Kitty-high numbers again

[Missy & Kitty]

Hey everyone,

Kitty has been off the juice for some time now, but I noticed that she wasn't acting like herself this morning, so I tested her BG. The first reading was 125, the second was 114. I haven't used the test strips in a while..could the crazy numbers be because of that? Why would she have such different numbers on back-to-back readings? Should I take her in to the vet? I was thinking she may have an infection, and that's what's causing her numbers to be higher than normal. She has been having diarrhea lately, so I have been giving her Slipper Elm Bark in her food.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I would check the date on your strips. There should be an expiration date on the. Some people do use expired strips without a problem but it's worth considering.

The numbers are still roughly within normal range. If Kitty needs to be seen for an annual vet exam, then I'd schedule an appointment. The best recommendation I can give you is to trust your gut. You know your cat. If you think something is "off," it's best to catch it early.

 

[PeterDevonMocha]

Hi guys .. Not sure what strips you use, we use the relion micro .. when mocha was on insulin we went through strips pretty fast, but now that she is OTJ strips last us a lot longer so we started dating the can on when it was opened .. The box says to use within 6 months of opening .. Has it been longer then that for you?

 

[Missy & Kitty]

I just took her temp, and it's 104. We're off to the vet!

 

[Missy & Kitty]

The expiration date on the strips says 10/2014, but I didn't write down when I opened these. Grrr. When I was testing often, I would go through them quickly..but I don't test very often now, so I'm not sure if these are outdated or not. Her temp is high, so I'm going to go ahead and take her in. She must have something going on.

I also used the ReliOn Micro strips.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

If her temp is up, I think her higher BG numbers were telling you something important. Great catch! I tend to think that checking BG is a great "early warning" system. Let us know what the vet says.

 

[Missy & Kitty]

Well, it turns out that I'm a terrible kitty mommy. Kitty has a serious gum infection that I didn't notice. Now that I know about it, I do see some swelling in her jaw area. They gave me ClinDrops to use twice a day for a week, and if that doesn't clear it up, we'll have to schedule a dental for her. ClinDrops always gives my cats diarrhea (I've never tried it with her, so we'll see), so I may give her SEB a few hours after I give her the antibiotic. The vet said her BG was 199, but that it was most likely because she was so incredibly stressed on the way to the vet (a 45 minute drive). I'll recheck later and throughout the weekend.

I feel so bad for not catching this sooner! I have six cats, one with kidney disease that requires a lot of attention, and then someone recently shot one of my outdoor cats, so I've been trying to get her back to normal. Last night, another one of my outdoor cats spontaneously threw up and has since shied away from food. I gave him a little Cerenia this morning, and he's eating better now. I have an appointment for him in the morning if he doesn't start eating completely normal again.

I've been spending a lot of time building an enclosure for the cats to play in outside so that I don't have to worry about someone shooting them, so I completely missed her gums acting up. :YMSIGH: I have too many cats, but I don't trust anyone else to take care of them properly!

Thanks, guys, for stopping in and helping me. :YMHUG:

 

[Tina & Rocky]

I have a non-profit cat rescue, "Kitty Karma Refuge and Recovery Center" and someone will soon be building me a "Catio" on the side of my house. He hasn't started building it yet but I hope that we can have it finished by the end of this May.

I read that someone SHOT one of you outside cats?!! Did it die? I would so report that to animal control. Do you take care of a lot of feral cats around your house? It sounds like one of your neighbors needs an education about "community cats."

 

[Missy & Kitty]

Hi Tina,

Yes, my neighbor shot my cat, but she is just fine now. She is still missing her fur, but the wounds have completely healed. She had an entrance wound near the upper part of her right hip and an exit wound on the lower left leg. We were very lucky that she didn't have any broken bones and that she didn't bleed to death. I had to syringe feed her for a few days until she was strong enough to eat on her own. That wasn't fun.

My neighbor is a mean, cruel man..and his son is just like him. They shoot dogs and cats that come onto their property. We live in the country, so there isn't anything I can do about it. They have chickens and goats, so all they have to say is that the dog/cat was hurting their animals, and they are allowed to protect their property. It's stupid that I have to spend all of this time and money on an enclosure, but it's the only way I can make sure all of my pets will be safe. I have two outdoor cats, and they love to hunt mice on his property. I have 13 acres myself, but they always like to go over there for some reason.

People dump their animals on my road a lot, so that's how I ended up with six cats. I haven't seen any dogs in a long time, and I'm afraid they have gone to his property before mine. :cry: