Curious how others had their shy diabetic cat taken care of when away?

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Braden & Zoe

Braden & Zoe

Member Since 2018
hello everybody, my 9 yr old Calico Zoe was just diagnosed with diabetes. I’ve been racking my brain over the past week, learning lots from this site on the best ways of taking care of her. Currently she’s on canisillan and I’ve been giving her .5 twice a day. I’ve got her now on fancy feast Paté but since she’s been getting insulin she’s not wolfing the food down. I give her half a can twice a day and she maybe only eats half of it.. I’m told we caught her early in the diabetes. I have a glucose meter but I can seem to get a reading as I think it needs more blood then what I’ve been getting out of her ear, so I can’t tell you much about numbers.

My biggest concern in this whole thing is that my cat is VERY shy and scared of other humans. She’s use to my quiet apartment and me. On the rare occasion I have friends do or family over she is in hiding. She will hide until everyone is gone.

This has been a tough year for me as my father has been battling cancer. We have property a couple hours away that he’s always taken care of on the weekends and lately it’s been looming that soon I will have to be up their taking care of it at least every second weekend. With the current diagnoses it has me concerned of how Zoe will get her medicine when I’m away. I don’t know many people who would be willing to take on the responsibility when I’m away nor do I think Zoe will be ok with someone coming over and grabbing her to poke her. Most importantly I know she needs to eat before insulin and I know she won’t if some stranger is over. I’m currently looking to find a vet or a shelter that would take care of her over a weekend but I worry because she’s such a high stress cat. When she first got on her insulin she stayed at the vet over night and only did she eat overnight.

I love this cat almost more then anything and I just want what’s best for her. My anxiety has been at an all time high. I don’t know what I’m expecting you guys to reply with but I can’t be the only one who’s been in this cercimstance and was just wondering how you did it?

Thx
 
My heart goes out to you Braden, my recently deceased Aunt fought cancer for almost 2 years :bighug:.
As you are thinking, boarding her will probably be much more stressful than anything you can set up at home.
My thoughts are:
  • Is there a way to make it so she can't go in bedrooms/closets to hide in, should someone be willing to learn how to care for her a couple times a month?
  • Have you ever burrito'd her? Maybe if you can teach her it's ok, she wouldn't be as afraid if someone else needed to.
  • Depending on her BG numbers, you may have to skip it when you go away every second weekend.
  • Have you ever tried Feliway?
 
Is there any reason she couldn't go with you? I pack China up and take her with me when I take my Mom to Branson for the holiday shows.

There are lots of people who can come to your home. Search for "Petsitters near (your town)".....if you find one you like, they could come visit enough times so your kitty could get used to them being in the house
 
Mia is a very sensitive, scared girl and a mama's baby. When I travelled, my sister would always come and check on my girls each day, but Mia would usually stay in hiding. A glimpse of her is the best my sister could hope for, even after years of coming to check on them. I wish I had great advice to offer you, but I don't, because my solution up to this point has been that I do not go anywhere. I ceased all travel when she was diagnosed. I have personally given every shot and done every test even though I have a husband. He adores Mia, but she has a degree of fear even of him. I have had cats in the past that I could take with me, but Mia would 'freak out' if I tried to take her anywhere.

This is a topic I have given a lot of thought. I am nearly a year and a half into this, and I know travel is going to have to happen at some point. I keep hoping for remission (and we may be getting close... maybe), but if that does not happen, I will eventually have to find a way. I have even considered buying an RV. I thought that maybe it could be like an extension of the house, a 'room' I could gradually let the girls get used to then try taking them somewhere in it. That might not work though and seems a bit extreme given the cost of RVs and having to have somewhere to store it, and there's the fact that 'road trips' are not really the kind of travel we normally (used to) do. With Mia, I know that being able to stay in her home would be less stressful than being boarded somewhere. I think it would also be slightly less stressful (for her and me) to have someone that is not a total stranger take care of her. So, I guess, assuming Zoe is similar, my advice would be to find a family member or friend who is willing to help and start having them come over so that she can get used to them. After they have visited a few times and, hopefully, interacted with her, have them start to do things like feed her when they come.. then give a shot.. then test. Hopefully, she will become accustomed to them and get more comfortable with it over time. Especially if this is going to be something you need done regularly, this seems like the best option.
 
I understand your angst completely. I have a Zoe too! She has been very skittish all her life tho since her diagnosis and I have had to handle her twice daily she has become much less averse to being picked up.That being said I know of no one that will be able to dose her when I am gone somewhere, so I am planning on kenneling her. My vet that diagnosed her says she is very sweet with them and they would enjoy having her around since many times diabetic cats are not the friendliest but in her case she adapts well and that eases my mind. I hate to put her through it but I would worry non stop about someone catching her and testing/ injecting her if even I got my daughter who lived here with her before she moved out. If Zoe decided she would have none of that I would be afraid my daughter would just give up. (Im in a house and too many places to hide).I plan on going somewhere for 4 days in Jan which has been an annual trip with 3 best friends. I would not go if I didn't know that she will be taken care of by the vet.

In your case with ailing family, I know that is coming for me too with my parents. I like the idea of packing her up and taking her with you. She would become accustomed to the trip eventually and you and her could be at ease.
 
Thanks for the advice so far peeps. After thinking about it I could technically bring her to the cabin a couple hours away from home. We do have a nice trailer that I could keep her in and sleep in there with her. There will be a lot of outside activity around the trailer with lawn mowing, leaf blowers and dogs barking. I’ve looked at spacious bags to transport her in. Though lately I’ve been going down massive rabbit holes in google I’m finding that apparently this method would be just as stressful then keeping her in a shelter? I’m reading things that a cat won’t eat or go to the litter box for 24-48 hours after travel and staying in a new place? So that kind of worries me. I know it’s important that she has to eat before insulin. I’m currently having this problem with her right now. She’s been on insulin since Tuesday and it seems like she doesn’t want to eat her much of her wet food. I’ve been giving her fancy feast Paté about half a can for breakfast and dinner but she hardly eats half of it. I have to periodically put it in front of her every few hours and she’ll eat a bit but she’s not eating it in its entirety like she was a week ago. If I give her some treats she’s more then happy to eat them. I’ve still giving her .5 insulin like the vet recommended. She’s going for her one week at the vet on Wednesday so I’m hoping that by then she’s eating again. I’m unsure how much she needs in her belly before insulin but so far I’m not seeing any signs of hypoglycaemia. She does seem to be very inactive and just wants to spend most of the day sleeping next to me. I got a little bit of play time out of her this morning but she just doesn’t seem to have much energy. It makes me sad seeing her like this. I’m hoping it’s just cause we’re in that first adjustment week.
 
I purchased this product for 2 cats who travel with me in the car. The bottom is not firm so I set it up in the car then bring each cat down in their regular carrier with a leash on. I can then safely grab them tightly and shove them in the travel box. 1 cat per box. It is very roomy for one cat, with a small (included) litter box and water/food bowels. When I leave the hotel room they are always in the soft sided box, with the "Do Not Disturb" sign up. Neither cat seems to have a problem as all they do is sleep anyway. This may be an option for you to be able to take Zoe with you. I also have a Zoe...Russian Blue.

https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Fit-Life-Collapsible-Portable/dp/B01LYHJBUT/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
 
Our first diabetic was an Angel who loved being in the car. Noah was a nervous wreck, the kind of cat you would have to announce yourself to when coming in the door, "It's just daddy". If a stranger came in the house Noah would be in the basement for hours, a sitter was out of the question.
In May we were obligated to be far away for six days and all we could do was board him. Thankfully we are on good terms with two vets and that saved us and Noah but required very specific instructions. Never ever take it for granted any clinic knows what they're doing.
We had a dog so terrified of thunder and fireworks she was on Valium but that's playing with fire. It took almost a year to convince our vet things were really that bad.
And thank you for spelling Zoe correctly, that really makes me nuts!
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Noah was a nervous wreck, the kind of cat you would have to announce yourself to when coming in the door, "It's just daddy".
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Yes! Every time I come in, I say, 'It's mama'. She knows without being told though. It's really funny. If she is laying on the bed, and I open the garage door to pull in then close it and come into the house, she is still laying on the bed. If my husband does the exact same thing, she jumps down and runs under the bed. Sometimes she does it as soon as she hears the garage door start opening. Other times, she waits until she hears the door to the house being opened. It is sad for him because he is crazy about her and has never done anything to her to warrant the fear.
 
Well really? Zooey Deschanel! Like a zoo? Some names are classical and shouldn't be mangled because you want to be original.
Noah lived in our walk-in closet for years, we never did figure that out. There's no loud music here, no kids pulling tails and he was not the runt of the litter.
 
Braden & Zoe said:
I’m reading things that a cat won’t eat or go to the litter box for 24-48 hours after travel and staying in a new place?
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I've never had this problem....but I may have just been lucky. I'm sure it's an ECID kind of thing. I've had to take China to a hotel when my mom was having heart surgery (she earned 2 reductions while we were there!) as well as going to Branson the last several years. She adapts well and spends most of her time on the bed with me.

Braden & Zoe said:
I know it’s important that she has to eat before insulin
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What type of insulin are you using?
 
Chris & China said:
I've never had this problem....but I may have just been lucky. I'm sure it's an ECID kind of thing. I've had to take China to a hotel when my mom was having heart surgery (she earned 2 reductions while we were there!) as well as going to Branson the last several years. She adapts well and spends most of her time on the bed with me.



What type of insulin are you using?
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Canisillan
 
Braden & Zoe said:
Canisillan
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Yeah, it's important that they eat a pretty normal sized meal before shooting with Caninsulin….it's one of the harsher insulins that tends to hit "hard and fast"

With the newer, gentler insulin's, you have a couple of hours to get them to eat since they don't go to work as quickly.
 
Chris & China said:
Yeah, it's important that they eat a pretty normal sized meal before shooting with Caninsulin….it's one of the harsher insulins that tends to hit "hard and fast"

With the newer, gentler insulin's, you have a couple of hours to get them to eat since they don't go to work as quickly.
Click to expand...
Yikes, well I got to say especially the past few days she hasn’t been eating much. I’ve been trying to wing her on fancy feast pate, I give her half of a tuna can size and she maybe eats about half of that. I’ve been feeding her science hills perfect weight dry food this year because she was having constipation issues earlier this year and I’ve put that out and she won’t even touch it. Only today was it I went out and bought Friskys chicken in gravy and she eaten that more. I usually gave her friskys Paté for dinner for years and she has been ignoring that too. She goes back to the vet on Wednesday for the day to check her curve. Maybe have to try a different insulin?
 
Braden & Zoe said:
She goes back to the vet on Wednesday for the day to check her curve.
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Are you not home testing yet? Curves done at the vet's office are usually pretty useless because the cat's under stress and the numbers can be 200 points higher than they'd be at home where they're relaxed. A lot of times people get into trouble here because they listen when their vet's do a curve and tell them to increase the insulin based on those "stressed" numbers and then once they're at home and kitty relaxes, they come crashing down.

Braden & Zoe said:
Maybe have to try a different insulin?
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There are newer insulins that I think work better on most cats. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are all more gentle insulin's and work better in most cats. Now they're a lot more expensive than Vetsulin, but we know lots of ways to keep those costs down too (like buying Lantus/Levemir from Canada where it's 1/3rd as much!)
 
Chris & China said:
Are you not home testing yet? Curves done at the vet's office are usually pretty useless because the cat's under stress and the numbers can be 200 points higher than they'd be at home where they're relaxed. A lot of times people get into trouble here because they listen when their vet's do a curve and tell them to increase the insulin based on those "stressed" numbers and then once they're at home and kitty relaxes, they come crashing down.



There are newer insulins that I think work better on most cats. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are all more gentle insulin's and work better in most cats. Now they're a lot more expensive than Vetsulin, but we know lots of ways to keep those costs down too (like buying Lantus/Levemir from Canada where it's 1/3rd as much!)
Click to expand...
I’m not home testing yet. My pops gave me his glucose meter but I can’t seem to get a reading on it. I don’t know if I’m not getting s big enough drop of blood from her ear but it won’t read. She also doesn’t like it and shakes her ear when I’ve done it. I had planned on taking it to the vet to see if they can get it to work. I’m debating if I want to give her half a dose tomorrow. Tonight she ate more of her dinner but she still left quite a bit behind and she doesn’t seem to have much of an appetite. I find she’s not even going to the bathroom that much. Think I saw her have a pee today and that was it. She had a couple poops yesterday morning but nothin today. She’s been sleeping lots and keeping by my side. She had a small burst of energy this morning, but I can’t hold her attention for more then a few minutes. She perks up pretty quick when I give her some treats though. I was hoping this change in her was just because this is week 1 of her adjusting.
 
You're dad's meter may need a bigger blood sample than some of the newer ones. One thing you can try is scraping the blood sample onto a clean fingernail and testing from there.

I really like THIS METER

It takes the tiniest sample size (about the size of a pin head) and the strip "sucks up" the blood into it.

Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.

Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat.Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!

There are more testing tips here:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
Feliway and take with you. Otherwise kitty will get severe separation anxiety and you'll always feel stressed and guilty, especially if kitty does something harmful from anxiety when you're gone, like eat the rug, lick/chew/bite fur off, totally stop eating, potty someplace(s) other than the litter box, escape/run away, etc. if Feliway not enough, see vet for gabapentin or other drug.
 
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