Cats, cats, cats
Comments
-
Well, sorry to say I was right. Squeakers has diabetes. We have another vet appt on Tuesday to get training in giving insulin and to try for a urine sample. Uses the box all the time at home, wouldn't go near it there. There are 2 human diabetics in our family, so we have some experience giving insulin to people.
0 -
0 -
Wren - sorry about the diagnosis for Squeakers but glad you were on top of it. Hope that Squeakers manages the shots ok, my Lester is so good about them.
Mommyof2 I definitely have one that is a prolific "abstract artist" hahaha
0 -
Mine are all of those!
0 -
Wren, not what you would wish for Squeakers, but it is a very good thing you were so quick to spot the changes in his habits. Best wishes with collecting the urine sample and with his treatment going forward.
0 -
I think (and hope) the vet will get the urine sample. At the shelter they have a litter that doesn't absorb and looks like black grit. I'm not sure he would recognize that as litter.
0 -
Wren: I had a rescue cat who developed diabetes when he was about 16. He was sort of a tawny leaning to orange cat and it seems like many of them develop diabetes. The vet wanted me to dip his urine to determine the insulin dosage but it was a challenge because the urine dip paper can't touch the litter and he objected to me trying to do this as he urinated. Giving the insulin twice a day was not an issue because I injected into the scruff of his neck and he purred the entire time. I had to wait for him to eat before the injection and of course once immediately after I gave the insulin he vomited and refused to eat. He then proceeded to have a seizure due to the drop in his blood sugar so please buy a bottle of plain Karo syrup to keep on hand. Getting your hands on a larger syringe helps so you can then administer the Karo in the event of an emergency. He spent the night in the vets but fully recovered and it was the only time I had this experience, TG.
You can purchase both the cat insulin and insulin syringes (U-30's) online at a much better cost than through a vet. You do need a prescription for the insulin to send them though and my vet gladly provided one. The cat lived for an additional 4 years and had quality of life during this time.
0 -
Thanks Betrayal, I appreciate the encouragement. I've given fluids to cats before and that's a much larger needle. I'm more worried about the testing. His vet said she would start him out on a lower dose than she thinks he'll eventually need to help avoid it going too low. Which online company do you use? You could PM with that info. We have a type 1 and a type 2 in the family, so at least I know something about it. Different in cats of course.
0 -
Wren44: I sent you a PM. Insulin syringes for animals are more like those used for children with diabetes. Just make sure you have the plain Karo available if needed. That seizure was the scariest experience. I was warned it could leave him with neurologic sequelae and did I want to euthanize him? They did give me a projected cost for care and I said I was willing to pay. The emergency bill was a small fortune and the fact that I had to bail him out by 7 AM or face another fee was disconcerting. They left his IV access in his paw and advised that I needed to take him to my vet on discharge. When I called my vet he asked if the cat was bothering the IV? When I answered "no", he said leave it in but to keep him home since he was already stressed. I called the next day to say he had a little head tic but otherwise was back to normal and he advised pulling the IV. The head tic did resolve after about 4 days and he was fine. I still miss him.
0 -
Ugh, my orange kitty Wally is at the vet's today. It's clear he's lost weight, he won't eat his kibble (which is his favorite kind of food) although he does eat a bit of the canned food.
I think/fear it's his teeth again. He and his litter mate both have crappy teeth, (re-absorption issues) and have each had several removed. Poor kitty, this is the one who normally SCREAMS and GROWLS and poops everywhere at the vet's out of fear. He only meowed in the kennel this morning.
0 -
Paws crossed for your orange guy. We fostered a cat with no teeth (pulled due to rot) and she managed to eat kibble out of Squeaker's bowl. I think she just wanted to show she could. Squeakers needs his teeth cleaned and we were ready to have it done when he was dx with diabetes. Now I think we need to get him stable first.
0 -
Wren, I follow a cat on Instagram that is diabetic. The use a glucometer that is made specifically for cats and dogs. The owner uses the cat’s ear for testing.
0 -
Wally is staying at the vet's tonight. This was at our request--it's so traumatic for him to go that it didn't make sense we would bring him home tonight to scream at the other three cats and then have to take him back tomorrow, assuming anything shows up in the blood work. Plus I kind of suspect he'll need x-rays.
His teeth aren't the cause so I guess I'm glad about that but concerned about what it might be. He's not eating lots, which w/ the weight loss might indicate a thyroid problem (although the lab work will determine that). Nor is he drinking excessively, which we'd expect if he were diabetic. But he's lost two pounds, which is a lot. Poor guy
0 -
Sorry, Edj3. Hope they find an answer for what is going on with Wally. Sounds like a good call to keep him there rather than yank him back and forth. You just wish they could tell you in human what the heck is happening so you can fix it.
0 -
Best wishes Wren and Squeakers and Edj3 I hope you can swiftly arrive at diagnosis and treatment for what is bothering Wally.
0 -
Poor Miss Felix at 22 has about everything. She had several teeth pulled, but eats dry food without any problems. She has thyroid disorder and takes medication. She is diabetic, but no longer needs insulin. She also has some dementia. She has arthritis and takes medication. I think she is still a happy cat (with the exception of her dislike for Louie), she is snuggled up with cat daddy as I type. She plays, eats, sleeps and purrs.
0 -
Petite, Is Miss Felix a gray tabby by any chance?
0 -
Nothing conclusive showed up with the lab work. He's got the tiniest trace of very early renal disease, he's got a tiny bit of blood and bacteria in his urine and of course he's not eating. So the vet gave him a long acting antibiotic shot, also a shot of steroids that should last several days, and a shot for nausea that will last a couple of days also. As you might have guessed, Wally is that cat who will not be pilled. Try it and die, sucker.
We'll keep watching, offer him some renal food and see if he'll eat it (he is not ruled by his stomach at all) and if he's not better in a few weeks, we'll take him back for x-rays and probably an ultrasound.
He'll be home shortly and he will be a hot mess, he always is when he gets back from the vet or one of the other cats gets back--all hissing and screaming and attacking until there's no vet smell and the memory of the trauma fades a bit.
Glad I slept well last night, because it will be a few nights before that happens again.
0 -
I hope Wally bounces back quicklywith the meds.
0 -
Wren44, She is a calico.
edj3, I hope Wally will be OK and gets over the vet visit quickly.
0 -
Love to Wally. Hope he is settling back at home and the vet will become distant memory soon.
0 -
He's home but it's clear he's still not well--he's not hissing and growling, which is what he does after vet visits.
0 -
I hope the steroids and antibacterials will help.0 -
Poor Wally, hope the meds kick in soon and make him feel better. Wren hope you get the insulin all figured out for Squeakers. That stuff sure is expensive. I just picked up another bottle for Lester. I am going to have to shop around and see if I can get it more economically somewhere. And of course, he responded best to the more expensive kind. However I cannot complain as we are now two years in and he manages the medicine so well.
0 -
Can you use the Relion brand from Walmart? It’s about $25 a vial.
0 -
Wally is clearly feeling better--he's hissing and growling and swatting at the kittens (this is his version of normal). So fingers crossed, he's on the upswing.
0 -
edj3, That's good.
0 -
Spookiesmom that brand didn't work effectively. We are on expensive human insulin. I am going to try petmeds to see if i can get cheaper there. Thanks for the suggestion.
Edj glad Wally is up to his old shenani
0 -
I’m on an insulin pump, thank dog for insurance. 3 vials for me is almost 1k. It’s way too expensive for humans or critters.
0 -
Spookiesmom, my older son has type 1 diabetes, tell me about the cost of insulin. It's criminal, that drug isn't one with lots of research to pay off or one that's somehow super expensive to produce. Nope, it's just a drug where if you need it, you need it to stay alive.
0
