? Remission--Two weeks so it's official!

! Hey everyone. Franklin has not had insulin for two weeks now. Two weeks and one day as I wanted to be extra sure. Yesterday and today he did have a little bit to eat before his PMPS as I put one tub of Sheba out for him mid-afternoon instead of 1/2 tub and he didn't eat it all then. There was still a little in is bowl about an hour or so before the test.

Yesterdays AMPS: 106 and PMPS was 80
Today AMPS: 107 and PMPS was 81

Didn't realize they were so close until just now.

As I mentioned before, there is no way I could have gotten here without this forum and web site. So much good information here. I appreciate everyone's help. Fancy Feast thanks you too as they are making more money now.

So now that he is in remission, what does that mean for me? Do I still need to keep testing him twice daily? Or do I get to do that once a week, once a month or whenever it seems like he isn't feeling right? Do I finally get to sleep in one day a week? I haven't bought the Ketone strips yet. Should I go ahead and get some?

One interesting note since his diagnosis. I've had him since he was a kitten...he was born at a local pet shelter where I volunteered and I adopted him and his sister from there. Ever since I can remember he has always joined me for a shower in the morning. He stands on the edge of the tub and balances himself, putting one paw on the faucet and drinking the water. He paces in the morning back and forth waiting for me to take the shower because he loves it so much.

Ever since he was diagnosed, which was only about a month ago, he has stopped doing this. This morning, he did seem to express a little more interest than he has by standing on the edge of the tub. But then he jumped down and just curled up to wait for me to finish the shower. He seems to be feeling better in all other respects. So I wondered....when he was diagnosed at the vet's office, they had to take him in back and gas him so they could get the blood for the blood test. I wasn't crazy about that but...anyways. I have no idea what that room is like. Is it possible there is some sort of bath tub in there when a cat gets this treatment? The vet tech referred to a box back there. I wondered if he might have gotten injured or something but he is walking fine, jumping and so on. I'm excited to have him much healthier now but part of me is a little sad our shower tradition may have come to an end. Wish he could talk to me and tell me what is going on there.

Anyways, thanks again to everyone. The BG tests are routine now, lancet only, left ear in the morning and right ear at night. I now have a sock with rice in that I keep in the kitchen near the microwave. I will laugh when visiting friends ask me why it is there. I've learned so much about cats and diabetes and more from you all. I am so grateful to have found this community. Thank you.

 

Congratulations! Maybe he does not drink the water from the faucet anymore because he is not so thirsty anymore. If he was eating dry food before, that makes them drink much more, and of course, diabetes makes them super thirsty.

 

I wondered about that too. They've always had a water fountain plus a water bowl so I felt like they had enough water to drink. He does still love his water fountain.

 

It means you can gradually wean yourself from testing twice a day (most of us can't imagine what our lives were like before diabetes!)

You'll want to continue testing at least once a week for awhile, then as long as everything is good, every 2 weeks, then maybe once a month....as long as his numbers are good, you can gradually test less but I'd continue testing him at least once a month for the rest of his life

It's a lot better to catch them early if they're coming out of remission!!

Keep his teeth in good shape....dental disease is one of the main factors in losing remission.

If he's acting differently, drinking/eating or peeing more, test!!

Remember, he might be in remission, but he's still a diabetic and always will be. He should never get high carb foods again.

and YES...Sleep!! (I'm so jealous of this one!!)

 

I second what Chris said. Don't be surprised if the ravenous hunger and thirst drive decrease, since those are typical signs of FD.

 

Congratulations!!!
My cat is in remission too. I test him every 3 days or so anytime of the day as long it's 2 hrs after he has his wet food.

My boy has similar habit as yours. He loves drinking from faucets since his kitten days. He'll go from the wash basin to the shower area and then to the kitchen sink even though we have a water fountain and bowl of water. That's his morning routine. Then he has diabetes and he stopped doing this, partly cause he couldn't jump up.
Now that he's in remission and his legs are fine, he seems to have forgotten his routine. He'll just drink from his bowl.

 

Thanks everyone. He must have read my post or something because he was just running around the house for bit playing with his sister as if he was having his own party!

I will likely be up early again in the morning to test him but I am looking forward to sleeping in one day next weekend. I am in school part-time and um, not near the traditional age of a college student. I've been keeping late nights sometimes to finish assignments so I've not had fond thoughts of that early morning alarm.

It will be a hard habit to break because once you start testing, you are afraid to not test. But I do know the signs to watch out for now.

I will take keep an eye on his teeth. I had some of those Greenie Dental treats I've always given him but no more once I joined this forum and found out those were bad for him too.

That would be great for my budget if his diet decreased a little bit. I think I am seeing that a little bit already, although since he always had dry food, he's used to having the buffet. I'm feeding him about four times a day. Whenever I get a job again, I might be one of those feeders I have seen mentioned on here.

@Waheeda Franklin used to love drinking out of the bathroom sink too, when I refilled their water bowl in there. That stopped when I started using the kitchen sink. Franklin is expressing some interest in the shower but just doesn't seem sure about his trick of balancing on the faucet. I'll miss his little trick but I'll take that loss to have him in remission.

 

Try buying some raw chicken gizzards....they are very fibrous and the act of "chewing" is a natural way to keep their teeth cleaner!!

Even "chunks" of raw meat will work.....it's the motion of "gnawing" that does the cleaning

 

Ugh! Okay, I will think about it. If I can learn to give him insulin and test his BG, I guess I would learn to deal with gizzards. I can buy a box of plastic gloves while I am at the store.

 

SUCH awesome news!! Congratulations!!

 

WooHoo! Yay Franklin!

 

CONGRATS! Good work! Definitely a good trade-off...remission instead of the shower trick

 

The first few weeks I tested cc every day or other day. I gradually started only testing a few times a month. When she went out of remission three weeks ago I was able to catch it early. The earlier you catch it the better your chances of remission again.