AM Testing

Now that my cats aren't free feeding, they're pretty insistent on being fed first thing. If I do a glucose test right as my cat starts eating, is that close enough to a "pre" number? He already gets so upset when I give him a shot that I don't want to make him mad. Currently I'm more or less sitting on him to hold him down (so much fun at 630 AM!).
Thank you!

 

It takes around 15 minutes for the food to kick in. It might be a good idea to feed a couple tablespoons, test & let him eat the rest. I had the same problems with my Baby. I began feeding Baby at 4:30 am, & then after awhile so she wouldn’t get me up all the time I started leaving food out overnight. Almost like clockwork she would eat at 4:30 so I knew her test time being 3 hrs later would be ok. I freeze her food for a couple hours before bed, put it out to thaw at bedtime. I do put her bowl next to my bed to be alerted to when she eats. It’s like mothers ears, I hear her & I think I’ve trained myself to listen for her.

 

Yes, that would work as a pre shot test because it can take 20+ minutes for food to affect BG.

 

Well, I had to stick his ear twice, he ran away in between so I had to catch and hold for the second poke which bled all over the place. I don't know if he was as stressed as he was at the vet, but definitely not happy with me. Also not 100% sure he didn't get fur shots yesterday, his BG was 405. It's curve day, so I'll work on setting up a sheet. Hopefully this gets better/easier.

 

I don't have any suggestions for you, but I did want to say I can relate to the frustration of things not going right especially with the fur shots since I'm in the same boat trying to get my cat regulated after recently being diagnosed. Fortunately Amber is REALLY good about letting me do what I need to do to her, she actually purrs while I stick her ears and literally sat for 15 minutes my first day while I stuck her over and over while failing to test properly (I didn't realize the blood enters the SIDE of the strip)! She doesn't like me pulling at her skin to give the injection, but the poke itself doesn't seem to bother her one bit. If your cat is sociable and likes to be pet give him a good rub down before you start poking him and eventually he may come to enjoy it.

-Joe

 

Use low carb treats liberally so the kitty learns to associate all of the pokes with something pleasant. Freeze dried meat or fish work well. One common brand is Pure Bites.