Introducing Bumby! (and Peg)

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BumbyandPeg

Member Since 2013
Hi all,
My friend Bumby is a 9 yr old dsh and was recently diagnosed with diabetes. A little background: I adopted her and her sister when they were approx 3 months... Bumby has always been a little emotionally "fragile". Her sister Tink is prety sociable and easy-going. Bumby has always had trust issues and has never been very affectionate. That's always been fine with me... when she wants to be petted... she comes and turns around so I can pet her butt and then usually she'll turn around so I can scratch her head and ears a bit. If she wants to sit with me, she jumps in my lap and stays as long as she wants (usually until I succumb to the temptation of touching her). Only in the last couple of years she's stopped looking at me with wide-eyed fear. In a major leap forward, in the last year she'll come to bed with me and lie near enough to me that I can scratch her ears, at least until I move too much. I love Bumby and Tink and I have never done anything to provoke sucn fear! I always figured it was just their different personalities and we'd just accept each other as we are. That has always worked for us.... until diabetes was diagnosed.
I got the "starter kit" and was ready to start this new phase of our lives. I just underestimated Bumby's response.... but I should have known better. For a cat used to initiating all contact (except for the dreaded vet visits and flea med applications) ... being pounced on twice a day for insulin injections just blew her away. It was well-intentioned ignorance on my part. Also, on top of the pouncing, she was being fed the presciption cat food... certainly a huge double whammy. (I tried everything to make the presciption food better--- ground it up to make it more the consistency of her regular food, warmed it for a couple seconds in the micro so it would have a little more flavor) Well, Bumb lost all faith in me... nine years of trust building down the tubes in less than a week. She's an indoor/outdoor cat.... until she refused to come in. Anytime I got near her, or even headed in her general dirction she bolted.
She stopped eating unless I put her food outside. Then she stopped eating altogether. Called the vet... they said get her eating again, even if it's not the prescription food. I've been doing that for about a month and a half... but she's still underweight and still suspicious of me. (She is eating and sleeping inside, though.) I've found she likes tuna in water, so I've been adding that to her Fancy Feast Classic and her Felidae (when I can sneak Felidae it in).
I'm not sure how to proceed. Has anyone had problems just approaching their cat? Since affection isn't much of a motivator for Bumb, does anyone have any suggestions for ways to connecct with her? I don't want to give up. I know now, any changes I make may have to be much more gradual than before. Can I keep bribing her with tuna?? Is there a way to get her back on prescription food? How can I get insulin in her??? I'm worried, scared, sad.... I want to help my little friend without inflicting more emotional distress. I look forward to hearing from some veterans in this group. Thanks! peg and bumby.
 
Hi Peg and welcome to the FDMB!

First, unless there's some reason (other than diabetes) to be feeding prescription food, don't bother. Most of it is too high in carbs anyway. The Fancy Feast classics are on our list of low carb foods, so if Bumby likes them, there's no reason you can't feed them!! Here's a complete list of canned foods and their carb percentage...You want to feed foods that are under 10% carbs (Column C) Dr. Pierson's Food Chart

If Bumby is still coming in at night, I might try starting over with her. Since you're unable to get insulin in her right now, at least you don't have to worry about her going too low, but if she's diabetic, she needs to get it as soon as possible.
Are you alone or do you have help at home?
If she likes tuna (or tuna water) that's fine...a lot of us use tuna water to add extra fluid to their diet. Maybe you could decide where you want to do your shots (and testing) and start off by putting a little tuna there and if you have to, back off and let her "learn" that when she's in that place, she gets good things to eat. Freeze Dried chicken is also a good low carb treat if she likes it, or you can get plain chicken, boil a piece, chop it up and use that for a reward. If she goes to get her "treat", slowly move toward her, talking or singing in a soft voice until you can touch her again. This may take some time, but you're going to have to get her to let you near her to treat her. Try doing this maybe when she first comes in at night as well as in the morning (if she HAS to go out)...and anytime in between.

You're going to have to get her trust again, so you can both do home testing (to keep her safe once you're giving insulin) and actually giving the shots.

Hopefully some of the others will come along and have some other ideas for you.

Good luck, and I hope Brumby will come around soon so you can get her feeling better. As long as her blood sugars are high, she's going to need lots of food since her body isn't able to break it down correctly without insulin.

P.S. What insulin is she supposed to be getting?
 
Thanks for the welcome, Chris and China! I was so relieved when I found this site... a diagnosis of diabetes takes more time to wrap one's head around than a few vet visits can afford.
To answer your question.. it's just the 3 of us.... Bumb, Tink, and me.
Thanks for the link to the food list... that is a very helpful resource.
Neither cat has had much interest in human food.. I tried cooked chicken, chicken liver, and chicken gizzards (all just boiled in water) and they showed a little interest in each the first couple times I offered them, but no real sustained interest. Tuna is about the only food that really gets their attention. When you say "tuna water" -- do you just mean what comes in the can, or do you add water to the tuna to make more?
The insulin we were given is ProZinc.
Thanks for the suggestion of starting a new routine. Sitting on my bed with me is about the only time she really comes to be with me, so I don't want to violate that space, but I'll put some more thought into it and see if I can figure out a specific place and routine... maybe with a little tuna... and see if I can't stay a little longer, gradually increasing the time I'm with her so she's not as suspicious of me. I need her to associate me more with the tuna than with the shots!
Thanks again!
 
When you say "tuna water" -- do you just mean what comes in the can, or do you add water to the tuna to make more?
Click to expand...

Just the water that comes with it generally, but there's no such thing as too much water, as long as there isn't any problems with Bumby's kidneys. Any time you can get more water into them, it's a good thing.

Glad the food list will be helpful for you! I know I was happy to have it, and lots of us print it out and take it to the store when we're out buying cat food. Since Bumby isn't interested in the prescription food anyway, if there's no other reason to use it, you can always take it back and get your money back. If the cat won't eat it, they'll return your money

We have all kinds of things we can teach you about managing diabetes at home, which will save you the money you'd spend at the vets. Most of us don't go to our vets for anything other than routine vet care (like shots) or if we have something else that needs treatment or diagnosis. The diabetes we handle at home.

Pro Zinc is a good insulin, so that's a start. So many vets don't even know what kinds of insulin work best for cats. Of course you have to be able to get it in her, and it sounds like that's going to take a little time until she lets you get close again. Before you start to shoot again, you should also try to learn to home test. It's the only way to safely give insulin. You wouldn't give a baby human insulin without knowing their blood glucose levels first, and it's the same with our furkids

Keep us informed on how it's going! Hopefully you can rebuild the relationship between you two!
 
I agree with China - I would hold off on the insulin right now until she trusts you.

And also you dont need that expensive prescription food.

Many of us here feed the fancy feast classic pates or friskies pates as they are low carb and suitable for diabetic cats, taste better, and cost less. So for now feed her one of those and work on getting her to trust you again with patience and low carb treats if she will take them. Feed her as much of it as she wants but make sure she doesnt get any high carb foods or dry at all. Many cats go into remission in a short time with a change of food alone and hopefully she might be one of them.

Does she use the litter tray indoors? If she does we can recommend some ways of seeing how she is doing generally by testing her pee.

Wendy
 
Also, when she begins to trust you again and let you pet her, try to start to massage her ears. This will get her used to you handling them. Reward her every time, even if you are not successful, with low carb treats such as freeze dried chicken. Soon she will associate you petting her ears and eventually testing with something good.

Friskies is another food you can feed instead of prescription food. Stick to the pate flavors, they usually have less carbs.

I understand her relationship with you. One of my cats, Indie is the same way. And I have had him since he was born. His brothers and sisters are the complete opposite - you can't pet them enough.
 
My signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools has a number of less invasive, albeit less precise, methods for assessing your cat.

An option, if you're up for it, is intensive work with her using a 30" to 36" crate and several times daily associational learning and positive reinforcement. The method is from Best Friends of Kanab, Utah, and was developed after Hurricane Katrina. They took in a number of cats believed to be feral and discovered that many of these cats were actually displaced, formerly socialized, currently freaked out cats (near death from drowning/stranded by water, being uprooted repeatedly, and losing their people might do that to a cat!) It works; I've used it successfully with 2 poorly socialized cats.
If you want the pdf, I'll need to get on my PC.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.... I took the food list to the pet store yesterday and picked up some friskies and fancy feast classic. She isn't eating well at all, but one of the friskie flavors interested her so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I was giving them tuna as treats and mixing it with their food, but now neither is interested in tuna.... maybe it's the brand, but I thought tuna in water is tuna in water. Maybe not. It seems Bumb will be interested in a food for a meal or two, then she's done with it.
I saw another post for a liquid diet for a cat that stopped eating and I may try that to supplement.
I'll get some freeze dried chicken.... maybe some KFC....I'll do just about anything to get her eating well.
There are two litter boxes for them, but since they're inside/outside they don't use the boxes unless there's bad weather for a couple days. The vet gave me the plastic beads to try to get a urine sample at home early on, just to confirm the diabetes diagnosis... I tried for a week and never got one. I finally took her to the vet and left her for a couple hours and they finally got one. My vet is great, by the way.... extremely knowledgeable, open, kind... and she recognizes the difficulty with Bumb being as fearful and timid as she is. Supportive without pressuring. I really appreciate this site, though... much more experience with special cicumstances and feedback from cats and friends who have been there.
Crate training is not an option. "The dreaded blue box" has always freaked her out. Nothing good ever came from time in the blue box. It would be too stressful and counterproductive for Bumb... but thanks for the suggestion... the more things people suggest, the better the odds some of them will work for my little furfriend.
Thanks again for the help. I'll keep checking for more ideas and keep trying the ones I get. I really do appreciate your experience and advice.
peg
 
Well, I have to imagine the cats brought to Best Friends were extremely stressed out, too, or they wouldn't have thought them feral.

Mason was trapped on my back patio about 2 years ago. He was terrified; I think someone from the apartments south of me just dumped him. I put him in a 48" long crate with a carrier to hide in at the far end, space for food, and a litterbox at the door end, with the crate on top of a table to reduce stress from the other cats. He would hiss every time I opened the crate to do the litterbox or put in food. Sometimes, he would bat at me when I put the food in. It took 6 months before he let me touch him, then he decided head scritches were wonderful.

When I finally opened the crate door to let him out inside the house, he had a squabble with one of the other cats and ran back into the crate. I left the crate door open, yet he remained inside the crate. When my housemate moved into the 2nd bedroom and brought his cat, plus a mom cat and 4 kittens, I took a dog kennel and set it up on the 1st floor. I moved Mason there, then gradually started removing panels. He eventually came out then went to the basement away from the younger cats. That's where he stays now.
 
Well - Bumby loves freeze dried chicken and bonita... and she seems to like the friskies pate I gave her yesterday! She ate better yesterday than she has for a long time.
I realized last night, she lets me get near her for petting and scratching, UNLESS I have food or treats for her! I guess I've tried bribes (distractions) too often for her taste! I don't remember doing it very often, but obviously it was enough for Bumby to remember. Might have been only once... she's got quite a memory for things that end in no good as far as she's concerned. I'm going to keep trying to respond to her every request for affection. Maybe at some point it will be pleasant enough for her that it might help her get through some of the tougher stuff, like injections and BG tests.
I'm so relieved she ate and likes some of the new treats. Even if it only lasts a day or two, it's a small reprieve from the worry!
Thanks again for your help.
peg
 
Hi Peg

I admire your tenacity with Bumby. Keep trying and working on her - you'll figure it out. I've seen cats completely turn around with time and patience.

Is she thirsty? If she is, you can add lots of water to the pate foods. Make them as soupy as she can stand. I had a cat go for the soupy food when she was thirsty because she preferred getting hydration from food instead of a water bowl. In turn, she got nourishment. If she licks all the tuna water out, just mix in some more. Eventually she will lick out all of the food with it.

Hang in there!
 
Yeah for Bumby liking the freeze dried chicken...and double YEAH for eating your fuds!!

If she really likes the FD chicken and bonita, you can sprinkle a little on top of her food if she decides it's not edible again. Might tempt her into eating a little more.

Keep it up...It took time to get her to trust you the first time, it'll just take a little time to figure out how best to deal with her and this sugardance.

We're all here for you and will help any way we can :-D
 
Have you thought of using aromatics along the lines of feliway? Michelangelo is a part-feral I rescued at 8 weeks old that wasn't even comfortable in most of my house until I started spraying the pheromones (Nature's Miracle, actually) in the areas he avoided...including his "vet crate." I actually caught him sleeping in it about a month ago! :o

Here is something I wrote up regarding the ear-testing process and difficult cats that might help give you some more ideas. It's about trying to work with the cat's limitations and removing things that cause them anxiety. As an example of how sensitive Mikey can be to change and over-stimulation, is that we had re-arranged our living room last year around Christmas time to fit our Christmas tree in the house. We kept it that way for a few months longer and I didn't realize that the change was causing Mikey stress and that he was purposefully avoiding the living room. When I changed it back to how it was before, he was almost like a different cat and was leaping and jumping around the living room again...something I hadn't seen him do since before Christmas. ohmygod_smile

Through patience and conscientious awareness of the things that bothered Michelangelo, I'm not only able to give him his shots twice a day but I can also test him multiple times (5 to +10 times or more) a day. (He actually loves being tested and considers that our "special time" away from Henry.) It takes a bit more work and time, but it's not impossible. You'll both get there. :thumbup
 
WOW!! A lot of great ideas!
Maybe I'll start using Feliway or comprable in a special area where I can sit and be with Bumb for now, without any intrusions on her yet. I'll look around for a nice, quiet spot that maybe can evolve into her testing / insulin spot.
Can the freeze dried treats and bonito be purchased from "people food stores"? I notice their both pretty expensive at the pet store, and the quantities are pretty small. My other cat just realized the bonito is very tasty last night, so I may be supplying 2 cats. That's just fine with me.... getting Tink off "Kitty Carbs Crack" is a good idea anyway.
Thanks again for your help and support. Not only do you have experience and wisdom, you understand cat furbabies and the challenges that is part of their package. I love dogs too, but a lot of dog owners just don't have a clue when it comes to cats.
When I went shopping for cat food, another customer was asking the salesperson for Fancy Feast Classic because it is high protein, low carbs so I asked if she has a diabetic cat... Sure enough she does and was shopping for food on the recommended food list! Also, I had my list with me and the salesperson asked if she could make a copy in case someone else asks!! You all are making a big difference to cat parents!
Hears hoping the food bowls are empty this evening when I get home!!
Heart-felt thanks from me and Bumby and Tink!
 
Hi Peg & Bumby (gosh, what a cute name!!!)--

Just wanted to welcome both of you and let you know that we are all here to help you. Gobbles, is my (still-sugary sweet) diabetic cat in remission. He was diagnosed in November 2012 and went "OTJ" (off the juice) this past May. Without the help, support, compassion and guidance of FDMB members, I am scared to think where we'd be at now with his diagnosis. This all gets easier, believe me. Please ask ANY questions you have. Good luck!
 
BumbyandPeg said:
Can the freeze dried treats and bonito be purchased from "people food stores"? I notice their both pretty expensive at the pet store, and the quantities are pretty small. My other cat just realized the bonito is very tasty last night, so I may be supplying 2 cats. That's just fine with me.... getting Tink off "Kitty Carbs Crack" is a good idea anyway.
Click to expand...

Whenever I get the Bonito flakes, I purchase them from the "Asian" section of my grocery store for much cheaper. Just make sure there are no other ingredients in them like salt or anything. If you don't have an Asian section in your grocery store, maybe you have an Asian market somewhere you can get them from?

For the other freeze-dried treats, the only places I've been able to find them (aside from online) are pet stores. The Simply Nourish brand is the cheapest I've come across so far. There's also the human-grade freeze-dried chicken, but unless you have a camping store that sells it, I've only ever been able to find it online.

You can also make your own or even bake canned food into some crunchies.
 
This is a cool recipe for Kitty Kisses that can be made with wet food, so can be made low carb! I haven't tried it myself (yet) but thought I'd share it with you

KITTY KISSES

Ingredients:

1 Can of cat food
Ziploc bag with the corner cut
cat nip (optional)

Preparation & Cooking

Put cat food and optional cat nip in A blender or food processor and mix until it looks to be like frosting.

Put the mixture into the Ziploc bag and squeeze little droppings, or "kisses" onto a cookie sheet and bake in 300 degrees F. Time depends on how big the kisses are. Small are about 15 minutes.
 
Wow! Home made treats! Bumb is going to eat better than I do! ('course that's not hard to do!!)
Good info on the Asian market, there is one very close. May have to do the online route for the freeze-dried treats.
Will pass the message board info to the pet store... they can write the address on the food list they kept. I think the other customer with the food list already had the site info.
I have another helalth question... Since Bumby is not on insulin right now, and she's very skinny, should I be watching for symptoms of other things going wrong? She's drinking, but not as much as she was when she was still on high carb food. I wouldn't hesitate to get her vet help, but the trip there is traumatic, so if she's ok right now, I'd like to avoid the trip if possible.
I've picked up that there can be organ damage, but I don't know what the symptoms are.
Thanks again for all! I'm hoping for the day when Bumby and I can pay forward in gratitude for the help we're getting.
Peg, Bumby, and little sister Tink
 
Bumby is skinny because she doesn't have any insulin. Insulin works to break food down so the cells can use it. Uncontrolled diabetics are literally starving despite eating vast amounts of food.

You're right that high blood glucose numbers are hard on their organs, so the sooner you can get Bumb to let you test and shoot, the better she's going to be, but I know you're trying your best to get her to accept that much handling.

In the meantime, you should be testing for ketones in her urine. I understand she doesn't always use the litter box, but it's the only option you have right now. Any amount over a trace is an emergency and Bumby would need to go to the vet. Here are some Urine testing tips and additional tools for monitoring

In addition, if her breath smells like finger nail polish remover, that's a sign of high ketones too...again, that's an emergency and will need a vet.

How are you doing with her as far as gaining her trust? Making any progress?

Keep asking questions as you think of them. We're happy to help any way we can!
 
Thanks for the monitoring information.
It's been 1 step forward, 2 steps back for Bumb.
Last night she ate almost nothing. I know she at 1/2 once of freeze-dried turkey because I gave her the whole package - it was about the only thing she would eat. I tried the following and she ate a few bites of each:
4 flavors of cat food, a couple she seemed to like previously and a couple new.
Warmed the food and hand fed.
A can of tuna.
Cat food mixed with water and blended into "soup"
Bonito, on the food and just straight up. Pet food store has 2 varieties, but I found out Bumb and Tink only like 1 of the 2.
Food bowls set around every place she rests.

She isn't running away from me, but I don't think it's a trust thing, I think she doesn't have the energy.
She just sat in the "loaf" position all evening -- either in the bathroom or kitchen, and didn't move much. I kept petting her as much as I could.
I left bowls of food out last night when I went to bed, but it didn't appear much was eaten.

She seemed a little better this morning, she ate a little and then went outside. I may move a litter box near the door and not let them out in the morning as see if I can get a urine sample. Hmm...but I won't know if it's Bumb or Tink's urine... I'll have to work on the logistics for that. If she's worn down again tonight I'll try to test her breath.

I brought the ingredients for the "Cat Protein Shake" so I'll pick those up today. I will also try an camping outfitter in the area and the Asian market for freeze dried turkey and bonito. I also thought I'd try some other flavors of food. I know the fish varieties are higher in protein, but I may try some beef or poultry flavors with lower protein, but low carbs. She might be tired of seafood.

I don't have a BG meter yet. Can you recommend one?

Thanks again for the information and support.
Bumby, Tink, and me.
 
Here is a "shopping list" for you when you're ready to get started

Getting started shopping list
1. Meter ie Walmart Relion Confirm or Micro.
2. Matching strips
3. Lancets - little sticks to poke the ear to get blood . new members usually start with a larger gauge lancet such as 28g or 29g until the ear learns to bleed. Optional - lancing tool.
4. Cotton balls to stem the blood
5. Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief to heal the wound
6. Mini flashlight (optional) - useful to help see the ear veins in dark cats, and to press against
7. Ketone urine test strips ie ketodiastix - Important to check ketones when blood is high
8. Sharps container - to dispose of waste syringes and lancets.
9. Treats for the cat - like freeze dried chicken
10. Karo syrup/corn syrup or honey if you dont have it at home - for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
11. A couple of cans of fancy feast gravy lovers or other high carb gravy food- for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast

All the WalMart Relion meters are about $15..the Confirm and Micro have replacement strips for about $18 for 50 but they take a very tiny sample to work, which is great for new testing. The Relion Prime has strips that are $9 for 50, but take a larger sample. Once you're testing, the ears will "learn to bleed", but I suggest getting the Confirm or Micro at first. Later, once things are better between you two and her ears have "learned to bleed", you can always get a Prime to save on the strips and keep the Confirm or Micro as a backup
 
Chris & China said:
KITTY KISSES

Ingredients:

1 Can of cat food
Ziploc bag with the corner cut
cat nip (optional)

Preparation & Cooking

Put cat food and optional cat nip in A blender or food processor and mix until it looks to be like frosting.

Put the mixture into the Ziploc bag and squeeze little droppings, or "kisses" onto a cookie sheet and bake in 300 degrees F. Time depends on how big the kisses are. Small are about 15 minutes.
Click to expand...
"LIKE" :mrgreen:
 
I'm thinking it's too soon to start sticking Bumb -- she's just beginning not to flinch and run when I approach. Also, she's not eating very well yet, so I don't want to risk starting too soon.
I did get the urine test strips, so maybe I can get some good info from that.
I worry about how much she eats, which is not a whole lot. She seems to like a specific flavor for a meal or 2, then just stops eating it. I have thrown away so much food trying to guess which one she'll eat. I want her to eat so badly, I'll keep trying different flavors until she'll eat something, but much of the time she won't eat it again, so there's no sense keeping it. Tink helps some by eating stuff that Bumby turns down, but I'm still throwing away more food than they are consuming. I've tried adding bonito and freeze-dried treats, but it just seems that she'll either eat it or not, and nothing can temp her.
Thanks again for all your help... I appreciate your advice and support.
Bumb, T and me.
 
Print out my list of Secondary Monitoring Tips in my signature. These will help you get some idea of how she is doing, even if it isn't as precise as blood glucose testing. In particular, urine ketone testing (breath test, too, if she'll let you) are important, as too many ketones may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal, expensive to treat, complication of diabetes.
 
Peg...you might try sprinkling some parmesan cheese, oregano or catnip on the food. Sometimes one of them works (we just never know about these kitty connoisseurs)

Keep us informed on your progress with Bumby! Both food-wise and trust wise!

Sounds like you're making tiny steps forward on the trust part
 
Well, baby Bumb seems to be holding her own! I haven't weighed her, but her ribs are less prominent, which I take as an excellant sign! I found a food she likes, the Natural Balance Stew... Purrrrfect Paella, to be exact. Expensive but high protein, low carb. Only found it in one pet store and they only had 8 so I bought them all. Bad news, her sister Tink figured out she was getting the healthy but cheaper food and tried Bumby's. Long story short, I have 2 gourmet cats now. YIKES! It is probably ok, except the supply in town seems very limited. I may try online - once I know this isn't "love it for a couple days, then never eat it again".

I've been trying to figure out how to get a urine sample from Bumb... I may lock T in a bedroom when I go to work (it sometimes happens by accident and she just seems to sleep all day). I don't want to keep Bumby away from food and water all day, and she rarely ends up in a room all day by accident. I think she would get very stressed.
As far as the trust goes, she is coming around just for petting sometimes... we have a routine after work where we sit on the bed together and I pet and scratch her, but she's looking for affection in addition to that. She would also sleep with me -- but Tink has gotten there first a few times, and I don't want to just throw Tink off so Bumby will get on. (The bed is large enough to accomodate everyone, but I think maybe it's a sibling thing -- untill it gets cold enough it's only one at a time.)
I want to start testing and insulin, but I really need to stay patient and not move to fast again... it's been 2-1/2 months repairing the damage I did on the first round. I am hopeful though, it's good to see her put on a little weight.. it's good to have her come around just to be petted. It's good to see her outside looking for little friends to bring in and share with me!
We're going to keep on keeping on!! And will stop for parmesan cheese on the way home.
 
Great to hear you're seeing improvements in Bumby!! That change to low carb food can do some pretty amazing things!

Sure hope you can find something cheaper and move readily available that everyone will eat, but we do what we have to do, right? :-D

How does Bumby react to going to the vet? Does she take it out on you more than any of our cats do? The reason I ask is that considering you're not testing or giving insulin, if you can afford it and get her to the vet without ruining the baby steps in trust you're making, it might be a good idea to get a fructosomine test. We don't usually recommend people spend the money for them, but that's because they're testing at home and can get that information just as well (and much cheaper)

It's a good test though since it'll tell you where her blood glucose has been running over the past several weeks, and since those numbers are while she was at home, they aren't affected by stress of going to the vets like a quick BG test run at the vet is. Might be something to consider so you can keep better tabs on just where she IS running while you continue to move forward with the trust and eventually testing/shooting

Sounds like you are making progress with her though, and don't worry...soon enough it'll be cold enough for a 2 cat night on the bed...or even 3....LOL
 
Thanks for the info on the vet test... I've thought about taking her in to have them weigh her and just generally check her out. Usually the hardest part of the vet trip is catching her to put her in the carrier. There have been times when it took me several appointments on several different days to actually get her there. Once Bumb is at the vet, it's kind of funny - except I know how stressed she is --- she keeps her eyes closed (so she's invisible) and her bones seem to liquify! She turns into a furry blob and the vet can handle her and switch positions at will. Poor baby! I think maybe since she's lost weight and probably muscle, she'd be a lot easier to catch. I'm just not sure what effect a vet trip now would have on her trust level. I was thinking since she's eating and generally acting normal, I can put it off for a bit. Give us a little more time together first.
A side effect of the food issue is that Tink is getting FAT! She's a lot less picky, so a lot of times she's the Vac-u-Cat that goes in after Bumb walks away and cleans up the leftovers. I hate to leave Bumb without food during the day when I'm gone, but if it's Tink eating it anyway, maybe I should leave less. I do know Bumb likes the freeze-dried treats and Tink does not care for them, so maybe I can leave less food and more treats so Bumby will still get protein, but Tink won't be pigging out all day.
Your right though... there isn't alot I won't do for them!
I'm in central Florida, so we may have several more weeks of the air conditioning running! So both cats may not be sharing the bed for awhile.
Thanks again for the help and encouragement!
 
You can weigh her yourself at home - use your own scale and weigh yourself with and without cat (if she will let you hold her a second). Would only be worth it every few weeks though to allow her to change weight more than 1/2 lb. less probably won't register on the scale.

Wendy
 
Thanks all.... I saw a baby scale on some website and it looked like it coould be disguised as a cat bed!
Bumb doesn't like being picked up or held, so I thought if I really should get her to a vet for a "once-over" - the vet could weigh her, and she wouldn't be able to pin that one on me. (Of course the whole vet visit would be my fault, so I'm not sure I should try to take her unless I really have to or until she is a little more trusting and a little more fogiving).
Wish me luck! The pet food store is suppposed to have more Purrrrrfect Paella in today. I really hope at some point they will start eating more food than I throw away! When they won't eat anything I put down, I worry they're not getting enough to eat. Tink can afford to miss a meal, I really worry more about Bumb. Also, she just stopped liking the freeze-dried turkey, so no extra protein from that.
 
The cat carrier freaks her out. If I'm going to get her in it, it will be to go to the vet.... poor baby... nothing is easy for her! Tink just gets mad and then gets over it.... Bumb has a hard time letting it go.
 
Does she like cardboard boxes? you could leave one open on the scale for her to investigate.... and when she pops in - run over and look at the dial.
 
The tricky bit will be balancing the box on the scale (zero the scale do you don't measure box weight) and cutting a hole or placing the box so you can read the dial. And making sure box + cat doesn't fall off scale with the weight.

I guess a fabric bag (or gift bag) could work too. Anything they can hide in.
 
My cats love paper grocery bags, so depending on the size of your scale, that might also work. ;-)
 
Well, it's been awhile. Bumb has been holding her own for awhile now. Got both Bumby and Tink back to Fancy Feast Classics after lots of trial and error. Tink likes hers topped w/ bonito flakes and Bumb like her food liquified w/ a little warm water and topped w/ parmesean cheese. ( I noticed she would always lick off any liquid from the food, then leave most of the solid stuff on the plate, so i just make the whole thing "gravy". She also likes freeze dried turkey and duck (I was worried maybe her teeth hurt and that's why she licked off the liquid, but the freeze dried treats require munching and she's fine with it.)
We've re-established a relationship! She doesn't flee in fear when I'm near!! I have even picked her up once or twice, tho I know she's not thrilled so I don't push it.
Her food intake is very consistent. I found in addition to the food and freeze dried treats, she loves my turkey lunch meat, so I may have found my bribe/make up treats.
I'm a little concerned because recently she's drinking an urinating more. For awhile it was back to normal amounts of both. I have a hard time getting urine from her, but I have a lonnnnnng weekend to try with some consitentcy and control of the environment.
Also, I'm going to get the glucose meter and try that. Hopefully it won't destroy our relationship again.
She has gained weight - not much I'm sure but her ribs and spine are not nearly as prominent and they had been.
All-in-all i'm fairly optimistic about slowly getting into a testing / insulin routine. Very slowly... but always littel steps forward.
What is a normal glucose level for cats? Or is it the same as humans? Is there somewhere to get more info on glucose levels?
As always, I appreciate your help, information, and support! me, bumb and tinky
 
Hi again Peg!!

Normal BG readings are pretty much the same for our furkids as they are for us..50-120

Did you ever start using the Pro Zinc or have you just been working on gaining her trust and getting her to eat the low carb foods so far?

Good to hear you've made a lot of progress on getting her to trust you. That's really wonderful!!
 
nice to hear from you. First step for blood testing - work out if she is happier having her feet paw pads rubbed, or ears. Then spend a few times each day for a week (cos she is a nervous cat) rubbing the ears (or feet) and giving her a treat each time. Then graduate to doing the same but bring the test kit with you. Put it down beside her. get her used to its presence. Then start opening the kit and getting her used to its noises. Always with treats. Work up to poking.
 
Hello all,
My Bumb is sleeping with Angels now.
We both did our best... my friend was a real trooper.
Many thanks to all who gave help, support, information, reassurance.
You are a wonderful group of people to turn to.
Sincerely,
Peg and Bumby and Tink.
 
Oh my....So Sorry To Hear This. What happened? Seemed like Bumby was trying so hard to help you help her.

Big HUGS to you.

Land Softly At The Bridge Sweet Bumby....Fun Times Await You There. rb_icon
 
Thank you for your kind words and thoughts.
Bumb just never got over her dislike of the insulin shots. Not the shots, really... more all the touching involved in the process. I thought the shaved turkey was my "in", but she wised up to that after about 3 days.
She was never a "touchy-feely" gal.... liked her affection on her own terms, in her own time... i think the process of giving insulin was just too intrusive.
I gave the shots when I could without chasing her or stressing her too much. I guess it just was too little too late.
She did well, right up to the end... and I'm happy for the quality of time with her...takes some of the sting out of the lack of quantity.
Thank you very much for your concern and support.
Me, the Bumb, and the T.
 
Oh Peg...So sorry to hear that Bumby had to leave you. No matter how long we have with them, it's never enough.

All any of us can do is the best we can, and she was a tough case. It's good that she did at least start to show some signs of feeling better, even if it wasn't meant to be for her to become regulated.

Fly free sweet Bumby, and Land Softly....there are many at the Bridge to welcome you and show you the way. wings_cat You took life on your own terms, and now you can be at peace..never to be sick, hungry or afraid again.
 
Lighting a ring of candles, in loving memory of your beloved Bumby.
 

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