Put my mind at ease...

[FocalPoint]

Hey!

Alright so I'll try to make this short and to the point. I was placed in charge of a diabetic cat for 3 days, which I've taken care of before (last year). The cat is very old, like 15+... maybe even 18 years old. I was instructed to administer 6 (cc) or units of insulin every 12 hours, so I went with 8am and 8pm for convenience. The owners were out of town for the holidays, so the first round I administered behind the neck at 8pm the first night, and noticed what appeared to be some drool or backwash, or something slimy in the water dish, while there to take care of the cat. I tossed it out, and replaced with fresh water. The cat also had some noticeable amount of drool coming from the mouth.

I came back the next morning to administer another dose, things went smoothly, cat was alert, active, followed me around, meowed at me, etc. Water dish again had drool or backwash in the dish, and when I would clean and place the bowl back down, he went nuts over drinking it, like he was dehydrated. So, I decided to add an extra visit around midday to check the water dish since I was concerned. I phoned the owners to let them know what I was dealing with... excessive water intake, and drool. They stated that it sounded like his normal behavior and to stick to the gameplan. Suffice to say, I did the 3 visits a day, 2 being dose visits of course, for another day or so, until Christmas day in which the owners returned that night and told me they would take care of it from there. Ok, great, no more need to worry then, right?

Well, the next day I go to return the key to the owners, and one is very quiet, stoic, kind of off... didn't seem like him, but I feel like he was concerned about the cat. I explained that I gave the correct dose, noticed the excessive drool, and the backwash or drool in the dish, but thought there was no need to be too alarmed as they didn't seem to be when I originally reported the excessive water intake. They paid me, although I didn't expect to be paid, but I kinda felt bad, like it was my fault and I was missing something here with the cat and his dosage, but I followed instructions to a T and didn't miss a single dose... even upped my visits to ensure the cat had fresh water, food, etc. I didn't notice any odd urination habits, but I've been told drooling is not normal for a healthy cat, and could indicate renal failure or worse after googling this for a few hours that night. Well I justed texted the owners today, since I haven't seen them around the property, to ask how the cat was, and they stated that unfortunately the cat had passed away.

Now I'm not an expert on felines, or any animal. I know my way around them, and can follow instructions, but is there any way that this cat's death was a result of my actions or inactions? I know it's normal to feel like something out of control was in your control the whole time, especially with untimely passings of animals or people, but I can't help but think I caused this even though I can't find any correlation between excessive drooling, and diabetic hypoglycemia. Now I tried to ask what they determined was the cause of the cat's passing, but haven't heard back, and I don't want to pry. I have a feeling they either don't want to talk about it, or don't want to tell me.

So what could've happened here?

 

[Beta kitty]

So, I decided to add an extra visit around midday to check the water dish since I was concerned. I phoned the owners to let them know what I was dealing with... excessive water intake, and drool. They stated that it sounded like his normal behavior and to stick to the gameplan.

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. It sounds like you took extra steps to make sure the kitty was taken care of by visiting more often than asked and even spoke to the owners about your concerns, which shows them that you truly cared about their cat. I don't know about drooling being a symptom related to diabetes but I'm no expert. Kitty may have had other health problems and as you mentioned was quite old. Thank you for caring about kitty. The owners may need time to grieve before they're able to give more info about what happened.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

So sorry.....it sounds like you did everything you could though. You're the type of petsitter a lot of us wish we had....one that cares enough to go over the top to make sure the pets in your care are safe, happy and healthy.

Give them time.....having just lost my own cat last Monday, I'm still not really able to talk about her much.

 

[Angie & Millhouse]

No expert by any stretch, but it sounds like you did everything right. It almost seems as though the issues you pointed out to the owners regarding drool, etc were ongoing and perhaps the owners failed to address it in a timely fashion. Either way, please don't feel bad, what you did for the kitty seems appropriate for the situation.

 

[FocalPoint]

Appreciate the replies. I want to think that it's something they ignored or didn't address, but since I didn't bother to ask or notice it, I can't help but feel like it was due to negligence on my part. They're awesome neighbors, and the timing is just the absolute worst since they lost a cat about 2 weeks before this one... same age range too. Last thing I wanted them to have to come home and endure is the loss of another.

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

I suspect the cat had an infection in it's mouth and probably went into diabetic ketoacidosis. You followed their instructions and even went beyond but it was happening before they even left. Doesn't sound like you or they were home testing prior to giving insulin? The only other thing you could have done and you weren't told to was to check kitty's urine for ketones. That would have taken even more time as you'd need to stalk kitty to the litterbox. I suspect you would have found ketones already developing. There's no way to look and tell - it takes either a blood test ketone meter or ketone test strips.

I'm sorry it happened - I can tell you're really upset and really concerned.

HUGS,

 

[FocalPoint]

I suspect the cat had an infection in it's mouth and probably went into diabetic ketoacidosis. You followed their instructions and even went beyond but it was happening before they even left. Doesn't sound like you or they were home testing prior to giving insulin? The only other thing you could have done and you weren't told to was to check kitty's urine for ketones. That would have taken even more time as you'd need to stalk kitty to the litterbox. I suspect you would have found ketones already developing. There's no way to look and tell - it takes either a blood test ketone meter or ketone test strips.

I'm sorry it happened - I can tell you're really upset and really concerned.

HUGS,

Yeah they had some odd dosage reductions and bumps during the past year, but I was never asked to check for ketones or check BGL with a lancet. I assumed they had and were adapting the dosage correctly.

 

[Tina and Boozle]

It doesn't necessarily have to be anyone's fault. Sometimes things happen. Not everyone who has a diabetic cat becomes an expert on their care. You don't know the instructions they were given by the vet or what the owners researched and knew themselves. You were given a set of instructions. If you followed the directions in absence of better knowledge, you don't need to beat yourself up over what was and was not correct -- because there was no way you could have known. Without a good medical history, there is no definitive way to tell what was going on. We can only guess.

Maybe when they feel better, they will let you know. I'd just give them some space right now, though.

 

[Ana & Frosty (GA)]

It could literally be anything. As a medical professional myself I definitely understand that you always want to ask why and learn from any experience when a patient or pet doesn’t do well. Sometimes there truly is no answer and nothing we could have done differently. I think the simple answer is that the cat was old and it was her time. She probably had something going on unrelated to her diabetes that nobody knew about. Sometimes the ending just comes fast and out of the blue. And the only thing that helps with these thoughts is time. What you’re going through is normal but I believe that it wasn’t yours or anyone else’s fault.