NEED ADVICE as usual- Boops AMPS- HI, PMPS- 546

I had late meetings today and just got home to test him. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. I don't know if he's bouncing. I don't know if he needs more insulin, less insulin, no insulin? I love my boy so much and can't stand that I can't help him.

 

You can't tell because it's hard to tell, Erin. You're doing as well as you could be. I can't tell either - although I'm pretty sure this is a bounce number. Usually outrageously high numbers are bounce numbers. If it was just "not enough" insulin, he might be 200's, but not 600 - not based upon what we've seen so far. He's got very zig-zag cycles and you can't know what he's doing when you're at work. sneaky little guy.

I would not increase his dose, however, at this point, and I would always leave him food when you're gone.

 

Ok. That makes a lot of sense. I'm telling you, I've been so torn up about all of this bouncing, it is killing me. Do people ever have cats that can't get regulated?

 

We had increased him to .25 for the past two shots. Stay there or go back down?

 

Try not to sweat so much about the bouncing - really. Some cats just do it. Some will stop, but some won't. Likely it means that he was diabetic for a while before it got diagnosed, and his body has become very used to higher numbers. When he gets into anything lower, he bounces right back up. But cats don't have to stop bouncing to go OTJ - take a look at Jersey's spreadsheet. She was over 300 just 4 days before she went on her OTJ trial. Like Boops, every time she hit a normal number she zoomed right back up, until those last 3 days.

I've asked for some other opinions on Boops' dose.

 

I can't give you any dosing advice, but I can give you lots of advice being a human who is owned by a bouncy cat. Here you go:

1. Keep reminding yourself that you are doing absolutely everything you can for Boops. The fact that you are home testing and giving insulin is huge! You are giving him a quality of life so many diabetic cats will never be given.

2. Remember those famous words I've been told a million times on this forum: "Your cat is not just a number." Look at the life Boops leads. Is he purr? Playing? Enjoying naps in the sun? These are all things you are giving him, and the bounces don't take them away.

3. Take care of you! Boops needs you to be healthy and happy. Eat good food, exercise, sleep as much as he lets you, and do something fun sometimes.

Hang in there! It does get easier.

 

I do try to focus on that. I know he is happy- he purrs all the time and talks to me and loves up a storm! I do worry about DKA and don't know how I will ever test him because I can't see myself ever being able to time it and follow him to the bathroom and hold a 3 foot long spoon in there to collect urine.

 

Here are some other Urine Testing Tips Erin....hopefully one of them will work for Boops!

I have to chuckle...when I first heard about people putting a spoon under their cats while they peed, I pictured myself standing around the corner holding an 8 foot stick with a soup ladle taped to the end.....like THAT was going to happen!!!....LOL

 

This is why I used a separate box with lentils in it. Anything non-absorbent works - gravel, aquarium gravel, etc. I shut punkin in the laundry room to eat his usual dinner, added plenty of water to his food, and then i stood there until he peed. Tip the box to one side and VOILA, easy to test.

There is also a blood ketone meter - the Novamax. It tests both ketones and glucose in one test strip. They are more expensive strips, but you don't have to use it all the time.

 

Yes, you're looking at the person that spent over $100 buying a special litter box that has a urine reservoir and uses non-absorbent safflower seed instead of clay litter. Boops literally gave it the middle finger and walked away. It's the single place in my house that he hasn't peed.

 

i'm so sorry, but that totally made me laugh out loud. cats.

 

I kept little plastic cups (like the ones that ketchup comes in at the fast food place) next to each litter box. When I saw J.D. heading for the litter box, I would watch and wait. As soon as he started peeing, I would get up and approach him and take the little cups and put it under his tail. He seemed to not be able to stop peeing once he started.

 

Agreed on the "once you pop, you can't stop" cat peeing motto. I've seen that in action.

 

So, we just tested at +3 and my husband says - did I give him his shot? The answer is no. So, we ended up giving .1u. It seemed like the right thing to do. Who knows? He's high as a kite and getting extra food because he's too skinny.

 

Better than both you and your husband giving him a shot . . . that's happened here before.

the tricky thing is what to do about the morning now. I'm thinking 9 hrs between shots isn't enough for Boops.

 

So, in my mind, giving .1 would be ok because it's less than half of what we have gone back to- .25u. Is that not the right way of thinking?

 

And my sweet fluffy has a big appetite today! Yesterday was affected by the refrigerated food. Boops also doesn't do refrigerated food.

 

you still need 12ish hrs between tests. you might be able to do 1 hr early if he's high, but i would never do a +9 shot if i weren't home to monitor. It's not really about the amount. I'm not even positive he needed that increase to 0.25u because he's so bouncy and he was still in a bounce yesterday when his dose was increased.

I think I'd just skip the morning shot and then shoot when you get home from work.

 

Sounds good