Help! Sometimes my cat runs and hides from me when I need to give him his injection!

New member here and my cat was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago. There have been a few days, that I can't get to him while he's eating. Either he won't come out when I feed him, or I give him a chance to eat first. Because of circumstances, he stays mostly in my bedroom and he'll hide under the bed. I really don't want to have to try using something like a broom to force him out. But he will not come out if I call him or offer treats. How long will the insulin be good in the syringe under these circumstances? Will an hour or more after his eating be okay to finally give him his injection? I'm starting to think, I don't have the patience for this.... Thanks for any advice you can give me. He doesn't do it most of the times, but when he does, it upsets me so much and I can't find out online how soon the insulin in the syringe has to be used and what happens if he misses a dose? Or if instead of missing a dose, giving it hours later and then the next dose at the usual time? I work 40 hours a week at least, so this is very difficult for me to do especially when he won't cooperate. Thanks!

 

I'm sorry that I don't have any advice for you. Many other members with significantly more experience might have some good tips.

I use freeze dried chicken treats and FCC is very responsive to them, but I understand that I am lucky when it comes to this. I have another cat that would be far less co-operative.

I am not sure what kind of insulin you are using, but if you post in the forum specific to your insulin someone might be able to tell to how long it can stay in a syringe etc. I think it's all insulin dependent? If you need help finding the subforum for your insulin I can link it.

I am sorry you are feeling so overwhelmed. It must be even harder when you have a cat that hides and runs away. I had a very tough time in the beginning and it really is getting better. This forum is the most helpful place you could have found. You need to be kind to yourself and take a deep breath.

I would suggest removing the 911 from your prefix and use the question mark instead because I believe 911 is for emergencies that require immediate attention.

If I can find any helpful links I will add them. Sorry, I don't even have the introducing you to the forum post figured out, but I wanted to make sure you had a reply.

https://felinediabetes.com/injections.htm

I don't know if you've read this, but hopefully it'll help a little.

 

I am new to this myself so I don't really know how long you want to wait on the dose or skip. I am a nurse, of humans, and the insulin you drew up will be good all evening. Put the syringe in a cool place and hope that he comes out soon. Hopefully someone with more experience will help with the dose. If you have to wait several hours then you will need to give the morning shot closer to 12 hours from when you give it tonight. Such as 9:00PM tonight, give at 8:30 in the am. But please get more experienced advise on delaying dose and giving the next several days. I know you have to get back on schedule slowly over a day or so. Good luck

 

Hello.

The insulin in your syringe should be good for about 12 hours in the fridge. So if you can’t give it to him, it will be okay until the next dose time. After that it should be disposed of.

Whether you should skip a shot entirely or delay it will depend heavily on what kind of insulin you are using. If you are on Lantus or Levemir, it is usually much safer for your cat to miss a shot than to delay by more than 30 minutes. If you are on ProZinc or Vetsulin, you have more wiggle room, but I’m not sure to what extent.

It will also depend on whether your cat has any other health conditions.

 

If you could update your signature, it’s going to help the advisors answer your questions today and in the future. You also won’t have to include that information in your posts later, too - it’ll show up automatically.

This post details ways to help us help you: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

I would also suggest you change the “911” prefix to the question mark unless your cat is having a true emergency.

 

Well, it's been hours now. I was supposed to give it to him at 5:30. And no, I didn't think about refrigerating it until the opportunity arose to give it to him. I could have also filled a new one had I the opportunity to give him anything in time. I'll just have to skip it tonight and get on schedule tomorrow morning. I didn't change the '911' prefix as I truly was panic stricken over this. I guess I really should have called the emergency vet for advice, but they almost always tell you to bring them in so they can charge you. I will keep the info everyone here gave in mind and call the vet tomorrow for their advice. They have him on Novolin-N, 3 units. Those instructions say to give it as soon as possible after filling the syringe, but they don't give a time frame. And I didn't see Novolin-N listed on the forums and that's another reason why I posted the way I did. Thank you for all your advice.

 

There are a few things to consider. First, can you put boxes, pillows, etc. around or under your bed to prevent your cat from hiding?

You need to feed your cat, wait an hour, and then give Novolin. Food needs to be in your cat's system due to the fast action of the insulin you're using.

3.0u is a lot of insulin for a cat that's been diagnosed only 3 weeks ago. Depending on what kind of food you're feeding your cat, the starting dose of Novolin is 0.5 - 1.0u and doses should be increased by no more than 0.25u.

One reason your cat may be hiding is that Novolin is a hardh, fast-acting insulin. It also has a relatively short duration of action. With the dose you're giving, there's a strong possibility that your cat's numbers are dropping quite low which is making your kitty feel quite poorly.

Novoilin is not recommended for the treatment of feline diabetes by the American Animal Hospital Assn. The recommended insulins are either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc.

I'd also strongly encourage you to begin to home test. It is the best way to insure your cat's safety.

I'm removing the 911 from your subject line.