Stress related hyperglycemia

[Cathy & Nala]

I’d sure like some guidance. My sweet kitty Nala was diagnosed with diabetes last June. With the help of this group and my Feline Diabetes Facebook group,
by the end of July she no longer needed insulin. I tried to change her food to only wet but she just stopped eating in revolt. So I switched from Science Diet weight control to Dr Elsey’s chicken. I recently switched to the salmon because the chicken always seems to be out of stock and the salmon was lower in calories and she maintained her good numbers. However, she’s gained 1.5 lbs and is at 13.2lbs I just took her for her annual check and everything else looked good. Her BS was 178 but the vet said it’s probably from the stress of the situation. The vet says she’s too fat and getting her weight down will help keep her from developing diabetes again I use a timed feeder so I’ll reduce her feeding a bit.
Since her remission last July, her BG has been between 108-118.
She’s been lethargic for a few days so I checked her. Her BG was 288 and she hasn’t eaten in 13 hours so that’s a fasting BG.
I know stress can cause BG to rise. My daughter was visiting last year just prior to the original diagnosis and she’s visiting again and has been here for the past 5 weeks. When my kitty was younger, she loved being loved and cuddled and carried around and took turns sleeping with everybody at night, so nobody would miss out. In her old age, she’s become a grumpy old lady. She doesn’t wanna be messed with anymore. At my age, I totally get it so I leave her alone. Unfortunately, my daughter doesn’t understand and is constantly picking her up carrying her around, trying to snuggle with her with a blanket, holding her so tight she can’t get away. It drives me crazy and I can’t seem to get it through her head that she needs to leave the cat alone. Does anyone out there think it’s possible that this amount of stress is causing her blood glucose to be THAT high and that when my daughter leaves next week, it’ll go back down to normal like it did last year? I don’t know if there’s a correlation, but if this is going to resolve itself, I don’t want to start her on the insulin again. I’ll just be WAY more assertive about stressing that Nala needs to be left alone AND I’ll check her glucose more often.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I think it's possible that your daughter is stressing Nala out. Between having a "strange" person in the house and your daughter's behavior, your cat's routine is undoubtedly disrupted. Cats are creatures of habit and her routine is out of whack. (Your daughter is also lucky she hasn't gotten a paw in the face.)

And now the "however..." Your cat's BG was elevated at the last vet visit. It doesn't sound like the vet ran a fructosamine level. That would have helped you sort out if Nala's numbers have been elevated for a while or if it was stress hyperglycemia from a vet visit. Did the vet happen to check. your cat's teeth? The need for a dental is one of the main reasons that a cat will drop out of remission.

 

[Cathy & Nala]

I check Nala’s BG periodically and it’s been under 118 for months. I asked the vet about the glucosamine test and she suggested we wait until the house is back to normal and see if she goes back to normal.
I’ve always wondered about her teeth but have always assumed the vet checks this during annual visits. We moved here recently, and this is just the second year. Nala has seen this new vet. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a vet take a cat to the back, outside of my view, to do an exam. Our vet in Virginia always checked her teeth and I watched her do it. I think that’s why I assume this one’s doing the same thing. I’m also assuming since the vet doesn’t say anything about it that they’re fine. Am I making too many assumptions here?
I called the vet this morning and she said I could bring her in if I wanted to, but said as long as she stays under 300 it’s OK to wait a couple more weeks until the house gets back to normal and check her again. Her stools have also been pretty hard, so she suggested I give her a little bit of MiraLAX every day. She’s also not over eating or drinking tons of water like she did when she was diagnosed a year ago. And that, she hasn’t had much of an appetite for the last two days. Her personality is totally different than normal. She even seems mad at me. When I try talking to her, sometimes she just turns her head and looks away from me. Very uncommon for her.

 

[Cathy & Nala]

She’s seeing the vet tomorrow morning. Her BG is down a tiny bit (245) today and I’ve gotten her to eat a little bit and she’s drinking water. She also had a BM (close to the box but not in it. I hope I get some answers tomorrow.