At home testingwarm the

Im trying to start at home testing. I have a relion meter. I've read that it's important to warm his ear up before I prick it but Sneezy absolutely hates having his ears touched. The prick itself doesn't seem to bother him any more than the fact I'm touching his ear. Is it better to warm them or should I just try and get it over with as quickly as possible? I have also only tested his blood three times so far.

We also allow the cats to graze on dry food between their breakfast and dinner of wet food. When's the best time to test him?

 

Try without warming if he doesn't like it, but be sure to use a thick lancet to up your chance of a successful sample. 26 or 28 gauge lancets. 26 is thicker

 

If he bleeds easily, you do not have to warm. Warming just makes them bleed more easily.

Food should be taken up two hours before the pre-insulin-shot test. Other than that, feed as normal. (Hopefully, the dry food is very low carb; otherwise, it will have a negative impact on blood glucose levels.)

 

offer him a little treat after each testing - even if you are not successful - works wonders with many cats including mine.
Something low carbs - a piece of cooked chicken or a small piece of his fav food that he doesn't get to eat often.
With time he'll associate the poke time with treat and will be more cooperative.