Another Newbie to This Board

Hi All,

First let me say Thank You to all who contribute here. What a wonderful message board.

My name is Rosalie and my cat, Morgaine, has just been diagnosed with diabetes. I happen to have tpye 1 and have dealt with the human side of this disease for over 46 years. I wear an insulin pump now but I used to be on NPH and later Lantis. I do have a very good understanding of things but I really feel badly for my cat and I don't know if I am going to be able to home test her. She is not always willing to cooperate. Any tips anyone can give me would be great.

I am also a person with disabilities and I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so it limits me to restrain Morgaine in any way. She is strong enough to get away from my hold and I also can not get on the floor. I have no fear of doing this but don't know if she will let me. I know the benefits of home testing and test myself several times day.

More than anything I need support and tips on how to get it done.

Her BS was 270 and she had glucose in her urine. I noticed that she was drinking more water and urinating more often and then she peed on me and my bed and I knew something was terribly wrong. I have already changed her diet from Hill's R/D because she needed to lose some weight and am now feeding her a diet with high protein, low carbs and medium fat. I have consulted with Lisa Pierson DVM and she has a wealth of info.

Morgaine is a beautiful calico, almost 12. She weighs 15 pounds and is very large. A few years ago she was obese at 20 pounds but now she has a couple of pounds too much on her so hopefully we can correct that too.

I fear giving her insulin without being able to home test her and my vet said to try diet first since BS was at 270. I am really in need of support right now. Kitty doesn't seem sick except for the increased thirst and polyuria.

Sorry to babble. I'm tired and a little frightened right now.

 

Hi Rosalie and Morgaine.

The board is quiet now but I'm sure more will respond to you in the morning.

Changing diet is an excellent start, and while most need a course of insulin, maybe you will be lucky and see an improvement. If you are still using Lantus, the good news is that is an excellent insulin to use for cats, so maybe you can spare some expense by sharing your insulin with Morgaine. I shoot my cat when she is eating, and she never looks up from her dish, but as for testing, I guess it will depend on your arthritis and how much use you have. Some cats are easier than others to test, but, with time, training, and treats, you can learn to test. When I first learned with my cat I didn't restrain her with my hands/arms. I picked her up and put her on the sofa against the arm, and sat next to her. It took some time before she didn't need to be on the sofa, but in time, maybe you can find a ritual that will work for you.

Until you are able to test, when you start insulin, start on the smallest dose.

Here's a video that demonstrates testing on a cat. I realize Morgaine may not be as cooperative but it will give you a general idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8

If you have a friend or a neighbor that can help you in the beginning - maybe that will be an option to get her used to testing.

270 is high, but most cats have much higher numbers when diagnosed. Try not to worry - it is hard, I know, but we've all been where you are now.

Read what you can and ask questions.

Best,
Pam & Layla

 

Hi Rosalie and Morgaine and welcome to FDMB.

Does Morgaine like treats? One suggestion is to reward her with a treat every time you test. A couple pieces of freeze dried chicken or fish works great. Give her the treat even if you are not successful in testing her. Soon she will begin to associate the treat with testing and that should make it easier.

 

Most cats don't like being tested in the beginning because it is so foreign, but for the most part they do get used to it and just sit and take it - especially if they know it will result in something yummy to snack on after. Bribes do work wonders.

I often tested my cat in bed with me. I sat there and cuddled with her and then snuck a quick test. If your kitty is able to jump on a surface that would work for you to stand next to and test, offer treats up on that surface. You can slowly introduce her to the idea of testing by playing with her ear before and after you give the treat.

Hopefully your kitty will be one that goes into remission with a simple diet change and you won't need to face this, but if you do, good communication with the kitty will help. Tell Morgaine what you need to do, and that it will help her feel better. Praise the living daylights out of her when she cooperates with you.

But if your abilities do not allow for home testing, don't let that hold you back. LOTS of people treat their cats with out home testing. I personally injected my cat for years with out testing, and she did just fine. Just be conservative so you don't risk a hypo. As you know, it is better to run a little high for a long time, then to go too low for even a moment.

Connie

 

Thanks for your replies. Yes, Morgaine loves treats and she loves to eat.

Because I know how crucial testing is for my own control, I can't imagine giving insulin without testing so I am really hoping I can get her to allow it. I have been working on her and she sees me test all of the time. I will jump in, hopefully today and let you all know how we do.

 

Hi Lantus is a great insulin for cats. Research has shown a good chance of remission if used within 6 months of diagnosis.

With a number like 270 I wouldn't be giving more than 1u twice a day.
How much are you giving?

Hometesting is a lot simpler than it sounds. I found with Lucky it was 'cuch' time and she didn't even really want the treats. Find a spot in your house where your both comfortable. I used to sit on the floor with Lucky across my lap (doubt you could do that) A particular chair or on the counter top is fine.

Talking sweet nothings while you test and shoot helps too. If your calm so will kitty be.

Good luck and pleaze keep asking questions.

 

I m not giving insulin yet which is why I want to test her. I just put her on canned food, FF after years of Hill's prescription diet for weight loss. She was diagnosed on Monday and the vet thought she might have an UTI so he gave her a shot of amoxy and a small amount of steroid. I KNOW steroids wreack havoc with BS as I have had steroids myself so I am going to try to test her today and see where she is. I will start Lantus if things have gotten worse.

She was definitely drinking and urinating more on Monday and prior to that but now she has settled down some and is less thirsty with less output or maybe I am deceiving myself but she appears to be slowing down in that area. She never drank more than 1.5 cups of water/day and it is slowly getting less. I also know that these symptons hit me when my BS is high and they diminish when my BS reaches a lower level. I MUST TEST! It is hard for me to hold on to her or get on the floor but I am trying to figure out a way to do this. I also just started her on canned food yesterday so I need to give it a few days and I need to wait for those steroids to get out of her system. I believe he said 2-3 days on that and I don't think he knows the latest in treating diabetes in felines. He mentioned NPH. I may see a different vet.

The good news is that I know what to do, have all the supplies since Lantus is my back up insulin if my pump dies or I get sick. Pumpers use only humalog but my endocrinologist always gives me a bottle of Lantus from his samples when I see him so I have one sitting in my frig., unopened and good until Jan. 2011. I have tons of test strips as I test several times a day. Lows are very common on a pump so I am careful. My obstacle is to test Morgaine. The rest is easy for me because I know what to do and do not fear it.

 

Hi Rosalie!

Sounds like you're off to a good start.

As far as testing goes, I shake Porky's treat jar and he comes running to the couch. I get him to lay down (or at least crouch), while I steady him with one hand. It also helps to have all of your supplies ready: the strip halfway pushed into the meter, the neosporin, the kleenex and/or warm rice bag, the lancet device....have it all lined up and ready to go. Luckily for me, Porky is a very mellow cat, so testing usually isn't a problem.

Can you get her to come to a couch, chair or bed so you don't have to get down on the floor (I wouldn't be able to do that, either!)?

Just remember, it may be frustrating at first, but it will get easier - you'll soon become a pro!

 

I had partial success and I am very pleased with Morgaine, not so much with me. Ha, ha! I had no problem pricking her ear 3 times BUT I did not get enough blood. I then realized my lancet was turned down because I test on me so often and use a very low setting. That was the problem so rather than upset her cuz by then she was done, I gave her a treat and will try again later. She really didn't mind it until try number 3 and she seemed okay with all of the equipment but maybe she is familiar with me testing all of the time. She is very observant.

Oh, she has kitty tower and her perch is up above my waist so I did the ear prick while she was curled up in her perch. It is round and it cuddles her so it worked very well.

Question: What lancets do you use and what settings do you use? I have One Touch ultra and BD ultra fine. The One Touch is 29g and the BD is 30 or higher.

Another good development for us: Morgaine had been running to her box every two hours when she was diagnosed on Monday 5/3. Today she went for over 7 hours without peeing and she seems to be less thirsty as well. I am measuring her intake of water and it is getting less and less. She had been drinking about 1 and 1/2 cups/day and it has slowed down but I don't yet know the total for today so it seems the symptoms are waning for now at least. She has been on FF for the past 24 hours with no dry food and nothing else. I am encouraged but I know she is at risk and even if things settle down I will always need to watch her. I will let you all know if I get any numbers from her tonight but I don't want to push her. She came running down the hall with a lively bounce so maybe she is feeling better. I do know from my own experience that even if my BS is down and my symptoms are gone, I am still diabetic. It is all in the numbers so I MUST succeed at getting those.

 

Great news :mrgreen:

I used the one touch ultra ones. I used setting 4. I also used a sock, filled with rice, warmed in 650w microwave for 20 secs (checked on my wrist like baby's milk to check not too hot)
Placed under Lucky's ear.; This helped the blood vessels expand and got a better chance of getting enough blood. Also gave me firm surface on which to press.

I changed Lucky's food before starting insulin and it came down by nearly 200 points though still diabetic numbers. This helpre with the dosing when we finally got started (apart from vet o'd ing her on first shot! Hence lack of trust in vets from there on in)
I started at 1u andworked up gradually to find ideal dose.

Stick completely to wet and camn give treats like freeze dried chicken or fresh boiled chicken (hardly any carbs in at all)

Sound like your getting there.
Would definitely advocate the Lantus as research has shown fab results using it on kitties. If you go to the Lantus isg, you can see how many kitties have got off insulin using it. :mrgreen: