
Do I have to bring him to the vet asap for this or is there a way i can remove it and prevent it from happening?
Thank you.
 
Oooof this brings back pre- diagnosis memories. Gatobuddy would track wet clumped litter EVERYWHERE and I felt so bad for him carrying that burden. Occasionally we would take Wet Ones to his paws to help clean them up for him. It was a two person job and one of us had to hold him captive, but it helped keep the area clean and keep him from getting urine litter in his mouth trying to clean.

The urine did eventually improve as his BG improved. Are you home testing? If so, what are his BG numbers looking like lately?
 
I haven't dealt with this in a long time. Keep his nails short, try a litter-pad outside the litter box meant to clean paws. I could never clean the voids between pads when the litter was wet, always easier when it was dry. Maybe rub a bit of plain baking soda (not the carpet cleaning stuff) into his feet to help wick out the moisture.
 
MamaMug said:
Oooof this brings back pre- diagnosis memories. Gatobuddy would track wet clumped litter EVERYWHERE and I felt so bad for him carrying that burden. Occasionally we would take Wet Ones to his paws to help clean them up for him. It was a two person job and one of us had to hold him captive, but it helped keep the area clean and keep him from getting urine litter in his mouth trying to clean.

The urine did eventually improve as his BG improved. Are you home testing? If so, what are his BG numbers looking like lately?
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No, we are not home testing, Vet wants him brought to the clinic weekly- his BG’s have been in the 400s but last Saturday it was at 387. Still high but I’m glad it went down below 400. This was the first time it happened since he was diagnosed last April.

Thanks for the tip- we are actually doing it with vegetable oil and its making his paws red! I will try the wet ones now, maybe it will irritate him less..
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
I haven't dealt with this in a long time. Keep his nails short, try a litter-pad outside the litter box meant to clean paws. I could never clean the voids between pads when the litter was wet, always easier when it was dry. Maybe rub a bit of plain baking soda (not the carpet cleaning stuff) into his feet to help wick out the moisture.
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I have a litter pad outside the litter box already. I will try to rub the baking soda to help him!
Thank you!
 
Ahh yes the dreaded cement paws. You can try a wet washcloth or wipe to moisten up the clay to pick it off easier. I’d recommend switching to a non-clay litter to prevent that from happening again. I use Worlds Best Cat Litter and it works like a charm.

ETA when Spot was first diagnosed, no amount of scooping would prevent this from happening. He literally peed so much at one go that it would pool on top of the litter and then he’s step in it and track pee-paws all over my hardwood floors Worlds Best stooped that from happening. Plus it smells good :)
 
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One thing to keep in mind is that vet testing and curves can sometimes have elevated numbers due to stress. Home testing can be started up for a fairly reasonable cost. It takes some getting used to but definitely gives you a better idea of how kitty is processing the insulin and is pretty imperative when it comes to dosing.
 
SpotsMom said:
Ahh yes the dreaded cement paws. You can try a wet washcloth or wipe to moisten up the clay to pick it off easier. I’d recommend switching to a non-clay litter to prevent that from happening again. I use Worlds Best Cat Litter and it works like a charm.

ETA when Spot was first diagnosed, no amount of scooping would prevent this from happening. He literally peed so much at one go that it would pool on top of the litter and then he’s step in it and track pee-paws all over my hardwood floors Worlds Best stooped that from happening. Plus it smells good :)
Click to expand...

Did you have any issues of the cat having trouble with his litter changing from clay to world’s best? How did his transition go?
 
MamaMug said:
One thing to keep in mind is that vet testing and curves can sometimes have elevated numbers due to stress. Home testing can be started up for a fairly reasonable cost. It takes some getting used to but definitely gives you a better idea of how kitty is processing the insulin and is pretty imperative when it comes to dosing.
Click to expand...
I have actually suggested this to the vet but he doesnt want us to do the home testing. I would like to do it too but I wont know about the dosing if my vet wont give me a sliding scale for him..
 
Based on the info in your signature, your kitty reminds me very much of my Sophie when she was first diagnosed. She started out on prescription dry food and was on 6 units of Prozinc twice a day and I was not home testing. She did great for a while, but then had a VERY bad hypo with seizures and CPR involved, not to mention a whole lot of money. It took me a pretty long time to build up to it, but I really recommend home testing at the very least. You don’t need your vets permission to do this. It has been sooo helpful in figuring out what’s going on with her blood sugar and how to dose
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Based on the info in your signature, your kitty reminds me very much of my Sophie when she was first diagnosed. She started out on prescription dry food and was on 6 units of Prozinc twice a day and I was not home testing. She did great for a while, but then had a VERY bad hypo with seizures and CPR involved, not to mention a whole lot of money. It took me a pretty long time to build up to it, but I really recommend home testing at the very least. You don’t need your vets permission to do this. It has been sooo helpful in figuring out what’s going on with her blood sugar and how to dose
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Oh my goodness! That must have been a scare! How is Sophie now?
Will it be alright to share with me what you did for the insulin dosing if ever I do home testing?
Thank you!
 
nekomemeng said:
Oh my goodness! That must have been a scare! How is Sophie now?
Will it be alright to share with me what you did for the insulin dosing if ever I do home testing?
Thank you!
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Oh absolutely, I was a wreck. She is doing great! She is now only on 0.25 units a day, sometimes less or even none. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. There were many times where she was feeling bad because of the blood sugar issues and I was so stressed worrying about her, but it really does get better and easier! I’ve had vets tell me that home testing isn’t necessary but they are wrong, and I’ve reduced her dose greatly because of home testing. And there are plenty of people on here that can help you with his dose once you know what his blood sugar is doing at home :)

You’re going to hear about home testing a lot lol. When I first joined all these groups, it annoyed the life out of me, everyone was always asking if I home tested and I wasn’t. But it really is so helpful, it just took me a while to come around lol
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Oh absolutely, I was a wreck. She is doing great! She is now only on 0.25 units a day, sometimes less or even none. I’d be lying if I said it was easy. There were many times where she was feeling bad because of the blood sugar issues and I was so stressed worrying about her, but it really does get better and easier! I’ve had vets tell me that home testing isn’t necessary but they are wrong, and I’ve reduced her dose greatly because of home testing. And there are plenty of people on here that can help you with his dose once you know what his blood sugar is doing at home :)

You’re going to hear about home testing a lot lol. When I first joined all these groups, it annoyed the life out of me, everyone was always asking if I home tested and I wasn’t. But it really is so helpful, it just took me a while to come around lol
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I might do that- im just scared. Neko was so easy to give insulin shots before but from last vet visit (he got bis vaccines updated too)- he is giving us a hard time.
I will try to watch some videos on how to test at home.
Do you recommend any home testing kit? Will the human meter work for cats as well?
 
nekomemeng said:
Did you have any issues of the cat having trouble with his litter changing from clay to world’s best? How did his transition go?
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I transitioned them slowish. Started with an inch of the new litter under the old, then each time I changed it I added another inch of the new and reduced the old by an inch. No kitty rebellions, thankfully!
 
nekomemeng said:
I might do that- im just scared. Neko was so easy to give insulin shots before but from last vet visit (he got bis vaccines updated too)- he is giving us a hard time.
I will try to watch some videos on how to test at home.
Do you recommend any home testing kit? Will the human meter work for cats as well?
Click to expand...

Human meter works just fine. We use relion prime from Wal-Mart. Both the meter and steps are relatively cheap and readily available.
 
nekomemeng said:
I have actually suggested this to the vet but he doesnt want us to do the home testing. I would like to do it too but I wont know about the dosing if my vet wont give me a sliding scale for him..
Click to expand...
You do not need your vet's permission to home test. By testing before every shot you will know if it is safe to give the insulin and know how well it is working. If you give insulin when the glucose levels are to low, you could cause a cat to become hypoglycemic. This is a very dangerous and sometimes deadly condition. Look at it this way, if this was your child instead of your cat would you give insulin without knowing what the glucose levels are? You are the person that's responsible for the day-to-day care of your pets, not your vet. If your cat becomes hypoglycemic and suffers either permanent damage or death, is your vet going to take responsibility for that because he told you not to test? Home testing will greatly reduce a chance of your cat becoming hypoglycemic. Especially since you are at a very high dose of insulin.

I see two things in your signature that may be causing your cat's glucose levels to not be under control. The first thing is that you are feeding dry food, even though it is supposed to be diabetic food. Almost all dry foods are high in carbs. By switching to a low-carb can food diet will significantly lower your cat's glucose levels to get them under control. Once his glucose levels are under control, he will stop peeing as much and you will not have the issue with the litter stuck on his paws. However do not change the food yet until you start home testing. This is extremely important because if you do not know what your cat's glucose levels are, by giving the current dose you significantly increase the chance of him becoming hypoglycemic. Your current dose is extremely high for a cat that was recently diagnosed and does not have other serious health issues. Most cats only need 1- 2 units twice a day. Another issue with too high of a dose is bouncing. What this means is that the cat's body produces extra glucose when too high of a dose of insulin is given to prevent it from becoming hypoglycemic. However the body can only do this for so long before hypoglycemia will occur. The goal with home testing is to find the optimal dose that will keep your cat's glucose levels under control. As I said above most cats only need 1 - 2 units. You can use any human glucose meter to home test. A good meter that is inexpensive to use is the ReliOn meters from Walmart. Also by testing at home you will not need to waste money by taking your cat to the vet for just to be tested. The test the vet does is not truly accurate anyway. Glucose levels can be raised if a cat is stressed and most cats do get stressed while at the vet. So your vet may be increasing the dose because of an inaccurate level that they're getting in their office.

I understand that it could be difficult taking advice from an online forum. However please realize that the members we have on this group have been members for years and have lots of experience caring for diabetic cats. Many of us have even adopted diabetic cats in order to give them a better life. The advice we give you is based from our years of experience caring for diabetic cats on a daily basis. Please feel free to ask any questions you have about caring for your cat. That is the purpose of this forum and we are here to help you. We can give you advice not only about home testing, but also about changing is diet and also finding the correct dose of insulin. Most of us do this without consulting our vets. As I said before, you do not need permission from your vet to provide the best care for your cat.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
You do not need your vet's permission to home test. By testing before every shot you will know if it is safe to give the insulin and know how well it is working. If you give insulin when the glucose levels are to low, you could cause a cat to become hypoglycemic. This is a very dangerous and sometimes deadly condition. Look at it this way, if this was your child instead of your cat would you give insulin without knowing what the glucose levels are? You are the person that's responsible for the day-to-day care of your pets, not your vet. If your cat becomes hypoglycemic and suffers either permanent damage or death, is your vet going to take responsibility for that because he told you not to test? Home testing will greatly reduce a chance of your cat becoming hypoglycemic. Especially since you are at a very high dose of insulin.

I see two things in your signature that may be causing your cat's glucose levels to not be under control. The first thing is that you are feeding dry food, even though it is supposed to be diabetic food. Almost all dry foods are high in carbs. By switching to a low-carb can food diet will significantly lower your cat's glucose levels to get them under control. Once his glucose levels are under control, he will stop peeing as much and you will not have the issue with the litter stuck on his paws. However do not change the food yet until you start home testing. This is extremely important because if you do not know what your cat's glucose levels are, by giving the current dose you significantly increase the chance of him becoming hypoglycemic. Your current dose is extremely high for a cat that was recently diagnosed and does not have other serious health issues. Most cats only need 1- 2 units twice a day. Another issue with too high of a dose is bouncing. What this means is that the cat's body produces extra glucose when too high of a dose of insulin is given to prevent it from becoming hypoglycemic. However the body can only do this for so long before hypoglycemia will occur. The goal with home testing is to find the optimal dose that will keep your cat's glucose levels under control. As I said above most cats only need 1 - 2 units. You can use any human glucose meter to home test. A good meter that is inexpensive to use is the ReliOn meters from Walmart. Also by testing at home you will not need to waste money by taking your cat to the vet for just to be tested. The test the vet does is not truly accurate anyway. Glucose levels can be raised if a cat is stressed and most cats do get stressed while at the vet. So your vet may be increasing the dose because of an inaccurate level that they're getting in their office.

I understand that it could be difficult taking advice from an online forum. However please realize that the members we have on this group have been members for years and have lots of experience caring for diabetic cats. Many of us have even adopted diabetic cats in order to give them a better life. The advice we give you is based from our years of experience caring for diabetic cats on a daily basis. Please feel free to ask any questions you have about caring for your cat. That is the purpose of this forum and we are here to help you. We can give you advice not only about home testing, but also about changing is diet and also finding the correct dose of insulin. Most of us do this without consulting our vets. As I said before, you do not need permission from your vet to provide the best care for your cat.
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True. I appreciate all the help I can get.. Neko is the first and only cat I have ever taken care of and I guess, I am too scared to act without my vet knowing as I dont want to make a mistake of hurting him.
Like What I have said on previous replies, I will look and study videos of home testing so atleast I’ll know how to do it, and will reach out again re:insulin sliding dose once I get a good picture on how his BGs behave.
 
I also recommend the ReliOn Prime! I love my AlphaTrak but it’s super pricey. And I definitely understand the fear as well, it took lots of pep talks to get the courage to start testing her myself. The videos are helpful as well, but don’t worry too much if Neko doesn’t fully cooperate like all the kitties in them (they’re always so well behaved!). I don’t know what his personality is like, but I know Sophie is a total pill and WAS NOT having it at all when I first started. I’ve found that freeze dried treats work well for getting her to cooperate, so it’s really just about what works best for Neko

And I know it feels counterintuitive to go against the advice of your vet, but Sophie has seen many vets and the reality is that most of them just don’t know much about diabetes. There are published guidelines out there for treatment and the advice you’re receiving here (home testing, dosage, food, etc), does actually align with those guidelines
 
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Before we go any further can anyone say for sure baking soda in cat litter is okay? Not the scented stuff meant for carpets, just plain old baking soda.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
could be difficult taking advice from an online forum
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What vets and techs learn in a sterile lab and from textbooks is not the real world. There is absolutely nothing that can replace real world experience. I've now had two diabetic cats and neither one followed any guidelines or "rules". Remember this is not some whack-job site but a place where over 20,000 people have come over the years to learn things most of their vets had no idea about. We all do this as volunteers, there's nothing in it for us other than the health of your cat.
 
Sarah&Soph said:
I also recommend the ReliOn Prime! I love my AlphaTrak but it’s super pricey. And I definitely understand the fear as well, it took lots of pep talks to get the courage to start testing her myself. The videos are helpful as well, but don’t worry too much if Neko doesn’t fully cooperate like all the kitties in them (they’re always so well behaved!). I don’t know what his personality is like, but I know Sophie is a total pill and WAS NOT having it at all when I first started. I’ve found that freeze dried treats work well for getting her to cooperate, so it’s really just about what works best for Neko

And I know it feels counterintuitive to go against the advice of your vet, but Sophie has seen many vets and the reality is that most of them just don’t know much about diabetes. There are published guidelines out there for treatment and the advice you’re receiving here (home testing, dosage, food, etc), does actually align with those guidelines
Click to expand...
Can I ask whats the brand of the freeze dried treats you are giving you cat?
 
We use Okocat natural wood clumping litter, and I love it. My sister's cat used to get 'cement paws' so she switched to it, and that resolved the issue.
 
another alternate litter is "equine stall bedding" bought at a farm supply store (could be pet store, garden store, etc) -- much less expensive, much better odor control, since the fir or pine pellets turn into sawdust when hit by pee, and they absorb it, also dehydrate the solid stuff, which is then easy to remove

it's compostable; you can flush the dried solid stuff with sawdust clinging, especially if you are on a sewer (but bag or compost the majority of the sawdust), not that easy to scoop BUT, shake the litter pan, the pellets rise to the top, once it's all, or mostly, sawdust, dump and refill -- it tracks a bit but is easily swept or vacuumed, and doesn't smell except of evergreen

I've had friends who couldn't find the stall bedding, use the wood pellets sold for wood stoves, just make sure it's pine or fir and not cedar
 
nekomemeng said:
I have actually suggested this to the vet but he doesnt want us to do the home testing. I would like to do it too but I wont know about the dosing if my vet wont give me a sliding scale for him..
Click to expand...
It’s strange that some vets won’t allow home testing. The results aren’t accurate when the cat is stressed. I guess vets worry that we will change the dose too often and harm our cat.
I think many vets DO support home testing. Reading all the articles from veterinary trade magazines about diabetes, all of them recommended home testing. my vet does.
 
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