acting different since starting insulin

Hi! I'm new here and look forward to learning more about feline diabetes since its all very overwhelming and scary at the moment. My 13 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes a few weeks ago and we've started him on insulin. He's not quite regulated yet and we've noticed that since starting the insulin he's been pretty antisocial which is very unlike him. He wont come when I call him and has moved from his normal sleeping spot in the middle of the room to laying under a table off to the side. He doesn't mind the injections at all, it doesn't even seem like he notices, he doesn't flinch or anything and has no problem when he sees us getting the needle ready, so I don't think that he's associating us with getting needles. Plus he gets some wet food before and after his shot so he comes running when he hears us getting it ready with his needle. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it a side effect of the insulin? I don't see my vet until next week so I was hoping someone might be able to give an opinion on whats going on before then. Thank you for your time!

 

It could be that his blood sugar is still to high and he is just not feeling good.
Do you have any blood glucose numbers to share?

 

What is the insulin you are giving to your cat, and also what dose are you giving. Different insulins can be given and depending on the insulin, you will get advice from the people familiar with that insulin.

Home testing will be something everyone will mention to you. It's important to be testing his BG, just like humans test because you want to be sure he needs the insulin. Eventually you may come to a day where he no longer needs insulin, but without testing him yourself, you won't know when that time comes.

The other very important point people will mention is food. Feeding low carb wet food will get you the best results. No dry food or treats and no we food that has gravies or is grilled. The pates are going to be your best bet, like Fancy Feast and Friskies.

In the beginning, your cat has alot to get settled in him, and he will adjust, then start to give you signs of your old cat coming back.

 

Hello.
I can relate to the acting differently. When the bg numbers are high, they definitely aren't feeling very good.
We've been on insulin for over a month and my cat is still hiding and sort of rejecting me most of the time.. She'll sit in her tower
next to me which is where I test her bg. But if I pick her up and try to get her to sit on me, she leaves.
I think in her case it's the testing and shots. She doesn't like them at all , despite the treats.
The only time she seeks me out is in the middle of the night when I'm on the couch, she gets up and nibbles on my face to wake
me up. ( She's done that all her life.)
But she can't jump up on the bed anymore. ( Neuropathy) She can jump down but not up. We've been on the treatment for
neuropathy for only 2 weeks so it's too soon to tell if it is helping.
But she's sullen most of the time. She doesn't come when I call, even if I pop her catnip can. ( she used to run for that)
She tries to get under the bed and I pull her out because I don't want her out of sight. She has new places to lie down too.
I do get glimmers of her old self when I pull out one of her toys. She doesn't play for very long but she does show interest
and tries for a few minutes.
It seems the insulin is making her feel something, but I can't tell if it's good.
It is a hormone, after all.
I was thinking of asking a human diabetic how they feel from their shots.

Please tell us what insulin you are on , and the dosage.

You definitely want to start hometesting so you know what your cats numbers are.
If the bg is high, that makes them want to hide, they feel bad, insulin or not.
But just as important is to know if the bg is low. Especially when giving shots. If you don't know your cats numbers, you
could be at risk for a hypo situation, which also would make your cat feel bad and want to hide. Here's the link for hypo symptoms and what to do.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887
But Hypo's can kill so please let us know your insulin and dosage.
You wouldn't drive your car with a bag on your head would you?
If you aren't testing your cats blood glucose levels, that's what you are doing every time you give a shot.


So the things you want to start right away in your steep learning curve:
1) home testing
2) low carb, hi protein diet
3) getting a spreadsheet to post your bg test numbers . This is how the people here are able to advise you about dosage
decreases and increases .

Ask for help with any of it you need help with. There are folks here who will even set up a spreadsheet for you if you have trouble
setting one up , but you need to start testing first.

You said you were feeding canned already.
What are you feeding?

There are many here willing to help you learn it all.
Welcome.

 

It is quite possible (but impossible to know without any BG tests) that the insulin is dropping his BG levels down and then he's coming back up which seems to make kitties feel quite off. If this is the cause and you are using a short acting insulin this is likely to continue to happen, if you are using a long acting insulin this should settle down as he gets regulated.

Without home testing you won't know what is going on...