Hometesting Links and Tips

Hometesting Help Links and Tips
Posted by: Carolyn and Spot

These links thoughtfully donated by members of this board. If you know of a link, video or other helpful hometesting information, please PM me and I'll be happy to add it!

•Information with Links, Instructions, Pictures and Videos•


Marje and Gracie's Testing and Shooting Tips
A compilation of links, 2013: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub
Laur and Danny's Famous Photo of "The Sweet Spot
http://www.felinediabetes.com/images/laur_danny_famoussweetspot.jpg
FDMB Page http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-test.htm
Veterinary Partner http://www.veterinarypartner.com/content.plx?P=A&S=O&C=O&A=605
A 2001 Conference - Home Testing for Diabetic Cats http://www.vspn.org/Library/Rounds/VSPN_LC011209.htm
Dr. Lisa's Hometesting Information http://www.catinfo.org/felinediabetes.htm#In-Home_Blood_Glucose_Monitoring

•Step By Step with Pictures•

•Ear Testing Psychology•

•Awesome Videos•

Note: Your cat may not initially behave as these cats do, but it will certainly give you something to look forward to. Many cats end up this calm after only a week or two of testing. Frustration is normal, but you *can* do this!

Mark and Buddy on YouTube


Lynette tests Louie


Monty the Diabetic Cat on YouTube




Pearl the Diabetic Cat Blog
http://pearlthediabeticcat.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-it-easy-to-test-cat.html

Lynette Tests Dreamsicle


Jen tests Smokey


How to check your cat's blood sugar from their paw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdUqsCUAyKU

How to Test a Fractious Cat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXyrKSJTlYA

•Quick Tips and Tricks•

Please read the walk throughs and instructional sites for more in depth help..

When you get a test reading of over 300 on a human meter, you will probably see KETONES? flash on the screen. This is a warning to human diabetics and does not indicate your cat has ketones. Most meters cannot test for ketones. One meter CAN test for ketones.. the Abbott Precision Xtra meter (known outside of the USA as brand name Precision/Optimum/Xceed).

Rice socks are commonly used to warm the ear. Rolled oats may also be used. Put a few tablespoons of rice or oats in a sock, knot it, and microwave it 20-30 seconds. Test on your wrist before applying to your cat's ear. After a minute or two of the warm sock, the ear should be warm enough to prick.

Other methods of warming the ear include: warm wet washcloth in a ziplock bag; vigorous massage/rubbing; wrapping the ear around a pill bottle with warm water in it.

To hold or not to hold? Some cats prefer not to be held. You can use the "knee catch" where you back the cat between your knees while kneeling. You can place the cat between you and the sofa arm. You can wrap the kitty in a towel, like a kitty "burrito". You can test the cat wherever you find her. You can have a testing table or counter, where you place kitty for every test. Or you can do what I do - Sit on the floor with kitty in your lap. All of my cats are tested this way, but it doesn't mean it's the only way. Try everything you can think of, request advice if you need it, and give treats and praise for every single behavior you want to reinforce. The more positive the experience, the more likely it is to be accepted.

Bribery is the best reward for testing. Most cats stop being annoyed with the tests in a very short amount of time if they are properly bribed. Some use cuddling and scritches as a reward, others use treats. Whatever you use, make sure kitty gets a reward for every test, even if it was a dismal failure.

Your mental state will be key to both successful tests and successful shots. Your cat can sense when you are nervous or upset and will respond accordingly, frequently trying to flee the scene. Feel positive that you will "get this thing done", and that approach will go a long way towards soothing a stressed pet. Human frustration is easily sensed and disparaged by cats, so if you feel it coming on, take a break.

A dab of vasoline or neosporin with pain relief can help the blood pool rather than soaking into the fur, and helps to heal the ear after the prick.

Using a tissue, always apply pressure to both sides of the ear for 20-30 seconds or so to stop the bleeding (or blood under the skin) and prevent bruising.



A personal note: I have been testing cats now for a long time, both diabetic and non-diabetic. You will hear people, and maybe even your own vet, say cats hate it, or they will scar for life, or that this is a painful procedure. This is simply not true. None of us have terrorized cats with scarred ears - what we have are thriving cats with perfect ears who are alive because we hometest.

Watch these videos and see for yourself how quickly cats not only adapt, but thrive, with hometesting. These cats are not rare, or "the mellow kind". They are normal cats, just like the one you own. Most cats come to look forward to testing time and the associated love, treats and healing. They are as smart as you think they are, and they will almost immediately associate that testing is part of why they feel better.
..Carolyn