6/8 Willy AMPS 61|0.5~78|3~92

Yesterday

Late post today, I just got home from my interview. I got the job (ofc I got the job, I am awesome!) and I will be starting next week. They offered me my choice of two positions and I chose the one I was originally being considered for so I will be trained into it during the next 3 months. I am pretty excited about it and looking forward to having something to do and work towards. It's better this way because I was concerned my lack of experience would put me at a disadvantage if I was dropped into that position at the start.

I gave Willy his shot this morning with a reading of 61 because I didn't have time to stall but I will be home the rest of the day to monitor him. So far he is doing well, and he is about where I expected him to be but I am expecting a dive around +7 or +8 so I will be keeping a close eye on him. He was very adamant to wake me up this morning, I assume it was the lower BG making him feel uncomfortable. He started harassing me about an hour and a half before breffis time (he typically starts around 45min before) but I stayed in bed going over some interview answers and took my time waking up. When I wouldn't get out of bed, he decided to pee on the bathroom mat. We do have a clean box upstairs so I'm not sure if he was acting defiant, he didn't realize it, or if something is going on so I am going to be keeping an eye on him. He wasn't particularly grumpy when I took his BG today, and was all purrs and headbutts when I checked him at +0.5 to make sure he was rising.

He is due to have a fructosamine test done in August (vet preference). I'm not sure if I should possibly ask about checking for Acro. The symptoms I've read are very subjective and general and really, any large cat sorta has them to some extent, especially compared to a more normal sized cat. The more I look at him, the more I start to wonder if it's a possibility but is 5.0u really a high enough dose that this is something I should be concerned about? His BG has been much better since we increased his dose and he's holding his decreases (but hasn't earned another recently). I know it wouldn't hurt to have it looked at but I don't want to look like that crazy over concerned momma bean.

The more I look at him compared to Rasta (who is very normal sized, not Zell because he's a full on slinky cat) the more I think that he's disproportionate. He has really large paws and a big body (he can't fit into a normal cat harness and it's not a weight issue, the harness is just too short to fit properly). His tail and ears seem too small for his size. The biggest thing that he does is in his breathing. Unless he's sleeping (and even still, he snores sometimes) its generally audible and it's not asthmatic wheezing. It sounds like he is breathing in HARD/deep/sudden through his nose or like his nose is kinda stuffy. I don't think it's allergies because he's done it for as long as I can remember. He also has the insatiable appetite that has NOT decreased at all since he has become better regulated and despite a slow decrease in food from 4 cans to 3 cans (and he is more active) he isn't losing weight.

Rasta is still having issues eliminating outside of the box despite Zell being slightly better behaved since the Feliway and Spirit Essences. He may not like the box in the living room even though it's clean and he has used it a few times before (he IS box picky, not so much litter picky) so I am going to try to put up some shelves so he has higher ground, try a new box, new litter, and put deterrents in the corner he is using. I already scrubbed it clean using a blacklight and Nature's Miracle but if all of that doesn't work, I am going to speak to my vet about maybe a UTI or other infection (though I have NO reason to think that's the issue) or anti-anxiety medications because I am assuming that his fearfulness is a part of the problem.

My guys never fail to make me laugh. When I was eating my own breffis and stressing about my interview, Zell (out of the blue) decided to Mike Tyson rapid kitty bop Gizmo on the head a good 10 times. Of course Gizmo looked at him confused like "WTF man" because he really wasn't doing anything. Gizmo then started scratching and smacking the ground like a Rhino and making play noises and play bows at Zell who smacked him again. He and Zell chased each other up and down the stairs a bit then Gizmo came back near me to pick up a toy and Rasta ninja reached out from under the sofa and smacked him on the feet. Gizmo was so confused he dropped his ball and just looked at me.

Right now Willy is cuddled up on the sofa taking a nap because the life of a kitty is oh so hard. Rasta is squeaking at his wren-nemesis and Gizmo is laying on my feet with his ball. Zell, I believe, is sleeping in Willy's travel crate that we've been leaving out since they seem to actually enjoy it as a nice nap hiding place. I believe he has claimed it as his cave.

I love your storyteling about your cats adventures!!! They seem to keep it fun and lively around your house!!

I agree with you... we both have very handsome boys!!! If you happen to find that thread and can link it about the Wellness, let me know. It may be my imagination, but I don't know. Also, I've just found out (cuz I never thought to check before) that Wellness has a high fat content. Champ has gained just about two pounds since his diagnosis at the end of March and he just can't afford this weight. He had gone from 21 pounds to 15.5 pounds at the time of diagnosis, and now weighs about 175. I only feed him about 7 oz of food a day plus some chicken breast (less than 1 oz a day) for pokes. When his numbers were dipping into the 40's and 50's, he was getting extra food, but he was gaining weight before that. Of course, it would help if he did anything other than eat and sleep all day!!!!

At least Willie's numbers are looking really good!!!! Have a great evening!

The more I look at him compared to Rasta (who is very normal sized, not Zell because he's a full on slinky cat) the more I think that he's disproportionate. He has really large paws and a big body (he can't fit into a normal cat harness and it's not a weight issue, the harness is just too short to fit properly). His tail and ears seem too small for his size. The biggest thing that he does is in his breathing. Unless he's sleeping (and even still, he snores sometimes) its generally audible and it's not asthmatic wheezing. It sounds like he is breathing in HARD/deep/sudden through his nose or like his nose is kinda stuffy. I don't think it's allergies because he's done it for as long as I can remember. He also has the insatiable appetite that has NOT decreased at all since he has become better regulated and despite a slow decrease in food from 4 cans to 3 cans (and he is more active) he isn't losing weight.

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stephanie, all of this describes punkin. he's just gotten big overall, his feet are big & rounded, his tongue is just huge, like the size of a child's tongue - but the breathing - yup. what you described is the same as how punkin sounds. when he was younger he wasn't such a hoover, but now it's like i can't give him enough food. he never used to beg before and would often leave some, but not now. i don't know if it's just because it's canned food now or if it's related to the diabetes/acro.

there's a couple of pluses that i can see to knowing if he has acro or not. if it's positive, your goal changes. you're no longer trying to get off insulin, you're trying to keep them in blues as much as possible. a second plus is that i personally feel some relief that his high #s aren't related to anything i'm doing or not doing. it's not the perfect food, it's not the random bubble in the needle, it's not that i'm shooting in his scruff . . . it's just him. he's now leading the dance and i'm running to catch up.

so . . . for what it's worth, i'm glad we had it done and glad to know. if it had been negative, that would've let me quit worrying about it and sent us in a different direction. but of course, whatever you decide to do will be a good choice for you!

Congrats on the job Steph! Was it at the no-kill shelter that you got the job? Or another one?

Very interesting on Willy maybe being an acrocat, are you considering having him tested? Sometimes i worry about Leo being acro too, then i look at his litter-mate brother Toban, who my parents have, and him and Leo are the exact same size, so i'm thinking he can't possible be an acrocat. Toban actually looks identical to Willy and Champ!