Hello, I originally posted this on the main health forum and it was suggested that I post here as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated! It's getting scarier with every day that passes Hi again from newbies Simon and Mom. I have a crisis situation (to me, anyway). I have to travel for work April 15th - 18th. I am the only caretaker for Simon. (just myself an my 3 cats at home) He is TERRIFIED of the vet even for a check up. He will hide under the bed for weeks after. He sometimes hides under the bed at random because he seems to get paranoid that I'm going to take him to the vet that day. (?) I think trying to board him would be extremely detrimental in itself, but he has FHV so the vet would board him with the dogs. He has only had to stay away from home twice, when he was neutered years ago, and last May when he had acute pancreatitis and renal failure and spent the weekend at the ER vet. He hid from me for months after that :-( He doesn't like strangers (hides) so I don't think having a sitter who can give meds is an option. My sister and brother-in-law live next door, but he's not comfortable with them either. They've started coming over every evening and I'm giving Simon treats while they're here to try and form a positive association with that. So far he's walked into the living room where they are and stood for a few seconds before heading back to the bedroom. If we ever get him to let them touch him......I still have to train them to check his BG and give insulin. Assuming we get that far, I am really worried about their inexperience with DM and not being able to make a judgement call on when to give/not give insulin. They both work so my niece will be checking in during the day and feeding etc. She isn't able to drive, so I'm worried about him not being able to get to the vet quickly if he did have an emergency. I was thinking maybe have them give his insulin only if he's at maybe 250 - 300. (???) I know he won't be eating normally with the unfamiliar circumstances. His diabetes isn't well controlled in normal circumstances, he has frequent big swings in BG levels. I am so stressed out about what to do, I can't sleep! Has anyone else been in similar circumstances and can offer some suggestions? I know it's possible I'm not thinking of something obvious because I'm so worried about the situation. Thanks, I appreciate any input!
This is a painful memory for me but I'll be honest with you. Noah lived in our walk in closet for three years terrified of everything. That was really odd because he was born upstairs with his three brothers and we had his momma and papa. Nine cats in all with lots of love. He finally came down and was our second diabetic cat but had never been crated in his life, just too terrified. Finally last May we had to go to a memorial service far away and I had to board him. A stranger in the house just wouldn't work. We have an alternate vet who boards cats. I had to walk a fine line between reading them the riot act of how to treat him and not seem like a total jerk. Noah was 15 by then so I even came to an "end of life" agreement with the vet. He came home just fine and even gained some weight but I was literally sick for those six days. It's just my opinion but I don't think a nervous cat should be boarded alongside dogs. Noah had a brother named Simon. Good luck.
Your cat seems to have a lot of anxiety. I would say with the stress of mom (you) gone kitty will likely be more stressed. I advise if possible to go against boarding if you can. Do you have a local Facebook group you can post in? Sometimes there are bonded pet sitters there. Also, some vet techs will come pet sit for you. I found my pet sitter on Facebook. I originally posted to ask about boarding and I was bombarded with concerns and stressed the importance of keeping kitty at home. In the end it worked out great and I use her frequently. Understand that in the end you will only do what you can and we will not judge you for that. We know the struggle. Many of us are the sole providers to our felines. In the early days I was only able to give Gracie insulin 1x a day due to my wonky schedule. I used to cry on my way to work in fear something was going to happen, or question my ability to be a good pet parent. You can only do what you can. Don't be hard on yourself. Take a deep breath and breathe!
Getting a tech to come in is a great idea. They may be leery of the responsibility so you might have to disconnect them from the vet clinic and absolve both sides of any responsibility. The plus side is, especially in the morning, they can zoom Simon straight to the clinic if they think something is not right. Unfortunately once you go "professional" is when all the paper work comes out. That's the way the world is.
