New to the forum with a kitty that's not doing great

This is going to be a sum of information, so thank you anyone who takes the time to read!

My baby angel kitty Yuki (10 yrs) was diagnosed with diabetes approximately a month and a half ago. The vet immediately put her on 1 unit of Prozinc, every 12 hours (8 am and pm) we'd give her a fancy feast classic pate and a unit of prozinc. She was doing well on this diet, except perhaps a bit underfed so we upped the amount of food in her morning meal to 1-1/2. Reading a bit more into different dietary options we landed on doctor Lisa Pierson's homemade recipe. We transitioned to a morning meal of fancy feast with insulin and a night meal of homemade food without insulin. Our hope was that we could monitor her blood sugar during this time with a freestyle libre glucose monitor so we had it installed at the vet and immediately as she got home she ripped it off! So, we decided to put her entirely on homemade food without insulin to ensure she did not become hypoglycemic and test her blood sugar the following week or taking her in if we saw any odd patterns of behavior. Sadly during this time, Yuki got out of the house as we were moving stuff out for my mom and grandma, and we lost her for about 12 or so hours. She came home covered in motor oil so we had to take her to the groomers to ensure she didn't lick off what she hadn't already, we fed her as soon as she got home and later that night outside of the regulated schedule. The next day she was doing super well, eating normally and being the sweet kitty she is. Unfortunately, the next day (yesterday) she did not cry for food in the morning and only ate about 1/3, my dad found vomit at about 9:30 am and the kitty was resting at the end of the dining room table (a decent hiding spot). I was at my grandma's having breakfast and my dad called us home to let us know the cat wasn't doing well. She was resting with her eyes open and was super lethargic, practically not responding to touch and sound. We were afraid that she was hypoglycemic, so I gave her a tad bit of honey on the gums. She would walk and then go into that odd resting state. We attempted to hand feed her a fancy feast pate (she LOVES those), and she threw up immediately after just a pinch of food. We went to the emergency vet, they gave her subcutaneous fluids and found her blood sugar to be in the 300 range. They tested her ketones and found a small amount. They wanted to keep her in to monitor her but we could not afford the 3000/night they were asking. They ended up giving us antibiotics in case an infection was the underlying cause of her problems as well as a 24-hour anti-nausea medication.

This morning she is resting more usually than before, head up, responds to sounds, and her name, etc. We tried feeding her so we could get her insulin and antibiotics in but she refuses. How do we get her to eat? we tried the parmesan thing to no avail. When I put food up to her mouth she rejects it. We're not sure what to do.

We know that we need to get a monitor for her blood sugar asap, but she has been under so much stress lately we don't want her to leave the house.

Any advice helps, thank you!!

 

Welcome to fdmb ! We are going to try and help you figure this all out with Yuki. She sure has been through it! Poor baby. I'm afraid she may have licked too much motor oil. What did the Vet say when you told them that? There may be something going on with he tummy with motor oil i it. I hope others will have ideas ...sigh
I'm also not clear is she receiving insulin at the moment? If she tested low for keytones you MAY want to get some keytone strips to check for yourself. You can get them at any walgreens or CVS, test her urine yourself. It has to be a clean test in that you hold a ladle under her while she pees. ( theres other ways )
As for feeding...Have you tried sprinkling something like Parmesan cheese on top? Or if you have it fortiflora? You might try baby food . Pure meat no onions or garlic in the ingredients.

Lets see what others have to say!

Again welcome to the best site on this planet to learn everything you need to know about feline diabetes!
jeanne

 

There are a couple of additional medications that your cat likely needs. First and foremost a bit of education. Ketones develop as a result of not enough insulin + not enough calories + a possible infection or inflammation. Diabetic ketoacidosis can be a life threatening condition. You need to go to a pharmacy and get a pack of Ketostix. This is a way to test your cat's urine for ketones. You will need to stalk your cat to the litter box. There are also blood ketone meters. The strips are expensive, though. Any amount above trace in urinary ketones is a visit to your vet or the ER vet. Do not mess with this.

I would call the ER back and let them know your cat isn't eating. Ask for anti-nausea medication. (Ketones can make your kitty feel lousy.) Ask for Cerenia. It's a standard medication. Also ask for an appetite stimulant. Typically, vets will prescribe either mirtazepine or cyproheptadine. If you can bring your kitty back to the vet for a shot of Cerenia, that would be ideal It will work faster. Otherwise, you need to wait at least an hour before giving an appetite stimulant. (If your cat is nauseated and you give an appetite stimulant you're likely to cause your cat to develop a food aversion -- no one wants to eat if they're nauseous.)

Try to use a food that is high in calories. In order to keep ketones in check, you will want your cat to be eating about 1.5 times the usual amount of food. Frankly, get any food into your kitty that she will eat. Adding water to the food will also help. Hydration can be helpful with reducing the concentration of ketones.

Your cat does not need to leave the house for a meter. If you go to the pharmacy to get Ketostix, but a glucometer. Most of us poke our cat along the edge of the ear to get a sample and test that way. We have lots of information, including videos, on how to home test.

FWIW, it might have been a better strategy to give less insulin when you made the diet change. I suspect the lack of insulin is what has set this ball in motion. Please, talk to either your vet or the ER vet about anti-nausea meds and an appetite stimulant. Mention the motor oil to make sure there was nothing toxic, like Jeanne suggested. Get Ketostix and a meter.

 

THANK YOU Sienne!

 

Welcome first and I’m sorry for everything that your sugar baby is going through.

home testing is the best safest way to make sure your cat is up for the insulin dose you’re giving and keeping her from going into hypo. You can test at home with a human meter no need for the freestyle libre and we can help with that.

most importantly is food. Can you try baby food? The meat type like Gerber’s turkey or chicken? And can you syringe feed her? It’s a good thing they didn’t find ketones. Did they say a trace amount only? She needs to eat because ketones can develop in 24 hours. So I’d blend some FF with water and try to syringe feed her small amounts. They shouldn’t have ran more tests like for pancreatitis. Did they? I’m assuming they gave her a shot of Cerenia that also only lasts for about 24-48 hours. You’ll need anti nausea meds you can give her at home. Can you call them and ask for a prescription for either Cerenia or ondansetron? I might go for ondansetron since it’s a human med and you can get it filled at any pharmacy today. But another Cerenia shot, as Sienne suggested, is probably even better. Regardless, you’ll need the anti nausea meds at home as a back up

is she drinking water?

 

Thank you so much Jt and Sienne!

We have ketone strips here at home, I’m watching her vigilanty (she’s shockingly impressive at making it to the restroom when no one is watching)

It looks like she peed twice last night.

we did try the Parmesan method, unfortunately she seems to have complete aversion to food. I tried feed her with a syringe and got maybe 2ml in combined with water. My dad is out buying one with a bigger nozzle.

We’ll buy a glucose monitor as well.

She was given anti nausea medication last night by the er vet saying it would last 24 hours.

We gave her insulin last night after the er vet said it was high. We’re afraid of dosing her blindly especially since she has had so little food. She’s not drinking water either, only going up to her bowl, smelling and then laying down. She’s getting a sunken in appearance again like last night, so she might be dehydrating.

Motor oil poisoning is a possibility, but she did very well the day after she came back home. Perhaps the stress of being out (she’s an indoor cat) combined with the reduced insulin and missed meal threw her into this.

 

Sorry to have to say this but it sounds like she needs to get back to the ER sigh

 

she isnt drinking OR eating

 

Do you have care credit?

 

The veterinary care we received there wasn't too great, the vet wasn't super familiar with diabetes in cats and didn't have insulin on hand (thus why we injected her). We wanted to keep her home as much as possible but, she doesn't seem to be doing better. Perhaps you are right.

 

Will any glucose monitoring system work?

 

Not that I am aware of. I'd have to ask my dad, although I'm pretty sure we do not.

 

OK Care Credit is a GREAT resource any Vet will have it! USE IT

 

If you are talking bg meters yes any will do. It does depend on the strips though if the ones you have are still good but are expensive you MAY want to purchase a ReliOn from walmart the meter is one MANY here use because the testing strips are about the cheapest.

 

Maybe try calling the er vet explain the situation make sure they know she could have ingested a fair amount of oil.

I'm thinking thats why shes thirsty but not drinking . can you squirt any water down her?

 

We just got a glucose meter. We're going to syringe feed her now.

 

Your cat is going to need a lot of fluids too. Fluids help flush the ketones out of the system.

It is best to give subq fluids under the skin. You get the fluids from the vet. If this is not an option, add some water to the food. Make it a bit soupy. And syringe some water every hour or so.

 

Please let us know how she is doing. We ALL care

 

Sending prayers for little Yuki

 

@Panic
thinking on this I'm wondering... you gave one unit prozinc with no food on board... Please let us know what that meter reads

 

Thank you all so much.

We tried syringe feeding her with fancy feast and water. She fights it pretty hard, but we were able to get about 5ml of food/water in.

 

did you have any luck with the meter?

 

fighting is good.

 

Do you have another ER nearby? One that maybe your vet can recommend? Or is your vet opened today? You can open a care credit account in 5 minutes online. I had to do that in May because Minnie was going through exactly the same scenario you’re dealing with and she wasn’t getting better at home or eating and I couldn’t medicate a cat that wasn’t eating. She was also vomiting and even the Cerenia shot didn’t help. I had to take her back to the ER the next morning to stay for 2 nights because the only way to feed her was through a feeding tube. If you try everything we suggested and she’s still not eating by tomorrow, I’d strongly advise you to get her hospitalized. If you can’t get to the root of what’s going on and why, it will be very difficult to keep her safe.

 

Not when she’s fighting not to eat

 

Thanks Ale

 

well thats true i just think fighting means she has strength enough.

 

When you took her to the vet, did they check her over very carefully for signs of injury, bites, etc? I'm just wondering how she got all that oil all over her and wondering if she got into a scrape.

 

I doubt she fell in it. Someone did this.

 

Yep, definitely fighting still. We bought a true metrix 60 meter and are about to get a reading. Will update with reading.

 

thanks and thank you dad for us too!

 

Hi Ashley,

I'm sorry to hear that Yuki's feeling so poorly right now.

I suggest you either:

1. Sequester Yuki in the bathroom. Provide her with a small clean litter tray containing [ETA: non-absorbent] litter (e.g. Katkor) until she pees. (Check on progress regularly: ketones can build up very quickly so the sooner you can test the urine the better.)

2. Invest in a blood beta ketone meter (allows you to test a tiny droplet of blood sampled from the cat's ear, in same way as blood glucose is tested).

Strips for ketone meters aren't the cheapest (but probably cheaper than the non-absorbent cat litter), however they make it much, much easier to monitor a cat who's actively throwing ketones. Safer, too, because you can check levels 'on demand', rather than risking a potential build-up of ketones in the cat while waiting to catch a urine sample.

Ketone meters can potentially pick up rising ketone levels hours before they show up in the cat's urine. If treatment is needed, the sooner help is sought the easier it will be on the kitty (and the wallet!). The sooner you know there's an issue, the faster you can seek help.

Here is further info for you:

Testing your Cat for Ketones

Tips for Collecting Urine Samples

Ketones, DKA, Blood Ketone Meters

I echo the suggestions above about checking back with your vet about the motor oil, and also to ask for at least several days' worth of anti-nausea and appetite stimulant meds.

Yuki has the most extraordinary heterochromic eyes! I hope she feels much better very soon. Keep posting for any help you need.


Mogs
.

 

It looked like she had got into a car. It was on her tail, paws, and some on her face.

 

well I hope it was just an accident . Sadly I have seen too many monsters out there. I'm a little jaded that way. sorry

 

Food doesn't necessarily need to be on board when shooting Prozinc, it typically doesn't take effect until +2.

 

THANKS Elizabeth. Seems I can never get these things straight. thats a relief

 

She does have the most stunning cat eyes!!!

We’re all pulling for her!

tips for home testing. Warm up the ear with a sock filled with rice that you can nuke 20-30 seconds. Always give a treat after for positive association, although if she’s not eating that can be a favorite toy or chin scratch whatever she really likes. Here’s a diagram of the ear so you know where to aim for

 

A long shot since you are in S. California but has someone in the neighbourhood had their car rustproofed lately? And what substance is used for rustproofing? I know that it is oil based, but is there anything else involved? I had my car done recently (a necessity in Canada) and even though the company washed the car after, the car dripped in my driveway for a couple of hours.

 

Where in SoCal are you? I’m in L.A. and so is @tiffmaxee we can give you referrals for excellent hospitals

 

Uhhh we dont rustproof the cars here. We dont get snow in So Cal. Only in winter in the mountains

 

GOOD idea Ale

 

Nobody in my family has had a car rustproofed.
Here are images of what she looked like before and after the groomer.

 

I tried several times to get blood from her. We got a bit but not enough for a reading. I will try warming up the ear to see if that works

 

Ohhh ok it doesnt look too bad with the oil. So GLAD the groomer got her all cleaned up. sigh Thats a relief.
She is BEAUUUIIIIFULS!

Someone please post the ear testing graphics.. Ale Is it you that has that ready?

 

I already did woman lol

 

If the ear is not warm to the touch you’ll rarely get enough blood especially at first as the ears need tome to learn to bleed and build more capilares. I also recommend using light to see what you’re doing. Another trick is to get the blood on your fingernail and test from there. Did she handle it okay?

 

Got the graphics, thank you! My dad is going to give it a try. We're trying to warm up the ear now. And yes she is an absolute cutey!

 

GO DAD!!!

 

I’m so sorry for you and your beautiful kitty. Where in So. Cal. do you live?

 

Just catching up on messages posted while I was drafting my earlier reply to you.

[Emphasis mine]

The above worries me.

From what you describe, it sounds like Yuki might be quite dehydrated. As Sienne commented upthread, ketones can make a cat feel lousy. So, too, can dehydration (think about how a human feels with a bad hangover). With dehydration in the mix, anti-nausea meds and appy stimulants may not work effectively enough to help get Yuki eating again quickly. If she can't take on a fair amount of fluids under her own steam very, very soon then even anti-nausea meds may not work at all.

Have you any chicken breast in the house, Ashley? Or tuna in spring water?

If you poach the chicken breast in water it will make a light broth. You could try adding a little of the poaching broth or tuna water to a larger amount of water and offer it to Yuki (in the hope that the flavouring might help her to drink). Bearing in mind that she's going to her bowl with plain water in it (so she's thirsty) but not drinking (feels too unwell) makes me think that this is an outside chance at the moment. If she doesn't want to drink any of that straight away then I think you would have a very difficult time trying to syringe adequate fluids at home to help her perk up again (as she did last night). if Yuki were my cat I would take her to the vets ASAP to get fluids on board as a minimum and they could check her ketone and BG status. Proper hydration should also help any supportive meds to work better.

Sending positive vibes to your little beauty.


Mogs
.

 

Just a general location will help see if we can get you to a good vet. There’s are lots of people from California on the boards but it’s a big state.

 

We got a good amount of blood and the meter is showing an E-3 error which is meant to indicate that the strips are expired, the strips are not expired (they say 2022). We're at a loss here. It doesn't look like we can afford another trip to the vet. I will look into Care aid and talk to my dad about it. Not looking too great here guys, but I truly appreciate all the info and love you guys are sending. She's relaxed in the living room which is good.

 

It might have been too much blood.

 

Sometimes too much blood will bring an error reading.

 

Can you try again?

 

Since you’re poking her a lot make sure you press the spot with a cotton ball for a few seconds to stop the bleeding and make sure it doesn’t bruise. You can also apply Neosporin ointment the original formula if you have any

 

You do occasionally get a duff strip in an otherwise good pack, Ashley. Also, sometimes if you get too much blood on a test strip it can throw up an error code.

Tip:

1. Get the meter set up ready to do another test. Set out a few extra test strips.
   
   
2. Make sure your hands are really clean.
   
   
3. Warm Yuki's ear really well then do the prick to draw the blood sample.
   
   
4. Massage the edge of the ear slightly to produce a slightly larger blood droplet.
   
   
5. Collect the blood sample on the back of your fingernail and test it from there. Keep the blood droplet on your fingernail.
   
   
6. If you have any problems with another test strip, you only need to load a fresh strip into the meter and do a second test on the 'fingernail sample' again - no need for another ear prick.

Mogs
.

 

Snap!

.

 

Do you know what gauge lancets you’re using? The smaller the number the easier it is to get a good amount of blood like 28 or 26

 

@Critter Mom So glad to see you back on the board!

 

They got a lot of blood. Maybe too much.

 

We will try again in a bit. She went up to her water bowl again and is drinking A LOT of water.

I brought out her food and she gave out a little meow but didn't want any yet.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh WHEW!

 

Do the best you can with fluids. Try the water flavoured with tuna water or poaching broth. Don't add too much of the flavouring liquid (especially if using tuna water), just enough to give it a light scent. (Think about how we humans can't face strong-smelling stuff when we feel really queasy: it tends to be off-putting, or it can make us want to heave). Try warming the flavoured water just a little so that it is tepid to the touch. It will help release the aroma and should make it more comfortable for Yuki to swallow.

If you can get somewhere with the fluids - slowly syringing them if necessary - it might help Yuki get to the stage where she starts to feel better enough to start drinking a little more under her own steam. With more fluids, supportive meds stand a better chance of working (but I think it pretty much a certainty you'll need to get a vet to prescribe more of them for home use - urgently). Each positive step achieved can make the next step easier. The idea is to try to set up a virtuous circle, which will become self-reinforcing.


Mogs
.

 

,Oh, BONUS!!!!!!!

Go Yuki! We'll have more of that, please!


Mogs
.

 

Not sure, looking for it

Good news Mogs, Yuki went to her bowl and had a very good amount of water on her own! She getting some sleep in now. She actually looks pretty good as of now. Just continuing praying that she'll make it out of this. I will try testing her BG after some rest, I don't want to disrupt her peace.

 

You need to test her BG as soon as possible.
Her life depends on it.
Insulin is a dangerous drug, too much is fatal so is too little.

We never recommend changing the diet without close monitoring of BG levels, so please keep testing

 

Trust me, she'll get over it! And she'll forgive you, too.


Mogs
.

 

I have to agree with Sasha and Mogs. I know how you feel but this is most important.

 

Please give baby food a try. Minnie will eat that even when she won’t eat anything else. Get some Gerber chicken or turkey or beef or pork. Nothing with onions

 

No luck with the BG testing. In the light, I can very clearly see we're hitting the 'sweet spot' but nothing substantial enough for measurement is coming out. I've warmed them as well. Should I try with just a lancet? Also, the more I'm looking into it, the less I think the monitor we got is going to give us an accurate reading :/

 

Are you using a pen then not a lancet? You need a lancet that is 26 or 28 gauge as a beginner since the needles are bigger and will make a larger hole so you can get enough blood out. I’m not familiar with the meter you got. Walmart’s ReliOn would be my suggestion. It’s 9.99 and you get 100 strips for about $17. I‘ve always ever used the lancet myself

 

And Ashley, were you able to call the vet or ER and get a prescription for an anti nausea. You’ll need that moving forward

 

If you can get to the shops, suggested shopping list:

To try to encourage Yuki to eat:

* Plain meat and broth baby food - no onions or garlic (see link below for suitable products). Many members have found that their cat will have a little of this even though they turn down pretty much everything else. (Wish we could get similar in the UK. )

* Cat "soups" - as close to plain chicken as possible (assuming Yuki has no issues with chicken).

Using cat soups can be an extremely helpful way to get fluids into a cat. For rehydration, I add a ratio of 2 tsps of the soup liquid to at least 8 tsps of water and mix it through (make sure you can still smell the soup broth). Serve tepid to the touch. There are some US cat soups listed at the following link (you need to scroll down a little), plus further suggestions on how to encourage a cat to eat:

Persuading Your Cat to Eat

To help with insulin administration:

* Food with medium carbs, e.g. a food with gravy. (Could US members suggest something here, please? I'm a tad rusty. )

You may find you don't need to feed the higher carb food but it is much better to have some on hand at home to be on the safe side. When caring for a cat who is at risk of throwing ketones, having that slightly carbier food in the mix can make it easier to administer enough insulin to keep the ketones at bay.


Mogs
.

 

Any fancy feast gravy lovers is higher in carbs and has a ton of gravy so those would be my suggestion!

 

I was using a pen. I was concerned that because it is intended for human use that the readings would be off, but that would be the same for the ReliOn as well? I have not contacted a vet, I'll have to wait for my dad to return home and see what he sats(shouldn't be long). Going to try with just lancet.

 

Ashley I would try again and just use the lancet. Also if you get another error reading you will KNOW its the meter.

 

Human meters are fine. That’s what most of us use here but it still should give you a number. See in my signature I have both ReliOn and Freestyle and they’re both human meters. We wouldn’t have told you to get it if it didn’t t work don’t worry

 

You can't hit the sweet spot with a huge pen. The tiny needle in your hand, grab the ear and poke.
All dosage advice is given on human meters. And if you think it doesn't work, try it on yourself.

 

The lancet works better for me because I can judge how much pressure to put on it to make the prick work. I can feel the needle going in. Also make sure you use a backing like cotton or a cotton ball so you can press the ear against it. If the needle goes through, don’t freak out it’s happened to all of us before just apply pressure to the spot to stop the bleeding and avoid bruising.

 

Also if you are worried the lancet and meter are not brand specific. You can use ANY lancet.

 

Yeap. Any lancet brand. The only 2 things that need to match are the meter and strips

 

good point

 

Some Testing Tips:

1. Fold a sheet of kitchen paper in four lengthwise and cut it up into 1" strips.
   
   
2. Put a thin film of Vaseline (or Neosporin ointment) onto the edge of the ear to help the blood sample bead up instead of wicking into the fur.
   
   
3. Make sure the ear is really, really warm (but not hot).
   
   
4. Once you have the ear well warmed, wrap a strip of folded kitchen paper round your index finger then place finger under the ear you're testing.
   
   
5. Use your thumb and middle finger to lightly grip the ear and paper strip in place so that the edge of the ear is taut but not overstretched; the little bit of tension will make it easier for the lancet to break the skin surface (and it helps to keep kitty's head from moving around too much).
   
   
6. Hold the lancet with the bevelled edge of the point facing upwards. Try using the lancet freehand, at a slight angle to the ear, not perpendicular (easier to see where you're aiming and also makes skin prick easier).
   
   
7. When it comes to the actual poke, think about how you'd quickly prick a balloon with the tip of a needle to make it pop. (Hope that makes sense. )
   
   
8. When using the glucometer, bring the test strip to where it j-u-s-t comes into contact with the blood droplet and hold it there. The strip should then 'sip up' the amount it needs to run a valid test. Most meters beep to let you know that enough blood has been collected on the strip.
   
   
9. After the test, fold the paper strip over the edge of the ear and apply gentle pressure for about 10-15 seconds to minimise bruising.

Are any of your neighbours diabetic? If yes, perhaps they might have a spare meter and strips they'd be willing to let you borrow. (Presumably you'd have to 'borrow them back' any strips used! )


Mogs
.

 

Thank you!


.

 

Does your lancet have a dial? It could be that the lancet is not poking deep enough.
On my FreeStyle lancet device, it was set on the dial to 3 or 4 for Rover (a big cat). I only needed to set the lancet device to 1 if I was poking my finger.

Cats are programmed to having their ears poked. In a cat fight, cats always go for the ears. You are not hurting the cat as much as you think you are.

 

We got blood again and ended up getting the same error reading. My dad tested it on himself and it worked fine on him, so the error does not seem to be on part of the meter.
We'll try again.

 

Good for you! Thats what I like to hear. Never give up!

 

Can you take a picture of the meter and strip and post it for us? We may have more tips if we can see what we’re dealing with. I’d try to get the blood on your nail next time and scoop with the strip from there. That way you know if you have enough. It still sounds to me like you’re not getting enough. Is it one of those that beeps to tell you it’s ready?

 

And any luck with the food yet?

 

Strips time out if you don't use them fast enough. It was likely more faster when your father performed a test on himself.

The solution is: do not put the strip all the way into the meter.
1. Insert strip partway.
2. Poke the cat.
3. When you are sure you have a large enough drop of blood, insert the strip all the way and touch the strip to the blood drop.
Alternatively, put blood drop on your clean fingernail, then fully insert the strip.

 

The manual (I think( for those of us not familiar with this glucometer.
https://diabeticoutlet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TrueMetrix-User-Manual.pdf

And a handy-dandy youtube vid.

 

That's dinky!

.

 

Wow awesome. It looks fancy!

Something that happened to me the last time i got an error message is that I grabbed the blood with the strip too fast before I checked the meter to see if it was flashing indicating it was ready for the blood. Make sure the drop symbol is flashing on the meter before getting the blood onto the strip

 

We took out blood several times. Now we are getting the error code E-2, which suggests we aren't getting enough blood.
these have been the last several trials, none have been able to produce a number.

 

Hello everyone,

I'm Ashley's sister and I'm going to interject for her because she is quite upset at the moment. My dad and sister have tried and followed all instructions to get a reading on the glucose monitor and they keep getting an error reading. Yuki has rejected all food and has not had liquids since 12pm. We've tried to see if she will take chicken broth, but that didn't work either. Unfortunately, taking Yuki to the vet ER is not an option as she would have to be admitted and we were told keeping her in would cost thousands. It is not feasible to do that. I certainly don't want to give up on our beloved kitty, but I'm not sure how we can help her at this point. I want to do everything I can, but they are considering putting her down. Is it too soon to make this choice? We don't want to see her suffer

 

I don’t think any of us can answer that for you. My Minnie had very similar symptoms and she did have to stay 2 nights at MASH Animal Hospital. She had an ultrasound, endoscopy, biopsy and a feeding tube inserted then came home and recovered a amazingly well and is still here with me today happy as a clam. If she is in pain, which only you can tell being there with her, and you can’t afford to give her the care needed to get better then I’d say that ending her suffering is the most compassionate thing to do. That’s all I can offer and sending good thoughts to you and the family

 

Sighhhhh we dont want her to suffer either. Please hold on for more replies ok? I dont understand why that meter wont register for Yuki and it does for your dad. But I totally understand where you are coming from.
I'm guessing care credit isnt an option either. I am SO very sorry.
The strip must be timing out. meaning the blood wasnt applied soon enough. If you want to give it one last ditch try
Place the strip into the meter but NOT all the way. Do the poke once the blood comes up, push the strip all the way into the meter, then touch the strip to the blood. This is my best guess for Yuki.
PLEASE tell your sister its not her fault. Sometimes life just plain sucks.. My heart goes out to her and your family. Please be gentle and kind to yourselves.
I hope you can give it one more try.

 

It is important that Yuki eats and has lots of water on board. Plus the meds.
Don't let Yuki call the shots. It is not in her best interest.

Syringe feeding is needed. Add some water to the food so it is easier to syringe.

Below is a video on how to wrap a cat.
The alternative is a feeding tube at the vet.

Regarding blood drop. Try freehanding with the lancet. Take your time letting the strip soak up the blood.

 

Judging by the pic with the used strips they didn’t get filled all the way. You can see how little blood there is on some of them. But honestly, home testing is not the #1 priority right now. Drinking and eating is what’s going to keep her stable. It’s really hard to know what else to advise when we don’t know the cause of her condition