Weds PM - Jeddie at +12 is 51/81

(depending on which meter you go by). I have 3 strips left for the old meter, so will be switching to the new one by tomorrow. I'm going to retest him in a few mins and see if he has risen much. He ate 30 mins before the first tests - almost 90 mins ago.

 

(update - could not get back on the board last night)

He was 60 with the new meter an hour later. I tested myself on new meter and I was 104 having eaten a sweet roll 30 or so mins earlier, so I decided to let him be and go to bed.

Thursday am he was 333 (old) and 155 (new) at +23. I tested myself on new meter and I was 86, which seems reasonable. (I have one old strip left). I am going with the new meter and trying not to obsess over 2-3/4 years of numbers on the old meter that *may* have been way off on the high side - especially numbers over the low 100s.

Anyway, using the 155 and the low numbers at +12 and +13 last night, I shot .25u. He is REALLY fighting the testing now. The last 3-4 days have been a struggle. No more sitting (relatively) quietly during the process. I have to hold him against my body with my left elbow and lower arm while I keep a vise grip on his ear so he doesn't flick it away at the last second (wasting strips). I am guessing that he knows something I don't and can't read off the meters - namely, he is going very low for extended periods of time. Also, the food dishes have been empty much faster than usual with no food left in them by the next feeding, which there used to be all the time.

 

Well it does look promising! I would try keeping that .25U dose for a while as steady as you can, to many decreases to fast could rock the boat. It's a small dose and if he is eating good then there is no danger. Try keeping him low (shoot low stay low) if he throws you an ugly number don't panic and try to shoot it down with a bigger dose, you can shoot it down better by keeping a steady supply of insulin availble with a low dose.

As for the cattitude I know exactly what you mean. Spooky was always a breeze to test and shoot, he never gave me a problem. Now that he is healthy and OTJ he wants no part of testing! He even growled at me once which he never does and he fights when i try to hold him and flicks his ears. Last time I tested I wasted a strip not being able to hold him, his ear, the meter and get the blood fast enough. I don't think it means the BG was to low (Spooky is OTJ and no insulin he can't be low) I think once they are in normal ranges they are feeling good and just acting like a normal cat (who would object to having his ears messed with) Spooky is all kinds of crazy now as compared to when he was sick (I belive he was diabetic or pre-diabetic for a longer time before I recognized it) now he acts more like a 5 year old cat (he just had a birthday ) more fiesty than when he was 3 and had BG over 400 most of the time. Now that he is willing to eat canned food (and everything else he can steal!) he is hungry all the time. Dishes are always cleaned around here minutes after they are put down. I only feed 3x a day (breakfast, smaller lunch, and dinner) they start bugging an hour or two before each meal :roll: His weight is perfect he looks good and all other functions are in order....Socks is still a little pudgy even though he is eating low carb and way less than he did before I got them both on canned. He says "I'm not fat...I'm fluffy!"

 

I agree, this does look promising. Go Jeddie!

 

I do plan on holding the .25u - I know it needs to be consistent. I think we spend 99% of our time trying to find the one consistent dose that won't cause BG swings.

They are funny about the testing. Beau was a wonderful cat about it and got jealous when I was testing Jeddie instead - at first. Then he got resistent to the whole thing again. Until earlier this week when he got up in the testing place before I could put Jed up there. So I tested Beau and he seemed to be pleased with himself about that - silly boy!

Happy belated birthday, Spooky!

 

Today (Thurs) am numbers 333/155 - seriously? I was 86 on new meter, the one that got 155 for him. Shot .25u

Tonight: 169 on new meter. Shot .25u

We have been having some issues with peeing outside the box again. His main place in on my front door. But he found a corner of the half bath (off master bdrm) to use that makes me have to clean a throw rug and a piece of vinyl flooring that is just overlying the crappy tile - and the tile of course.

I got really mad at him this am, which I know I should not do, but I lost it. I am not sleeping well, my feet (now it is both of them) get really tight when I am off them so getting up in the am (or at night) is painful and I am so sick of it and frustrated. The first thing was him peeing on the door so I yelled at him, grabbed him and put him in the litter box which he jumped right out of. I honestly can't cope with this if he is going to keep doing it. I will not live in a home that stinks of cat urine. He won't pee in the box at all now. I have one box with a "boot tray" under it and he pees in the tray (and sometimes over the edge of it), or he pees in the tub, which I will be honest and say makes for very easy clean up. If that was all he did I could deal with it, but peeing on the door or on the wall somewhere is not acceptable.

He is a perfect cat except for this one HUGE thing. Like right now, he is sleeping a few feet from me on the floor, on his back, back legs spread out, front paws pulled up to his chin. How cute is that? He runs after and plays with the two girls, chirps at me, likes to have his belly rubbed, purrs all the time.... but the peeing is just about a deal breaker. Of course I will keep trying things, but if he doesn't stop I don't know what I am going to do.

He got bad about this recently - maybe a few weeks ago - so I am wondering if it is related to his blood sugar levels. I think he is trying to tell me something. Before it seemed like it was an anxiety thing being the new guy and having all the smells of other cats and animals (that carpet I ripped out was nasty - and not from MY crew). As son as I got it out of the condo, he stopped, but now he has started again. I don't know why.

Frustrated. I need a vacation too.....

 

Darn Sheila, I thought all that out of box peeing was done...I'm sorry to read that it's back again.

I know you are racking your brain trying to figure it out and may have thought of things I'll mention- it's so frustrating, I know...hoping something helps.

In the rental, the cats would pee outside the box when the box was dirty...(most obvious) Now here at the new house we use clumping ( I know you do, too) and there is NO peeing outside the box IN THE HOUSE, however, they do potty outside in the cat enclosure from time to time when I am behind on the scooping.

The only time Jennifur- the only all through the house cat, peed outside the litter box was when she peed in my living room carpet and it was bloody...the vet dx a nasty infection with bacteria she didn't recognize and also a herniated bladder? A week of IM baytril cleared it all up, but I tell you it knocked her off her appetite and I thought I'd loose her to starvation before the infection ( this cat can NOT be syringe fed- pukes it all back up). Jennifur is also CRF and pees softball sized pees balls.

So- anyway, my experience is either the dirty box or infection...maybe what is clean to us isn't clean to Jeddie? Don't know about you, but my boxes are not scrubbed regularly- I scoop daily and only do a full out scrub if they are obviously grungy or having a social affair at the house.

Maybe the "residue" that isn't obvious to our site or smell is offensive to Jed?

Or maybe what you wipe boxes with is offensive? I use a plain hot water and ivory dish soap unscented mix with mine, then once clean I swish the bottoms with bleach and pat dry.

At the rental, I would buy aluminum turkey pans to fill with clay and pine litter mix and then just throw the whole box away once a week...I set the aluminum pan inside a high sided plastic storage tub and put feline pine under the pan since invariably someone would pee standing up , hit the sides of the plastic storage container and it would run down the sides UNDER the aluminum...stinky and messy if not absorbed.

So anyway, with that method there was no scrubbing and clean boxes, too...maybe Jeddie needs one of his own that is tossed or scrubbed weekly. Sure the other cats may use it, but if it is tossed or scrubbed weekly in addition to daily scooping, maybe Jeddie will LIKE that box and use it more often.

maybe put the disposable box IN THE TUB where he likes? just remember to put it back every morning after your shower!

I guess your other option is to vet him for kidney stuff...crystals, stones, infection, etc...more likely the vet will just toss an AB at it if the more expensive tests are prohibitive for you, as they are in my house, so maybe request a super dooper one like the IM baytril they gave my Jennifur. ( yes, I hate baytril, too)

An infection or other health related issue would seem on par since coming off OTJ so suddenly as he went OTJ...what was the timing of insulin use and non use with the last time Jed had these problems?

That's all I got...other than to think as far outside the box as you can to see if you can come up with something else...above all, even in your sleep deprivation please remember it is not spite or anything personal from Jed....its got to be health related or a space issue or his version of clean or something...you know that, though.

Hope this resolves very soon...

 

Melissa has some great ideas. I'll add that I finally broke Sammie from pooping outside the box by cleaning the entire area thoroughly with a steam cleaner with oxygen cleaner in it, spraying the spots with Nature's Miracle beforehand (letting it all dry for at least 2 days - I didn't spray it, I dumped it on) and after the steam cleaning dried, I sprayed the area with a new product by Nature's Miracle called No More Marking. I also moved all the boxes out of the area. I know the latter can be a pain with limited space.

You may be right about him trying to get your attention. Despite the other cats being around, maybe he has a little bit of separation anxiety. That might be why he's choosing the door. Does he go to the window and watch for you to leave, not sure if you can see him because of the balcony. I wonder if you hung something from the door like a sheet that you've slept on would keep him from doing that. Sounds crazy, but cats react to smells more so than we do. Or maybe that would make him worse!

Is there a place in the condo where you could put a large box? After reading Dr. Lisa's site about cat boxes, I realized my boxes were too small. I use large, 30 gallon storage boxes (I think it's 30 gallons, could be larger), mainly because Leahpold pees over the side, but also because Gandalf still makes very large pee balls and it helps keep him from stepping in it. I used to at least get the largest cat boxes I could find because Gandalf is so big, like Jeddie. Perhaps Jeddie can't turn around easily and just plain doesn't like being cooped up in a normal cat box.

The peeing in the tub makes me think he needs a large, as in giant, box. It would be worth trying. You would have to cut a hole in one side, but I know you're handy dandy so you can do that easily. I can send you a picture of mine. I put electrical tape around the edges so they weren't sharp anymore. I don't know if the more colorful painters tape would stick well enough or not. You can get the electrical tape wet and it won't come loose. I clean mine in the shower!

Hope we've given you some ideas. I know it's frustrating, but he's reacting to something, if we can figure out what, we should be able to fix this.

Oh, I forgot to add my sympathies for your physical difficulties. That makes everything worse. I'm sorry he's aggravating you so. ((((((Hugs))))))

 

Thanks guys. I have tried some of that. I guess the best idea is actually combining your advice. I used to use the huge rubbermaid-type containers with a doorway cut into them - in fact, that is what I still use up in the MI house. My first one was because a) Charlotte stands up as she pees and, b) where I put it I needed a box with an entry on the long side, not an end, which you could not find anywhere.

So.... large box, cleaned frequently, maybe with clay only scoopable litter in the bathroom with the tub, perhaps in the tub. The pan in there is actually the one I got for the kittens, so it is a smaller one. But I have a "jumbo" with a cover and a large, high sided one that is open (that's the one with the boot tray under it that he pees in).

It's odd that he will poop in the small one in the front bathroom (the kitten one), but won't pee in it (he used to).

Vicky, you mean separation anxiety from me leaving for the day, right? Not from his old home? I thought he had separation angst from his old home in the beginning - especially when I went back to work after the first week was my vacation. He always wants to be belly rubbed and neck scratched just before I leave for work. So maybe it is some anxiety.

I have had "talks" with him, but that doesn't seem to help.

 

Just wanted to second the idea that a dirty (according to Jeddies standards) box may be the problem. I always used just one litter box for 2 cats (I know!) it wasn't a problem until I moved here, just like at the old house I kept the litter box in the shower (I have a separate bathtub and then a shower stall) Here I found an old picture you can see the litter box in there, I left the door just cracked so they could have thier own "bathroom".


Socks decided that unless the box 100% clean he wasn't using it (Spooky could care less) aespecially when Spooky was PD/PU before I started treating him the box was impossible to keep spotless so Socks was pooping in the bottom of the shower next to the box all the time and was always peeing in the bathtub. He would actually pee stright down into the drain Once he peed in the sink that was full of water and that's what gave me the final idea to toilet train. Recently he started pooping on the floor in front of the toilet (peeing he does in the toilet) I thought it was because if I hadn't flush maybe he could small Spookys pee. I finally just realized I had put a toilet freshner in thier toilet (Citrus scent) and that was the problem. I have taken it out and after 2 days he has started using the toilet again. The freshener didn't seem to bother Spooky but I think some cats are more sensitive and finicky about things and they definatly have a more pronounced sense of smell than we do! I hope you figure out what is bothering him, there is nothing more frustrating than an animal that does it's buisness all over your house.

 

The idea of toilet training cats is intriging, but I hate having "open" toilets - and I have visions of cats falling into the bowl.... they are so used to sitting on the closed lids and watching me brush my teeth, or waiting for me to get out of the shower. My bil once left the lid up and my cat jumped up into the middle of the lid, except it wasn't there and she fell right in, poor thing.

Monique, I have read that cats hate citrus scents, so maybe that was the problem?

 

just thought it was worth mentioning that I came home this evening to a nice fresh pee IN the large food bowl on catroom floor that I mix everyones dinner in before it is dolled out into single servings... ohmygod_smile

The bowl is about 10" diameter, maybe 8"...it has 2 inch high sides....the pee was firmly ensconced INSIDE the bowl, not a single drip outside on the floor.

:?

Not sure if it is a commentarty on the food service or the fact that litter boxes have gone unscooped for two days due to personal struggles...

*sigh

Just thought it was worth mentioning.

:roll:

 

Well, at least it was easy clean up....

.... and it reminds me that when I first had Beau, during his "live under the dining room table" period, he used to pee into the water dish. Mind you, at first I had a beautiful, handmade dish that my sister threw and glazed JUST for my other two cats (pre Beau). It was not only about 7" across, but had rather high, angled sides - think large rice bowl. He actually managed to sit on the edge and pee - until he broke it :lol: Then I got one of those big, heavy dog water dishes and he peed in that too, so I took it up and we went to water glasses on the sink ONLY for years.