New diagnosis and new to group

Hey guys! Last week my cat, Chloe (who is 8 years old) suddenly experienced facial swelling which caused me to panic! She's my baby and has never had health problems so no need to ever take her to the vet before. Let me go ahead and mention, she also is a very moody cat who only likes me and my husband, so the thought of having to stress her and take her to the vet was also a point of panic for me. I knew something serious was wrong though and it was inevitable that she had to go so an appointment was booked and we were off. Of course she was not cooperative and had to be sedated in order to be handled even for an exam (which they had warned me about prior to my bringing her in). They found that she was suffering from a tooth abscess and needed to have 5 teeth removed but also noted that she was running a slight fever so they wanted to draw labs. I told them to do whatever was necessary to fix my kitty and that's when I got the call that my baby has diabetes. I, not being in the medical feild, am not a fan of needles so a moment of fear hit with the thought of having to inject my cat daily. I also couldn't bear the thought of causing her pain but was assured that she wouldn't really even notice or care what I was doing. When I brought her home, my vet told me I didn't have to give her her nighttime dose of insulin since she'd already had such a traumatic day with surgery so I waited until the next morning to start it. She's on 1ml to start out, 2 times a day. Her levels were around 400 and we are going back in a couple weeks to check her blood work again. So far the shots are going wonderful - she doesn't even flinch and I give them with her breakfast and nighttime dinner so she is occupied on other things. She is on a diet of wet food 3 times a day unless we are not home for her lunch meal and then she can have a high protein day food. My only concern going forward is if we go on vacation, since she is such a moody cat, any suggestions on getting them used to others giving their injections? My mom was able to last night and she didn't mind, but I was home so I'm not sure if that played a role in it. I don't want to board her when we leave, even the vet doesn't suggest that due to the stress that it can cause. My entire family is taking a vacation for a week and that's where my trouble lies, I know that a family member could be able to do it, I'm not sure about a stranger. Any advice would be appreciated! My once fragile nerves have calmed now that she and I have a routine but with her only liking my husband and I, leaving her makes me nervous.

 

Welcome to the board. We all understand what you are going through as we have all been there. I am relatively new to this too and also have concerns about others being able to deal with my girl if I want to go away for a few days. My cat tends to be fairly laid back and is OK with strangers petting her but is not one of those cats who greets everyone who visits. I too wonder if her reaction to testing and injections will be different with a stranger when I am not here. I'll share my thoughts on dealing with the vacation dilemma but first I have some questions and thoughts.

What kind of insulin are you giving Chloe? You indicated 1ml twice daily. I assume you meant 1 unit twice daily.
Am I correct to assume that her glucose level of 400 is the # the diagnosis was based on and not a reading after insulin was started?
Was Chloe showing any signs of diabetes before you noticed the swelling in her face...things like excessive drinking, excessive peeing, weight loss, extreme hunger? Usually some or all of these symptoms become quite evident in diabetic cats.

The reason I ask is that a cat's glucose levels can be elevated as a result of an infection. Cats often tend to have elevated glucose levels while at the vet's due to stress. Some cats react more than others and their glucose levels can be elevated by 100 points or more by stress alone. Chloe obviously was highly stressed at the vet. Taking the abscess, the surgery and the likelihood of stress glucose elevation into consideration, it strikes me that Chloe's normal glucose levels may not be nearly as high as it appeared to be while at the vet. Only by testing at home in a stress free environment once Chloe has fully recovered from the surgery and the infection, will you get a true picture of just what her glucose levels are. If she didn't have any prior symptoms of diabetes, I am wondering if Chloe is truly diabetic and even if she is, whether she might be one of those kitties who can be controlled on diet alone. If either were the case, you would not have to be concerned about someone else doing injections in your absence.

If you are not already home testing Chloe's glucose levels, I would strongly recommend you do so. It seems likely it's the only way you are going to get accurate readings for Chloe when she needs to be sedated at the vet. You indicated you have a follow up appt. with your vet in a couple of weeks. As Chloe recovers from her surgery and the infection, she might need less insulin or even none at all (fingers crossed!). Any numbers taken at the vet's office are likely to give you higher than normal values and could cause your vet to overestimate her insulin requirement. You don't want Chloe getting too much insulin while you are away as I presume she will be alone most of the time. Too much insulin could lead to hypoglycemia which can be life threatening if not caught and treated quickly. For that reason, getting accurate glucose readings without any stress influence is vitally important.

You obviously love Chloe and want her to be healthy and safe. It is not my intention to increase your concerns but rather to keep Chloe safe and I truly feel the only way to do so is to start home testing her glucose. It's really simple to do and as with the injections, most cats don't have any issue with it at all. Some of our cats actually come to get us when they are due to be tested! There are wonderful people on this board with tons of experience willing to help you get started, answer any questions you might have and provide tips and tricks to make dealing with all of this easier.

Most folks on this board use human glucometers and you can often get one for free when you buy the glucose test strips for the meter. There are lots of reference materials available here too. I'm sure one of the "experts" will be along to chime in and offer more suggestions. As I mentioned I am relatively new to this adventure myself and still learning but the circumstance of Chloe's diagnosis make me truly wonder if she is diabetic or just had an excessive glucose elevation due to her illness and vet visit.

Now back to your question in case my hopes of Chloe possibly not needing injections going forward doesn't pan out, did you have someone lined up to look after Chloe in your absence before she was diagnosed? Are they willing to do the shots for you? If so, you could ask them to come over a couple of times before you leave to learn how to test her and do her injection and see how your cat reacts. I plan to do some dry runs with some friends I have lined up for my girl. After they are comfortable with the process with me there, I will leave the house, have the friend (sitter) go in alone and do the testing and shot with me closeby ooutside to help if needed.

If you are know your neighbours well enough, maybe one of them would be willing to do the shots. You could also see if any of the vet techs at the vet clinic would be willing to drop by to look after Chloe. They have lots of experience dealing with moody cats! If you are in an urban area, there may be some profession pet sitters who would do this but that can get expensive. You might even be able to find someone on this board in your area who is willing to help you out. If your Mom can do the shots, Chloe has already accepted someone different so she may not be as much of a problem as you anticipate. I agree that boarding should be the last resort especially with a cat that needs to be sedated for a vet visit. Cats get attached to their environment as much as their people and are much happier and usually more co-operative in their own home.

Sorry for the novelette. I really hope that my intuition plays out here and you don't have to worry about testing and shots for Chloe while you are away. Right now though I think the priority is to find out what Chloe's glucose levels are when she is lounging around in the house without a care in the world other than when her next meal or cuddles are going to be dished out!

 

Thanks for the reply! I have a few ideas on people that I would be willing to trust with her care while I'm gone it's just a matter of getting her used to not being me. I like your idea of not being in the house while they administer the insulin and feedings and I may try that over these next few weeks.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and though I never thought much of it because she's been a skiddish eater through out her life (picks at it one week and devours it the next) I never paid much mind. But looking back, she did lose weight and there was an increase in urine and water intake so to answer your question - I do believe she is a true diabetic and not just from her visit. I actually took her for a follow up earlier this week and she wasn't as panicky as before and the vet was able to examine her without sedation. I was so proud!!

She is on vetsulin and the vet mentioned the at home tests but told me it wasn't necessary if I didn't want to as I would be bringing her in for lab work to reexamine her. At that point she will decide if we will stay at 1 unit a 2 times a day or if we need to increase/decrease. I'm hoping that keeping her on a diet regime will be sufficient as her levels weren't crazy considering she was sick for her visit. (The vet also informed me that the levels can increase during stressful times and she wasn't so far that she was terribly worried but she wanted to get her started with a treatment to get it under control.)

I'm comfortable with the instructions I've received from my vet - my main concern is getting my moody kitty not so moody and more lovable so others can take care of her when mom/dad isn't there.

 

If you do enough home testing, there is no need to bring her into the vet.

 

Again thanks for your reply but again that's not the question I am looking for an answer to.

I appreciate your concern but this is obviously not a site for me since the question I am asking is being overshadowed by how I want to handle the treatment of my pet.

 

I'm sorry that you don't feel this is a good site for you. It is entirely up to you how you choose to handle Chloe's treatment and we are not suggesting you have to do anything you choose not to do. Please understand that I only got off topic because of a serious concern for Chloe. We frequently see situations where vets have not even discussed home testing with the pet parent and there are some vets out there who are not that experienced or forward thinking in the treatment of diabetic cats. Obviously that is not the case here as your vet has explained different options and given you choices so you could make decisions that work for you. I didn't know that from your first message.

If I am understanding correctly you're hoping Chloe will eventually only need a special diet and I truly hope you reach that goal.

I also hope some "dry runs" with the sitter work and that Chloe co-operates while you are away. Maybe you could try associating the sitter with a special treat Chloe likes during those dry runs too. Bribery sometimes works wonders with a moody cat.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I would love to hear how the dry runs go! Have a great vacation.