Feeling good vs.feeling fried...

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Jeanne & Dottie

Jeanne & Dottie

Member Since 2016
I've noticed that during a cycle, Dottie tends to do her very best when she's not at a low number like 80-120..but really gets perky around a BG of 235-240. :joyful: It's like she has a little alarm clock that goes off, with an alarm tone that says, "It's time to enjoy life". She's bright, bouncy, and interested in her environment, poking in corners like she hasn't done in years.

BUT...When she's where the ideal setpoint is..at 80-to 120..all she wants to do is sleep. She even looks groggy. Her whole attitude is like, "Meh..".

Same goes for anything over 250, only I believe the higher numbers are probably very different feeling..not the same as low number feelings, because higher glucose levels are tearing up her organs, eventually doing damage.

I'd really like to hear from other guardians, to see if they notice their cats functioning best at certain numbers. I'm trying to puzzle out what is best for Dottie. Do cats have individual 'setpoints', that are ideal for them? I know cats sleep about 16 hours out of every day, but any more than that, what's their quality of life? I get that anything over 250 probably makes them feel crummy, but what about the lower numbers?

I'm pre-diabetic, and while I don't get shakey unless my BG is really low, (I don't test, but we all do have a 'red alert' button in our heads, that goes off if we're in danger of passing out)...it's different with a 'normal' blood sugar level. Life becomes 'flat'..it's hard to work up any enthusiasm for the day.

The ideal for our kitties is to have a good, level curve (oxymoron there:confused:)..but if getting to the ideal level turns a kitty into a doorstop for almost all the day..what is the quality of life there? Is this middle of the road setpoint something her body has learned? Will she improve at lower levels with time? Is this initial sluggishness 'getting used' to her insulin? Should I insist she 'wake up' and be active at the lower levels? There is nothing medical going on, other than her diabetes, at the moment. Yet it feels like she needs more 'oompf' in her life than she gets when her numbers are in the ideal range.
 
I would imagine it is the Every Cat is Different thing, Jeanne. Many cats are active and frisky at lower levels. I also have heard that, because they ran in higher ranges before they started insulin, their bodies get used to the way the higher numbers feel. Regardless, I would want to "shoot" for regulated numbers first (mid 200s at preshot and double digits at nadir but above 50 on a human meter, 68 on a pet meter). The longer they spend under the renal threshold (we don't have a specific number for that - maybe between 200-250?) the more likely their pancreas can heal.

Can we set you up with a spreadsheet? It would be so helpful to really see her doses and patterns over time. If you need help, send me a pm. (Click on my picture of Niko and start a private conversation.)
 
Lincoln has more energy in the high numbers, but I don't consider it a good energy. He is frantic for food and crying more. When he gets into lower numbers he is a calm cat. When he gets too low, he does get too out of it. This morning he is pretty perky so he must be getting used to the lower numbers too.

I would look to get my cat more used to the normal numbers. Above 250 is going to be keeping your cat above renal threshhold. Even if they seem like they are better, there will be organ damage happening and long-term, that would not be a good thing for them. You are more likely to see kidney, liver, heart conditions show up in cats who remain in those high numbers long term.
 
I have been watching this too Jeanne....
When Dre had been 200-300 for a while I felt he was acting "normal" until he had a run of numbers in the low 100s or less (alpha track) when he was running all over and sleeping with me again!!
we then had a bounce and at first he was sluggish at the 250-300s
then he seemed to get used to them again-
we are now trending down and he is brighter again--
yes my head is spinning as if possessed!
bottom line.... I think when he gets and stays lower he will be very spunky-
it is the up and down that I "think" puts a spin on things-
As you said--the renal threshold is key and his organs remaining healthy...
:bighug:
 
I've found that when Bandit is on insulin, he's definitely a lot friskier and playful at lower numbers than high. But...you also have to remember that they are cats, and cats sleep a ridiculous amount of time, and they sometimes change up their routines to be active at night, when you're not watching her. I got worried about Bandit this winter because it seemed like he wasn't moving from sleeping on the heater except to get up and eat....until I found out from my partner that Bandit was getting up late at night and playing with our other cat instead of our usual routine when I got home from work. There could be other factors at work...is it colder in the house certain parts of the day when she may be hitting lower numbers as part of her routine cycle? Are you getting numbers in her PM cycle to see how she fares? Has she even hit a regular cycle yet where BG trends in the same pattern at different times of the day, or is her BG still all over the place? Some caution should be used in trying to read too much into the numbers in determining behavior, when there are many other factors that could be at play. Setting up a spreadsheet to help you see the patterns is a great thing to do in helping you figure this stuff out.
 
Julia & Bandit said:
I've found that when Bandit is on insulin, he's definitely a lot friskier and playful at lower numbers than high. But...you also have to remember that they are cats, and cats sleep a ridiculous amount of time, and they sometimes change up their routines to be active at night, when you're not watching her. I got worried about Bandit this winter because it seemed like he wasn't moving from sleeping on the heater except to get up and eat....until I found out from my partner that Bandit was getting up late at night and playing with our other cat instead of our usual routine when I got home from work. There could be other factors at work...is it colder in the house certain parts of the day when she may be hitting lower numbers as part of her routine cycle? Are you getting numbers in her PM cycle to see how she fares? Has she even hit a regular cycle yet where BG trends in the same pattern at different times of the day, or is her BG still all over the place? Some caution should be used in trying to read too much into the numbers in determining behavior, when there are many other factors that could be at play. Setting up a spreadsheet to help you see the patterns is a great thing to do in helping you figure this stuff out.
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I have noticed Dre starts "waking up" after about a hour after injection... so interesting! Sometimes at night I wish I could shoot sooner when he is just BLAH :(
 
Thanks for the input, everyone. :bighug: No, I do not wish to keep Dottie above that renal threshold. Her numbers are steadying, but I had planned to try to keep her in the high 100s to very low 200s for a while at least, until her body gets used to numbers below the 350-400 range *shudder*..and gradually try inching her to the lower 100s and give her time to adapt in several phases. I was just curious o_Oas to at what point everyone's kitties started behaving like they had some energy.

And to be fair, yes, it is winter, and yes our house is dreadfully cold, over a hundred years old, and full of cracks. :banghead:Every time we patch up a spot, someplace new develops a draft....(there are days I will wear a hat inside because my hair is very short and my head gets cold).. Dottie spends most of her time under her little blanket. So the temperature could have a bearing on how she feels.

@jayla-n-Drevon Yes, Dottie has a set time when she perks up..only hers is at about two hours into her insulin. It's like pushing a button, I can count on that change:cat: in her right almost to that moment.
 
I've noticed with Smokey when he was real high in the high 300 and 400 he stayed in a corner and hid. Also had LB issues. In the 300's he paces a lot and doesn't seem to know what he wants and howls constantly. In the 200's he is more alert and occasionally plays with a toy. Doesn't like to be alone. He likes the 200's. In the 100's he does seem to sleep more, but when awake his head is high and eyes are bright. He hasn't been in the 100's much for any length of time, they are numbers he is not use to.
 
This is an interesting topic, though in Joshi's case, her "perky" periods almost always coincide in the hours post-shot. Really, I'm just happy that her overall demeanor since we started treatment has improved - I'd say her sleep/wake schedule is more back to normal. During those months before she was diagnosed, her day to day was so focused on eating, drinking and peeing that it threw off all aspects of her life. I realize that more in retrospect - poor Joshi was probably mentally exhausted. It's nice to see her able to relax again. :) After all, the Queen of the House needs to be at her best to rule her abode.
 
I'm new at watching these numbers, but Tara seems to feel best on days when BG has less variance than on days when she has more. It looks like bounces particularly are stressful to her system and her emotions. On one day with high variance, when she dropped to a green number, she felt great. But so far I can't get her to those numbers reliably, or repeat them again. (?) Keep trying.
 
I really do think it's the big swings that make them feel the worst. I can tell when Pimp is heading up on a bounce because he sleeps in the closet.
 
I'm so glad to know I am not alone! (ANTI JINX).... Menace, my high dose girl, has just had her first two consecutive days in the blues and one green nadir (human meter)! Both cycles were fairly flat so it wasn't a reaction to a bounce. I think she must have heard me threatening to introduce another shot into her routine if things didn't improve very soon! :rolleyes:

To say I am elated is an understatement. I am singing Hallelujah at the sight of those numbers, (ANTI JINX! ANTIJINX!) but I have also been checking on her more the past few days as her numbers dropped because there was just something about her activity level and interactions that seemed a bit off to me. I feared the worst and thought she was perhaps coming down with something. She is sleeping just as much if not more than she did when she was in very high numbers and this isn't what I expected at all. I realize she has to get used to those lower numbers but who would have thought that improved numbers might make her feel punky? My vigilance will continue and hopefully the BG levels will remain at this level or improve further and she will start running around like a crazed feline with her little brother like she used to in the near future.
 
Andy & Pimp said:
I really do think it's the big swings that make them feel the worst.
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That has been my experience with Saoirse. She was absolutely miserable during the hours of peak effect when on Caninsulin (used to hide behind a curtain for much of it) but she'd perk up again as the dose was wearing off. After a few weeks on it she started trying her level best to find an extremely inaccessible place to hide when her injections were due. She was way happier in herself on Lantus.

Second time around on Lantus Saoirse tends to get a bit sleepy for an hour or two after a dose is administered. That may have been the case when she started Lantus first time but she was going through a pancreatitis flare and was being treated with cyproheptadine. The cypro is an antihistamine and can cause drowsiness. At the time I put Saoirse's drowsiness down to the cypro but it may well have been due to the Lantus.


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