New member with a sleepy kitty

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Amy&Tibby

Amy&Tibby

Member Since 2020
Hello everyone. My cat Tibby was diagnosed just this past week. I'm switching to Purina DM food, feeding him twice a day. I am supposed to give him 1 unit of ProZinc twice a day. He gets very sleepy after a shot, but I've only given him two shots. There aren't any other hypoglycemia symptoms, he has just slept deeply after each shot. I can't say if sleeping after eating is his norm. He sleeps a lot. Should I worry? I don't want to mess with what the vet has prescribed over napping.

I just prodded him while he slept, and he seemed fine. He popped his head up and then licked my finger.
 
Hi Amy,
Welcome! I'm pretty new here, but I can tell you you've found the right place for helpful advice and support for you and Tibby. When our more experienced voices chime in, they will encourage you to begin home-testing Tibby's blood glucose. (I'm just guessing that you aren't yet--and I just saw Juls asked about that.) It's super easy to do. Walmart or a drug store will have human BG meters that can give you a "close enough" reading. They aren't pricey and are easy to operate. Our friends here have lots of helpful advice for the how-tos.

My kitty has been extra sleepy when her doses were too high. Our initial food-switch from high to low carb really dropped her numbers significantly. So our insulin on top of her new lower numbers had a big effect. Your kitty may be perfectly fine, but it's hard to know for sure.

You might consider offering Tibby a little snack. If he's a little low some food will help. If he acts super hungry then that's a clue he may be low. (I'm just wondering if the finger licking might mean Tibby was hoping for a snack. Or maybe he was just loving you!)

When you have a chance, the link below is really helpful. It's also A LOT to process. But it's well worth it! I and many others can honestly say that our friends on this site have saved our kitties' lives.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216680/
 
I haven't been testing, but I'll go look at meters tomorrow. This is only day two of this journey, so I'm definitely learning a lot. I woke him up and got him playing. He wasn't interested in food but started swiping at toys, so I think he was fine, but I'll start testing. However, I looked at his ears, and I'm not sure I can spot a vein.
 
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  • Be sure to poke in the "sweet spot" and not the major vein that runs along the length of the ear. Poking the vein will not only hurt, but will result in a lot of blood. The sweet spot is on the edge of the ear.
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It can be hard to get used to home testing, but I promise it gets easier with practice and it keeps our sugar cats so much safer.

I wanted to add two things. Firstly, I wanted to mention that you don't have to get a pet meter to test Tibby. (cute name!) Most members here use a human meter, like WalMart's ReliOn Premiere. The big thing about the ReliOn meters is that the test strips are so much cheaper. Most of the information you'll read on the site will be with using human meters. If you get a pet meter, you'll have to take the difference into account.

Next thing I wanted to mention is that the prescription food isn't necessary unless you just want it. There are many canned food, high protein/ low carb options for Tibby, and most are less expensive. The Purina DM pate is about 7% calories from carbs. The DM savory selects are higher in carb because of the gravy, so I don't recommend them.

There's a great food chart here, that lists tons of options. You're looking for calories from carbs under 10%, and calories from protein near 50%. I stay away from the ones that have too many calories from fat. You'll see that some of the options on the list have too much fat and not enough protein. Another thing to consider is phosphorus. It's best to choose flavors that have lower levels of phosphorous. Many members feed their sugar cats Fancy Feast and Friskies pates. I know it sounds a little crazy. I used to think Fancy Feast was like McDonalds for cats, but it's actually a well put together cat food.

I'm so happy Tibby was feeling more playful. It may simply take her a few days to get used to the insulin. When you do get a meter, test her about +2 (two hours after injection) to see what's going on with her BGL. As long as it's not dropping too low, she may just need time to adjust.

If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask. There are so many awesome experienced members here to help.
 
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Glad to see you over here from the Facebook group Amy!!

First, it's totally normal for a cat to sleep after they eat....we just don't really notice until we get a diagnosis like this and then we start to look at everything they do. A cat in the wild has a routine that works for our "domestic" cats too....They hunt, eat, groom, sleep....and then the cycle repeats.

Next, when we start to give insulin, it makes the cat feel different. Think of it like this....if you were used to drinking a pot of coffee every day and then all the sudden somebody started giving you medication that blocked the effects of caffeine, you'd feel pretty icky too. Our sugarcat's bodies have gotten used to living in those higher blood glucose numbers so even if we're not dropping them "too low", it still makes them feel different.

The DM really isn't necessary as you've already heard. It does however have a 100% guarantee so the good news is you can return it for a full refund. Take the money and go to WalMart and buy a Relion Prime, some strips and some lancets. I also like having those round cotton cosmetic pads to protect my finger from the "poke" and then as a way to apply pressure to the poke after getting the sample. Most of us who returned the "prescription" food just told our vets that our cat refused to eat it. No other explanation necessary.

Keep asking questions and reading other people's posts! You'll learn a lot from other people's posts too!
 
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