Aggressive behaviour in diabetic cat

Hi there - this is my first post on this forum but am hoping someone can help. I am located in Scotland and I have two cats, Jake and Meg, both female despite Jake's name. ;-) Jake has been on insulin for diabetes for a number of years with the dosage normally being 1.5 units twice per day. Occasionally, after blood checks at the vet, they will recommend the dose is increased to 2 units but after a week or so on this amount she will usually suffer a hypo - luckily it has always happened when I have been in the house with her. Her behaviour during previous hypos was to continually pace around the room and try to get into corners behind furniture etc. I have a small bottle of Glucogel always to hand and after giving some of this to her on previous occasions she has eventually returned to normal. When I reported the incidents to the vet it was decide to put her back on 1.5 units again and this has been working fine for the past 18-24 months or so. This brings me to the latest incident (today) which I am worried about. Just before Christmas she had her regular blood samples taken at the vet and when they phoned me with the results they reported the figures were a bit higher than they would like so told me to increase the dose to 2 units again. I am always concerned when I have to do this as I always know it will result in a hypo at some point. Overnight I was wakened by an almighty commotion in my kitchen, screeching, wailing, hissing - the works! At first I thought it was a neighbour's cat which has been hanging around my back door lately "testing" the cat flap and who Meg usually has a stand off with. However, in the kitchen I found my own two cats in very defensive positions standing about 4 feet apart, tails fluffed up, with Jake growling and hissing at Meg very aggressively. Although they have never been ultra close, they have lived quite happily together for over 5 years without any dramas like this and Jake is normally a very laid back and calm cat. I couldn't understand this and picked Jake up and took he to her basket in an attempt to calm her down. I went back to bed but woke about half an hour later due to a similar situation, Jake sitting in the middle of the hall growling at Meg who had been trying to walk past her. When I got up around 8am I fed them as usual and, although their food bowls are about 3 feet apart, Jake insisted on growling at Meg who was ignoring her and eating fine. Worried that this might be a hypo, although in a different form to what I've experienced before, I gave Jake some Glucogel and she is now lying on my desk beside me purring away as if nothing was wrong, although Meg is lying in her basket in another room just now and I'm worried what will happen when their paths cross again. I have to stress at this point that Jake has not been aggressive with me during this incident, only with Meg.

Apologies for the very long 'sermon' but I thought it best to give some background to the incident. I just wondered if any other owners had come across this kind of behaviour in their diabetic cats.

 

Hello and welcome to FDMB!

Aggression certainly can be a symptom of hypo. Although, are you saying that Jake was still a bit aggressive at 8am this morning? When did she have her last insulin shot? And what insulin are you using?

The very best way to keep your cat safe is to test her blood glucose at home. 'Hometesting' probably sounds a bit scary, but it really isn't hard to learn. And it won't hurt your cat. Honestly. A teesny weensy drop of blood is taken from the outside edge of the ear where there are very few nerve endings. My cat munches on treats while I test and doesn't even notice the test itself!

Most of us here use an ordinary glucose meter made for humans, and we can help you to learn - if you're willing to have a go...?

Here is a link to a page showing the testing process. I learned to test from this page, and with a bit of encouragement from the folks on this forum:
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

 

Hi there and thanks for the reply. Yes she was still growling and grumbling when I fed them at 8am and she had 2 units of Caninsulin last night about 8.30pm. I have just had a coffee and watched some TV for an hour or so and she was curled up on my lap as usual and purring when I stroked her so she seems normal enough in that sense. She is now sleeping in her own basket and Meg is still in her's in the next room so they havn't really been near each other since 8am. Will just need to wait and see what happens when they do. :shock:

I didn't know you could do the test at home - my vet always stressed it should be done by them, but they would say that of course to make money! I'll check that link you gave me. Thanks.

 

I have an anecdote of sorts for you. Have you seen the movie Steel Magnolias? There’s a scene with Julia Roberts as a diabetic getting her hair done before her wedding. Her character is this wonderful, sweet woman, and then she becomes a raving lunatic when she hypos. They give her orange juice, she mellows out, and she’s completely embarrassed.

So, yes, hypos most definitely can affect an otherwise lovely personality.

I do have a suggestion for you based on my own experience. My kitty cannot make a full .5 unit jump. I must ramp her up .25 unit at a time, or her numbers bounce all over the place. Finally, I have found that she does very well on 1.25 units, although my vet wishes I would use 1.5 units. I am about to show the vet my home testing chart to prove it.

It’s a little difficult to figure out a .25 unit at first, but it might be worth a try for your kitty. Please do ask your vet if this is a possibility for you.

And, absolutely, especially when you’re trying a new dosage schedule, home testing is invaluable.

DZ and Sarah

 

Well, I went to feed them at 4pm and Jake is stull being aggressive to Meg. Surely a hypo episode can't be lasting this long?

Managed to shoot a quick video ....................

 

Notes on using a human glucometer to home test:

The readings from a human glucometer will be different from a pet-specific glucometer and from the vet's lab equipment. This is OK. There are established reference numbers for using a human glucometer. Its like measuring temperature in Fahrenheit vs Celsius. Don't let the vet sell you an expensive pet-specific glucometer.

Also, the FDA allows glucometers to be within 20% of the true lab values. This means:
50 is 40 to 60
100 is 80 to 120
200 is 160 to 240
300 is 240 to 360
Etc

The range gets wider as the number goes higher. Again, this is OK as it won't change what you do.
At low numbers, the range is narrower and that is when it is most important. Whenever you get an unusual number, test twice to confirm the range. The span in between is likely where the actual value lies.

 

Are you located in the UK? I note that you are using Caninsulin. It acts by dropping the bg quite quickly and then running out and allowing the bg to rise quite high again. It may be that 2 units is just too harsh a drop for her to tolerate, even though her bg is too high much of the time. This can make the cat feel quite unwell and may lead to being aggressive behaviour as a protective measure.

At the least, it would be great if you can start home testing. Yes - vets like you to bring the cat in for testing, but all it does is lighten your wallet. You can purchase a human glucometre and the accessories and get more accurate and timely results. You may find that the insulin has a short duration for her and perhaps shots three times a day might help. I am simply speculating because there is no daily data to know how the insulin is working for her.

 

Awesome video - really gives us an idea of what's going on.

Your other kitty is so cute and really is being a good sport through all of this.

I'm not an expert, but I suspect Jake is still trying to regulate the overjuicing and probably is feeling really weird, a bit scared and just trying to process both physically and mentally being off. I assume Jake is not being agressive with you?

Anyway, I have a feeling if you are able to knock down the dosage a bit, maybe tomorrow will be a better day for all. Of course, if it isn't, a call to your vet would be a good idea.

Let us know.

DZ and Sarah

 

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, Jake is fine with me, in fact other than the behaviour whenever Meg is within a range of about 4-5 feet, Jake seems totally normal otherwise. It seems that whenever Meg is within that 'zone' Jake is totally preoccupied with her, even if she isn't growling at her she won't take her eyes off her and totally ignores me if I try to get her attention. I'm just so concerned as this is completely alien behaviour from her.

Just-as-Appy mentioned about Caninsulin dropping the BG quite sharply - is there an alternative to Caninsulin in the UK that might be a better alternative? Unfortunately, three doses per day is not a practical solution as I am at work from 7.45am to 5.00pm Monday-Friday so can only do the injections morning and evening. In fact, Monday is my first day back after the holidays and I'm dreading what might be happening at home if Jake is still like this. :sad:

 

Hello again (I'm sorry I don't know what your name is? Is it 'Franco'?)

Yes, there are alternatives to Caninsulin in the UK. However, my understanding is that a vet here needs to prescribe a veterinary medicine first, and if that doesn't work they can then, through the 'cascade system' prescribe another medicine. Caninsulin is now the only animal-specific insulin in the UK. (Where are you in Scotland? Anywhere near Edinburgh? An 'old' (in 'experience terms' )FDMB member, 'Steve and Jock' is in Edinburgh, I think....)

Anyway, I digress, sorry....

Hometesting would be your greatest ally in this situation. It would give you data about how the situation is now, and - if Caninsulin clearly isn't working - it would give you data to show your vet so that you could get a different insulin. I persuaded my vet to prescribe Hypurin Bovine PZI, and other folks here have persuaded their vets to prescribe Lantus/Glargine. If you're in Edinburgh then you may be able to find a vet who will prescribe Levemir...

 

Hi there - my name is Frank by the way!

I live in West Lothian, about 25 miles or so from Edinburgh so fairly close. I didn't give Jake any insulin yesterday at all but started her on 1 unit of Caninsulin this morning and will give her the same this evening with an increase to 1.5 units over the next day or two. I'm really not sure what to do about the Caninsulin situation but it does seem that there is a fine line between 1.5 units not being quite enough for her (according to the vet's BG figures) and 2 units tipping her over the edge. I'll take her to the vet again soon and explain things.

With regard to the behaviour, I thought at first things had returned to normal as she didn't bother Meg when they were both in the kitchen this morning but at lunchtime she had another growl or two at her but not as serious as yesterday.

 

Hi Frank,

Given the concern over getting the dosage right for Jake it would be a huge help if you could learn to test her blood glucose at home. That would enable you to see exactly what the insulin is doing in her system at any time. You would no longer have to 'guess' how things are going or be dependent on the vet for her blood glucose results.

Are you able to buy a glucose meter? A popular one here is the Accu-check Aviva, partly because it's stocked by many pharmacies, also it only needs a small drop of blood, and the test strips for it are easily available on Ebay (sometimes half the price of those in pharmacies).

If it does turn out that the 1.5 units is too little insulin (and this is by no means certain...) then you don't have to increase by a full half unit. You can increase by much smaller increments than that.

Are you using syringes or the pen?

Eliz

 

Eliz

I'm using these syringes.
I should really look into the BG meter idea but not sure how confident I'd be trying to take samples. Luckily Jake is really good at taking her injections so hopefully she would be fine with this. Just glad its not Meg who has to have insulin - although she is affectionate she hates being picked up and being held still. I can't even get her to take a tablet!

Jake abandoned her 'wild' persona and returned to normal yesterday afternoon by the way - thank God, as I was dreading leaving them alone in the house today.

 

Hi Frank,

If you're willing to have a wee try at hometesting I'd be happy to send you a test kit. I happen to have one spare (a 'One Touch Verio' meter, I think...).... If you'd like it just PM me your address and I'll put it in the post tomorrow...

Eliz

 

hi Frank

I'm an expat in USA and had my cat dx in October.
Testing is so scarey at first and tricky - neither you or cat know what you're doing!

But it gets easier the more you do and after a week or so, you can almost do it in your sleep! There's lots of info on this forum on home testing and quite a few youtube videos and everyone here can offer help and suggestions.
Its better for your cat - because you know when its safe to shoot and because you can then adjust dosing based on true bg values.

Strongly encourage you to try it for at least a week - it really doesn't hurt them even though they sometimes pretend it does. I know this because if I test Honey when she's asleep, she doesn't wake up. Generally, they just don't like being held still.
Jake sounds a bit like Honey - she's definitely not a lap cat. She has a cold/eye infection at the moment and if I wipe her eyes with a tissue, she swipes at me! I can't pill her either. But, now I've found her a treat to die for, she actually jumps up to the bed to be tested and scoffs her treat all the way through the test.

Denise

 

I would listen to this excellent lady ^^^^ Frank, & take her up on her generous offer! She made me the same offer to me last week. I accepted (I only live a few miles away) & did my first glucose curve the following day! Just go for it. The worst you can do is have an angry cat spitting 'poison' at you for a while. With enough treats, they end up loving it. Weird, I know.

Like you, I work long hours & I didn't think I'd be able to test and inject before I leave the house in the morning, but I can & it takes only a minute (now I have the knack!! Took a few practices...and I've drawn more blood from myself than poor lil Milo.... ohmygod_smile ). I've combined testing & injecting with my cat eating his breakfast, and I can then leave the house & repeat the process when I get home from work.

Give it a go. It'll give you far more info over how Jake is doing & how she's responding.

Good luck.

 

Hi Frank,

I am a new member, but just came across your post from January. How are Jake & Meg doing these days?

For others on this feed - I am having a similar situation. I have two cats, Keiko (Female), 14 years old, and Kato (Male), 5 years old. Kato has been with Keiko his entire life since he was adopted at 7 weeks old. Two months ago Kato was severely sick, and a series of tests at the vet turned up a very elevated glucose level (400+). We were able to clear the unknown infection (he was knocking on death's door at the time, and the vet still was not able to identify the source of the infection, but a series of broad-spectrum antibiotics cleared him up. That being said, the vet determined that the increased glucose levels was not related to the infection, and he was diagnosed with Feline Diabetes. Vet prescribed Lantus 2units 2x day. We were giving the insulin blindly for several weeks, but as he beat the infection and was otherwise feeling well - we noticed that suddenly he is no longer happy cohabitating with Keiko, his friend for life. I should also mention that we did a diet change from free-fed dry food, and they are both now on high protein, low carb, canned food only - fed 2x day.

Doing some internet research we decided to test his glucose at home, and have been doing that now for about 4 weeks. I now only give insulin if his bg is above 170. Ironically, there's been no set pattern. The rumbling seems to be getting worse, and I am seriously concerned for my 14 year old Keiko - (she was my first "baby" as she is older than my human children)!

Tonight, I checked his bg at 7:15pm, about 30 minutes after eating. It was 222, I gave the 2units of Lantus. At 9:15pm he had a terrible roll/ball rumble with Keiko. My first reaction was to crate him while I checked on Keiko to ensure she did not have any injuries. About 10 minutes later I re-checked Kato's bg to see if he had dropped too suddenly and if a hypo could be causing this aggression - but his bg was 247! (Higher than 2 hours earlier, AFTER Lantus dose). Does this make any sense to anyone?

Any & all input is appreciated.

New to feline diabetes... wanting to learn and keep a sane household for all the family members (2 AND 4 legged ones)
Thanks!
Misty

 

Hi Misty,

Would you please start your own New topic? That way, you will have responses tailored to your specific cat. Thanks a bunch. You can copy and paste the info from your other post so you do not need to retype the whole thing.