My cat is sick :( (1 Viewer)

[JoeN]

I just talked to my vet. They are waiting to get the results of some blood work back, but they suspect she has diabetes :frowning:

I read some about it, but has anyone had to deal with this?

 

[Tony Whalen]

I wish I had some experience to share with you Joe! None of my cats have had this problem.

I hope your kitty is okay though!!!

 

[Mark Philp]

I have had both cats and dogs with many ailments, but never diabetes. Try the Cornell Feline Health Center at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. You can reach them at www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/ Cornell is one of the top veterinary schools in the country and I'm sure they can provide you with plenty of information. Good luck with you kitty.

 

[JoeN]

Well... blood work came back. Her blood sugar level is 414. Anything under 300 is okay.

We are going to start with a special diet and pills. If that does not work then she has to get insulin shots.

 

[Jack Briggs]

How is she eating, Joe?

Best wishes...

 

[JoeN]

Well.... so far so good....

She is eating her food, and taking her pills (reluctantly).

She goes back for a check up on Saturday.

 

[Tony Whalen]

Gah. I had to pill one of my cats for a while. What a task THAT is.

Crossin' my fingers for ya Joe.

 

[Citizen87645]

I've become fairly adept at pilling and my cat more or less acquiesces to it each time. Can't do it without wrapping her in a towel though.

 

[Alex Prosak]

Have you tried crushing the pills and "hiding" them in a treat? When we need to give our dog a pill we crush it and mix it up with peanut butter. Works like a charm every time and provides some entertainment to boot.

 

[Citizen87645]

Apparently you have never owned a cat

Actually, I have managed to bury the smaller, less nasty tasting pills in EZ Cheese, but she can detect it sometimes. I'm good enough at pilling her now that doing it the "hard way" is actually faster and simpler.

 

[Alex Prosak]

I've owned cats before but its been awhile. I do recall it working for them too, maybe we were just lucky. It was even more fun to watch the cat trying to get the PB off the top of its mouth that it is the dog. She'd sit there for a good 10 minutes smacking away. Almost more fun than catnip.

 

[Steve Berger]

Our cat has a liver disease and lymphoma (they gave him 30 days - that was 2 years ago and he is still going strong - one relapse) and he gets a daily steroid and an antibiotic. The method that works for me is as follows.

Lay the cat on his back on your lap with left hand behind his head. Right arm along his side to hold him firmly against your stomach and to contain his rear legs. Pill between right thumb and forefinger. A finger tip pressed against the outer back side of his jaw (near the furthest teeth back) will make him open his mouth. Drop or pop the pill as far back into his mouth as possible.

I've gotten really good at it, never could trick him into taking them.

 

[DaveHo]

Go to a pet store and look for a pill popper. Little tube gizmo that kind of shoots the pill to the back of the cat's throat forcing them to swallow. Works pretty good for me.

-Dave

 

[David Von Pein]

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[JoeN]

Well ....

So far so good. She went from 440 down to 250 in a week. That was just with diet and pills. She has to go back in two weeks again to check her progress.

She is acting more "normal" now too. She is alot more active and such.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Gret news. Cats are resiliant, Joe.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Sounds like you've got your cat's blood sugar under control, but.. I had a diabetic cat who required insulin shots. It's not as bad as it sounds. You inject the cat in the loose skin on the back of the neck where they can't feel it. In fact, I'd prefer giving my cat shots over pills any day.

The only drawback is, the needles and insulin are expensive and need to be disposed of properly. Also, they give you wierd looks at Walgreens when you bring in an insulin prescription for "Fluffy".

As for pills, DaveHo has got it right. We got a pill popper and it works great. Mine looks like a syringe with a little clamp at the end to hold the pill. You fill the syringe with water and place the pill in the clamp. Then, holding the cat, you squirt the syringe in his/her mouth shooting the pill in there in the process. The water forces them to swallow the pill. Although one of our cat runs and hides at the sight of the popper.

 

[Citizen87645]

Hmm...that pill popper sounds pretty cool. I have a regular one that's just a rubber tip with a plunger. I think having the water would help alot.

My cat doesn't run. She actually plays with the popper if she has the chance.

 

[Bruce N]

I have a diabetic cat. He gets insulin shots twice a day. I even prick his ear and use a glucose meter to check his levels. He's so used to it it's really not a big deal.

I recommend a visit to www.felinediabetes.com , lots of great info.

Bruce