CAME HOME TO MY CAT SNIFFING THE FLOOR CONTINUALLY FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES. SHE HAS BEEN ON INSULIN FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW. I DID NOT GIVE HER AN EXTRA DOSE. I CALLED THE EMERGENCY VET AND HE SAID SHE PROBABLY JUST WENT BLIND. CALL MY VET AND TALKED TO A DIFFERENT VET AND SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS. THIS IS AFTER HOURS WHEN MY VET WASN'T OPEN. WILL GO TO VET TOMORROW. AFTER DOING MY OWN RESEARCH CAME ACROSS THIS SITE AS WELL AS HYPOGLYCEMIA. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS HAPPEN WHERE YOUR CAT CONTINUALLY SNIFFS THE FLOOR AS IN SEARCH OF SOMETHING AND WON'T STOP. SHE FINALLY SNAPPED OUT OF IT AND I GAVE HER SOME KARO AND FED HER. I'M GOING TO SKIP HER INSULIN SHOT TONIGHT AND TRY TO GET HER INTO THE VET BUT AM LOOKING FOR ONE NOW THAT DEALS SPECIFICALLY WITH DIABETES. TONIGHT WAS ENOUGH TO SCARE ME AND NOW I AM LOOKING TO EDUCATE MYSELF ON THIS TOPIC. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
SNIFFING
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Kris & Teasel
Member Since 2016
It's hard to know what's going on but cats can exhibit some unusual behaviours when they're having a hypoglycemia episode. We can certainly help but it would be easier for us to advise if you tell us:
- how old your cat is and whether she has other health issues
- what food you feed your cat
- what insulin you are using, what dose and how often you give a dose
- if you have a blood glucose meter and test your cat at home.
Red & Rover (GA)
Member Since 2016
Here is the what to do in case of a hypo link: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/
Here is what is needed in a hypo tool kit: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/
Here is what is needed in a hypo tool kit: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/
she is 13 years old healthy got her shots not too long after started to notice her pee was real clay like. The vet took a test said she was diabetic never had any signs before that. Started her on 1 unit twice a day of vestsulin(porcine insulin zinc suspension) Did for two weeks bumped her up to two units twice a day. Took her to vet once a week to have tested. About the 3rd or 4th week I'm not 100 percent without looking the vet said her numbers looked good kept her on 2 units and said come back in three months. Come home to her basically disoriented walking around at extremely slow pace just sniffing everything. Realized how uneducated I was to the problem. Immediately called emergency number and realized how inexperienced these people were. So here I am.
1-13 years
2-royal canin glycobalance dry food
3-vetsulin 2 units twice a day 12 hour span
4-i don't have test for home was recommended by the vet not to do because it was to difficult.
Couple of questions. Is scavenging the floor by sniffing the floor for that long and wouldn't stop even if picked up as if she was blind a sign of hypoglycemia. If so, how could it be if I hadn't changed anything. Could she possibly with better diet not need the insulin. This occurred at 7PM she was given her shot at 10:30 AM. Thanks
1-13 years
2-royal canin glycobalance dry food
3-vetsulin 2 units twice a day 12 hour span
4-i don't have test for home was recommended by the vet not to do because it was to difficult.
Couple of questions. Is scavenging the floor by sniffing the floor for that long and wouldn't stop even if picked up as if she was blind a sign of hypoglycemia. If so, how could it be if I hadn't changed anything. Could she possibly with better diet not need the insulin. This occurred at 7PM she was given her shot at 10:30 AM. Thanks
she is 13 years old healthy got her shots not too long after started to notice her pee was real clay like. The vet took a test said she was diabetic never had any signs before that. Started her on 1 unit twice a day of vestsulin(porcine insulin zinc suspension) Did for two weeks bumped her up to two units twice a day. Took her to vet once a week to have tested. About the 3rd or 4th week I'm not 100 percent without looking the vet said her numbers looked good kept her on 2 units and said come back in three months. Come home to her basically disoriented walking around at extremely slow pace just sniffing everything. Realized how uneducated I was to the problem. Immediately called emergency number and realized how inexperienced these people were. So here I am.
1-13 years
2-royal canin glycobalance dry food
3-vetsulin 2 units twice a day 12 hour span
4-i don't have test for home was recommended by the vet not to do because it was to difficult.
Couple of questions. Is scavenging the floor by sniffing the floor for that long and wouldn't stop even if picked up as if she was blind a sign of hypoglycemia. If so, how could it be if I hadn't changed anything. Could she possibly with better diet not need the insulin. This occurred at 7PM she was given her shot at 10:30 AM. Thanks
Kris & Teasel
Member Since 2016
I can't say for sure but a cat having a hypo episode can exhibit very strange behaviours: stumbling, walking into walls, staring into space, becoming incontinent wherever they happen to be, all the way to full on seizures.
Let's assume for the sake of discussion that the odd behaviour was because of low blood glucose. Your cat has been getting 2 units of Vetsulin twice a day for a while now based on your vet saying her numbers were good after 3 or 4 weeks of BG curves done at the clinic. You were to go back in 3 months for a checkup. It's very possible that for whatever reason your kitty became more sensitive to that 2 unit dose and it caused her BG to fall too low. If you don't test her blood glucose at home you have no way of knowing if her response to the dose is changing. You are, in effect, shooting blind.
There are others on this forum who have been told this by their vet and it quite simply is not true. I think some vets don't want to frighten clients into euthanizing their cat once the diabetes diagnosis is given. Testing BG at home is very easy and cats can be trained to accept the procedure as easily as they accept their injections. There's no other way to keep your cat safe when treating with insulin. You might be lucky for a long time shooting blindly but all it takes is one bad hypo episode to kill your cat.
I'd say this falls in the category of weird hypo behaviours although I can't prove it.
Your cat's body itself can change in its response to insulin. Some cats become more unpredictable if their pancreas starts sputtering a bit as they head toward remission.
Impossible to know. An important piece of advice we give here is to remove all dry food from a diabetic cat's diet, even those prescription dry foods for diabetics. Low carb wet food is best and grocery store brands like Friskies or Fancy Feast pates (no sauce or gravy types) are used by many of us. If you decide to try wet food you absolutely have to monitor by doing blood glucose testing because many cats need significantly less insulin when they eat only low carb wet food.
Many vets have little experience treating feline diabetics. They treat more dogs and diabetic cats are very different. Vets are trained to deal with many diseases in a variety of animals so unless they are specialists in feline diabetes their knowledge base for this disease isn't great.
We can certainly help you. We're obviously big advocates of at home testing of BG and we can give you more info anytime. There's a huge community of very experienced people here who know ALL the ins and outs of treating a diabetic kitty. Ask any questions you want.
Maggies Mom Debby
Member Since 2009
Ask your vet about home testing again. Tell them you want to do it to keep Pumpkin safe and ask if they can help you learn. Some vets are open to home-testing once the client expresses an interest. BUT you do not need their permission to home-test. Nor do you need a special vet glucometer. Most of the people here use human glucometers.
Even if the vet says no, buy human glucometer and learn to test Pumpkin. You can ask here what kind of supplies you need to do this. And you can learn how to test on this site. If you need help, you might be able to find a member close to you if you post your general location (like "south of Chicago" or "Boston area").
Even if the vet says no, buy human glucometer and learn to test Pumpkin. You can ask here what kind of supplies you need to do this. And you can learn how to test on this site. If you need help, you might be able to find a member close to you if you post your general location (like "south of Chicago" or "Boston area").
Critter Mom
Member Since 2014
Hi,
Re the eye issues here is a link to an article by a veterinary opthalmologist which gives info on simple things you can do to check your cat's sight:
http://www.eyevet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/vision_cat.pdf
Diabetics are more vulnerable to sight problems - doubly so if they also have comorbid pancreatitis problems. It is well worth considering asking for a referral to a veterinary opthalmologist to have your kitty's eye health checked. (Learned this the hard way.) If you are getting Pumpkin's eyes examined be sure to check that measurement of intraocular pressure is part of the eye exam.
A couple of times my Saoirse had brief 'sniffing episodes'; she became very intent on sniffing the carpet. They resolved very quickly (within an hour) and her BG was fine at the time (I diligently home tested her BG levels). I never discovered what caused the sniffing behaviour.
If it's abnormal behaviour it is always highly advisable to get a thorough vet examination as soon as possible - especially when you've got something like insulin therapy in the mix.
ETA: Needless to say it makes sense to check that your kitty doesn't have a respiratory infection.
Disorientation can be a symptom of hypoglycaemia. As others above have already recommended, home testing is the best way to protect your cat and reduce the risk of hypoglycaemic episodes. If you're keen to learn how we can give you all manner of helpful tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible to do the testing. Some vets have a hard time testing cats at their surgeries but it doesn't automatically follow that home testing is difficult. When you find a routine that works for you and your cat it can be a really strong bonding experience for you both, not a trauma! Indeed, many cats here hop up to their testing stations and 'ask' to be tested (diabetic-friendly food treats and fusses help a lot ).
It is possible for cats to go into diabetic remission after treatment with insulin. As others have mentioned above, a dose which is initially safe may become too high if the cat's pancreas starts healing and producing more insulin itself. Home testing can help you keep track of how Pumpkin is responding to insulin - and it will give you much more peace of mind. With the worry over Pumpkin's behaviour I'd suggest you get your vet to check BG levels ASAP if you can't do the home BG testing yourself. Just be aware that vet stress can elevate blood glucose levels so the readings at the vet's office may be a fair bit higher than Pumpkin's typical levels in his home environment.
Mogs
.
Re the eye issues here is a link to an article by a veterinary opthalmologist which gives info on simple things you can do to check your cat's sight:
http://www.eyevet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/vision_cat.pdf
Diabetics are more vulnerable to sight problems - doubly so if they also have comorbid pancreatitis problems. It is well worth considering asking for a referral to a veterinary opthalmologist to have your kitty's eye health checked. (Learned this the hard way.) If you are getting Pumpkin's eyes examined be sure to check that measurement of intraocular pressure is part of the eye exam.
A couple of times my Saoirse had brief 'sniffing episodes'; she became very intent on sniffing the carpet. They resolved very quickly (within an hour) and her BG was fine at the time (I diligently home tested her BG levels). I never discovered what caused the sniffing behaviour.
If it's abnormal behaviour it is always highly advisable to get a thorough vet examination as soon as possible - especially when you've got something like insulin therapy in the mix.
ETA: Needless to say it makes sense to check that your kitty doesn't have a respiratory infection.
Disorientation can be a symptom of hypoglycaemia. As others above have already recommended, home testing is the best way to protect your cat and reduce the risk of hypoglycaemic episodes. If you're keen to learn how we can give you all manner of helpful tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible to do the testing. Some vets have a hard time testing cats at their surgeries but it doesn't automatically follow that home testing is difficult. When you find a routine that works for you and your cat it can be a really strong bonding experience for you both, not a trauma! Indeed, many cats here hop up to their testing stations and 'ask' to be tested (diabetic-friendly food treats and fusses help a lot
).It is possible for cats to go into diabetic remission after treatment with insulin. As others have mentioned above, a dose which is initially safe may become too high if the cat's pancreas starts healing and producing more insulin itself. Home testing can help you keep track of how Pumpkin is responding to insulin - and it will give you much more peace of mind. With the worry over Pumpkin's behaviour I'd suggest you get your vet to check BG levels ASAP if you can't do the home BG testing yourself. Just be aware that vet stress can elevate blood glucose levels so the readings at the vet's office may be a fair bit higher than Pumpkin's typical levels in his home environment.
Mogs
.
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Critter Mom
Member Since 2014
PS:
For safety and peace of mind, I strongly recommend you get your vet to check your kitty's blood pressure and kidney function as a matter of urgency (your kitty is of an age where it's very much advisable to monitor renal function as a matter of course). Hypertension can lead to sudden onset blindness and strokes. (Offering this to inform, not to scare; knowledge is power.)
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_information/blindness.cfm
Mogs
.
For safety and peace of mind, I strongly recommend you get your vet to check your kitty's blood pressure and kidney function as a matter of urgency (your kitty is of an age where it's very much advisable to monitor renal function as a matter of course). Hypertension can lead to sudden onset blindness and strokes. (Offering this to inform, not to scare; knowledge is power.)
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_information/blindness.cfm
Mogs
.
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