Newly diagnosed

[Lisa B]

Hello, Jackie, our 12-yr old female gray tabby was diagnosed with DM on 11/2/16. She is what the vet refers to as semi-feral. She has always been skittish - doesn't like loud noises, strange people, fast movements, etc. She doesn't like to cuddle or be held or restrained at all, in fact she won't let you get close enough to grab her with both hands. She will come out at night when our other cat is on my lap and will come up to the arm of the couch and demand attention only under her terms. We were away for the weekend and when we returned, I didn't notice anything unusual, except that we had accidentally left the seat up on the toilet and there was litter inside. A few days later we noticed her going into the bathroom and crying. Upon closer inspection she was moving slowly and we noticed she was hovering at the water dish. When we approached her, she didn't run away, so we knew something was wrong. I got her in to the vet the next morning and that's when we discovered the culprit - her BG was 453. She had also lost 3 lbs. The vet kept her for 24 hours and gave her fluids for dehydration and monitored her BG. She is on vetsulin 1 unit 2x/day. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to give the shots as she doesn't like to be restrained. The first 3 shots have gotten increasingly difficult as she's beginning to either feel better or become suspicious of us. We have removed all dry food (both cats were on Veterinary Diets EN dry due to chronic regurgitation problem with her fur-brother) and they are are now getting timed meals of Friskies chicken pate for now. The vet didn't feel home testing is rewarding because of the difficulty. Any advice on administering shots is welcome!

 

[Lisa B]

Also, as any successfully home tested a skittish cat?

 

[Sharon14]

Welcome Lisa & Jackie. It is more difficult with a skittish kitty! Some find that giving the shot while the cat is eating distracts them long enough to get the job done. My cat was the opposite, I can shoot anytime except when he's eating, so you'll have to experiment with that. I would work on desensitizing her to the process. Get a low carb treat that she loves, and several times a day pet/lightly pinch the shot spot then give a treat. Soon she'll be anticipating the treat and you can get the shot in. Be sure you are calm throughout the process too, they can pick up on our nerves. Come to the Health Forum and ask this and any other questions you have, there are more eyes on that forum.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I'm not sure whether I can be very helpful but I'll try. Is Jackie normally a good eater/food oriented? If so, you can use freeze dried meat treats as a reward and work on training her over time. You might have to start at the very basic level of getting her to come to you for a treat then gradually work up to her letting you touch her ears or tug gently on her fur to simulate the movements associated with BG testing and insulin shots. Many people successfully inject while their kitty is eating. Can you train her to eat in a smaller area so she can't run and hide from you? Being able to test BG is essential regardless of what your vet says. It's the only way to know how she reacts to the insulin and if a dose is safe to give - ie., not too high. You can work on this slowly by touching or rubbing her ears gently (no ear pricking) and rewarding with a treat. The calmer you can be through all this, the better.

 

[Lisa B]

As if yet she hasn't responded to any of the treats, not even interested in them. I bought a mixed pack of the Purely Fancy Feast chicken/salmon/tuna and she isn't interested in tuna or chicken. What do you all use?

She will let us pet her and rub her ears in her safe area of the bedroom but anywhere else runs when we come close. I don't grab her in the bedroom because I fear she will stop allowing that much. If I felt I could give the shot without restraining her it wouldn't be a problem, as she doesn't mind if I pull at her skin or pinch or anything like that.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

As if yet she hasn't responded to any of the treats, not even interested in them. I bought a mixed pack of the Purely Fancy Feast chicken/salmon/tuna and she isn't interested in tuna or chicken. What do you all use?

She will let us pet her and rub her ears in her safe area of the bedroom but anywhere else runs when we come close. I don't grab her in the bedroom because I fear she will stop allowing that much. If I felt I could give the shot without restraining her it wouldn't be a problem, as she doesn't mind if I pull at her skin or pinch or anything like that.

I use a Orijen brand freeze dried treats. They come in 4 different mixtures from wild boar to venison, poultry and lamb. They're zero carb. Some people buy dried fish treats from oriental grocery stores.

Sounds like you need to try getting her to approach and stay close first. If you can avoid grabbing her so much the better because that gets them stressed/agitated. Is it possible for you to pull up on her scruff to give her shot while she's eating?

 

[Lisa B]

Correction, she is on Pro Zinc, not Vetsulin - I wasn't home when I was posting.

Progress! I have successfully given 4 shots on my own without restraint and tonight I didn't have to chase her for 15 minutes! Baby steps!