Seventeen Year Old Female Cat - Diabetics In April

[Graham]

Our elderly female was diagnosed in April and over the last few months being getting the dose right with about 6 trips to the vets for blood sugar levels etc.

Started on 1ml, then 1.5ml and now 2.5 and that's the final setting, vet said curve was spot-on.

She is OK now but as we have been in lockdown and staying at home no problem with the injections.

Now we have a 2 day trip planned and our usual cat feeders is unsure about giving the injections.

The worst case is missing an evening and following morning injection or should we look for a cattery that can give injections for her?

We have 3 other elderly cats so vet bills are high at present.

Good cat feeders are very hard to find in our area.

 

[Heather & Ducote]

My family travels a lot (sometimes it is last minute ) and this has been one of the the hardest transitions for me so far. I talked to my vet and they offer boarding with tests and meds for $13 a day. This is a really good deal that I am keeping in my back pocket for emergencies because the downside is, as strange as it might be, my cat is still on the road to regulation and I don't trust the vet to give the attention that sometimes comes with this confusing diagnosis When we went out of town for a week at the beginning of this month I asked my sister if she would attempt cat sitting at her house (she lives an hour from me so it would be impossible for her to pop in at my house). She was a trooper. I brought Ducote over to her house the night before (at dose time) and talked her through the whole procedure. She did it herself and felt more confident about me leaving. I also left a list of everything that we talked about and a "cheat sheet" for easy reference. My cat was not nice to her and she did get a few bites here and there but she showed him who was boss and got it done. I am super thankful because she texted me levels every day and asked questions if things were confusing (you can't get that with the vet). Would your cat sitter be willing to come over and watch you one day at dose time or even try it out while you talk them through it? Once they see that it is not as scary as they thought, it might ease some nerves (esp. since you will not be gone that long).

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

The worst case is missing an evening and following morning injection or should we look for a cattery that can give injections for her?

Hi Graham,
A few thoughts...
A cattery, where there is someone who can give insulin shots, can be a good idea. Ideally, it is helpful to find somewhere that can also have someone available to check on the kitty at night, once she's had the insulin shot. And you may also want to be clear about the care they will give your kitty in the event that she has a hypo.
Another option is for someone to come to the house to give the insulin shots (sometimes a veterinary nurse will do this).
In all cases it is important to ensure that the person giving the shots is clear about how to measure the insulin dose. (Kitties have been overdosed when given shots by people who didn't understand how to measure the insulin). It can be helpful to fill a 'template' syringe with coloured liquid to the dose your kitty needs, so that the person giving the shot can compare their syringe with your template.

It is not unusual for a kitty to eat less when their caregiver is away. So, you 'may' want to consider giving a reduced dose...

The occasional missed shot is not usually a big deal. However, if your kitty has ever had ketones or been diagnosed with DKA then skipping a shot is not a good idea.

I'd also strongly recommend, if at all possible, that the person giving the insulin shot tests the kitty's blood glucose before giving the shot, just to ensure that the blood glucose is high enough to give insulin (sometimes they surprise us with a lower than expected number...)
Are you currently testing blood glucose at home? If so you may well be able to show the catsitter how to test too...
If you're not hometesting blood glucose yet, I do encourage you to have a go. It's a super quick process that really isn't hard to learn (most of us use ordinary glucose meters made for humans). Hometesting makes managing diabetes easier and also safer for the kitty. And it can save you a lot of money because you can do all blood glucose tests at home and just send the results to the vet...

Eliz

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

WELCOME TO FDMB! I hope you will find answers and solutions to your questions. We are all about helping ANY diabetic kitty cat.
Hang on for more replies and
Its nice to meet you!
jeanne