Very sick kitty-just need someone to listen

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Karla, if you like this new vet, stick with her. I agree that you were rushed to find a vet early in the a.m. and cannot blame you for not going back to your old vet. Maybe Sassy was just too sick to eat and now that she is feeling better and along with the stimulant, she is eating. That is the most important thing right now. Are you going to visit her again tonight? Does this vet have better hours? Glad to see that candle gone dancing_cat
 
Hi, Karla,

It's a good sign that Sassy's been eating some on her own. Putting in a feeding tube is probably the safest way to make sure she gets sufficient nutrients to treat her fatty liver disease.

There's a good Yahoo forum for feline assisted feeding, including both feeding tubes and syringe feeding:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feli ... d-Feeding/

There's a lot of helpful information there, like about fatty liver disease, how to use and take care of feeding tubes, and inspiring success stories about other kitties who've been through this before. You have to join the group to view any of the links.

Hang in there, Sassy!
 
Hi guys--another update for you. The vet closed at 5:30 today and they told me that the doctor would call back to discuss Sassy. She called about 7:30 and talked to me for over half an hour. She had did a very thorough exam on Sassy and there was a lot of issues. I tried to take notes but she was telling me a lot of information. Here are some of the highlights:

* She is eating very good. She has had two meals today and even though she had an appetite stimulant, she still ate her food.
* Her BG at 7:00 p.m. was 333. She asked how much insulin she had this morning, and I told her that she was not given any at the ER vet. She was very suprised that her last injection was at 10:00 p.m. last night and at 7:00 p.m. tonight it was 333. She seemed to think that Sassy may only need insulin once a day but she wants to do some more BG tests on her first. She mentioned something called a rebound effect which can take place if there is too much insulin dosed? At one point, she was on 5 units of Lantus twice a day but it made no difference if she took that amount or 2 units or 10 units.
* She is overweight, has gum tartar and tons of dandruff (but I already knew that!)
* She has gross lesions around the front of her face now as well as around her ears. The vet has removed the scabs and cleaned the areas and is doing a culture to determine what type of bacteria is in her body. She thinks that the infection is all throughout her body instead of just in her UT and the lesions may be adding to this.
* Still has quite a bit of blood in her urine. She is going to give penicillin until the culture comes back. She still has a high elevation of white blood cells.
* She has pain in her abdomen which could be possible pancreatitis (forgive my horrid spelling tonight).

The vet is going to switch her over to Humalin-N. She was taking Humalin-R at the ER. She is also going to give her a vitamin B shot, sub-Q fluids, and an antacid. Her iv was trashed so she is going to give her the sub-q fluids unless she stops eating. She said that this would continue to flush the ketones and other stuff from her system.

Oh, and she is going home with the vet tonight! She wants to check her BG levels several times tonight and she said that it would just be easier to take her with her if that was ok with me. I was so worried about her being there by herself tonight so this has been a huge relief for me tonight.

She was also concerned about the vomiting of blood that the other vet said was perfectly normal. She said that it is never normal and could possibly mean that there is a tumor or something that doesn't show up on an x-ray. She said to keep an eye on it and if she does it again, I may need to consult a specialist who can do an ultrasound.

I am ready for her to come home but I am more ready for her to be better so I think it is a good idea to keep her in a vet's care for a little while. I think that the vet closes tomorrow at noon but I have to work, so she may have to spend another night but I really think she is in good hands. I really appreciate the vet taking the time to actually call me without having to chase her down and not get any answers. I thought it was great that she went into such detail and asked me several times if I had any questions. I know that I am going to have tons of them, but my main interest right now is just getting her through this immediate crisis. She still has a lot of issues, but hopefully she will continue to eat and improve daily.

Thanks to everyone for listening to me. I know I have a tendency to go on and on. It's time to go read some bedtime stories to my son but I will keep up with the updates as long as people are interested in reading them. Thanks again guys!
 
Good to see this update - hope she continues to eat. Will watch for more updates and meanwhile sending more white lights and healing vibes your way.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)
 
Thanks for the latest update, Karla. So she has a lot of issues but they will be addressed and dealt with.......main thing is she is eating :RAHCAT . Great of the vet to take her home with her too....at least she isn't alone in a cage. Will be looking for more updates when you get them and prayers still coming for Sassy.
 
wow

vet took her home to take care of her :RAHCAT

I would stay with this vet, definitely

glad to see she is eating. yes, fatty liver can be reversed with eating.
 
It sounds like you and Sassy have a tight bond. I would recommend getting her home as soon as you can so you can care for her with tenderness and love. Our Duke does very poorly when he is away from home.

When they feed her at the clinic they are either using a syringe or a feeding tube. Please ask you vet how to syringe feed your kitty. It serves 3 (more?) purposes 1) it gets food into them. 2) sometimes it is enough to jump start them and get them eating again 3) it gets fluids into them. I've done this with Duke several times and other cats (but not for diabetes in these cases). It is not hard and it does not hurt them. It is messy she may put up a fuss. This way when you get her home and she is reluctant to eat, you can get food into her. Syringe feeding can make all the difference in the world.

Wishing you and Sassy a peaceful night.
 
:-D Way to go Sassy eats lots girl feel better fast .Mom keep praying and talking to your Angels . Lite a candle for Sassy last night and she will be fine .Cats are fighters and your little one is not done yet>>>Bless both of you and that vet sounds pretty good for taking her home . I do not like paying for someone to leave our sick babies alone all night....Anyway chin up think positive and things will turn out positive Hugsssssssssssss Prayers and Angels watching LOL (You new friend in pets) Kath
 
Hi Karla,

It sounds like your new vet is a huge improvement for Sassy! It's great that she cared enough to take Sassy home with her last night. I hope all the news was good. People have mentioned in earlier posts about the importance of home-testing the BG once Sassy is back home, so you can really know what's going on with her BG and how much insulin she needs. There's a lot of info here about the rebound effect, when they get too much insulin and the body has to save itself from hypoglycemia. My Angel had this problem because she was so sensitive to insulin, and the rebounding itself caused ketones to build up in her at times. This is a very serious issue, and I'm so glad your new vet is aware of it and can help you figure out the correct insulin dose for Sassy. Too many vets seem uneducated about the finer points of treating diabetic cats.

I hope that Sassy keeps eating well on her own and that she can come home soon! Please keep us updated, as we really do care here at FDMB.

Heather
 
thanks for the update! I know how much you want sassy home, but you are being the best mom you can be to her right now, by letting the vet work with her. I will continue prayers for all of you guys!
 
I talked to the doctor again this morning around 9:00 a.m. She said that Sassy had a very good night and she ate several more times. She is drinking small amounts of water which the doctor says is good because it shows that the sub-Q fluids are working and she is not excessivly thirsty. Once again, I tried to take notes so let me give you some of the numbers on her BG levels:

7:00 pm---dinner (or maybe snack)
8:30 pm--374
8:35 pm--2 units of Humalin
8:4o pm--ate some more and urinated
11:00 pm--287
2:30 am--262
6:35 am--300 (insulin starting to wear off)
7:00 am--breakfast
8:55 am--335

She was going to give her 1 1/2 units. Looks like she will need it more than once a day but she is going to run a curve all day to see where her numbers are.

She said that she is currently walking around in the x-ray room and was walking around at her house. She said that she was purring which is a very good sign! (This is so funny to me because Miss Sassy loves to explore. She will open cabinets and climb in and look for anything to get into--I imagine if she is feeling better that there is stuff crashing as we speak inside the x-ray room!).

She also said that her lesions are healing quite nicely and she is no longer rubbing her face trying to scratch them. She is going to keep her again tonight and monitor her closely and as long as everything goes well (hands clasped and fingers crossed) then I can pick her up in the morning! She wants me to come over so she can go over everything with me. She said that even though I know how to administer the insulin that she basically wants me to start fresh now that Sassy is under her care. She wanted me to come visit today but they close early and I work about 40 minutes away from the office (it is in the town where I live) so visiting is not an option today but she sounds like she is doing terrific. I know that things can go wrong and she is not completely out of the woods, but if everyone would just keep Sassy in your prayers it would be great.

Going back to work now, but I feel so much lighter today!
 
Great news Angels keep watch over little Sassy and her new vet help her help Sassy God Bless LOL Kath
 
Since I was working today and couldn't go visit, my mom went to visit Sassy this afternoon. She reported that she was doing really well and giving her lots of head butts. She was in the x-ray room wandering around and she said that she really looked good. She had her food and water and the vet also gave her an update. She got to brush her and talk to her a while and of course, Sassy wanted to leave with her! I will be going there tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. if nothing happens and bringing her home. My mom is going to watch her while I am at work since I have to work late tomorrow. I will let you guys know how she looks and how she is doing after I get her!

I am so excited, but I have to admit, very, very nervous as well! I have a lot of reading to do on this site to learn everything that I really need to learn. I know that I will be watching over her like a hawk looking for the least little thing.
 
Wonderful news dancing_cat dancing_cat What you need to buy, if you aren't flat broke by now :roll: , is some Ketostix or Keto-Diastix. Pharmacies carry them and they are for testing urine for ketones (Ketostix) and/or ketones and glucose (Keto-Diastix). I use a big ladle I get under the butts to catch urine, pour into a disposable plastic cup, and dip away. Also, please get a meter.........Walmart's Reli-On is cheap and a good meter. Don't forget to buy extra test strips and some lancets to stick the ear with. I would imagine Sassy is on N and right now I'm not even going to get into that. Others may chime in with switching. With N, it is fast acting, short duration, and food needs to be fed a good half hour before shooting. So you would test, feed, and eventually shoot. Remember, any help needed is only a few keystrokes away and if immediate help is needed, use the 911 symbol and post it. Once help is received, you can go back and remove the 911.

So happy for both of you that she is doing so well and she will be so happy to get back home.
 
Hope, I'm so glad that you brought up the ketones and how to test for them. This may sound like the stupidest question ever known to man, but you have to actually gather (sounds like something that you would do with a garden) the pee while she is in the process of using the litterbox? Most of the time, I don't even know that she is in there until I hear her scratching the sides but by then she is already done with her business. How often do you need to do this?

I have purchased a glucose meter, strips, and lancets. The vet is going to make sure that she goes over all of that with me tomorrow which makes me feel good because I have read some things on here where the vets tell people that they don't need to test. The old vet acted like it was something that really didn't need to be done unless it was at their office. I'm glad that the new vet is going to take the time to explain things and answer any questions that I have which are pretty numerous. I am listing questions and taking my notebook to take notes while I am there.
 
> This may sound like the stupidest question ever known to man, but [do] you have to actually gather the pee while
> she is in the process of using the litterbox? Most of the time, I don't even know that she is in there until I hear
> her scratching the sides but by then she is already done with her business.

There are various things you can try to collect an uncontaminated urine sample: you can replace the litter with fish tank gravel, or put a clean glass-or-ceramic bowl in the spot she usually pees, or wrap part of the box with Saran Wrap, or seeing if there's a puddle still there when she's done. Some folks use ladles to catch a sample on the fly, and some folks just shove it under their butt while they're peeing.

If you don't catch a clean sample, you can try testing the litter when she went and seeing if there's a reaction there. But, before you do that, you need to make sure that the litter itself isn't going to trigger a change in the ketostix. To do that, take some of the litter and wet it down with tap water, then stick a ketostix in it. If the ketostix changes color, you'll need to try one of the other methods, or switch to a different litter. If the ketostix remains unchanged, then you can try testing the urine in the litter. (I always felt much better with a free catch, but sometimes you have to work with what the cat's given you.)


> How often do you need to do this?

I liked to test once a day when Gwyn was under-regulated. Ketones are one of those things that can develop quickly and, once visible signs exist, can be expensive to treat. But if caught early, they're much easier to treat, and sometimes that can be done at home. I always looked at my $15 bottle of ketostix as insurance against a multi-thousand dollar hospital stay.


> I have purchased a glucose meter, strips, and lancets. The vet is going to make sure that she goes over all of that with
> me tomorrow which makes me feel good because I have read some things on here where the vets tell people that they
> don't need to test. The old vet acted like it was something that really didn't need to be done unless it was at their office.
> I'm glad that the new vet is going to take the time to explain things and answer any questions that I have which are pretty
> numerous. I am listing questions and taking my notebook to take notes while I am there.

That's a good idea; I love making lists of all the stupid questions I need to remember to ask ;)
 
Thank you for that response. It was very helpful. I am printing it out so I will have it handy when I need it. I will have to try some of these methods especially the one with testing the litter. Sassy will come out of the litterbox if you even enter the room and she is in there so I'm not sure that she is going to be too thrilled with me eyeballing her while she is peeing not to mention sticking a soup ladle in there! But, I will certainly give it a try. You are very right, the multi-thousand dollar vet bills are not something that I am going to be able to do again any time soon.

When I brought Sassy home from the vet on Saturday my mom was actually able to smell the ketones on her. At that time, I didn't have any idea what we were dealing with or what it even meant. She kept asking me if I had been using fingernail polish remover and of course I wasn't. The vet at the ER was amazed that she was able to detect them. She got down in her face and smelled her breath and said she could smell them but it was a faint odor. I never once smelled it and I really tried.

It's now after 11:00 p.m. I need to go to bed and get my rest so I can be up bright and early in the morning to bring my girl home! Yay!!
 
Karla,
Karla and Sassy said:
When I brought Sassy home from the vet on Saturday my mom was actually able to smell the ketones on her. At that time, I didn't have any idea what we were dealing with or what it even meant. She kept asking me if I had been using fingernail polish remover and of course I wasn't. The vet at the ER was amazed that she was able to detect them. She got down in her face and smelled her breath and said she could smell them but it was a faint odor. I never once smelled it and I really tried.
Click to expand...

Many people can smell ketones, but apparently some people can't - at least that's what one vet told me, that it's a genetic thing. I happen to be very lucky in that I can smell them at levels so low they don't even register on the ketostix yet. That meant that I could get sub-Q fluids into Angel before the problem got out of hand. I hope that you never need that ability! But since your mom seems to have it, if she's able to visit regularly, maybe she could do a breath test on Sassy whenever she's around as a second precaution.

Good luck bringing your little girl home! :smile:
 
Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you guys know that Sassy is now home. I got her home around 10:00 this morning. I am at work right now and getting ready to lock up so I can't write much but I will try to later tonight. She seems to be doing well although the vet has her only eating a very small amount of food a day. I'm afraid that she won't eat what she gave her either but I am going to try. She also gave me some pills to give her and I could not get her technique down--just couldn't do it. I will keep trying though. She had me prick her ear but then told me that I didn't need to check it--I don't know why and I think that I will check it anyway and keep a log. She is only taking 1.5 units twice a day which is down quite a bit from the 4 units that she was taking twice a day. She wants me to measure the water that she drinks and keep track of her tinkling.

They called earlier and told me that her culture came back and said that there was no infection which is suprising due to the large number of white blood cells. I am going to try to quit worrying. Sassy peed in the carrier on the way to the vet's office and then she went and peed in her litterbox again when we got home but it was just a tiny amount. I don't know if this is just stress or she is still having problems. The vet gave her another penicillin injection anyway. I will try to write more later after I get home and tend to her (and my son, who is now having some asthma related problems again). It's always something isn't it?

In the meantime, can anyone please tell me how to get the urine smell off of her? I gave her two baths when I got her home and my mom says that she can still smell it. I called the vet and they said tomato juice. I read online peroxide. If someone can give me a suggestion that would be wonderful. I hate to have to give her another bath but I can't stand that smell. I think it is just all in her fur where she was laying in it the other day at the ER. I gave her a real good scrubbing in the bathtub with kitty shampoo followed by another bath with baby shampoo. Thanks!
 
Hi Maybe you could dry just some plain old baking soda on her dry fur just a dusting and rub a little on her brush her then watch you don`t get it in her eyes . Hugsss and kisses for Sassy and her wonderful mom and granny.....Prayers and Angels still watching over your family LOL Kath
 
Hi, Karla,

I hope Sassy perks up and does even better now that she's at home! Yes, you should definitely check her BG at least before every insulin shot, and keep a log book with those numbers, as well as other things you note about how she's eating and acting, etc. I think that a lot of vets shy away from encouraging home testing because they don't want to make the care seem too difficult, but it's so much safer for the kitties when we know what's going on with their BG. And since Sassy's had ketones building up recently, you'll want to make sure that her BG isn't getting too high from the dose decrease. You'll also want to know how low each shot is taking her BG, so you'll want to do some checks at different points in the cycle for that. I'm sure others will have suggestions, as well.

As for the pee smell, I never tried bathing Angel when she had pee on her, I just used either cat grooming wipes or a warm, wet washcloth to gently wash her fur. She was too fragile for an actual bath, so I never tried that. Have you bathed Sassy before? If she's used to that, it might not be such a big deal for her.

I hope your son is okay! Here are hugs for all three of you! :YMHUG:

Heather
 
I came home and tended to everyone. Trying to get my son to eat is about as easy as getting Sassy to eat. The vet said to give her 1/3 can of food until she gets a little better. I gave her the food and she doesn't really want to eat it. She kept going to the cabinet where her Fancy Feast is kept. I warmed the food in the microwave for a few seconds to knock off the chill and she will eat a couple of bites and then she went back and ate another bite later. I doubt if she even ate a tablespoon. I am just so worried that she isn't going to eat. She gave me an appetite stimulant to give her if she is not eating but I don't know if it is something that I should give or not right now. She didn't drink any water at all today (I am having to measure it). The insulin makes me nervous to give her if she is not eating. I am just so used to her eating an entire can of cat food in one sitting and still being hungry.

Do you think it is normal that she is eating so little right now? Maybe she doesn't really like the food. I don't know what to do at all. Now, she is back to just lying on the rug on the screened in porch again. That is what she was doing when she got really sick. This is what I am going to do all the time now, worry about every little thing. I am just really discouraged because I thought she would eat since she hasn't had anything all day since I've been gone.
 
Karla, she needs to eat so give her the Fancy Feast if that is what she wants. A lot of us feed either FF or Friskies. Also, test her..especially before shooting insulin. Glad to know she is home and once she feels a little better she'll clean herself up. If you want to hold her, maybe pick her up in a little blanket so you don't smell her so much. Just be glad she is alive and home.......the smell will clear up.
 
Karla,

What kind of food has the vet given you for Sassy? Hope's right, the most important thing right now is that she eats. Several of the Fancy Feast varieties are grain-free and a lot of the kitties here eat them. If the vet gave you a prescription food for some other reason, maybe we can help you find another food that will be similar but that Sassy will like better.

You might also try other foods just to get Sassy interested in eating. Sometimes, I'd put tiny pieces of roasted turkey breast on top of Angel's cat food to get her started eating. If there's something that Sassy really likes, you might want to offer her some of it.

What appetite stimulant did the vet give you?
 
Ok, I went ahead and broke the vet's rules on the very first day home. The vet gave her (or made me pay a lot of money for) Hill's prescription diet w/d. She really doesn't seem to like it. She went back and ate some more of it, but she makes a run for the kitchen everytime that she sees me go in there. She was over at the cabinet where I keep her Fancy Feast and I decided that I would open a can. She was meowing loudly like "give me that now" and I gave her about half a can. She ate quite a bit at once and I just heard her go back in there. I make sure that I buy the kinds of Fancy Feast that don't have gravy. She does not get any dry food at all. I just want her to eat. I'm not overfeeding her but I want her to eat something. The vet wants her to lose weight but I want her to get well first and foremost. She said that the Hill's would help keep her from getting UTI's but not if she won't eat it. I am still concerned about how little she is eating. Does it seem normal after the rough time that she has gone through to be eating this amount?

The appetite stimulant that she was given is Cyproheptadine 4MG. She only gave me four tablets but at least she is eating some, so I haven't gave her the pill yet.

She hasn't been drinking any water either. Should I be concerned about that? The vet wanted me to make sure that she wasn't drinking too much water. If she drinks more than 1/2 a cup every 12 hours then I am supposed to call her. However, she doesn't seem to be drinking anything.
 
If she is eating wet food, there is alot of water in those, so you may not see lots of drinking from the water dish. Many vets prescribe or suggest those expensive 'diabetic' foods that you can only buy through their office, etc. but you can get good foods just by using the right flavors of things like fancy feast, friskies, etc. low carb, no gravy, are good for Sassy! I am glad to see she is doing better!
 
very, very good news - glad she is home and doing better. I knew she was a fighter :RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT :thumbup

FEW QUESTIONS:


She is on wet food, right? You do not need any type of prescription food or “special” diabetic food. Use Janet & Binky’s chart for canned food at http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html. . Low carb is best for diabetics. I try to stay around 10% or under. I feed Whiskas, 9-Lives and mostly Friskies canned food.

What kind of insulin are you using and how much? Cats usually need insulin twice a day to regulate.

Also, please realize that it takes insulin about a week to settle. START LOW AND GO SLOW!! The usual starting dose from our experiences is 1u twice a day for at least a week. Insulin in cats is NOT and I repeat NOT based on weight. This is a misconception that a lot of us have gotten from our vets here. pc_work

You have to be patient, as I also had to learn!! Do not adjust the dose upwards based on one test. Don’t freak out based on one test result. As long as the levels stay on the high side, keep the same dose twice a day for at least the initial week period and you should see improvements. When you have some time (hee hee), read my profile doc at http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfqss8sg_1cpgwhbd9 .

If you are not hometesting already, you really need to start!! Hometesting is VERY important. Most of us here use any human meter. Think of it as a human diabetic does. Some vets do not agree with hometesting and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Most vets, sadly are not knowledgeable enough in feline diabetes. Insulin is a VERY powerful drug and you NEED to hometest before giving a shot. This is very important.

I use the True Track meter (CVS or Walgreens brand) which I love. And, the strips are also reasonable. Also, remember to give them a treat after the test. Here is a link to a member videos on hometesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ6iXetR398

PLEASE keep up the updates as we all want to know how things are going. And you can post some pictures too cat_pet_icon
 
Karla,

Sassy isn't the first cat on the board who doesn't like W/D. If she really won't eat enough of it, you should talk to your vet about what aspects of W/D she thinks are important in Sassy's food (such as low phosphorous, magnesium, etc.), and have her work with you to find an alternative. There are nutritional food charts out there (some linked from FDMB) that have a lot of helpful info. While you want to avoid more UTIs, Sassy will die in no time from fatty liver disease if she doesn't start eating enough.

Have you checked out the Yahoo assisted feeding forum yet? Some of the people there have tried things like feeding their kitties with their fingers or a baby spoon. I was feeding Angel with a syringe for a while when she wasn't eating. This is of course for cats who don't have feeding tubes, which I assume you've opted not to try for Sassy yet.

Did your vet tell you to give Sassy the entire 4 mg tablet of cyproheptadine? I think the usual dose is 1/4 of that, or 1 mg. Please make sure of the correct dose before you give Sassy any of it. Many cats seem not to like the taste of cypro, and it can cause excessive drooling for several minutes, which is very scary the first time you see that happen. It sometimes helps to give the pill inside a Pill Pocket or other soft treat or favorite food.

Hang in there!
 
W/D is more fiber and high carbs, not much of nutrition in it. Give her the FF......now is not the time to worry about getting weight off of her. She's been very sick and she needs to eat. You could also try adding just a little water to her FF and see if she likes it a little soupy. My cypro here for Vinnie with a weight of 14 lbs. was 1/2 of a 4 mg. twice a day. If Sassy is eating well, she really doesn't need it.
 
She's just not wanting to eat at all. I gave her the w/d this morning. She wouldn't touch it. I gave her the rest of the can of FF and she licked the juice off it and maybe took a few bites. I went ahead and gave her injection since her BG was 352. Her appetite medicine is 1/2 tablet. She can be a grazer at times so I am just going to leave her food while I go to work. If she doesn't eat it and doesn't act like she wants to eat tonight then I am going to give her the pill if I can. We tried the pill pocket treats in the vet's office yesterday and she would have nothing to do with it. Just licked around the treat.

I have not looked at that forum but I will check it out today. I don't understand why the vet said that she was eating and now she is barely eating anything. She is acting a lot better, walking around, trying to play with a string a bit. I am just used to her eating a can of food and begging for another one immediately.

She has not been in the litterbox either.
 
Karla,

Something that a lot of us have tried for cats who won't eat is meat-only baby food. I gave Angel the Beech Nut Stage 1 chicken, turkey, or beef flavors. It's very important to buy brands that contain only meat and broth, no onion powder or other flavorings, which are toxic for cats.

I do hope Sassy starts eating better soon. Hadn't the vet given her cypro? Maybe that's why she was eating there.
 
The vet gave her the medicine on Tuesday but she didn't give her any Wed. or Thursday and she said that she ate. I am just hoping that she eats some more this morning. She is eating something--it's not like last weekend when she wouldn't even touch it at all--it just isn't very much at all.

I am going to have to go to Walmart on my lunch break to get her insulin and I'm going to get her some baby food and try that. She has never really been a kitty that eats treats. I know that this is a bad question before I even ask it, but.......Would it be really terrible to get the FF with the gravy just to see if I can get her eating or will the gravy just run up her BG too much? She seems to be into the juice from the regular FF quite a bit. It was already 352 this morning so I don't want to make it any worse.

Should I be worried about her not using the litterbox? She isn't drinking anything but I still think she should be going. I know that she can because she went twice yesterday morning but none since then.
 
Just to add, WD is very old school and contains few nutrients, so your girl is wise :)

I know this is all worrisome but sometimes it takes time for everything to get back to normal. Keep tempting her with whatever foods she'll eat, and don't worry too much about whether she drinks or not as most cats don't drink if they are eating canned food. If you are really worried you can syringe feed some water (carefully, into the side of her mouth) into her as well as perhaps some watered down babyfood.

For testing urine, I would 'simply' follow Squeak when I saw him going to his littler box, wait for him to start peeing and then stick the ketostix under his butt. Undignified yes, but effective.

Jen

ps I'm very glad you are going to continue hometesting!
 
Karla,

I would be a little concerned if she really hasn't peed in 24 hours. That's something you should probably check in with your vet about.

The FF varieties with gravy aren't the best for diabetics, and the gravy itself isn't so nutritious. Since Sassy likes the juice from the regular kinds, you might try pureeing some of that in the blender, maybe adding a little meat broth to thin it. Or maybe she'll eat the baby food - that's okay for short-term feeding, but it's not the ideal food for cats, so it's better for her to eat cat food if you can get her to.

I was wondering about her teeth, though - you said she has high WBC count, but her urine culture came back negative. Did the vet think her teeth and gums looked okay? Sometimes they don't want to eat if they have pain in their mouths, and that would fit with her having some kind of infection.
 
The vet said that she had gingivitis but she didn't say anything about treatment. Sassy actually has very few teeth left. She has lost a lot and the vet had to pull some last year. I think that I am going to call the vet and see if they have any advice. I am at work at can't get her there right now so maybe someone will talk to me. My mom is watching her and she is still not drinking at all or using the litterbox.
 
Hi Karla-

If she'll eat food with gravy and you need low carb you can try the Friskies pouches - they are 10 or under - all of them. I used to buy Boomer the box of poultry pouches because he was a gravy guy.

I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all this stress not knowing how to best take care of her. I hope things start to get better soon!!!
 
Hi I hope Sassy is feeling better have her in my prayers... Angels are watching over both of you LOL Kath & Trey
 
How is Sassy eating? Do you have an update?

Do you have any people tuna in the house? You can use the liquid (I call it tuna juice) on top of her food. My cats like to lick it as a treat, but it doesn't have enough nutrients to be used alone for a sick kitty. But it might make her more interested in eating her food.

If you can't pill her, ask your vet if you can get the appetite stimulant compounded as a liquid so you can squirt it into her mouth. I think you can get chicken or tuna flavor from most compounding pharmacies.
 
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