Question about whether to shoot

Status
Not open for further replies.
Alicia & Kit cat (GA)

Alicia & Kit cat (GA)

Member Since 2019
Hi all - I took away Kit's food for two hours this morning, tried to test, but was unable to get anything before she got pretty feisty. She got a small piece of chicken and a small piece of tuna as her testing treat, and when I put her food down, she wandered off and wouldn't eat. My concern now is giving her insulin (novolin) with no test and really no food in her. Yesterday was her first dose (which was 3 units, which folks on the Facebook end of things suggested dropping to 1 unit), and the whole thing is overwhelming because I haven't been able to consistently test her bg levels. Thoughts? Should I still shoot this morning? Thanks!
 
NO SHOT! Please. Sorry it took so long to answer but the message board went down for about 30 minutes.

With no food eaten and using Novolin insulin absolutely no insulin until Kit eats.

Novolin drops the BG levels like a rock, and Kit needs to eat a good amount, a couple of ounces of wet food. Wait 45 to 60 minutes after feeding and then give the shot. This helps to counteract the quick onset of NPH type insulins like the Novolin N you are using.
 
No shot given. She still hasn't eaten yet this morning. She never eats a couple of ounces at a time, which concerns me in regards to using novolin.
 
I'm attaching a link to one of our other forums here that has a nice 'Sticky' explaining some basic information about the NPH insulins. Just click on the blue highlighted text and it will take you to that linked thread (post, message). You might want to print out this information and keep it handy to refer back to.

Good, glad you didn't give Kit any insulin yet. Please read the NPH document above to get a better understanding of how your insulin works and why it's so important that Kit eats first.

Could you give us some background on Kit? I'll try to find your posts over on the Facebook group, but not everyone here uses facebook.
 
Last edited:
Here is part of one of your posts from over on Facebook, so we have a little bit of background info.

"Hello! Apologies in advance for the long read.
The photo is Kit cat. She was diagnosed Saturday with diabetes. She had gone to the vet in October to get her teeth cleaned, and I also changed her food at about the same time (she wasn't liking what she was eating - taste of the wild dry food). I switched her to a combination of American Journey and Wellness Core. I did a slow switch (well, as slow as one can do when one's cat is picking out the new and only eating it). Not long after the switch I noticed she was peeing a lot more often, in big clumps, and was drinking far more water, and it felt like she'd lost weight. I found out her brother, who my friend brookE has, had the same symptoms, and was diagnosed with diabetes.
Kit went to the vet on Friday - her weight had gone from 13.2 in October to 12.1, and was diagnosed on Saturday with blood glucose levels above 400. The vet (a guest vet, my regular vet is gone until after the first of the year) suggested the prescription dry food. She won't be starting insulin until after the vet reopens on the 3rd of January and my regular vet is back.
I started out planning to use the prescription food, because quite frankly I was freaking out a bit and it was kind of a knee jerk reaction, but after more conversation with brookE, and looking at information readily supplied by this amazing group, switched her over to Fancy Feast and Friskies. On Sunday and Monday she had about 1/4 cup of dry food each day and the rest was wet food. She had her last dry food yesterday morning, about an 1/8 of a cup (I was going to do a slow transition to all wet) and then I decided to just stop the dry. She has only been on FF or Friskies since then. I do mix extra water into her wet food, because she likes it better (she was occasionally getting FF prior to all of this).
I also picked up supplies to begin home testing - she's a nervous nelly, so I'm working up to actually testing her, and have been spending the last few days rubbing her ears, and giving her lovies and treats on the counter where she will get tested (I have a bunch of freeze dried chicken/salmon/sirloin because she's been eating that on her dry food for over 10 years). I'm hoping to get her first test in tomorrow.
So - the interesting thing. Before yesterday, she had been peeing 5 or 6 large clumps every day, and drinking a lot of water. Yesterday, having eaten a fair amount of wet food over the previous couple of days, she only peed a couple of times and only drank water a couple of times. Today, she hasn't really drank her water, and has peed a couple of times, and the clumps are smaller. I'm hoping this is a good thing.
So that's where we are. I still have a bunch of reading to do, and I am so incredibly thankful and amazed at all of the information y'all have. I'm sure also sure I'll have so many questions."

p.s. What a beautiful torti! With the 'tude.
 
She was diagnosed the Friday before Christmas. She had gotten a dental cleaning mid October, as well as had transitioned to a new dry food. She pretty quickly after the dental starting drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot (multiple times in big clumps). She also went from 13+ lbs in October to 12.1 at her diagnosis. Around the same time I had learned that her brother who was with a friend had diabetes, and my friend directed me to y'all. The initial plan was to wait until after the new year to start insulin because I was planning on traveling for Christmas. I decided last minute to stay home, but the vet wasn't open until yesterday. She was completely transitioned to wet food by the Monday after her diagnosis. She eats FF and Friskies.
I went in not knowing my information about insulin as well as I should have, and was flustered by my vet's telling me I was wrong about not feeding her the prescription food they had suggested, and his comments of not believing everything I read on the internet and his annoyance with me at not taking what he said as the ultimate truth were the nail in the needing a new vet coffin. And that's mostly where we are.
I've been trying to get her used to bg testing but she hasn't been super on board. But we're working towards it. I'm also stopping by the vet this morning to get copies of her paperwork to send to the new vet that I'm hoping to meet with soon. The new vet is one who does home visits, which I'm hoping will also help with Kit's stress.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Here is part of one of your posts from over on Facebook, so we have a little bit of background info.

"Hello! Apologies in advance for the long read.
The photo is Kit cat. She was diagnosed Saturday with diabetes. She had gone to the vet in October to get her teeth cleaned, and I also changed her food at about the same time (she wasn't liking what she was eating - taste of the wild dry food). I switched her to a combination of American Journey and Wellness Core. I did a slow switch (well, as slow as one can do when one's cat is picking out the new and only eating it). Not long after the switch I noticed she was peeing a lot more often, in big clumps, and was drinking far more water, and it felt like she'd lost weight. I found out her brother, who my friend brookE has, had the same symptoms, and was diagnosed with diabetes.
Kit went to the vet on Friday - her weight had gone from 13.2 in October to 12.1, and was diagnosed on Saturday with blood glucose levels above 400. The vet (a guest vet, my regular vet is gone until after the first of the year) suggested the prescription dry food. She won't be starting insulin until after the vet reopens on the 3rd of January and my regular vet is back.
I started out planning to use the prescription food, because quite frankly I was freaking out a bit and it was kind of a knee jerk reaction, but after more conversation with brookE, and looking at information readily supplied by this amazing group, switched her over to Fancy Feast and Friskies. On Sunday and Monday she had about 1/4 cup of dry food each day and the rest was wet food. She had her last dry food yesterday morning, about an 1/8 of a cup (I was going to do a slow transition to all wet) and then I decided to just stop the dry. She has only been on FF or Friskies since then. I do mix extra water into her wet food, because she likes it better (she was occasionally getting FF prior to all of this).
I also picked up supplies to begin home testing - she's a nervous nelly, so I'm working up to actually testing her, and have been spending the last few days rubbing her ears, and giving her lovies and treats on the counter where she will get tested (I have a bunch of freeze dried chicken/salmon/sirloin because she's been eating that on her dry food for over 10 years). I'm hoping to get her first test in tomorrow.
So - the interesting thing. Before yesterday, she had been peeing 5 or 6 large clumps every day, and drinking a lot of water. Yesterday, having eaten a fair amount of wet food over the previous couple of days, she only peed a couple of times and only drank water a couple of times. Today, she hasn't really drank her water, and has peed a couple of times, and the clumps are smaller. I'm hoping this is a good thing.
So that's where we are. I still have a bunch of reading to do, and I am so incredibly thankful and amazed at all of the information y'all have. I'm sure also sure I'll have so many questions."

p.s. What a beautiful torti! With the 'tude.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I tell her frequently that she's the prettiest kitty ever. And boy howdy does she have the tortitude in spades.
 
Have you tried breaking down the testing into little steps? With not poking every time, but walking her through the steps as if you were going to do the test? A dozen or so times a day to get her used to this new 'routine'. With a low carb pure meat treat at the end of each testing session may bring Kit around.

Some people paw test instead of the ear. Worth seeing if Kit will accept that better.

With your changing to a low carb food, that has been a likely factor in dropping BG levels. Less stress at home too from testing.

Hopefully new vet knows the appropriate insulins for cats and will prescribe one that has the best chance of remission. Familiarity with the AAHA Diabetes Guidelines <<<<link there for you, is good too. With the low carb wet food, you are already half way there in treating diabetes.

p.s. Have 1 torti myself right now and have been cat servant to 2 other torties in the past.
 
Alicia Bailey said:
No shot given. She still hasn't eaten yet this morning. She never eats a couple of ounces at a time, which concerns me in regards to using novolin.
Click to expand...
Yeah, concerns me too. NPH insulins start working so fast. If your cat isn't eating, hypo (hypoglycemia) is a greater risk.

Wink was on NPH insulin at the shelter before they switched him to Lantus.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Have you tried breaking down the testing into little steps? With not poking every time, but walking her through the steps as if you were going to do the test? A dozen or so times a day to get her used to this new 'routine'. With a low carb pure meat treat at the end of each testing session may bring Kit around.

Some people paw test instead of the ear. Worth seeing if Kit will accept that better.

With your changing to a low carb food, that has been a likely factor in dropping BG levels. Less stress at home too from testing.

Hopefully new vet knows the appropriate insulins for cats and will prescribe one that has the best chance of remission. Familiarity with the AAHA Diabetes Guidelines <<<<link there for you, is good too. With the low carb wet food, you are already half way there in treating diabetes.

p.s. Have 1 torti myself right now and have been cat servant to 2 other torties in the past.
Click to expand...

I had been putting her where testing was going to happen, giving pets and scritches. Then giving her tuna, salmon or chicken meat (there're these fancy feast individual packets that I'm giving her). I may need to start over and do it more often. I was hoping to have it down by the end of this weekend - I go back to work on Monday (or jury duty for two weeks - one of those is happening) and that gives me even fewer hours on the day to work with her on it.
 
Yes, holding off on insulin until you meet with the vet sounds like a good idea. Especially since you are getting those low numbers, using a very fast acting insulin and have a kitty that is not cooperating with the home testing - yet.

Keep trying with the testing. It gets easier as it goes on. Maybe talk or sing to your kitty while you are doing the testing. We know, work and life has to fit in with caring for your diabetic cat and all the other responsibilities you have.

Haven't had to do jury duty myself for a while.

p.s. After I took Wink in as first a foster cat from the shelter and then adopted him, I also decided to test my other civies (civilians, non-diabetic cats). Different for each cat, but they learned to 'tolerate' the testing process. One cat was a former feral colony cat, my tortie with the tude, and 8 years later she still runs away if I move too fast. Kind of have to not look at her, walk slowly and scoop her up quickly to do anything with her like trim her nails or check and clean her ear wax buildup or do her weigh ins.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top