My cat is afraid of me

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Mashyspringle

Member Since 2014
Stella used to look at me with love, expecting either a chin rub or a play. Now that I am sticking her with a needle twice a day and desperately trying to get an ear test once or twice a day (usually unsuccessfully), she looks at me very warily. She is always expecting the worse. Stella has never been a cat to sit in my lap but used to like to be close to me. No more. She is afraid of me. Unfortunately, she doesn't really care for treats, either. So I don't know what reward would compensate for the new routine. I have watched the videos where the cat sits there passively while the owner sticks his ear. I used to have a cat who would let me do anything with him. But Stella is not that kind of cat.

She is on 1u of insulin twice a day. Her drinking and peeing are unchanged. Why couldn't we just increase the dosage (very slowly and gradually) until her symptoms change?
 
Hello There,

The simple answer is "Because you shouldn't ". If you really care about your kitty, you wouldn't dream of it.

Trust me, you WILL be able to do and will WANT to do it!

I have 2 sugar babies. Jack and Samantha

Jack was dx @634 and was wobbly walking and lost a lot of weight. He needed help quickly. He was never a cat to be held, but was affectionate. I think he was so sick he just didn't have it in him to resist. When he got better, he got feisty when I went to give him a shot but not much. I can still test him without much of a peep. Not like the youtube video, but close.

On the other hand, I have Samantha, a 15 lb. calico. She has always been affectionate but has insisted that her nails do NOT need to be clipped. See Daddy, I ripped a hunk of skin out of you to prove it.

She was in better shape physically than Jack, but she still squeals and is leery of me. Even with treats, which she loves, she just kinda puts up with it. Just the same as it was with her nails or the vet.

I cannot stress to you the importance of testing. Without testing, keeping the BG under control, let alone trying for remission, would be next to impossible and a shot in the dark at best.

I too thought it might not be something that I could do, with even Jack. But my love for my kitties put that fear aside and made it something I HAD to DO! His well being and life were in my hands. I was not going to let him down.

This is a great place to get information and help with treating your kittie. While I have only been here for 49 days, I learned so much that has helped me to get Jack to the point where he has been off insulin for 13 days now. Tomorrow is a milestone for him, after 14 days, most say he is in remission.

He will still be on a strict High Protein, low carb diet (which is a must) but at least he will not have to have twice a day injections of insulin nor as frequent pokes for testing. Still testing at least once a month, but a lot better than 4 times a day.

While I have not gone into any of the real details of the process, I will leave you with this and let you digest it.

When I and others see your response, we will be there for you giving you all the information that you need to help you and your kitty.

Take care and all the best to you and yours,
Kevin
 
It's just as new to Stella as it is to you. You've got to get used to it all together. Once she realizes you're helping her, she may settle into the routine. I never would've believed anyone who told me my Tasha would go to what we now call the "cat mat" and demand testing and treats several times a day. But she does it. And she sits nicely. She's never been very affectionate but she's been a trooper about this.

So don't give up on Stella. The testing IS important, I really do believe that. Try other treats and see if you can find something she likes. Also be sure to give her lots of cuddles and love when there are no shots or tests involved. The last thing you want her to think is that every time you come near her, it's time for a stabbing. Even though there are times that you may feel like it's constantly time to stab the kitty.
 
She could also be picking up on your nervous energy. Try to be confident and strong (easier said than done, I know). She will adjust.

Think of it this way: Would you blindly give insulin to yourself or to your human child and just hope for the best? I did, and I nearly lost my cat. Keep trying. You can do this.
 
About 10 years ago, my kitty - Bugs - was diagnosed with diabetes. The vet prescribed insulin, and we gave 2 shots a day without fail for a year. He stopped peeing less and drinking less. All outward signs said that he was in perfect health, and a check-up at the vet told us his blood sugar was 100 (which is a good number). We were told to continue giving insulin. We were never told that he could spontaneously go into remission.

One weekend, we had to board Bug at the vet's office so we could attend a work conference; the vet would give him his shots while we were gone. When I went to pick Bugsy up after our conference, the vet told me that he had died. They had given him his insulin, but since Bugs was probably stressed out and not eating, the insulin was too much for his system. The vet never checked his blood sugar levels, but I have absolutely no doubt that he died of hypoglycemia. He died three hours before I went in to pick him up. My precious cat was alone and scared and was given medication that killed him....and he died just three hours before I was going to pick him up. I cry even now as I type this. I, of course, didn't know anything about insulin and hometesting at that time. I simply followed my vet's advice because I naturally assumed he knew best. If only I had done my research back then - if only I would have realized - I have no doubt that Bugsy's life would have turned out differently.

When my second cat, Jersey, was diagnosed with diabetes, I promised myself that this time would be different. I researched everything I could and found FDMB. I learned all about the insulin and home testing, and I tested her every day. I thank God every single day that I did. If I wouldn't have tested her, I wouldn't have realized that Jersey was healing herself. I would have continued to give her the same amount of insulin as always, even though she didn't need it anymore. And I have very little doubt that she would have died, too.

I know it's hard to test. I really do. I was in tears the first few times we tested Jersey. I know how terrible it makes you feel - like you're just torturing your cat. I can speak from experience, though, and tell you that testing can save your cat's life. If my vet, someone who was supposed to know how to handle feline diabetes, would have tested Bugs, he would not have died that day. And by testing Jersey, I was able to keep her safe.

With all of that in mind, all that I can do is plead with you not to give up on testing. :YMHUG:
Shelly
 
You aren't alone in your struggles. We are in our second week. My Lucy is a very difficult cat to do anything to and many of my attempts at blood glucose testing fail because Lucy won't allow me to warm her ears with anything and so waiting to test when her ears are naturally warm is not leading to success in consistent blood glucose monitoring. I give Lucy extra attention now and lots of pats and massage her ears regularly during the day so she doesn't think every time I go near her I am going to do something to her which she doesn't want. My heart goes out to you as I am having similar issues. I have not been able to get a fasting glucose in the morning as Lucy's ears are colder then but we have to find a way to do that. So I have no advice as we are new to this too. But just wanted to tell you that you are not alone in your situation.
Love, Voula
 
I have to agree with the last post. I had a co-worker who's cat was dx'd about 12 years ago and died because he went into remission and Lyn didn't know it.

Are you heating her ear? I agree with the cuddleing at another time. She probably feels like crap and is confused.
An animal communicator might help too.
 
Treats!!!!

Find some low carb treats that she likes and every time you have to stick her, give her a treat.
Also give her some treats when you take her to the test/shot area without testing. This will associate treats with the test area.

Freeze dried shrimp such as PureBites may work fairly well.
 
Well, of course, you are all right about the importance of knowing how the treatment is working. I think I was just discouraged and thinking fondly of the good old days when none of this was important. But we can't go back now. We had a major cuddle session tonight and she is getting more accustomed to me handling her ears. We'll try testing again tomorrow.

She doesn't show much interest in any treats --including the Pure Bites--but she does love her Royal Canin diabetic kibble. So I've decided to make that her treat. It worked with her shot tonight, so we may have found a solution.

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and your stories--some of them made me cry. I'm re-energized!
 
Glad to hear that you are feeling better about things.

Discouragement comes with the territory, we have all experienced it one way or another. If we stop and read the posts from others and yes cry a little, we realize that we do not have it as bad as some others and should be thankful.

While treating Jack and knowing I had another patient waiting in the wings (tested Samantha with Jack's meter before I took her to the vet), I didn't have much time to think, let alone be discouraged. Overwhelmed I was for sure.

One of the things that has helped so much are the folks here at FDMB. They are great. I look back at it all and especially after reading some other posts and I say, it was a piece of cake.

For a while all I could give Jack, that he liked, was the Purina DM Kibble as ONLY a treat. Samantha ate the FD Turkey, Shrimp and salmon. She eats anything.

Jack would even turn his nose up at boiled chicken, go figure. He finally tried the salmon again (while Samantha was eating hers, oh what jealousy does) and liked it. I ran out of that today and found a bag of the FD chicken that I know Samantha will eat and said, well guess I gotta go to the pet store, but wanted to give jack a treat after testing. Low and behold he ate the FD Chicken treats. arghhhhhhh!

What doesn't work one day, works the next. Now is it any wonder why they call cats finicky?

All the best!
 
Voula said:
You aren't alone in your struggles. We are in our second week. My Lucy is a very difficult cat to do anything to and many of my attempts at blood glucose testing fail because Lucy won't allow me to warm her ears with anything and so waiting to test when her ears are naturally warm is not leading to success in consistent blood glucose monitoring. I give Lucy extra attention now and lots of pats and massage her ears regularly during the day so she doesn't think every time I go near her I am going to do something to her which she doesn't want. My heart goes out to you as I am having similar issues. I have not been able to get a fasting glucose in the morning as Lucy's ears are colder then but we have to find a way to do that. So I have no advice as we are new to this too. But just wanted to tell you that you are not alone in your situation.
Love, Voula
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For a while Hidey wouldn't let me rub, or warm his ear and I found a simple way to get around it. It sounds a bit rude but I would test Hidey right when he woke up. When he naps his ears get warm so id catch him laying on the back of the couch or where ever he was at the time. Treats, meter and so on all in hand and hurry up and get his ear before he really knew what was going on and always got great blood flow since they were so warm.
 
Hello, all:

Had a successful test today! Someone mentioned a cat mat for the testing, so I found an old square quilt she used to sleep on. I sprayed it with Comfort Zone and put it on the counter where we test. Stella seemed to settle in a little more and I didn't feel her shaking. Her test was 305, which is the lowest so far. Of course, she ran downstairs to her "safe spot" under the bed afterwards, but I think she will get used to it eventually. We are leaving her with a cat sitter for a week (someone she knows who is an "ex-phlebotomist"...how lucky are we?) When we return we will work with the vet to increase her dosage a bit and try to get those BG readings down. Thanks for your great feedback.

Sandi
 
Yay for the successful test this morning, Sandi! :thumbup

Jersey wasn't really a treat type of kitty, so we always played with her favorite toy after testing. It's just another thing you might try if the treats aren't working out well. And I always tried to make sure that I approached Jersey often throughout the day just to pet her. That way, she didn't cringe every time I approached her.

When you start to consider adjusting her dose, remember that dosing is based on the low point in the cycle, not on the numbers you see at shot time. The tests you get at shot time only tell you if it's safe to give insulin. The actual dosage amount is based on the nadir (low point in the cycle), which is usually about 5 to 7 hours after the shot is given for Lantus.

That's great news on the cat sitter. You're very lucky to have someone like that around! :-D
 
I had a very similar issue with my Michelangelo. He was a feral kitten rescue and was only 6 months old when he was diagnosed with diabetes. At that time, we were still in the process of developing a bond with each other and now all of a sudden, I was poking and prodding him with sharp objects! :o It was heart-breaking to see this tiny kitten that used to follow me around like I was his MamaKitty now running and hiding whenever I'd approach. At that point, I stopped everything I had been doing and started over from scratch and took as much time as he needed to get used to the process.

I wrote up some documents about our experience that you might find helpful and it might give you a few more ideas to try:
Testing Time
Ear Testing Psychology
 
Thanks for giving us permission to GO SLOW. When we get back from vacation, I will try to work up to two tests per day. I am confident that, over time, Stella will be okay with everything. I loved your documents! Thank you. Michelangelo and Henry are very lucky cats!
 
I'm glad I could help. I remember how hard it was for us in the beginning and it did take us much longer to get started than most, but now Mikey will come to me and nudge my hand with his head if he doesn't think I've been testing him enough. :lol:
 
Mashyspringle said:
so I found an old square quilt she used to sleep on. I sprayed it with Comfort Zone and put it on the counter where we test.
Click to expand...

That's brilliant!!!

Just a note about treats (because I would love to see you get rid of that durn kibble - even one as a treat will affect the bg). My sugar did not like ANY of the offered treats so I used to brush him as his reward. That worked for a long time until I found the Orijen Original Cat treats in my pet store (dehydrated chicken). Now he goes and sits on his testing table hours before it is time to test. He is a freak for these treats.

There is a special bond that will build between you and your sugarcat. It is like no other bond even though I love all of my civvies.
 
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