Diabetic Cat Causing Concern

[Wilki31]

Our 10 year old cat, Katie, was diagnosed as diabetic in October and we give her two insulin injections a day which she generally cooperates with quite well and is on m/d prescription food.

She has always drunk a lot of water due to her condition but over the last few weeks she has started to lie next to her water bowl all day, sometimes falling asleep in it(!), and has stopped going outside so much. Another development is she has started to wee in odd places. She used to go outside but when we had the snow we brought out the litter tray which she was happy to use. Recently though she has weed next to the tray, last night it was the mat just inside the front door and this morning she squeezed past me as I got out the shower and decided to go in there!

Anyone any thoughts on what might be going on in her head at the moment? She is splayed etc.

[angieh]

I can't comment from personal experience of a cat with diabetes but I am sorry to hear about Katie's condition and I would think that the behaviours you mention are related to it. Have you had a word with your vet about her behaviours?

[Wilki31]

Hi Angieh, thanks for your interest.

She's had several trips to the vet and had more blood tests a week last Thursday. I've rung them 5 times now to find out the results and despite promises I've yet to have a call back so I can discuss things further, which isn't good. I thought I'd try picking your collective brains as there's quite a lot of sense talked on here!

[angieh]

Glad you think we talk sense Wilki31!

Bad news that your cat's blood test results are slow to come through ....... without knowing those results it is really hard to comment further. Keep chasing them!

[Elaine]

When she wee's, is it a large amount? Does it smell strong?
I'd get back on the phone and tell the vet that since you have paid for the blood tests, it would be nice of them to discuss them with you for the benfit of your dear cat, ask them for a copy of the test results if you can.
Sadly without them it would be dangerous for us to comment or advise on what may actually be going on with you cat.
I'd be pretty damned angry with that vet tbh.

[Wilki31]

Hi, yes we're not best pleased to say the least and will be putting our thoughts to them in writing!

She doesn't seem to produce much wee, and it's isn't a strong smell which given how much she drinks isn't suprising, it's almost as if she is marking her ground.

I'll post again when I finally get a reply from the vet.

[dandysmom]

I agree, you need those results; get on to them and explain your concerns. She may need to be seen or have her medication adjusted. That is taking far too long!

[Shelley123]

Sorry to hear about Katie's problem. I hope you get the results back soon, it's a bit worrying that she's lying next to the water bowl.
As Eileen has said maybe her medication needs adjusting.

[Elaine]

Does she apear to be struggling to pee in any way or seem in discomfort?
Please call that vet and demand the results asap.

[farthing]

As everybody else has said, nobody can really comment without the results. I assume it was a fuctosamine test taken, did the vets also do a general bloods to check kidney function too, it may be worth having it done. I would also try and collect a urine sample and take it if for the vet to check for an infection- they should be able to do this in the surgery with a urine dip stick. These may not show anything but will rule out some other issues that may be occuring.

[Aquatic]

I'm sorry to hear about Katie.
I hope you get the results back soon.

[Elaine]

Any news on those results?

[Wilki31]

Katie update!

The vet rang me Monday night and apologised profusely. Apparently the lab had samples from two Katie W's and sent the wrong results back. The other Katie is a dog so the results would have been very interesting!

Anyhoo, the diabetise is under control but the results showed a high white blood cell count which indicates she has an infection and the bacteria are having a wonderful time with all the extra glucose swimming around inside her. So she's had treatment for that last night and we'll keep an eye on her water intake which has settled a bit and she's doing better with her wee, although like other cats she sits in the tray but doesn't always hit the target! At least she's stopped going in the wrong place for now!

To top it all we had another problem which only appeared late Monday night, she was finding it hard to eat and was drooling. We checked her teeth and gums which looked OK but the vet spotted a flat bone that had somehow got wedged between her teeth right up against the roof of her mouth! The vet fished that out and she is happier now.

It nevers rains does it, and I thought cats were supposed to reduce human blood pressure!

[Elaine]

Thankyou for the update and am glad everything is under control xxx

[angieh]

I'm so glad that Katie's results have shown up and she is responding to her treatment. Please let us know how she gets on.

[dandysmom]

Good news. Please do let us know how she's doing.

[Wilki31]

Will do. Thanks for your messages, really appreciate it.

[pookyandjo]

good to hear that the vet has finally worked out Katies blood results....i have only just caught up on this thread but from the description of her going in the shower i thought it might have been a touch of cystitis ..

hope she continues to improve in leaps and bounds

[Shelley123]

Glad Katies on the mend :)