Monday, April 23, 2007

The Big D

Well. Jess has kitty diabetes. Not shocking, given his symptoms, but still upsetting. Since his blood sugar is so high right now, they want to start him off with two insulin shots a day. Normally we might try to treat it with meds and diet first, but they're worried about getting his levels down. And so am I. So Wednesday Jess and I get to go back to the vet where I will learn how to inject insulin into my rotund cat. I'm not that worried about giving the shot; he has plenty of fatty, loose skin, and if I do it while he's eating, I doubt he'll even notice. This could be the naivete talking. I'm just sayin', if it was Piper needing the shots, I'd be out shopping for falconer's gloves and goggles.

Maybe I was mentally preparing myself for this, since I knew what his symptoms could mean; I say this because I almost felt relieved today when I finally found out what was wrong with my sweet pumpkin spice. At least it's not kidney or liver failure, which I was worried about. If you'll recall, that's how Megs died. However, his liver levels were a little off, which is another reason to get him up and running on the insulin sooner rather than later.

I'll update when I know more. Cross your fingers and claws...

2 comments:

Crazy MomCat said...

Awww. So sorry, Lis. Poor Jessito! I am sure that once he gets his blood sugar levels to normal, he'll be back to his own uniquely cool kitty self. I speak from experience here. Hugs your way...

Anonymous said...

My cat Elvis had early-onset diabetes and was insulin dependent for 11 years. He was the bitingest cat in history, but I had no problem giving him insulin shots. I always gave them to him right before I fed him, and he was always on his best behavior at that moment. I used to make him lie down to give him his shot, and eventually he would automatically lie down at mealtime, knowing he had to get the shot before he got his food. It was pretty cute.

Maybe Jess won't end up being insulin dependent. But if his glucose levels remain unpredictable, I recommend Diastix. You can get them at drugstores. I used them to test Elvis's urine glucose, and it gave me a lot of peace of mind to know exactly where his glucose levels were.