Decreased use in litterbox?

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Cindy & Pets

Cindy & Pets

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Hello, I've got an 'just curious' question.

Is it normal to see less pee/poo in a litterbox from a diabetic cat? Or is this something I should be worried about? i have 2 cats that use the same litterbox, and I've seen the usage cut in half. However, there is no problems with them using the outside of the litterbox.

One thing to note is the nnon-diabetic cat just got done having a problem with diarrhea that seems to have went away on its own.

So I was just wondering, is this something that I should contact my vet about to see if something is wrong? Or....?

Something to note about the diabetic cat is her recent bG levels, of which I still haven't gotten the hang of testing at home yet, so these are the reliable numbers from the vet:
2/14/2012(Diagnosis): 400 before pm shot and before dinner
2/23: 275 before pm shot and before dinner
2/24(mother helped with this, she has a diabetic cat, so this was 2nd nature to her): 207 hour or so after pm shot and food
3/2: 175 before pm shot and dinner

She is currently on Humulin N, dose of 2.5 units, before the 2nd, it was 2 units. This all started happening on Saturday. I also could not give her her shot on saturday morning as I was gone, and within that time and sunday night, she managed to lose an ounce, which was the main indicator that she was diabetic.
 
As her glucose levels improve, there should be less urine output.
If you have switched to a low carb diet, there will be less fibrous material in the food and thus less stool coming out.

Alternate explanations are possible, though

Less urine may occur if the kidneys aren't working well or if the urethra is partially blocked. Watch for frequent attemps to urinate, signs of pain (ex vocalizing when using the box), blood in the urine, or a urinous smell on her breath. Any of those mean go to the vet immediately.

Smaller, less frequent stools may indicate constipation, partial obstruction, of nerve problems in the intestines (signals not getting through properly). These, too, need checking by a vet.
 
Alright, I should be getting an appointment sometime next week, as now that I've got the courage to test at home, I'm going to give it another go the vet wants to see her less often, so I'll mention it.

Thankfully none of those symptoms are occurring. I'll keep an eye out for them though.

I have switched to a lower-carb canned food(and before that, from dry food to canned, but that was last month) than what she was getting recently. So that might be it. They were out of what she usually gets and I needed to get her something, so I went with that.

Thanks, I was just wondering if it was something small and can just be mentioned next time I go to the vet, or if it was something I should schedule an appointment for sooner than she's due for one. :)
 
At one time, Blondie's urine output diminished. I thought, "Great! He's not flooding the box anymore!"

That was until summer became Autumn and I finally cranked up the furnace for the first time in like three months. And then "Whooosh!" this great green fog of urine smell came wafting *Nay, more like 'billowing'* out of the front room and formal dining room. It turns out that my clever British Shorthair was being quite stunningly cunning and gentlemanly by peeing down each and every heat register. *sigh*

I actually kind of caught him in the act. He was walking past the kitchen in the dining room and he had this guilty look in his eye, he started trotting really fast like an old man in plaid golf pants with a fully loaded Attends diaper. Aha! Caught'cha! Thank's to Odorxit I finally got all the stink out. I tried everything but this is the only thing that really worked. http://odorxit.com/ It's used by hardcore building restorationists.

Before I used the stuff, my sister Shirin renamed my dining room, "Akhmed's Urine Hut" (in honor of an old man who man's a certain charity drop off somewhere in Kent, Wa. who used to pee in a big glass jug that's hidden behind the storage container. Don't ask me how she knew about that!).

With the clever use of sheets of plexi-glass from Lowe's, I made a see through barrier to the front room and dining room to keep him out and he returned to flooding the box as usual...

Anyway, check your heat registers and any out of the way room not being used alot. V
 
Thing is, I have checked everywhere for anywhere she could be going besides the litterbox, and haven't found anything.

However, currently I'm fairly frustrated....I'm trying again to get her blood sugar because she didn't eat much, isn't acting right, and I want to make sure she isn't too low. But it's just....I've heated up the ear with a sock full of rice, I saw the vein, but it's so small, so I can hardly hit it. Even the vet has issues getting blood from her veins. And I'm calming down before I try again. But could there be anything else I can do? She's a black and white cat, so it's especially hard to get it. And she's also became frustrated. I was calm and everything....but then she got to hissing and growling when I tried, wouldn't even accept the treat I gave her for being patient. Would a flashlight help with finding the vein?
 
A flashlight can be really useful to see the vein, but you don't want to hit the vein, you are aiming for the area between the vein and the edge of the ear.

When I occassionally test my black eared civies (yep, I test them all from time to time). I test them on the inside of the ear instead of the outside so I can see the blood easier.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
I never aim for the vein; I'll have a gusher if I hit the vein.
Just like poking your finger; you get a drop of blood by poking the edge of the ear.... the ears learn to bleed and it will get better with time.
 
Well, I figure I need to see the vein to see where I need to go next to the ear, I don't think I'll get anything from her tonight. And since she didn't eat enough, I don't feel safe giving her her insulin. She doesn't seem to have a problem once I actually manage to get it, but it looks like I get the ear, but I guess I just give her a little prick? Because even after heating, then poking, then massaging the ear, no blood comes.

Also, my vet never gave the official okay to test her, but it's a bayer contour and I think I've heard it's really good, especially since my mom made sure it worked for cats, since she has a diabetic kitty, but even she(she's good at testing) was having major issues tonight. Could Tip just be in a foul mood....or....?
 
Some folks actually shave the ear in the area where they will test, to make it easier to see.

Neosporin ointment with pain relief helps reduce discomfort with testing, and helps the blood bead up for collection. Put a dab on a few minutes before you test, wipe away, poke with lancet, sip with test strip, and blot firmly to reduce bruising.

If you are really desperate, you can poke the vein - you just need to be ready to test fast, then blot firmly or you'll wind up with blood spatters everywhere when the cat shakes its head!
 
I didn't think of shaving. What should I use?

Does Vaseline work just as well? As the cats do lick each others ears and I hear neosporin is bad for them when ingested.

Alright, if I can't get it elsewhere, I'll use the vein.

But now I'm wondering....I did do the right thing that since I couldn't get the test, and because she didn't eat much and by the time I had almost got the test done it had been an hour after eating, right?
 
Shaving is probably safest with electric clippers. If the cat is calm, you might actually use a safety blade - I'd pull the safety razor with the fur, rather than against it, to just thin it out and shorten it, plus this reduces the risk of cuts.

The pain relief part of the neosporin w/ pain relief helps reduce discomfort to the cat and lessens resistance to testing. Wiping it off before testing prevents much ingestion.

vaseline works to help the blood bead up too, so if you have so, go ahead and wipe in a small dab.

High glucose causes problems slowly; really low glucose kills. It is safer to hold off on insulin when you have no idea what level the cat is at.


In case blood testing doesn't quite happen for a while, the following may help.

Alternative monitoring tools include:

Glucotest crystals to add to the litterbox; they turn color in the presence of glucose. Assuming all other cats are healthy, the only one turning a color would be the diabetic. If you use clumping litter, you may need to break up the clumps to find the glucotest crystals.

Urine ketone test strips - if you can keep in a room by herself and use acquarium gravel in a litterbox (nonabsorbent) in that room, then within 30 minutes after she uses the litterbox, you can push the gravel aside, tilt the box, dip the strip, and compare to the color codes on the side of the container. Seeing moderate to high ketones means time to contact the vet, as urine ketones may be the beginning of diabetic ketoacidosis.

Water consumption: measure how much you put down each day and subtract the remainder. you should see a decrease as the diabetes becomes controlled. Even with several cats, you're likely to see a change.

Th 5 Ps: purring, preening (grooming), playing, peeing and poohing.
A happy healthy cat is usually in a good mood, takes care of grooming, has the energy to be playful (or whatever is normal activity), doesn't pee lakes, and has a normal fecal output.

Make yourself a chart - your vet will find the charting helpful too.
 
Okay, I can see how that'd help. I'll try it next time, which will be tomorrow morning if she doesn't eat well again. Is there anything I can do to help her ease in to it better? What I'm doing doesn't seem to be working.

I think I might try the glucotest crystals. Where would I get those? And I'll talk to the vet when I get her in(will be calling to set up an appointment later in the week on monday) on what else I can do since my vet is fine with the idea of home testing so long as the cat and human can both tolerate it. In regards to the other cat(Christmas), I might want to get her tested just as a little sanity check for me next annual they have, might save her from getting as bad as Tip, who went from 12lbs down to 7lbs 14 oz in about 3-4 months.

Ooo, yeah, ketone test strips. I've been thinking of picking some up just in case, I hate being unprepared. Yet again, where might I be able to find them?

One problem with water consumption, which might actually work to her advantage, is that she drinks from the water faucet.

Okay. Thanks so much, that helps me a lot because I'm just....unsure of what to look for. The vet tech that explained everything to me mostly just gave me a little booklet, told me how to give her the insulin, and the typical things that show when she's dangerously low.
 
Sayania said:
Okay, I can see how that'd help. I'll try it next time, which will be tomorrow morning if she doesn't eat well again. Is there anything I can do to help her ease in to it better? What I'm doing doesn't seem to be working.

I think I might try the glucotest crystals. Where would I get those? And I'll talk to the vet when I get her in(will be calling to set up an appointment later in the week on monday) on what else I can do since my vet is fine with the idea of home testing so long as the cat and human can both tolerate it. In regards to the other cat(Christmas), I might want to get her tested just as a little sanity check for me next annual they have, might save her from getting as bad as Tip, who went from 12lbs down to 7lbs 14 oz in about 3-4 months.

Ooo, yeah, ketone test strips. I've been thinking of picking some up just in case, I hate being unprepared. Yet again, where might I be able to find them?

One problem with water consumption, which might actually work to her advantage, is that she drinks from the water faucet.

Okay. Thanks so much, that helps me a lot because I'm just....unsure of what to look for. The vet tech that explained everything to me mostly just gave me a little booklet, told me how to give her the insulin, and the typical things that show when she's dangerously low.
Click to expand...

You do need to pick up the ketostix and start testing urine because with not eating enough and not enough insulin, you could end up with a very sick cat at the vet.

The contour meter is just fine; it's my favorite. How are you poking the ear? Are you using the lancet device? If you are having issues getting blood, you can adjust the dial on the bayer lancet device. using the device is more consistent and easier on the cat as it's much quicker than poking freehand. Poke you own finger and get the device set for a good depth so that you can get a drop each poke.
 
Okay, where would I get ketostix?

Wel, I tried the lancet device and it didn't seem to be working. I can try using it on myself. Might convince my grandpa though, since I....it seems really painful and I can be a bit of a whimp when it comes to that kind of thing. And he's very used to it as he has to do it twice a day with his own meter.
 
The KETOSTIX can be purchased at any pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist for them.

For the lancet device, practice on yourself. Seriously.
Put a lancet into the device, pull back the mechanism, dial it to 3 or something, then put the end against your own finger, and click.

I am not sure what you mean that it's not working. Do you mean you click it and it does not draw blood?

ETA: it's not painful ... poke yourself.
My cats pretty much sleep through the pokes so it's not a bad thing.
 
Alright. I'll be out tomorrow, so I'll ask for them.

Alright, I will.

Yeah, I click it and it doesn't draw blood.
 
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