Tigger!

[tiggerblue10]

Took Tigger to the vets yesterday and they did blood tests and she has been diagnosed with diabetes. I have to inject her with insulin twice a day and it makes me feel quite sick putting a needle into her. I'm sure I'll get used to it but it has all come as a bit of a shock. I didn't sleep much last night thinking about it.

Is anyone else going through the same thing? Any advice please.

Thank you

[mccfluff]

sorry to hear this tigs, i'm sure in time you will get used to it, :-(

[EvianBaby]

My sister had the same with one of her cats. As I cat/housr sit a lot for her I often had to get involved with the injections. I was terrified when she was showing me how to do it but after a few goes it was just par for the course. Just chucked a couple of nibbles on the floor for him, got him by the scruff and within a couple of seconds the needle was in and house. Luckily he never made a fuss once, lovely little fella.

From what I remember he did sort of became incontinent - or just would rather go to the loo inside than out and he became pretty confused. He started going out onto the road outside the house which he'd never done before. Unfortunately for him it was a dual carriageway so that got him in the end. Although all of this could have been more down to the fact he was really quite old and not had much to do with the diabetes.

I'm sure you'll actually get some proper advice from others who know a lot more than me but I would suggest making sure you don't have any expensive bedding or rugs lying around for a while. And don't leave your clothes on the floor.

[Jemisa]

I'm a diabetic & I inject 3 times a day, however my treatment is covered by the NHS. Do you have to pay for your doggies treatment? It must be expensive.
My next door nieghbour had a Doberman that was diabetic but after 2 years she couldn't afford it any more & had him put to sleep. awww!

jem

[tiggerblue10]

I'm sure I will Fluffy after the initial shock x

Thanks Evian, hopefully we'll both get used to it. When I go near her with the needle she cowers and when I put the needle in she flinches and it feels like the needle is hurting her even in the scruff of the neck.

[tiggerblue10]

I have insurance for her Jem so thats not a problem. I just pay £50 excess + 20% and everthing else is covered.

[EvianBaby]

It won't be hurting her, she's probably just a bit confused about what's going on. Just give her loads of fuss (I'm sure you already do) before and after the injection. I'm sure you'll both get used to it quickly.

Good luck! x

[tiggerblue10]

She's never really been a friendly cat Evian. I got her abd Blue from Battersea when they were around 2 years old and set in their ways. Don't know what kind of home they came from before but I don't think she was shown much affection so she's not a peoples cat if you get my drift. Every time I go to pick her up from when I first got her, she tries to escape.

[Jemisa]

Thats good Tigg at least you don't have that to worry about.
I don't think my ex-nieghbour did. It was her son's dog but he'd emmigrated to OZ & left her with the dog. (Some People!!!)

jem

[tiggerblue10]

Wow Jem, what an awful thing to do. Pets are for life as far as I'm concerned.

[rojash]

We has an insulin-dependant cat who lived for eleven years after diagnosis. It got so that the local vets used to send people to us for advice.

We soon discovered that chasing the cat around for urine samples was a complete and utter waste of time. What we did find (through trial and error) was that the most effective way of reducing episodes was to start trickle feeding starting about an hour after his injection. And we also fine-tuned his dosage based on his behaviour.

I also had difficulty at first, inserting the needle, but you do get used to it. He was a bit of a bugger, and developed this trick of tensing his shoulder muscles to make it hard to get a scruff - the actual injections didn't seem to bother him; he just seemed to occasionally rebel.

[tiggerblue10]

Tigger just does not like being handled at the best of times Rojash so I can understand about the tensing of the shoulder muscles. I think she can feel the coldness of the insulin as well as it has to be stored at the back of the fridge. Its only a small needle but when you've never done it before its quite scary.

[wolf63]

I am sorry to hear about Tigger - cats don't make good patients. I know that with Frankie's asthma it is not the inhaler that he hates but the catching and being held in one place for a couple of minutes.

It sometimes get to the stage that every time I look at him he runs away.

Try this site - http://www.fabcats.or...rs/diabetes/index.php - the fact sheets are good.

How old is Tigger?

[tiggerblue10]

Hi Wolf,

Thanks, I'll have a look at that site. Tigger is 11 now so she's kind of getting on a bit. Don't know how long the injections are going to go on for but the vet said it could be quite a few months. Hope it doesn't go on for ever as she hates it :o(

[ruthann58]

hi tigger our smirnoff had diabetes we soon got used to the injections and once he was stabilised he returned to the big cat that he used to be sadly we lost him in an RTA , vet told me to pull up the skin between the shoulder blades and inject there

[tiggerblue10]

Hi Ruthann, hope you're well x

Oh, I do hope Tigger does the same and gets back to normal. I've been gathering up the scruff and injecting it there at around 45 degs.

[nungate]

My daughter is a diabetic tigger, and she didn't like the feel of the cold insulin when it was injected so I used to take it out of the fridge about half an hour before her jab was due, maybe you could try that.

[islasmum]

With my insulin I have to make sure that it is mixed thotoughly, and I roll it between my hands for a little while prior to injecting - that warms it up sufficiently. And you and Tigger will get used to it. particularly if Tigger has a treat or something after.

[tiggerblue10]

Morning all and thanks Nungate and Islasmum,

Off to the vets again at 10 to check bloods.

[tiggerblue10]

Just back from the vets and Tigger is doing really well. Have to take her back on Wednesday for the day to see how she is progressing. Normally she is fussy with her food but I gave her Royal Canin diabetic food when we got back and she ate it which is good :o)

[islasmum]

That's nice to know, hope she continues to improve.