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TabbyCat2016

Member Since 2016
My dear cat passed away on Friday. She had diabetes. I loved her so much.

She had a very swollen stomach. She was having trouble breathing. I had to bring her to the emergency vet, where she passed. I am terrified that I inadvertently caused this. I am not sure how I did, but I am so afraid.

I talked to the emergency vet who treated her on Friday and who brought her to the rainbow bridge. She said that the liquid in the stomach was most likely due to FIP or to cancer. She does not think it was diabetes related at all.

Somehow my mind keeps telling me maybe I gave her an infected needle on accident. I just feel at such a loss that she is not here and it all happened so suddenly. Can severe liquid in stomach possibly be caused by an infected needle? My husband tells me I am just trying to blame myself when I didn't do anything to cause this.
 
Oh dear, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I don't think it's because of anything you did. Why do you think the needle might have been infected? I don't think even a dirty or infected needle would cause those symptoms.

I think we all look to ourselves to lay blame when we unexpectedly lose a beloved pet. We don't like not knowing exactly why things happened the way they did, and we question if we did all we could, and if maybe we did something wrong. The truth is sometimes we never have concrete answers, but 99.9 percent of the time it is not because of anything we've done or not done. So please, please stop trying to blame yourself, I am certain you are not at fault here.

(((Hugs))),

Lucy :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Thank you for the responses. I am just obsessing over this and thinking everything in my head as to what could have happened to my poor baby. I really loved her very much. I was just wondering if fluid in the stomach could be man made, so to speak.
 
I am so sorry to hear that your precious kitty has crossed the bridge.:bighug: :bighug:


Please, please do NOT blame yourself. Unfortunately FIP and cancer are very strong possibilites. From different groups I follow I have seen far too many kitties cross the bridge from these two diseases just recently. A friend of mine had his kitty pass from the same thing and it too came on suddenly.Even IF you used an infected needle, fluid in the abdomen is NOT caused from that.

It is normal for us to blame ourselves when we lose a loved one, but you did all you could do and the fact that it was so sudden is causing you even more distress. Your kitty is no longer in pain. Hold close the memories of good times to give you strength and peace at this sad sad time. :bighug: :bighug:
 
I haven't been able to eat or sleep because I have been so upset about what happened on Friday. I only had my cat for 1 year and a half. She was rescued. I loved her more than I can say. I am afraid that maybe I reused a needle on accident or a needle I used on her touched the table and caused pathogens to be introduced into her system, thus resulting in the liquid in her stomach. I have no idea if that is at all possible or what happens in that case. I am just so upset.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
. Can severe liquid in stomach possibly be caused by an infected needle?
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Please don't blame yourself....even if you had shot with an infected needle, you would have probably just seen an abscess at the shot site or at worst, an overall worsening of her health over a few days that I'm sure you would have noticed that would have included things like high fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, etc.....but not fluid in the abdomen

This really does sound like FIP or cancer....both of which are totally lousy diseases.

So sorry for your loss, but I think we will all tell you the same thing...it was NOT your fault!!
you always said I was your angel...now it's time to get my wings.jpg
 
Thank you Tuxedo Mom. My husband is worried about me because I have been depressed, but I think it is normal. This only just happened on Friday. I have been contacting all the vets I know asking them questions. I just keep thinking that somehow this is my fault. I am really afraid that my needles have touched the table or gotten something bad on them and that is what happened to my cat. Maybe this is my way of coping with what happened, to blame myself. I have no idea what happens if you inject a cat with a bad needle...if liquid in the stomach is even something that can happen from that. Two months ago, I brought my cat to the vet because she had been looking really bloated to me and I wanted a full checkup of her. They did an X-ray on her and said that it was not a tumor. There was liquid in her stomach but they said she is okay and not in pain. I keep kicking myself for not being more persistent about it as that is what ultimately killed her...the liquid ending up moving to her chest and she could not breathe. I couldn't put her through the pain anymore.

I keep worrying that I really damaged her from something I did or didn't do. The emergency vet also told me that she had high blood sugar when they ran testing on her. I am now concerned that maybe I was not administering her shots correctly as her blood sugar was high. I am just really hoping I did not do anything to damage my sweet angel.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
I haven't been able to eat or sleep because I have been so upset about what happened on Friday. I only had my cat for 1 year and a half. She was rescued. I loved her more than I can say. I am afraid that maybe I reused a needle on accident or a needle I used on her touched the table and caused pathogens to be introduced into her system, thus resulting in the liquid in her stomach. I have no idea if that is at all possible or what happens in that case. I am just so upset.
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Do not beat yourself up. I know of people who use the lancets several times over when testing the blood for glucose levels. There have been people who have had to use syringes more than once because they had run out or were snowed in. FIP is a deadly disease and can quite often show up in younger cats. You would not have caused it. The disease is caused by comiing into contact with the bacteria in respiratory fluids or feces of infected cats.

Please stop blaming yourself and give yourself the time to grieve. :bighug: :bighug:


EDITED TO ADD:

If it was FIP, there is not a lot that could have been done even if diagnosed earlier. FIP and cancer are both terrible diseases.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. How you are feeling is absolutely understandable but you must try to tell yourself that it was definitely not your fault. These things just happen, sadly, for reasons we don't always understand.
You may like to go over to the Grief forum where you can see that lots of people are going through the sorrow and sadness that you are... Sometimes sharing experiences can be healing and you can be 100% certain that you will be among gentle friends who will offer comfort and understanding for as long as you need it.
Wishing you peace.
Diana
 
Thank you everyone. To be honest with you, at least a month ago, I had to reuse a needle because the store from which I buy my needles gave me the wrong type and did not sell my kind anymore. They gave me needles for humans as opposed to what I used for my cat. At that time, I could not go to my vet as they were closed. I had to go the next day to buy more needles. I am so paranoid now that since I had to reuse needles for that short time, I did something to cause this. I pray to G-d that this is not the case but I have been going through a severe amount of guilt about it. I am so ashamed.
 
Oh, no, please don't feel ashamed!!! Lots of people have had to reuse syringes - I know a vet who has! - so please, stop feeling guilty and blaming yourself! You are in no way responsible for your dear kitty's passing!
 
I'm so very sorry for your loss. Please don't blame yourself. Don't cause yourself any more pain than you are already feeling.
TabbyCat2016 said:
She said that the liquid in the stomach was most likely due to FIP or to cancer. She does not think it was diabetes related at all.
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Listen to the Vet. She says it was not diabetes related therefore an insulin needle could not have been responsible.
 
You did NOT cause this with any syringe. That would have made a sore on or just under the skin not fluid in the stomach area. This was possibly even heart disease as it causes fluid retention like that. If so, then the vet missed it, not you...

HUGS
 
Thank you so much everyone. I truly have not been able to sleep, feeling sick about this. I have not eaten either. I am so ashamed I had to reuse the needle. She has had bumps near her injection site before but I have brought her into the vet and they tested her blood. Her blood levels were normal. Surely if she had an infection they would not be.

Can any diseases be caused by infections (like FID, cancer, or heart disease) or is this all natural? I know I sound foolish with this question. I am honestly not sure how that works.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
Can any diseases be caused by infections (like FID, cancer, or heart disease)
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No, not the way you're thinking....infections are a build up of too many bacteria that the body can't fend off on it's own, so we use antibiotics to help kill the bacteria

Fever, lethargy and lack of appetite are some of the main indicators of infection

FIP and cancer are diseases caused by other things...not by bacteria. FIP is caused by a mutation of the corona virus, and cancer is caused by so many things, but bacterial infection isn't one of them. Heart disease is due to the heart muscle being damaged to the point it can't do it's job pumping blood efficiently anymore. Now some heart disease can be caused by infection, but you would have seen signs of that long before your kitty's passing and it's really pretty rare
 
Thank you. In my heart, I truly believe she had FIP as the liquid accumulated in her abdomen and then unfortunately moved to her chest where she was unable to breathe. She had health problems on and off and would show signs of not wanting to eat, which is when I would bring her into the vet. Lately she seemed to want to eat all the time, but the past few days were when she did not finish everything on her plate as per usual. All of her blood tests at the vet were normal except for high blood sugar. I just wanted to make sure I did not do anything to harm my baby.
 
I hope soon that you will be able to remember the wonderful times you gave your sweet kitty. She was a rescue, so she was undoubtably thrilled to have wonderful food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in, lots of naps in the sun and loving, caring parents. It is understandable that you would agonize over her passing and worry about it, but don't forget that you chose her and gave her a great life. She knew you loved her.
 
Thank you. I checked back through my vet records. She was losing a lot of weight in August-ish/September so I brought her in and she was diagnosed with diabetes so she started her treatment. Then in mid-November she was X-rayed for her stomach but they said it was nothing except fluid so not to worry about it. I brought her back in late December to check on her diabetes. I have had a slew of visits in between there due to her diabetes and to regulate. I guess I just feel like I can't believe she was only diagnosed in September and only lived until January. She was at least 12 years old. I just feel so heartbroken about this.
 
Thank you. I don't understand why my sweet girl had such high glucose levels when she died, even though that is not what she passed from. I had been giving her shots regularly. I just don't understand that.
 
I'm so sorry. It's so hard to lose them, let alone when it's so sudden. Our beloved pets are very good at hiding illness, sometimes until it's too late. Her glucose was probably high because the fluid made her uncomfortable. BG raises with pain, infection, anxiety, almost anything out of the normal. It was a symptom, not a cause of her problems.

You were a good mom to your sweet baby. No one is to blame, especially not you.
 
I am so so sorry for your loss!!! My heart feels for you, I know what you're going through. I lost my Pom of 18 years in December. He had a lot of respitory problems, callapsing trachea and bronchitis. Over thanksgiving he was really struggling to breathe, I kept thinking it was the Christmas stuff smell and dust from the decorations making him flare up. We had moved him to the front foyer because he was unable to control himself. We had wee wee pads down and I would be cleaning up 3 to 4 times a day. We'll my nephew came by and spent the night with his dog and the next day Kosmo was really struggling. I comforted him and took him right to the vet the next morning. He didn't make it through the night.

I spent at least a week wondering what I could have done differently. I was depressed, sick to my stomach, crying all the time at home, and was a total wreck. Eventually you will move on and realize that things happen that we don't want to happen, but they do. Wwe are animals and we have a circle of life. We don't like it and it hurts like **** but just remember, if we don't hurt, then the dance with them wasn't worth it. My dance with Kosmo was a great and loving one. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

DON'T blame yourself for anything, you did everything in your power to treat her.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
I just don't understand that.
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Learning about how to treat diabetes is a long journey that (unfortunately) a lot of vets aren't up to date on

Just know that you did your best, gave her the best times of her life and she's smiling down at you from the Rainbow Bridge and whispering in your ear..."I'm OK Mom...Thank you"

There's a fable I hope you'll read. It's official title is "The Loving Ones", but I like to call it "You Have Chosen Tears"

It will make you cry, but in your tears there is healing :bighug:
 
Thank you for your kind words. I also found out from talking to the emergency vet that it could have been really bad pancreatitis. Is there anything I could have done to prevent that? She was in such poor condition on Friday, barely hanging on, that I felt I had to let my sweet angel go.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
Is there anything I could have done to prevent that?
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No there isn't any prevention....pancreatitis is a very common complication in diabetic cats and although it has some treatments, you can't prevent it....but some of the big indicators of pancreatitis are nausea, vomiting, not eating and sitting in a "meatloaf" position (with all 4 feet tucked up under their body...unless they sit like that all the time!)

It can be acute (flaring up really badly from time to time) or chronic (having some level of problems most of the time)
 
Thank you. I have only had one time where I was unable to give my Baby her morning shot. Could just missing one shot only one time have done that? She had already had the fluid build up by then. Her schedule after that was normal. Thank you all for your patience.
 
I am feeling guilty that I didn't pursue blood testing at home and seek second opinions. I pray she is at peace now.
 
Thanks everyone for taking the time to help me. I am trying to just put my thoughts to rest but since Friday I have been unable to sleep and eat much. I keep thinking I should have switched up her injection site more and not given her injections in her neck, but that was the only place she tolerated it. I also keep thinking why were her levels so high when I would bring her into the vet. It makes me think I wasn't doing something right with the injections. I also kick myself for not getting a second opinion on the liquid buildup in her stomach. She had it there for about 3 months, at least, and I thought it was okay because the vet said she was not in pain at that time.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
Could just missing one shot only one time have done that?
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Absolutely NOT!! Missing a shot is so common here we call them "furshots"!! Sometimes our cats move or we don't have the needle in the right place, but we never shoot twice since we never know for sure just how much actually got into them

And sometimes we have to skip shots because we can't be around to test or can't watch them for some reason

As far as switching places for shooting, I think most of us probably shoot in the scruff because it's the easiest place to get to, so that's not your fault either!
 
Thank you. I did her shots in her upper neck area where she had the most to squeeze. I feel like i did it differently than what I see in the images online. I squeezed and shot in the fold. Does that make sense? I know that it entered her skin/body.
 
There's several different ways to shoot...if you weren't getting the insulin into her, you would have known it...she would have always had a "wet spot"
 
It was definitely in her. G-d bless my sweet cat. She left such an impression on me. Obviously I loved her to worry about her in this way. I have been up the past two nights about this. Thank you so much to everyone who has replied. I have seen so much kindness on this site already.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss
:bighug::bighug::bighug:

Please know that you did the best you could for her. This is not your fault. You saved her. Setting her free was the last most loving gift you could give.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. Please believe us when we tell you that you did not do anything to cause this.

Did your kitty have a microchip? If so it is possible the bump you were feeling was the microchip instead of irritation from the insulin shots. Bama's microchip feels like a small grain of rice between her shoulder blades.

Remember the glucose tests only measure the blood sugar levels at the moment blood was drawn. Many of us see higher levels regularly if we test after food but before the insulin kicks in. A single high number does not mean she was in high numbers all of the time. BG can vary wildly throughout the day, especially when insulin shots are involved. Bama's widest range of BG readings in a single day was 68 to 475 but I have seen even greater ranges on other members' spreadsheets.
Maggies Mom Debby said:
Her glucose was probably high because the fluid made her uncomfortable. BG raises with pain, infection, anxiety, almost anything out of the normal. It was a symptom, not a cause of her problems.
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I agree with Debby, stress can really raise BG levels. It is extremely common for BG to be higher at the vet's office than at home.

You opened your home and your heart to your sweet kitty. She was lucky to have such a caring guardian. cat_wings>o
 
I agree with the other good folks here. Fluid build up in the abdomen and or chest/ is most often cancer or FIP. Sadly, I've lost many kitties to this and diabetes was never a factor. I feel your pain, but trust us, you are a great cat Mom and you did all you could. I hope you open your heart soon to another furr baby in need. They will give you love and laughs and you will give them a great life. Your newly winged angel is probably planning this right now.
 
Though everyone grieves in their own way, beating yourself up for something that had nothing to do with how you treated her diabetes is not good for you. You need to understand you are not responsible and this was not related to her diabetes. Cry and rail at cancer. At FIP. But not at yourself! She would not want that. She would want you to remember the love you had for each other.
 
I am sorry for the loss of your sweet kitty. Thank you for taking in a senior kitty and caring so well for her. I bet that year and a half was the best for her.

FIP is a progressive disease. There is nothing you can do to cause it and there is nothing you can do to stop it. All you can do is love and care for your kitty and when she gets to sick to live a good quality of life, set her free. If your girl had FIP you did exactly what she needed you to do for her. We have lost kitties to cancer fluid in the abdomen was always a concern. There usually nothing you can do to stop that horrible disease either. Neither would likely have been treatable even if you knew what was going on sooner. You did everything you could do.

Reusing needles. Its not recommended here. But many vets say it is ok to do it. I know a very wonderful person whose diabetic cat lived for many years who reused needles often. Do not beat yourself up for reusing a needle.

Losing our kitties cuts to the heart. It shows how much we cared for them. Caring for a diabetic cat often deepens that bond so the loss is felt even more. Be kind to yourself. Try to remember the good times you have with her. When you feel up to it, tell us her story. Tell us how she came to live with you, what she was like. Remember the good stuff by telling us about it!
 
So sorry you are going thru this.... I think we all want to blame ourselves and know ...why?? how??? what did I miss??
Sometimes there is no why or how... it just happens and we have to hold on to the wonderful times and memories we shared.

Thank you for rescuing and giving your sweet kitty endless love..... :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Thanks everyone. I went into my local vet today after work to tell them about what happened and that my dear cat passed away on Friday. I explained to them what happened. I wanted to know the exact date that I last went into the vet and they told me December 23. I explained that she passed from the fluid in her stomach going to the her chest. I wanted them to know in case another cat comes in with fluid in their stomach, as showed up on my X-ray during November. I also asked them if it was at all possible for me to have caused this. I know I have been obsessing about it. They told me an infected needle would not cause liquid in the abdomen and that it did not cause it. They also said that if she did in fact have FIP, the initial diabetes probably triggered it and that was it.

Do you think that maybe the fact that I did not always give her shots exactly 12 hours apart could have done this? I wish I had been more diligent about her schedule. I gave her two shots every single day, but unfortunately they were not always 12 hours apart. :(
 
You really didn't cause this, but I know how the questions swirl though our minds when something like this happens. It is part of the grieving process. We are here to listen and send you our deepest caring thoughts.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
Thanks everyone. I went into my local vet today after work to tell them about what happened and that my dear cat passed away on Friday. I explained to them what happened. I wanted to know the exact date that I last went into the vet and they told me December 23. I explained that she passed from the fluid in her stomach going to the her chest. I wanted them to know in case another cat comes in with fluid in their stomach, as showed up on my X-ray during November. I also asked them if it was at all possible for me to have caused this. I know I have been obsessing about it. They told me an infected needle would not cause liquid in the abdomen and that it did not cause it. They also said that if she did in fact have FIP, the initial diabetes probably triggered it and that was it.

Do you think that maybe the fact that I did not always give her shots exactly 12 hours apart could have done this? I wish I had been more diligent about her schedule. I gave her two shots every single day, but unfortunately they were not always 12 hours apart. :(
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Please do not beat yourself up---- this was nothing you did or didn't do.... I am so sorry for your pain....sending you so much peace and healing:bighug:
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
Do you think that maybe the fact that I did not always give her shots exactly 12 hours apart could have done this?
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Absolutely NOT.....Remember what I said about furshots? Even those of us that have been doing this for years occasionally give furshots, have to shoot a little late or early or in special cases, we even recommend doing two shots, 18 hours apart

You did all you can. Our kitties are living, breathing beings and there's just never any warranty for how long we'll have them or when something may fail in them. That's why it's so very important to love them as much as we can while we have them

Sending lots of hugs :bighug::bighug::bighug:

We all grieve at our own speed, but when you've had time to heal, she will whisper in your ear that it's time to share your love with another kitty....and there are lots of kitties that would love to call you "Mama" because it's obvious that you're a very caring bean that does everything they can to make their kitty as happy and healthy as possible!
 
Thank you for your replies. I have read each one of them. I am feeling horrible again today. Yesterday, I brought my other cat into the vet to get a blood test done in order to see if she has FIP as that is what the vet thinks Gabby passed from. She tested positive with a level of 1,000 which is the beginning stage, but high for the beginning stage. I am absolutely devastated. I feel like I have suffered so much loss. I miss my cat Gabby and now my other cat has this. I feel absolutely sick. I don't even know what to do.
 
TabbyCat2016 said:
Yesterday, I brought my other cat into the vet to get a blood test done in order to see if she has FIP as that is what the vet thinks Gabby passed from. She tested positive with a level of 1,000 which is the beginning stage, but high for the beginning stage. I am absolutely devastated. I feel like I have suffered so much loss. I miss my cat Gabby and now my other cat has this. I feel absolutely sick. I don't even know what to do.
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First of all, calm down....I don't know what your vet is testing for, but there is NO test for FIP!! The only thing they can test for is presence of the corona virus, but that doesn't mean the cat has FIP! Almost ALL cats test positive for the corona virus!!

Here's an Article on FIP that I hope will ease your mind
 
Thank you. The vet said she has higher levels for beginning stage. The levels are at 1,000. Thank you for the information. It sounds like they gave me misleading information. Luckily her tests for Feline Leukemia and FIV were negative.
 
I pulled this paragraph out of the article I linked above....please read it carefully

The number that is reported from these tests is called an antibody titer. Low titers indicate a small amount of coronavirus antibodies, while high titers indicate much greater amounts of antibodies. A healthy cat with a high titer, however, is not necessarily more likely to develop FIP or be a carrier of an FIP-causing coronavirus than a cat with a low titer. A cat with a high titer is also not necessarily protected against developing FIP in the future.
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TabbyCat2016 said:
Thank you. The vet said she has higher levels for beginning stage. The levels are at 1,000. Thank you for the information. It sounds like they gave me misleading information. Luckily her tests for Feline Leukemia and FIV were negative.
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The higher levels simply mean that she has been exposed to the virus, which is very likely if your sweet baby that passed had FIP. That does not mean she will become symptomatic though. :bighug:
 
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