FD Max in MI needs new home

I hate to do this, but my cat Max needs a new home. :cry: I simply cannot provide the care he needs. I have a 2.5yo daughter and 5mo son, and I work full time. The time I am at home is rather chaotic anyway, add in a cat that is resisting BG testing, and I'm at my wit's end. It'll be better for him and for us if someone else can care for him.

He is 8yo, solid black, and very sweet. He's been on Lantus for 5 days now, and will come with all the testing supplies I have (meter, strips, lancets, some syringes, and a vial of Lantus). He tolerates the shots well, but won't let me test him anymore. At this point, my husband has to hold him so I can test him. I couldn't get a successful test this morning (but I fed him and gave him his shot anyway). He won't sit on my lap anymore, and isn't sleeping with me at night anymore either. He will eat canned food, and raw food...pretty much he'll eat anything. I've had him on low-carb, canned Friskies for about a week.

I can help with ground transportation if it is on a weekend. I will continue trying to test him if he'll let me, and obviously keep up the insulin regardless.

 

Hi - I reported your post to the moderators - one of them is Venita - so that she can respond to you and see how we can help.

Venita manages the Cats in Need program and works on placing FD cats.

Of course, everyone is going to ask you to see if there is any way we can help you keep Max and help you come up with a way to test and treat him.

I wanted you to know why you may see a "reported message" on this posting. It's just to get it the attention and get you help.

 

Thank you Hilary.

Everyone here has been very encouraging for me to try to keep Max. Really, I want to...but even in the long term, I can't afford the insulin. The mental stress of dealing with this and my kids, is, well...crippling. I can't keep track of who needs what, and I just don't have enough time to give to everyone. And the longer it takes to get Max regulated, well, he's drinking so much water he's peeing all over the house. I'm doing one or two loads of laundry daily just to keep washing the rugs he keeps peeing on (and he had TWO boxes with NEW litter in them last night...and peed on the bathroom rug TWICE).

Initially I had hope that he would be able to be diet-controlled. Actually I still have that hope. I just can't put in the time to get him there. When my son wakes up in the middle of the night to nurse, or my daughter wakes up crying, I can't get back to sleep because I'm worried about the cat. I'm really at a breaking point here--I can't keep going the way I have. Max has been sick for months, but we didn't know what was going on until two weeks ago.

 

The peeing will get better when Max is feeling better -- the high blood sugar makes them feel bad and drink tons and pee all over.

The low carb canned food and insulin will have him feeling better within a few weeks, hopefully sooner

 

Max could simply be stressed from all of the stress in the house, he may be a transient diabetic and with the food change and a short run on insulin, he could very well go into remission.

 

bump

 

I wish I could take him, but DH would kill me! He's afraid bringing another cat home will cause Arnold to get sick again. Maybe hold out a few more weeks. Arnold was dx 2/1/10 and was off shots on 2/17/10! We changed to all wet food and that along with whatever else kick started his system again. I hope you can keep him, if not, I hope he can find a good home!

 

What if we could find a temporary home for him?
I have some Lantus if that is an issue, I live near Lansing.

 

A temporary home could work. At this point we just have too many things going on at our house--trying to potty train a 2.5yo, trying to get an infant eating some solids and sleep through the night, and generally just trying to make it through the day. I can't watch Max as closely as I should, I can barely get two tests in everyday, and he just looks miserable. I'm stressed out and not getting enough sleep. And as everyone knows, he's stressed from the testing and the shots, I'm stressed from having to do it, we're both stressing each other out and it's a never ending cycle.

And due to lack of sleep, I failed to give him his shot this morning (just plain missed that part of the routine). Luckily my husband had a 2-hr delay for fog, so he gave it to him, but it was nearly 2 hours late.

 

Hi Mindy, Hi Max,

I coordinate a project that helps diabetic cats and their people called Diabetic Cats in Need (DCIN). The blog for this project is here. Help can involve rehoming diabetic cats, including the costs of rehoming, and helping to finance the medical and other needs of diabetic cats.

I have been following you and Max since you posted this message.

Let me say up front that I would like you to be able to keep Max. But I completely understand all the demands on your time and energy. Unfortunately, I do not have a magical Mindy cloning machine.

I truly believe that because Max's diabetes was steroid induced that he has an excellent chance to become diet controlled with Lantus in a short time. I see you have him on wet food (like white on rice, that's good).

First let me ask whether your husband is helping. I see he gave today's shot, so he's clearly capable. Might you be able to ask him to take over Max's treatment entirely? I understand if your gut reaction is to think "What, is she nuts?" but think about it. He loves you, he knows you love Max, he knows how stressed you are. We have a number of very capable male caregivers on this Board, another would be very welcome.

Second, if affording Lantus is a problem, Max can become a DCIN-sponsored cat for his insulin. Sarah offered some; many people here have extra because there was a free giveaway last year. So you can completely mark that off your worry list. Just tell me that you want Max to be DCIN sponsored for his insulin, and don't think about it again.

Third, rehoming Max, be it temporarily or permanently. We don't have a list of people chomping at the bit to foster or adopt a diabetic cat. If we did, I wouldn't have so many cats on the DCIN adoption list. It is extremely stressful for a cat to be rehomed. Think about it. Max has given you unconditional love and put all his trust in you as his person. To be so sick, to be so stressed, and then for him to be taken from--no given from--the home that he considers his. Some cats are never the same after rehoming.

We can list Max as up for fostering or adoption on the DCIN blog, and I can crosspost him to scores of rescue sites, but if we were to find a home for Max, it might take as long to get him rehomed as it would take you (or your husband) to get him off insulin by properly managing his diabetes.

If you want DCIN to list Max, please complete these questions and return your answers to me by email at vmaewood @att.net (remove the space). I also will need one or more pictures of Max. (Yep, just what you needed. Another thing on your to-do list.)

Just a little more brainstorming here. Do you have a family member or friend close by who could foster Max and try to get him OTJ? Feline diabetes management is very do-able. Is there a vet tech you know who might be willing (for a price) to help with Max by coming in to do BG tests for preshot, mid-cycle, or full day curves? Is there a vet tech you know who might be willing (for a price) to take Max into his/her home for awhile to try to get him OTJ? What about your vet? Might your vet be willing to foster Max for awhile? Might it be financially feasible for you to get a daytime in-home nanny/Au-pair for your children (instead of day care for the two of them) who also could handle Max's testing/shots? If in-home care is just a bit more than daycare cost, DCIN could handle the difference.

Let me know how DCIN can help you, within the constraints that we have.

(((((Mindy))))) Please breathe.

 

Thank you so much for your post Venita. I have replied to your message, and will "talk" with you more tomorrow.

 

Oh, Venita, you have come up with some wonderful suggestions. Mindy, I hope that they will help you in your decision making. I certainly hope that you can keep your Max.

 

Great news, all you Mindy and Max followers. Mindy and DH are going to give it a go at treating Max. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=8818&p=88184#p88184

 

Might I add that with a steroid-induced diabetic, IF they are going to come OTJ hometesting is a necessity because you don't know when that steroid is going to completely konk out and leave the body. With my two it took between 4-6 months. And when that happens you MIGHT see high numbers during one preshot and a low number the next preshot. That's what both Scrappy and Fang did when they came off the juice. I kept thinking I was giving them too much insulin cause it was lasting +12 and the insulin I used wasn't supposed to last that long (PZI). Once I just stopped the insulin his numbers leveled out and they were back to normal cats.
FWIW.