What would happen if you didnt give your cat insulin...

[Kdd921]

My dads side of the family is dissapointed that i will not be visiting for thanksgiving. I just found out two weeks ago that my 12 yr old cat has diabetes. Her sugar is very high too when it was tested for the first time it was in the 480's. it is better now but still not regulated. I was just curious if i had to leave for an emergency situation, and had to leave my cat for a day and a half what effects if any would it have on her not having insulin. Can she die?

 

[Ry & Scooter]

If it's just for a day and a half she'll be fine. Of course it would be ideal if someone could monitor her and give her insulin while you're gone but I understand that is hard to arrange sometimes. I am in the middle of moving and some days are so hectic... I forgot Scooter's insulin all day and he survived jut fine. It might throw her numbers off for a few cycles though.

 

[Dyana]

There is the risk that your cat could develop ketones if not given insulin, especially if she has high BG numbers, and/or goes off her food because of the stress.

I am going to California to visit my dad for Thanksgiving, and am taking J.D. with me. I take him with me, when I travel.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

As Dyana says, it really depends on the cat and where it is in regulation. A fairly regulated cat that isn't prone to ketones would probably be ok. A cat that isn't regulated or is prone to ketones, that runs high easily without its insulin, could go DKA without insulin for a day and a half and that can be costly and deadly.

When you think about it, we don't notice our cats are diabetic and they go without insulin and survive during that time. But it does get to a point that we are too late. If there is a way to have someone that can take over in the case of an emergency that is always the best scenario.

 

[vampfaye]

my guy travels with me. turns out he loves the car ride and will look out the window and watch where we go

 

[Kdd921]

Thank you for all of the replies. I would never actually leave her I would find someone to take care of her- just wanted to make my dad aware of what would actually happen to her! I love her too much to leave her alone and take that risk. Its hard to take her to travel because of her past. I adopted her and she had a rough past and car rides are very terrifying for her. & about a month ago I just moved and it was a 14hour car ride, it puts a lot of stress on her. Thanks again!

 

[vampfaye]

The bottom line is that your cat could have a hyperglycemic episode without required insulin and could die. Magic has only been on car rides less than an hour in length. If I was to go away for several days, my fiance or daughter would administer his insulin. Since he's OTJ right now, they would observe him and test his BG. One of the best things you can do, if you live alone, is to have a friend willing to stay if needed. Teach them the signs of hypo and hyper episodes, how to administer insulin and how to do the BG tests. In case you'd ever have to leave in an emergency (due to family or even your own health) then there is a backup person who already knows what to do. If you live with other members in your household, teach them the same ASAP. You can never be too careful!

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Does your vet's office offer boarding? If so, maybe you can make arrangements ahead of time so that if you do need to leave for an emergency, either you or someone else you designate can drop her off at their office to stay while you are out of town. You could pack up a travel kit for her that includes her insulin, meter, food and instructions for the vet's office. The few times that I have boarded my diabetic cats at the vet, I leave detailed instructions including they need to test with my meter before every shot and the dose I want them to give.

 

[Ry & Scooter]

Not all cats are good travelers, and I think the stress of traveling could be more dangerous than being without insulin for 36 hours. My cat is NOT good at all at traveling and the first car trip we made with him will probably be the last. So many things can happen when you're on vacation - your cat has stress inflated BGs, won't eat because of the stress/new environment and so can't get insulin anyways, you become too busy or are too far away to drive back and forth and test, etc. the car ride there can be a nightmare too, especially if your cat is afraid of the carrier. Scooter urinated on himself, drooled, howled, and refused to eat - we had given him a full dose that morning since it was only a 3.5 hr ride and we would get there long before his nadir - big mistake. With all the pulling over we did to test him, wash him, give him fresh towels, and let him out a bit on a leash, it took over 6 hours. We had a huge hypo scare when I was having trouble testing him in the back seat because he was so stressed - my meter gave me a false "LO" reading and I almost had a heart attack... not fun, and I couldn't imagine doing it for an even longer trip! Fortunately when we got there he calmed down a LOT but not all cats will.

I don't think your cat is going to die in 36 hrs without insulin unless she is extremely prone to ketones or her numbers are extremely high or... something. Everyone above is just speculating the worst possible outcome... no one wants to be responsible if something *does* happen to your cat while you're not giving her insulin. If you've got the time and money to find her a place to stay by all means do it, but when I got a phone call saying my sister was going to die and I needed to be there NOW, the last thing on my mind was Scooter's insulin. But Thanksgiving dinner is a bit different and you still have some time to plan it out. You use your best judgement here!