New Member 7/14/23, newly diagnosed cat with DM and asthma

[Susan Jane]

Hi! Thanks so much for this message board, it has so much helpful information. I really can’t imagine what I’d do without this community?
I was considering euthanizing my sweet 12 year old furbaby after he was diagnosed because he is not easy going nor tolerant. I can’t even clip his nails without him trying to scratch, bite, growl and hiss.
My cat probably got diabetes as a reaction from a short acting steroid injection that we got to treat his asthma. He was already at high risk for diabetes (neutered male, age, overweight) which is why we went with the short acting steroid rather than a long acting one. Exactly 11 days later the constant drinking and peeing began. The vet was surprised that diabetes was the result of just one short acting steroid treatment.
Anyway, this community helped to save Pinky the cats life! It made me feel like I can actually do this. We are starting insulin therapy on Monday. While I know I can shoot him, I’m afraid that he will start hiding from me. Worse yet, I don’t know that he’s going to allow me to measure his blood glucose without trying to scratch my eyes out- he’s 17 lbs.

If you are still reading, bless you! I’m getting to my questions;

Does anyone out there have a DM cat that has asthma? How much does it hurt to draw blood from a cats ear? Any tips for how to warm up his ear FAST?? I might have 30 seconds to get it? Anyone have a grouchy cat that they’ve habituated to monitoring blood glucose at home?

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Minnie had both diabetes and asthma. If he puts up already with the asthma inhaler, I would think testing should be okay. Start rubbing his ears to get him used to you touching it. I’d give a low carb treat every time you do it and continue giving a treat immediately after every test attempt, success or fail. I always had the treats right there where they could see them as I was testing. I also always hummed a lullaby to get everyone calm, me included me!

as for how much it hurts, hard to tell. You can prick your own finger to see but my cats acted slightly annoyed but never so much as moved from where they were or tried to get away so I suspect not too painful. Bobo actually reacted to the injection more than the testing. The positive association with a great works miracles if they are food motivated.

I warm up the ear with a sock filled with rice that I nuke for about 30 seconds. I hold it up against the ear for a few seconds till the ear feels warm to the touch. You could actually start practicing that as well without the testing. The other thing that worked better for me was scooping up the blood onto my clean nail and testing from there, that way if they moved or flicked that ear it was fine. They didn’t have to stand still as I tried to test from the ear because I was testing from my nail and had control over it.

With a diabetic cat you need:

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly

Can you tell us what food you’re feeding and what insulin your kitty has been prescribed and the dose please? You don’t want to start with a dose higher than 1 unit.

A word of warning though…don’t change the food you are feeding at the moment over to the low carb food until you are testing the blood glucose because a change over can drop the BGs by up to 100 points and we don’t want you to have a hypo on your hands.

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

 

[Susan Jane]

Minnie had both diabetes and asthma. If he puts up already with the asthma inhaler, I would think testing should be okay. Start rubbing his ears to get him used to you touching it. I’d give a low carb treat every time you do it and continue giving a treat immediately after every test attempt, success or fail. I always had the treats right there where they could see them as I was testing. I also always hummed a lullaby to get everyone calm, me included me!

as for how much it hurts, hard to tell. You can prick your own finger to see but my cats acted slightly annoyed but never so much as moved from where they were or tried to get away so I suspect not too painful. Bobo actually reacted to the injection more than the testing. The positive association with a great works miracles if they are food motivated.

I warm up the ear with a sock filled with rice that I nuke for about 30 seconds. I hold it up against the ear for a few seconds till the ear feels warm to the touch. You could actually start practicing that as well without the testing. The other thing that worked better for me was scooping up the blood onto my clean nail and testing from there, that way if they moved or flicked that ear it was fine. They didn’t have to stand still as I tried to test from the ear because I was testing from my nail and had control over it.

With a diabetic cat you need:

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly

Can you tell us what food you’re feeding and what insulin your kitty has been prescribed and the dose please? You don’t want to start with a dose higher than 1 unit.

A word of warning though…don’t change the food you are feeding at the moment over to the low carb food until you are testing the blood glucose because a change over can drop the BGs by up to 100 points and we don’t want you to have a hypo on your hands.

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

You are so wonderful to provide such a lengthy reply!

Unfortunately, my cat was just diagnosed with asthma and won’t use the inhaler (and i can’t reliably pill him). It’s the reason why I was desperate enough to get the short acting steroid shot that probably caused the diabetes. I can’t even clip this cat’s nails without him trying to kill me! You can see how I considered euthanasia when I got the FD diagnosis. I’ve had many many cats, one cancer cat I used to give fluids to at home for over a year, but this cat is not compliant nor easy. Also ordered an Alpha Trac3 that comes with strips, lancet and lancet pen. I will definitely do the BG curve but I’m not even sure I can get my cat to let me take his BG.

I like your idea of trying to get my cat used to me touching his ear. I’m hesitating on home monitoring because I can’t confidently hold him still long enough to warm his ear at present. I know that home monitoring is crucial to this and I’m wondering if anyone else has had a difficult cat that has been successful??

food is a complicated problem. I also have a (healthy) feral cat at home that is exceptionally picky. When I first rescued him he refused to eat for 10 days and in the end only eats one brand of hard food. He has a wet nose at all times and thinks anything but our brand of cat food smells like it’s gone bad. The vet thinks his sense of smell is exaggerated for some reason. He will try to bury absolutely any other type or brand or flavor of food. So much so that when they discontinued his brand and flavor I bought enough for a year so I would be able to transition him to something else slowly. So I’ve resolved that I will have to transition him from free feeding to feeding him separately. He eats Natural balance limited ingredient diet high protein salmon flavor (not particularly low carb).

back to my diabetic cat- he’s used to free feeding the hard food above with one can of wet food fancy feast extra gravy split up throughout the day (4-6 times). He’s also obsessed with hard snacks (friskies yums)! Until he became diabetic, he would very seldom eat the hard food we have out-just ate the cans with liberal hard food snacks. I think initially giving him the snacks only as a treat for taking his shot will be my goal (with the can of friskies maybe split into 2 instead of 4-6)? I will just feed the other cat separately as best I can (the natural balance hard food above).

The other problem I have is that we are just starting insulin on Monday morning (1 unit PZI q12) - how do I change his food without being able to monitor his BG at home??? I’m terrified of hypoglycemia and I’m hesitant to change any food without being able to monitor BG at home?! I know from prior experience that there’s no ER vet in my area that would be able to help if after hours/weekend so I’m on my own if this happens. I notice you also warn against this! I sense that this entire treatment plan hinges on taking his BG and I’m panicking!

Has anyone that’s tried taking BG at home had problems with an uncooperative cat?? I know he will sooner shred me then let me poke his paw pad so the ear is the way to go. your response that your cat didn’t move from the prick makes me feel slightly optimistic. My cat is highly food motivated (IF it’s the exact right food). The insulin takes seconds to inject so I’m much more confident that I can get this done (though it might be hard to locate kitty every 12 hours). Whatever I try I probably only have about 30 seconds to get it right- that seems to be the length of my kitty’s patience for an ear prick.

Also, what is a hypo kit??
What low carb hard snacks can I try (cat is very picky)?? I’d tried to change his canned food before and I know I’m stuck with fancy feast extra gravy- last time he went 48 hours and since he’s overweight I gave up (vet warns against fatty liver from not eating).

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Take some time to review all the info in the HELP US HELP YOU. It explains what you need in a hypo kit and is basically what you’ll need if your cat ever goes below 50 on a human meter or 68 on a pet meter. You said you already ordered the alphatrack, but most of us here use human meters like Walmart’s ReliOn since the test strips are the most affordable.

Sorry, I missed that you said injection. Did your vet mention the Libre as an option? It’s not cheap and it has to be replaced every 2 weeks at the vet but it will at least monitor his bg for you. It can get glitchy but I’ll let others who have used chime in. It seems to be a good option for uncooperative cats.

have you tried freeze dried treats instead of dry? Brands like PureBites and Vital Essential are good options. Or even regular chicken, anything that is just protein will be low carb like even baby food.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

And here’s a link to the prozinc forum: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/

I’d encourage you to read all the info on the yellow sticky notes over the weekend so you can get familiar with the insulin for Monday.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

One more thing, Bobo will also only eat fancy feast but I was able to get him eating the pate mixed with some of the grill and slowly upping the ratio to more wet and less grilled. The FF medley shredded are a bit less carby and also the chunky and the new naturals line.

 

[Susan Jane]

Take some time to review all the info in the HELP US HELP YOU. It explains what you need in a hypo kit and is basically what you’ll need if your cat ever goes below 50 on a human meter or 68 on a pet meter. You said you already ordered the alphatrack, but most of us here use human meters like Walmart’s ReliOn since the test strips are the most affordable.

Sorry, I missed that you said injection. Did your vet mention the Libre as an option? It’s not cheap and it has to be replaced every 2 weeks at the vet but it will at least monitor his bg for you. It can get glitchy but I’ll let others who have used chime in. It seems to be a good option for uncooperative cats.

have you tried freeze dried treats instead of dry? Brands like PureBites and Vital Essential are good options. Or even regular chicken

What is a libre??? Is that an implanted device? I so appreciate the alternative suggestion though and I will ask about it! My guess is that my vet didn’t suggest it because he knows my cat would sooner rip it out-my cat bit him. it does seem like the key to all of this is getting BG readings at home. I guess I won’t know until I try taking BG at home, I’m hoping the vet can demonstrate on my cat (and see what he does). I don’t imagine that my cat will likely allow me to prick his ear multiple times per day though. Honestly, my vet has been too busy to talk to me save a few emails and referring me to this site since diagnosis last Monday. In my area, vets are at such a high premium that this isn’t unusual- I had a cancer cat 18 months ago and had similar experiences of vet shortages.

I did find the prozinc forum but didn’t realize that PZI is the same, thanks for mentioning it!!
Also, I’d missed the help us help you part of the site- glad you pointed it out. While this site has great info, it’s confusing as to where to start. I read the article where to start but it doesn’t tell me where to read next.
I have tried freeze dried snacks (pure bites) and regular chicken and neither of my cats likes either. About the only non cat food that my diabetic cat will eat occasionally is tuna-but doesn’t love it. will try vital essential (will try anything at this point).

do you know how I can figure out the carb count on wet foid? On dry food? On snacks? Is there a list somewhere?? What brands/type of hard snacks are low carb?

 

[Susan Jane]

One more thing, Bobo will also only eat fancy feast but I was able to get him eating the pate mixed with some of the grill and slowly upping the ratio to more wet and less grilled. The FF medley shredded are a bit less carby and also the chunky and the new naturals line.

Pinky hates pate style canned food, won’t eat the FF medley either. We tried the new naturals line (same flavors as he eats now) and he didn’t like it either. I love your idea of transitioning by changing the mix a little at a time! I think getting him off of hard food and snacks completely will be food goal #1, and then #2 will be to transition him into a canned that has less carbs (with the method you described). Thanks!!

 

[Susan Jane]

Minnie had both diabetes and asthma. If he puts up already with the asthma inhaler, I would think testing should be okay. Start rubbing his ears to get him used to you touching it. I’d give a low carb treat every time you do it and continue giving a treat immediately after every test attempt, success or fail. I always had the treats right there where they could see them as I was testing. I also always hummed a lullaby to get everyone calm, me included me!

as for how much it hurts, hard to tell. You can prick your own finger to see but my cats acted slightly annoyed but never so much as moved from where they were or tried to get away so I suspect not too painful. Bobo actually reacted to the injection more than the testing. The positive association with a great works miracles if they are food motivated.

I warm up the ear with a sock filled with rice that I nuke for about 30 seconds. I hold it up against the ear for a few seconds till the ear feels warm to the touch. You could actually start practicing that as well without the testing. The other thing that worked better for me was scooping up the blood onto my clean nail and testing from there, that way if they moved or flicked that ear it was fine. They didn’t have to stand still as I tried to test from the ear because I was testing from my nail and had control over it.

With a diabetic cat you need:

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly

Can you tell us what food you’re feeding and what insulin your kitty has been prescribed and the dose please? You don’t want to start with a dose higher than 1 unit.

A word of warning though…don’t change the food you are feeding at the moment over to the low carb food until you are testing the blood glucose because a change over can drop the BGs by up to 100 points and we don’t want you to have a hypo on your hands.

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

Also, is it better to feed my cat’s can of food divided into 2 helpings (right before insulin dose), or is it better to split it up over 4-6 small meals? How long after feeding a main meal do you give the dose, 5 min? Right away?

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

The libre is a human device that can be adapted to cats. Some cats are able to get it off so you’d have to try and see how it goes.

FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and choose foods that are under 10%. You’ll have to play detective a bit because manufacturers are not obligated to share carb info some do have it listed on their sites but most don’t. You can call/email them and ask. You can also go on chewy and look up the foods and treats and usually under the questions section someone has already asked and Chewy has already answered. That’s how I discovered that the Inaba Churu lickables are also low carb treats. I think some folks give a little cheese as well. All hard treats are typically too high carb.

It’s much better to feed smaller meals throughout the day. It’s easier on their pancreas and also helps avoid big sugar spikes. Most of us feed the 2 larger meals around shot times and another 3-4 snacks or smaller meals throughout the day. I personally do split up the FF cans and give it to Bobo about 30 minutes apart but only because it makes him think he’s eating more than he actually is. With an insulin like prozinc you can test, feed and shot insulin right away all within minutes.

Unfortunately most vets do not know a lot about feline diabetes….they have many animals to look after and they all have different diseases and treatments. The vet tech that showed me how to test couldn’t get enough blood the first time. She didn’t even try to warm up the ear. I had better luck googling videos on YouTube.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions.

tagging @Hendrick Cuddleclaw and @JanetNJ who have videos of testing their cat in their signatures

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

Hi and welcome to the group!

 

[JanetNJ]

I have a testing video in my signature... But my cat was super chill about it so not sure how helpful it would be. I can empathize with you though because I have several cats that would be super difficult to test.

 

[Susan Jane]

Help, I’m at a loss as to what to do! How many times do I try to get a blood sample from my cat before I give up?? I’ve poked him 10 times in 24 hours and haven’t gotten even ONE BG reading!! At one point I punctured the blood vessel and he bled like a stuck pig - despite 6 strips wasted, my meter malfunctioned with 3 different error codes. By the time I reset it, the blood clotted and dried up despite vigorous squeezing and milking. My vet may have set up the meter incorrectly, I’ve re set it up and was successful using the control fluid, so I think it might be good to go now but I really have no idea what I’m doing??

The rest of the sticks either resulted in no blood or not enough for a sample? I even tried putting Vaseline or Neosporin thinking the blood maybe soaked in too quickly? I tried using the lancet pen and with just a needle. I tried increasing the setting on the lancet pen. I’ve wasted 20 strips in 1 day.


I’ve terrorized this cat so badly that he growls at me when I try to go near him. How many times should I try each day??? How many days total do I try before I give up altogether on home testing? I’m so upset that I can’t even get one reading, and worse, it’s clear this is hurting my cats ears! He winced at the last couple attempts. I’ve never failed so badly at anything! I used to work as a phlebotomist but people are nothing like cats.


I’m thinking about giving up, he’s a feral cat that I can’t pick up without a fight (before he was diagnosed). Vet doesn’t think Libre is a good option for my cat because he will immediately remove it. I know that home testing is the only safe way to do this, and I’m feeling so defeated that I can’t do this simple thing to help my cat!!! It’s only been a day and my cat already hates my guts. I give him treats or tuna after every try, but it doesn’t seem to help (probably just making his BG higher with all of the trying)?


I really don’t know what else to try and my vet is worthless. The tech there got it in one try with no issues whatsoever (of course)- he’s also the one that screwed up setting up my meter. Am I the only one on here that can’t get blood from the cats ear??? How many times a day should I try to do this? At what point should I give up? Any idea as to what else I can try? Am I supposed to aim for that large capillary on the ear or next to it? All of the drawings and demos I’ve seen stress that I’m looking for that capillary but never specify whether I’m trying to hit it or whether I’m trying to just puncture near it??

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

First, I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble testing. Are you giving a treat after each of these attempts. That’s very important. I’m assuming you’re using a pet meter then? My human meter was ready to go and never needed to be calibrated. I’d suggest you try testing yourself to see if you get a reading or not and rule out a bad meter.

I think 4-5 attempts max at a time. That’s been my rule. Don’t worry, you’re just starting and it can be a steep learning curve.

Are you warming up the ear? Is it warm to the touch when you’re trying to test?

what gauge lancet are you using? You want to start with a 28 or even 26

in a situation where you got too much blood and want to “save some” for multiple tests, always scoop some up onto a clean nail that way it should be good for a bit before drying or clogging up. I always tested from my so my cat could move about or flick its ear because I had the blood on my nail.

lastly, are you aiming for the sweet spot?

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I never did well with the lancet pen and alway free handed. The other thing I want to add is I always used a light source aimed at the ear so I could see what I was doing. Some folks use a lamp, I held a small flashlight in my mouth. I also sang a lullaby to calm both us down. You also want to apply pressure either a cotton ball on the spot for a few seconds to avoid bruising. It takes a bit of a time to learn the right amount of pressure you need to apply on the lancet when you prick the ear to get a decent size droplet. I would always do a little milking and sometimes I’d continue to press the warm sock to the back of the ear to try and get it warmer and get more blood out.

if the meter was malfunctioning, there’s nothing you could do. I don’t suggest maybe getting a human meter as a back up, like Walmart’s ReliOn.

 

[Susan Jane]

Thank you so much for your fast reply! Thanks so much for your attachment- I’ve never seen it before. Everyone says to look for the vein but doesn’t tell you to take the sample from next to it- pretty sure I got the vein last night.

I’m using alpha track 3 for pets. I’ve read that if I try it on myself it will error since it’s intended to be used on animals. I did try a strip with the control stuff on it and it operated like it’s supposed to- since the instructions don’t say exactly how to use the control solution I have no idea and I tried calling and no one has returned the call.

how to know what size lancets I am using?? They came with the meter (50) and the package or labeling instructions do not say. I went to their website and it also doesn’t say. Should I buy separate lancets? If I do will they fit into the lancet pen I have (came with the meter)???

3-4 tries per attempt sounds right, but how long in between attempts? A couple of hours? Or 3-4 tries per day? How many times would you try this in a 24 hour period? This has been beyond stressful! I definitely give treats after each attempt and even gave him tuna today afterwards. He’s just agitated from all of the attempts.

I didn’t try warming the ear because getting my cat to tolerate sitting still enough to prick him us hard enough. His ears were warm to the touch as it was a hot day yesterday- but it still resulted in no blood (except when I got the vein and had way more than I needed but the machine malfunctioned). Still I will try it-it can’t be this difficult to get one reading?! Any recommendation on how to warm up the ear? How warm do we need it to be, just warm to the touch?

thanks for your thoughts on putting the blood on my clean fingernail- do you mean underneath my fingernail or on top of it?

 

[Susan Jane]

I never did well with the lancet pen and alway free handed. The other thing I want to add is I always used a light source aimed at the ear so I could see what I was doing. Some folks use a lamp, I held a small flashlight in my mouth. I also sang a lullaby to calm both us down. You also want to apply pressure either a cotton ball on the spot for a few seconds to avoid bruising. It takes a bit of a time to learn the right amount of pressure you need to apply on the lancet when you prick the ear to get a decent size droplet. I would always do a little milking and sometimes I’d continue to press the warm sock to the back of the ear to try and get it warmer and get more blood out.

if the meter was malfunctioning, there’s nothing you could do. I don’t suggest maybe getting a human meter as a back up, like Walmart’s ReliOn.

I did try using just the lancet (no pen) but I can’t tell how hard to press or at what angle? I do know that my cat jumped when I did it, but he was probably already agitated as it was the 5th poke today.
I can see the vein fine- my cat is literally “pink” so the vein is prominent. As a matter of fact, the several bruises are also evident from the efforts. I will definitely put pressure on it to avoid bruising, but think you have to have blood to cause bruising? I did put pressure on it last night when I got all the excess blood.
What do you mean by a warm sock? You mean warm from the dryer? How do I know how long to hold a warm sock onto the area before pricking?
I have a back up human meter, but I need to get blood from my cat again before I can try it.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Onto the surface of the finger nail otherwise your skin will suck it all up.

The light is to see the lancet. You want the bevel side up so the sharpest edge is going in. I’d practice that on your finger so you can see what I mean.

warming up the ear is key. I mentioned it on my first comment, but you may have missed it. Most of us use an old sock we fill some with rice and then nuke it for about 20-30 seconds. You want the ear to be warmer than room temp because the heat will cause the blood to come out, so you hold up the sock to the ear for a few seconds till the ear is warm to the touch. You can also use a warm damp cloth or a pill bottle filled with hot water.

I don’t like lancet pens. You can’t control the pressure and the clicking sound startled my cats. I’m not sure how you’d tell what size lancets came with the meter. I honestly would encourage you to get some supplies from Walmart as a back up for the pet meter. It’s always smart to have a backup meter so you can check if it’s you or the meter malfunctioning. You can order it all from the Walmart’s website or go to the store and get it. You can then make sure you’re buying the gauge 26 or 28 lancets.

We try to give all the tips when folks let us know they’re going to start testing.

it would also be helpful if you could please set up your signature so we don’t have to go through the thread looking for info like what insulin you’re using, etc. you mentioned on your first post you were going to start insulin on Monday, have you started with the insulin yet?

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Most people have Walmart’s ReliOn Premier btw

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

You want to test before giving insulin and at least once more im each 12-hour cycle, for a total of 4 tests a day.

Did you get a chance to review the info on the prozinc forum? Make sure you read all the yellow sticky notes especially the one about the dosing methods.

 

[Susan Jane]

The finger nail sounds like a great idea! The tip on the lancet is extremely helpful- I had no idea that there was a right side up (bevel side up)! I did try without the lancet pen a few times but I can’t tell how much pressure to use. Worse, it seemed to cause much more pain when I pricked his ear manually.
My cat is a feral cat and he won’t sit still for very long. Will try the sock but I’m about ready to give up on home testing?! I don’t understand how all these people are able to test their cat every two hours - mine hides immediately and I have to drag him hissing and growling to test more than once in a day.
On the 17th try late last night i got our first reading- don’t see how I could possibly do this 4 or more times per day. It’s clear that this is hurting him! It’s to the point now where the cat put up a fight just to take his insulin this morning- something that was no problem before I stuck him all these times. We started on 1 unit if PZI every 12 hours on Monday morning. I am feeling so overwhelmed and depressed. I know how important home testing is to keep pinky safe but reading all of this info is pointless if I can’t get BG readings at home? Would be happy to set up my signature but I don’t know how- the tech link in the forums go nowhere (link doesn’t work). Also, do I bother with a spreadsheet with only one BG reading? Have a back up meter already (human one) but will find larger lancets (ones I have that came with alpha trak are probably smaller since very little blood is needed. I can’t get control of myself and can’t stop crying. I know I have to try testing his BG again now and need to try and get calm.
I really do appreciate your help, this is much harder than I ever imagined.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I’m sorry this is so hard for you and pinky. My cats would sometimes pull the ear away, but never reacted much. Bobo was much better than Minnie and just sat there. The only thing I can think of is if you’re not aiming at the sweet spot and you’re going too much on the inside of the ear, it may hurt. You want to prick as close to the edge as possible. Did you also try the singing?

did you prick your own finger? That’s how I figured out how much pressure I needed to apply. It’s not a ton because the lancet edge is super sharp just like a syringe needle.

Hang in there, it does eventually get easier

tagging a few others here for you to see if they have any more tips to share @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko @Bron and Sheba (GA) @Hendrick Cuddleclaw @tiffmaxee

 

[Susan Jane]

You are so wonderful to keep replying! I’ve never felt so helpless before and im pretty sure im now experiencing anxiety attacks over this. I’ve never experienced them before, seems weird to be having them for the first time at age 50. I know I need to be able to do this; right now im watching my cat every few minutes and am afraid to leave him alone (because im not testing him like he needs to be safe). I panicked yesterday when he threw up a small amount of bile (maybe a mouthful)- he ate immediately and was fine for the rest of the day. He’d done this before he was diagnosed, so it’s not unusual (but I automatically went to a bad place in my mind because of the insulin). I’ve obsessively read this forum including the prozinc for many many hours since Monday so I am as prepared as I can be. There is so much information that it’s difficult to digest it all in such a short time, and it might be contributing to my anxiety because all of these assume that you are taking and getting regular BG readings. It’s clear that many people can do this with no problem, just not me.

I think maybe my goal should be to just take 2 BG readings daily (before I shoot each dose)- I can work up to the rest and right now even getting 1/day is daunting. My vet wants me to do a glucose curve on Monday (9 readings in a day), and it’s stressing me out that I’ve only gotten one successful reading since Monday morning. I did stick myself several times but I must bleed much easier than the cat. It wasn’t that helpful in knowing how hard to press, so im going back to the lancet pen since it’s how I got the one reading that was successful. Maybe after I get a few of these, I can try manual again.

Im going out today to buy larger lancets (and a couple more lancet pens)! My friend is a diabetic and I showed them to her and she commented that the sharp end was so very tiny compared to hers, will get the 26 or 28 gauge like you recommended. I have a back up meter but I haven’t tried it for a reading yet (because I’m having trouble getting pinkys blood). The only time I got blood so far was when I pierced the vein directly- I used to work as a phlebotomist and this I know how to do, but it bled a lot and I know it hurt pinky. Im also thinking that my lancet pen is not working right- it didn’t pierce my skin either? Going to also buy a couple of different lancet pens for back up. Pinky doesn’t like the noise but it’s easier than guessing right now. Im sure once I get the hang of this I will do it manually. Since he’s growling while im doing all this, I need to use whatever method is fastest and most likely to be successful on the first try.

when I look at the lancet, you said that I should make sure the bevel side is up- I’ve stuck myself at least 15 times and I see and feel no difference between either end. Do you mean make sure the bevel side is up if sticking pinky without the pen OR with the pen?? Or both?? Maybe the lancets are too small to tell- I even used a magnified glass and can’t tell.

On the positive side, pinky is doing so much better since we started insulin. He’s not as voraciously hungry and the peeing and drinking are less than half of what they were. This also makes me slightly worried in that it means it will become more dangerous shooting him without testing like I should. Then again, the one reading I got pre shot Tuesday night was still 342- right before his 4th dose.

I went back through our thread and realize you definitely mentioned warming up his ear. I think maybe I ignored it because my feral cat is not going to just sit there while I heat up his ear- I didn’t realize it only takes a few seconds (I thought it was minutes). Also, I’d asked my vet and vet tech about warming the ear since I’d seen one YouTube mention it (out of 100s of videos I watched), they both told me don’t bother since my cat isn’t going to put up with it and it’s not needed. Of course the vet tech got it first try with no problem and pinky was so terrified he didn’t move. Pinky has no problem expressing to me how unhappy he is! Going to get some rice today also (for the sock) and will try it when my friend comes later to help hold pinky while I try next (pre shot PM reading). I’m not really sure how warm the warm it has to be, but you said a few seconds until warm to the touch (which is doable if I have help).

I’m open to any suggestions anyone has, and really appreciate you taking so much time to read & respond to these! Don’t give up on me, I’m going to get this right!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I used orzo actually when I first started because I don’t eat rice and had none at home lol

you’re not the only one who has issues testing a cat. Trust me, many do. I’ve heard some people will use the burrito technique but I’m not sure if it’s easy to do by yourself.

let me see if I can find a picture of the bevel.

it’s great news he’s feeling better and I think starting with the preshot tests only sounds like a good place so that you both can get used to the routine. Baby steps. Did you try the singing too?

 

[Susan Jane]

Yes, if you can find a photo of the lancet bevel that would be amazing!
I really feel like I am the only one having trouble with this, most posts are written from the standpoint of someone who has home testing down. It makes me feel slightly better that I’m not the only one. If you can believe it, I have lots of experience with cats and I routinely rescue ferals.
Oddly enough, singing seems to upset Pinky (rather than calming him)? I think he believes that I’m in distress when I sing, and it appears to make him nervous. So I find that talking to him in a calm low tone helps greatly- it works well when I’m shooting the insulin.
I’d hate to burrito him! While it works, getting him in burrito next time will be impossible. I know because this is what I’ve done in the past to clip his nails (but gave up, they only get clipped at the vet or occasionally I can get one while he’s sleeping before he wakes up). I can’t even pick this cat up without him trying to scratch my eyes out.
I bought larger looking lancets (28), 3 different lancet pens, and some rice for the sock. I didn’t even try testing last night. My current Aloha Trak 3 pen broke and my cat was so agitated by my morning efforts that he growled every time I came near him anyway. I will try again tonight! Thanks so much!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

You’re definitely not the only one. Bobo hates the insulin injections so I feel a bit of what you’re going through. It was an ordeal twice a day but at least he didn’t mind the testing. I was really concerned that if I hadn’t gotten him into remission, I’d never be able to find anyone who could have managed to give him his shots if I needed to travel for work or even for vacay.

I know it’s easier said than done but try to not feel stressed. Cats can pick up on your stress. Again, easier said then done.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I’m still looking for the pic, but here’s a thread with lots of tips from a few members with cats that were hard to test: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/still-no-bgs-on-bear.275127/#post-3054262

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Okay so bevel pic is in this thread. They also explain what the bevel is so good to read: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/pmps-and-insulin-soon-so-scared.250288/#post-2823419

 

[Nimi S]

Hi Susan Jane,
I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble with the ear prick for BG testing.

There is so much information that it’s difficult to digest it all in such a short time, and it might be contributing to my anxiety because all of these assume that you are taking and getting regular BG readings. It’s clear that many people can do this with no problem, just not me.

You’re not alone in feeling anxious when you’re just starting out and fresh to the feline diabetes journey. It really is nerve-wracking. So much to learn and master, it feels like a race against time. All of us have been where you are
Don’t be fooled into believing that all of us were pros at ear testing. Some (me included) do have it easier than the others since Each Cat Is Different (ECID, you’ll hear it often enough). But there are a lot of others whose kitties simply are not having it.
I’m pretty sure all the tips and tricks for ear pricking are the contributions of caregivers who had a difficult time with it and finally found something that worked for them. So hang in there and take it one day at a time.

Ale has given you a tonne of useful information and links for tips to BG testing through ear pricks.
I’m also sharing a few links that I’d saved when I was starting out. Do give them a read since you never know what might end up working for you.

How to do an Ear Prick on a Cat to Test Blood Glucose
Ear Testing Psychology
Test Time

They basically say the same things that you may have already read on here multiple times but something may stick better than the other for you.

if you can find a photo of the lancet bevel

Adding on to what Ale has already shared regarding positioning the bevel, here’s a zoomed-in photo of the bevel of a lancet in various positions. I use a lancing pen since my hands are a bit unsteady.

How warm do we need it to be, just warm to the touch?

Because my cat is very cooperative about the BG testing, I don’t usually have to warm his ears. But I do have to milk the drop out.
I find a big difference in the ease of forming a blood droplet on his ears when they’re warm from him having just woken up/ having been sleeping. So the ears have to be somewhat warm. Some people use a warm washcloth in a ziplock/plastic bag to warm the ear.

I will definitely put pressure on it to avoid bruising, but think you have to have blood to cause bruising?

Putting pressure on the ear after collecting the drop definitely helps with reducing the redness and bruising. I don’t think you need to have the blood out to be bruised. It’s kind of like when we knock a body part against something and bruise it without breaking the skin’s barrier.
My cat Shen’s ears were also majorly bruised throughout the first month of testing and I would worry that they’d get infected. Learning from and using the tips from here helped me getter better at it.

Like Ale said, don’t stress yourself out. I’ve usually failed at BG testing when I’m in a hurry or worried about getting a reading and my cat caught onto that and would struggle to get away.

You mentioned that Pinky is food motivated - you should definitely take advantage of that to get him used to BG testing by giving him a treat after every attempt, regardless of whether it’s successful or not. It won’t happen overnight so you’ve got to put on your patience pants, which are always for sale here

 

[Susan Jane]

Thanks for the photo and explanation on the bevel- it’s really helpful and I’d not heard about this before. The tips from others who have cats that are difficult to test was invaluable!! Not only did it remind me that this has happened to others (it’s not just me), but it also made me grateful that Pinky takes his insulin with very few issues (it’s not hopeless).

I got a successful BG reading last night!! I’m now 2 BG readings for 20 attempts (or 3 times where I actually got blood). I can’t imagine where I’d be right now if the other 17 times I actually got blood when I stuck pinky? That’s 17 sticks on pinkys ears for nothing.

Unfortunately, I hit the vein again last night (on his other ear this time)- he bled quite a lot- probably because I took your advice and warmed up the ear first. It left a definite bruise and made me feel awful.

By the time I gave him his PM shot minutes later, he was growling and hissing and I had to hold him down. While this is doable, I think pushing him to this can make it harder the next time.

Also, I can’t seem to stick him manually (no lancet pen) without hurting him? Every time he jumps and hisses or growls and I don’t get blood anyway- I might be just too new for this so I’m sticking with the lancet pen for now (until the negative association with the noise occurs, probably soon enough). Unfortunately the lancet pen makes it hard to aim with precision- thus hitting the vein again. I’m concerned that all of the bruising that’s occurring will make testing more painful next time.

I still am not sure what I’m doing wrong, it seems I only get blood by accident? The only time I’ve gotten blood was to get the actual vein! I bought a different lancet pen and 28 gauge lancets that I used last night and I still stuck pinky 4 times before I got anything. I know that I’m aiming for the sweet spot, but have a question: what do I do when the sweet spot is full of bruises? Sticking him where theres already a bruise causes pain. How do these people get a BG curve (my vet says 9 times in 12 hours)???

I hate that I’ve been at this for 4 days and only got 2 readings?! I don’t see how I can get a BG curve or mini curve at this rate and that’s highly discouraging.

I’m going to try to make a spreadsheet and post the BG readings on here somehow. Even though it won’t help anything yet, I’m trying to be optimistic. Do I have to use google docs or can I use excel? The SS technical help link didn’t work, any ideas??

 

[Susan Jane]

Hi Susan Jane,
I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble with the ear prick for BG testing.


You’re not alone in feeling anxious when you’re just starting out and fresh to the feline diabetes journey. It really is nerve-wracking. So much to learn and master, it feels like a race against time. All of us have been where you are
Don’t be fooled into believing that all of us were pros at ear testing. Some (me included) do have it easier than the others since Each Cat Is Different (ECID, you’ll hear it often enough). But there are a lot of others whose kitties simply are not having it.
I’m pretty sure all the tips and tricks for ear pricking are the contributions of caregivers who had a difficult time with it and finally found something that worked for them. So hang in there and take it one day at a time.

Ale has given you a tonne of useful information and links for tips to BG testing through ear pricks.
I’m also sharing a few links that I’d saved when I was starting out. Do give them a read since you never know what might end up working for you.

How to do an Ear Prick on a Cat to Test Blood Glucose
Ear Testing Psychology
Test Time

They basically say the same things that you may have already read on here multiple times but something may stick better than the other for you.


Adding on to what Ale has already shared regarding positioning the bevel, here’s a zoomed-in photo of the bevel of a lancet in various positions. I use a lancing pen since my hands are a bit unsteady.

View attachment 67296


Because my cat is very cooperative about the BG testing, I don’t usually have to warm his ears. But I do have to milk the drop out.
I find a big difference in the ease of forming a blood droplet on his ears when they’re warm from him having just woken up/ having been sleeping. So the ears have to be somewhat warm. Some people use a warm washcloth in a ziplock/plastic bag to warm the ear.


Putting pressure on the ear after collecting the drop definitely helps with reducing the redness and bruising. I don’t think you need to have the blood out to be bruised. It’s kind of like when we knock a body part against something and bruise it without breaking the skin’s barrier.
My cat Shen’s ears were also majorly bruised throughout the first month of testing and I would worry that they’d get infected. Learning from and using the tips from here helped me getter better at it.

Like Ale said, don’t stress yourself out. I’ve usually failed at BG testing when I’m in a hurry or worried about getting a reading and my cat caught onto that and would struggle to get away.

You mentioned that Pinky is food motivated - you should definitely take advantage of that to get him used to BG testing by giving him a treat after every attempt, regardless of whether it’s successful or not. It won’t happen overnight so you’ve got to put on your patience pants, which are always for sale here

I love the detailed photos of lancets- it’s amazingly helpful!! WAIT, which way is the bevel supposed to be facing up? Is this position for just when you use the lancet manually or when it’s loaded into a pen?

 

[Susan Jane]

I love the detailed photos of lancets- it’s amazingly helpful!! WAIT, which way is the bevel supposed to be facing up? Is this position for just when you use the lancet manually or when it’s loaded into a pen?

Hi Susan Jane,
I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble with the ear prick for BG testing.


You’re not alone in feeling anxious when you’re just starting out and fresh to the feline diabetes journey. It really is nerve-wracking. So much to learn and master, it feels like a race against time. All of us have been where you are
Don’t be fooled into believing that all of us were pros at ear testing. Some (me included) do have it easier than the others since Each Cat Is Different (ECID, you’ll hear it often enough). But there are a lot of others whose kitties simply are not having it.
I’m pretty sure all the tips and tricks for ear pricking are the contributions of caregivers who had a difficult time with it and finally found something that worked for them. So hang in there and take it one day at a time.

Ale has given you a tonne of useful information and links for tips to BG testing through ear pricks.
I’m also sharing a few links that I’d saved when I was starting out. Do give them a read since you never know what might end up working for you.

How to do an Ear Prick on a Cat to Test Blood Glucose
Ear Testing Psychology
Test Time

They basically say the same things that you may have already read on here multiple times but something may stick better than the other for you.


Adding on to what Ale has already shared regarding positioning the bevel, here’s a zoomed-in photo of the bevel of a lancet in various positions. I use a lancing pen since my hands are a bit unsteady.

View attachment 67296


Because my cat is very cooperative about the BG testing, I don’t usually have to warm his ears. But I do have to milk the drop out.
I find a big difference in the ease of forming a blood droplet on his ears when they’re warm from him having just woken up/ having been sleeping. So the ears have to be somewhat warm. Some people use a warm washcloth in a ziplock/plastic bag to warm the ear.


Putting pressure on the ear after collecting the drop definitely helps with reducing the redness and bruising. I don’t think you need to have the blood out to be bruised. It’s kind of like when we knock a body part against something and bruise it without breaking the skin’s barrier.
My cat Shen’s ears were also majorly bruised throughout the first month of testing and I would worry that they’d get infected. Learning from and using the tips from here helped me getter better at it.

Like Ale said, don’t stress yourself out. I’ve usually failed at BG testing when I’m in a hurry or worried about getting a reading and my cat caught onto that and would struggle to get away.

You mentioned that Pinky is food motivated - you should definitely take advantage of that to get him used to BG testing by giving him a treat after every attempt, regardless of whether it’s successful or not. It won’t happen overnight so you’ve got to put on your patience pants, which are always for sale here

Thanks so much for the links to info you included! You are absolutely right about reading these things again. I was so overwhelmed when I first got on here that I completely missed the part about warming up the ear? It’s very hard to warm up the ear because it requires me to hold my cat down. He won’t sit still and tries to get away immediately when I touch his ear, and the longer I have to restrain him the grouchier he gets. I really hope that at some point we get to where we can skip this step!

I do use a cotton round that I hold pressure on afterwards, but by that time he’s trying to bite me so I can’t get it on him long. On the positive side he seems to clot very very quickly. No doubt cats get bruises whether I get blood or not- his poor ears are covered with them from my 17 unsuccessful attempts. I’m not that worried his ears will get infected- more concerned that it hurts him especially if I accidentally stick him where he already has a bruise.

pinky definitely gets treats after every attempt, which also makes me slightly concerned. Between all the attempts and his insulin, it’s a lot of snack treats. He’s very very picky and we are just gradually switching to wet food first (dry snacks that aren’t low carb are the only reason he doesn't hide from me or avoid me completely). I’m probably making his BG worse in the short term by all of these treats (and attempts).

im still very frustrated and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong!! I’m not giving up yet though

 

[Nimi S]

I got a successful BG reading last night!! I’m now 2 BG readings for 20 attempts (or 3 times where I actually got blood). I can’t imagine where I’d be right now if the other 17 times I actually got blood when I stuck pinky? That’s 17 sticks on pinkys ears for nothing.

Congrats! Any progress is good progress

Unfortunately the lancet pen makes it hard to aim with precision- thus hitting the vein again.

I know what you mean. The mouth (?) of the lancet pen is so wide that you don’t know at what point of the ear’s edge the lancet will actually hit. I try to line up the circle on the pen’s mouth with the outer edge of the ear (or even a little beyond the outer edge) so that the lancet ends up hitting between the edge and the main vein. The photo below will show what I’m trying to say but I try to line the circle a bit more towards the edge, so that it doesn’t hit the vein. Lots of trial and error in trying to figure this out. I sometimes prick the inside, sometimes the outside.

WAIT, which way is the bevel supposed to be facing up?

Personally for me, the position of the bevel face hasn’t mattered for ear pricks since I don’t know which way it is facing inside the pen. What helps me is to make sure that there’s some pressure (a finger like in the photo or a cotton swab) on the other side of the ear when I’m pricking. Without the pressure, the lancet doesn’t seem to make a prick deep enough to break the skin and form blood. I also had to adjust the penetration depth on the lancing pen.

I’ve read suggestions that the bevel should be facing up when you’re free-handing so that the pointed side hits the skin first.

However, when I inject insulin (since the needles in the insulin syringes also have bevels), I shoot with the bevel facing down. I find that there is less of an opposition when the bevel is face down.
I think different purposes or types of injections (iv, subcutaneous, intramuscular etc) warrant different positioning of the bevel face

Another infographic on bevel faces

 

[Nimi S]

I’m going to try to make a spreadsheet and post the BG readings on here somehow. Even though it won’t help anything yet, I’m trying to be optimistic. Do I have to use google docs or can I use excel? The SS technical help link didn’t work, any ideas??

Tagging Bhooma @Bandit's Mom for you to help you with setting up a spreadsheet. It’s nearly 2am here in India, so she’ll be able to help you in the morning

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Thank you @Nimi S for all the pics and added insights! I wanted her to hear from someone other than me and you’ve got some amazing tips!

here’s the only other thing/question I have. When you prick with the lancet device or free hand regardless, are you immediately milking the spot to get the blood to come out? I’m just wondering if you’re pricking and not seeing any blood and thinking failed attempt I have to try again. I never saw blood come out on its own unless I hit a marginal vein. I always had to milk the ear a bit and then I’d start to see the tiny dot of blood form and get bigger as I continued milking it until it got to a size good enough to test. This is why I always need a light aimed at the spot because unless my cat was under the sun, I’d never be able to see that tiny dot and know I was milking the right spot

 

[Nimi S]

I never saw blood come out on its own unless I hit a marginal vein. I always had to milk the ear a bit and then I’d start to see the tiny dot of blood form and get bigger as I continued milking it until it got to a size good enough to test

This has been my experience too. I get a good droplet only when I hit the marginal vein but then it’s too much. All the other times I have to milk out the tiny droplet that forms after the prick. The milking out is far more easier when the ear is warm as the blood is already flowing around.
Sometimes although the skin has broken, the droplet is not visible so you keep milking in that area till a bigger droplet forms.

If kitty is not cooperative or moves around a lot, another thing you could try to do is take a photo of kitty’s ear in the sun or under a flashlight, where the veins are visible. Take the photo and get used to the layout of veins on kitty’s ear, so that when it’s time to prick you know approximately where you have to hit with the lancet, without having to search around.
Here’s a photo of one of my non-diabetic kitty’s ear against normal sunlight.

I do know that not all kitties have such thin skin or light coloured fur on their ears. I have another kitty with brown ears and I can’t spot a single vein there, flashlight or not. So this wouldn’t work for everyone

One tip to avoid bruising is to prick alternate ears everyday or every cycle (AM/PM). And even when pricking one ear, you can sort of prick in a rainbow pattern so you aren’t pricking the same spot again and again. This if for when you get used to pricking and getting a drop.
Right now just keep working on warming and getting a droplet from whichever sweet-spot on the ear you can

ETA:

I bought larger looking lancets (28), 3 different lancet pens

Some lancet pens come with a transparent/clear cap that makes it a little easier to see where you’re pricking. Do your new lancet pens have that extra cap? You can check at the pharmacy before buying.

 

[Susan Jane]

So much great info! I’m especially appreciative of the lancet bevel infographic and the photos of lining up the lancet pen with the ear.

Thanks also for the photo of kitty veins. I’m actually fortunate in that pinkys ear is actually light pink and I can see all the veins easily without a flash light. It’s even easier now with all of the tiny bruises.

Maybe I’m not milking correctly??? I milk for about 5-10 seconds and if I don’t see any blood I move on. Maybe I should try longer, but I really only have about 30 seconds to get this right -and that includes warming the ear. Any longer and pinky is trying desperately to escape and will growl, hiss and even bite. Will definitely try for a few more seconds tonight. I’ve literally never got blood (25+ tries) without hitting the proximal vein. You are saying that you milk the ear when you see no blood whatsoever?? For how long before you try again?

I couldn’t find the clear capped lancet pen today as I tried a few pharmacies, it’s a great idea! I got a reading again last night, but also hit the very edge of the vein (again). I tried to line up the cap slightly over the outer edge of the ear and after 2 misses (no ear) I got the edge of the vein. When I get a vein it hurts him and causes a bruise- I’m running out of places on the outer edge of the ear (sweet spot) to try. If I try too close to a prior one that hasn’t healed he yelps.

Maybe I’m not warning the ear long enough? I have a sock filled with rice that I microwave for 30 seconds. I hold it around both sides of the corner of one ear for about 15 seconds? Someone told me to hold it there until the ear is warm to the touch- but I don’t know how warm? Again, I only have a short time before pinky gets pissed off.
All I know is that there is no way to do a glucose curve if I can’t get readings reliably? I’ve only gotten 3 reading so far and I’ve been at this 6 days. I feel anxiety for an hour prior each time I try this, it can’t be great for Pinky.
Can I use an excel format sheet?

 

[Nimi S]

Maybe I’m not milking correctly??? I milk for about 5-10 seconds and if I don’t see any blood I move on. Maybe I should try longer, but I really only have about 30 seconds to get this right -and that includes warming the ear. Any longer and pinky is trying desperately to escape and will growl, hiss and even bite. Will definitely try for a few more seconds tonight. I’ve literally never got blood (25+ tries) without hitting the proximal vein. You are saying that you milk the ear when you see no blood whatsoever?? For how long before you try again?

I’m linking 2 videos from Shen’s AMPS today morning below.
Pricking the outer side of the ear
Pricking the inner side of the ear

2 different locations, one on the outside of the ear, where the droplet didn’t form and I had to milk it out. And another on the inside where the droplet formed immediately. The ear where I did the inside prick was slightly warmer to begin with, since Shen had been sleeping with his ear facing down on that side of his head. The only extra warming I did was massaging the ears. For the inside prick, Shen moves away in the video but the droplet had already formed when I turned the camera to him. I still had to milk it very slightly. You can see that I didn’t have to milk for more than 10 seconds. For the milking, most of the times I do what I did (sort of a squeeze - pinch thing) in the video.
Other times when there’s not enough of a drop, I massage the ear from the base up to the area where the prick was supposed to be. I only attempt another prick if I can’t get a drop despite this - which would mean that the skin didn’t break at all.
Lancets become dull with each attempt so you’ve to make sure you aren’t reusing them more than twice (even twice is overkill).

I’m running out of places on the outer edge of the ear (sweet spot) to try

I’ve only tried the centre of the ear a couple of times when the edges were badly bruised, but that’s an option too. The skin is slightly thicker there so you may have to increase the penetration depth of your lancet. The first time my vet showed me how to prick, she chose to do so on the inner side and the centre. She also suggested making 2 adjacent pricks to form one big prick but that was while free-handing.
Here are some photos of non-edge areas on the ear where people prick.

There’s also the paw but most cats kick their legs away if someone touches their paws :’) Also most are worried about the hygiene since those paws go through litter, dirt etc.

Maybe I’m not warning the ear long enough? I have a sock filled with rice that I microwave for 30 seconds. I hold it around both sides of the corner of one ear for about 15 seconds? Someone told me to hold it there until the ear is warm to the touch- but I don’t know how warm? Again, I only have a short time before pinky gets pissed off.

15 seconds sounds good enough to me. If I had to describe it’d be the difference between my own neck during any time of the day vs my neck when I’m under a blanket. Not much but you can tell the difference. For Shen, the amount of warm that his ears become while sleeping seems to be warm enough to generate a droplet of blood.

What is the penetration depth of your lancet currently?

Throwing another visual aid your way
YouTube video on home testing with lancing device and freehand

I feel anxiety for an hour prior each time I try this, it can’t be great for Pinky.

If you can, try not to feel too pressured. Treat every attempt as practice because that’s what it is right now. It is not ideal but it is what it is and you’re trying your best too