Insane Cat

Hi, my cat Pitch was diagnosed 2 months ago, but I just got him back last night. He's on W/D dry food and 4 units of insulin twice a day. That's the easy part. The hard part is the fact that he is one of the weirdest cats I have ever met, and I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to test him.

So, about Pitch: He's 4 and a half, he rips up flip flops, beats up dogs, prefers sleeping on hard surfaces, and likes being petted by strangers more than he likes being petted by me. A visitor in my house can walk up to him and pet him, whereas if I try that he'll flinch away or bite me. Every now and then he jumps on my lap and we have some slightly awkward quality time. I know he loves me because while he was away from home whenever he saw me he would mew and beg for pets, but now that he's home again, he's back to his old tricks.

So I'm left wondering if I can test him or other important things. Anyway, Hi! My name is Arianna and my cat is batshit crazy

 

Welcome Arianna my name is Julia and don't worry about batshit crazy cats that pretty much describes many of the cats here. What type of insulin are you using , I am sure you will be able to test it will take time and lots of work but it can be done. Above all else welcome to the group and there are lots, and lots of wonderful people who know much more than me but I just wanted to say hi, welcome and huggles.

 

Welcome.
- What insulin are yo using? Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
- 4 units is a high stating dose. The usual dose is 1 unit twice daily
- It is good that you want to home test. Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
Dry WD has way too many carbs. A low-carb canned is best. Not reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb cannedhttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Thanks for the welcome! He's currently on Lantus, but his vet wants me to switch to Vetsulin when I finish the Lantus.

 

In my humble opinion.. I would not do the switch Lantus is the far better insulin for cats, vetsulin is far too harsh and fast acting, It is too hard to regulate than the others.

 

If you can afford the Lantus, tell him no!

 

Hi Arianna,

Welcome to you and Pitch. Pitch does indeed sound like quite the character. All the more endearing if you ask me but then I have a bit of a weirdo in my house too....Ok maybe three little weirdos but one definitely stands out!

Love your handle by the way! Did a double take on the picture of Pitch to see if he only had one eye! He's a cutie but I detect a bit of an impish look on that face!

You've indicated you were separated for awhile for some reason but it sounds like his behaviour toward you at home is not new. I find the difference in his demeanour with you depending on location quite puzzling.

I don't think laying on hard surfaces is that strange. My little sugar is currently sleeping on her test/shot table and does this a lot! Could it be he just likes a cooler place to sleep?

Are there any other pets in the house...you mentioned him beating up dogs? If there are other pets who was there first? Pitch or the other(s)?

Is anyone else in the house helping to care for Pitch? Any neighbourhood strays hanging around?

Frankly, his behaviour sounds like it might be a challenge for Jackson Galaxy but maybe with all the experience on this board, we can help you to figure him out.

How is Pitch with his shots? If he has accepted that, getting him to accept testing may just need to be approached on a step by step basis.

Why does your vet want to change him over to Vetsulin? It's a shorter acting insulin that often wears off after 8 hours and it's also harsher in that it will drop his glucose abruptly. While some cats do well on it, I've seen a lot of Vetsulin users change over to Lantus because of the harsher action. If you think there is going to be any challenges with testing Pitch, I personally wouldn't consider switching. Testing is important with any insulin but I think it's crucial with Vetsulin.

 

Most cats on Vetsulin change to Lantus or Prozinc. As others point out here, and as I can attest with a cat that was on Novolin (similar to Vetsulin), Vetsulin is short acting and harsh. If you were to get optimal benefit from Vetsulin, you'd likely need to give it every 8 hours. If cost is an issue, we can give you links to getting Lantus or Prozinc at a discount price. Since you're already using Lantus, it doesn't make sense to switch. If Pitch needs a higher dose, Levemir may be a better choice. Hopefully that won't be a case with a switch to a low carb canned/wet diet.

For such a "crazy" cat, Pitch is very beautiful and so sweet looking. But we all know how deceiving looks can be

If Pitch will absolutely not let you poke his ears or paws to get blood, a potential alternative would be using Diastix strips to test glucose (and ketones).

Here's some info on that and secondary monitoring tips from BJM's handy guide: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1r6ktdF7AMJCYHgPkVQWFUFy5Ag6OnbmfNfQqL3zX_88

Please see the link Larry and Kitties gave you for diet. Pitch needs to be on low carb food. Since you're already giving insulin, it is important to transition Pitch off the dry to wet/canned low carb. The switch to low carbs is just as important as insulin.

If Pitch is a dry kibble addict, see this link for great tips on transitioning a cat off dry food (on the right-hand side): http://www.catinfo.org/

The link also explains why "prescription diets" are unnecessary.

 

Welcome Arianna and batshit crazy Pitch! I have one of those - his name is Monkey, I'm just lucky he's not diabetic!

 

I've decided to keep him on the Lantus for now, thank you all for your input. I personally have no clue why the doctor thinks this kibble is better, seeing as I've been feeding him pate for years and everyone else seems to think that wet food is better. I need to discuss it with him...

 

While you consider blood glucose testing, take a look at my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some additional ways you can evaluate his health.

 

So, apparently Pitch has been weird since birth. His bottle mama said he was the weirdest bottle baby she had ever cared for, and she had cared for a LOT. He was attacked by a dog when he was a kitten, hence the dog hatred. I live alone, it's just him me and his 16 year old sister. I really have no idea why he acts the way he acts. I work at a cat shelter and I've still never met another cat like him. Cyclopscat is a screen name I've been using since high school, at this point I can't even remember how I came up with it.

 

If you look closely at the picture of him you can see that his paw is resting on one of the flip flops that he destroyed. He also has ears that move independently of each other and it's adorable

 

He's proudly posing with his "prey". Can't be mad at him, can you?
I've never seen a cat do that with their ears! If you can ever capture it on video, please post it for us!

That explains a lot.

Very wise idea about staying on Lantus. Many vets, believe it or not, are uneducated about proper cat diets (and that goes for all cats, not just sugar cats). Many are also influenced by prescription diet companies.

Print out or refer your vet to Dr. Pierson's site. Her low carb canned food suggestions have a high proven success rate and members here can vouch for that. CJ went into remission and off insulin in less than 3 weeks with a switch from a high carb kibble diet to a low carb canned diet. Her BG #'s continue to stay great on a low carb canned food diet.

 

So was Pitch by any chance a feral kitten? Just wondering because my weirdest weirdo was a feral rescued at 5 days old. Poor little scamp's Mom abandoned him and I really do wonder sometimes if his Mom knew he had a few screws loose!

 

Hi Arianna, and welcome to yourself and Pitch the Nutter.

Your description of him in your opening post is a very entertaining read, and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, especially your "slightly awkward quality time" comment.


Mogs
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Something else to think about with the food, is that the vet isn't in your house when you feed. While not ideal, you can agree to disagree with the vet on the food recommendations.

 

LOL. FWIW:: I do not have a pair of flips in this house that don't have kitty teeth marks all over them.
But, I can still wear them...!
Looking forward to the ears video.
Welcome!!!!!!

 

Just a tip on testing you can use the paw pad. The large one in the center of the foot. That's how I have to test Squeaker.

The hard part? Wrap Pitch up like a kitty burrito. If you make it that far the rest is a walk in the park.

 

If necessary, you could put an e-collar on Pitch while he's in the burrito wrap, assuming he doesn't chew off the collar or towel.

 

No! Not the Collar of Shame!!!

 

But a cat can look so dignified wearing one!

 

I don't know if I could get him wrapped up in a purrito... I kinda value my skin

 

So the purrito wrap and e-collar of shame are out. I'd stick to BJM's Secondary Monitoring Tools (in her signature link above) since poking is clearly not going to work with Pitch.

 

Yeah I'm with Cat Ma on this one. Trying to burrito wrap any of my crew leaves me doing death defying manoeuvres to avoid claws and teeth.

 

Purrito! Luvvit.
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