Tag Archives: FELINE DIABETES

Eight Days and Nine Nights of Sunshine

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Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been feeling ready to invite a new kitty into my life, which has caused me to reflect on an adoption attempt I made last spring.

By June of 2020, Bobcat had gained weight and became diabetic since his best friend Lexington passed in December of 2019. He was still affectionate and attentive towards me, yet seemed so sad.  I came to the conclusion that a new friend; specifically a girlfriend, would be good medicine for Bobcat.

I began my search spending several weeks of reviewing cat bios on Petfinder, finding only two prospectives.  After no response to my inquiries from the shelters, I moved on. Another cat of interest was at a shelter run by just one woman who did call me back, sounding out of breath saying that she had too much going on, but she would call me back at 7:00 that evening.  She never did.  Trying to find a girlfriend for Bobcat was becoming as arduous as online dating.

After a two-week break I got back on rescue websites to give it another shot.  Within an hour I found two prospective girlfriends for Bobcat and got a call back from the director of the rescue group. The two cats in question had already been adopted, but she invited me to a PetSmart adoption event happening that weekend.

Me: Bobcat, I’m off to PetSmart to find you a girlfriend! Bobcat: A what?…

I arrived at the PetSmart adoption center on Saturday morning and immediately noticed a pretty two-year-old girl named Sunshine.  Her bio stated that she was sweet and sociable. Perfect.  Sunshine bonded with me instantly, and I adopted her on the spot.

Sunshine, photo courtesy of Susan Brown Matsumoto Photography

On the drive home I began to feel apprehensive.  While Sunshine seemed like a good fit for Bobcat, She did not tug at my heartstrings.  I suddenly felt I’d made a hasty decision, made in the moment out of tiring of the selection process, and just wanting Bobcat to have a friend.  In the past, I always knew upon meeting my prospective new cat—sometimes just by looking at the photo that he or she was the one.  Yet, I’d “sleep on it” before making my final decision to adopt.  If I woke-up the day after meeting the potential adoptee with the same excitement I had upon our meeting, I scheduled another visit.  If the same warm-fuzzy feelings filled my heart during the second visit, I’d adopt. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that apprehension was my intuition giving me a warning, just the same as the strong “knowing” I’ve had when the right cat came along.

Sunshine was sweet and sociable and was also pure alpha—domineering, aggressive and possessive of me. In my attempts to bring the cats into each other’s space I broke up two catfights, one that landed me in urgent care with serious cat scratches and another with Bobcat at the vet for a scratched eyelid.  Bobcat became withdrawn and spent lots of time hiding.

Is she gone yet?

The circumstance had become unhealthy and very stressful for everyone involved, so I relinquished Sunshine to the shelter.  She was a wonderful cat, but not for us.  Once she was gone, Bobcat and I rekindled our love and life was peaceful again.

Ahhh, I’m in the clear, she’s outta here!

In retrospect, I realized that Bobcat just needed more time to grieve, not a stranger invading our space and our one-on-one time together.

I felt horrible having to return Sunshine and guilty that I added more stress to her life.  I wished I’d been more discerning, but I couldn’t go back and undo the situation.  I found solace when I heard that she was adopted a couple of weeks later, and was reminded to always listen to my internal insight.

Let’s see who my intuition will lead me to this time around…stay tuned!

Topper Tuesday! Tacos or Sardines….

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Well, here it is Topper Tuesday and how will my cat crew be celebrating? I know, you are thinking with fish tacos and a hearty whiff of catnip. Not quite…but close! They will be dining on Sardine Meal Feast wet food by Nature’s Logic.

As you can see Topper can barely wait to sink his teeth into the new grub.

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Tacos are out of the question for the cats (too bad–can you just picture their cute little paws wrapped around a taco?), but…they can eat all the sardine pate they want. Another of their preferred choices is the beef feast. I like the food because it’s free of corn, wheat, rice, soy and gluten—all of which are hard for kitties to digest as these ingredients aren’t naturally meant for their digestive systems. It’s also potato free. With Lexington in diabetic remission, I’m on the lookout for food that does not contain potato because of its high glycemic index.

IMG_8181I’m happy that they favor another top-quality food. As we cat lovers all know, healthful food is key to healthy kitties. It looks like I’ll be back to buy more of Nature’s Logic feline feasts.

Feline Feeding Fact: I’ve recently learned that cats get “whisker fatigue” and eating from a deep or narrow bowl, which rubs their whiskers can cause irritation to these sensitive “antennas.” They may stop eating before they are full, appearing to dislike the food. Try feeing them in wide, shallow bowls or plates. I’ve been feeding my cats their wet food on saucers for years, and they eat kibble out of shallow bowls. Also note that plastic plates or bowls emit smells that our feline family find offensive, so stick to ceramic type feeding bowls and plates.

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Hello?  A little more paw-leeeez.

Crazy Cat Lady in the Lobby

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I was in the middle of responding to an email from a client when the demanding yowl from downstairs broke my concentration. “Lex?” Again, another loud, urgent yowl. I ran downstairs to find Lexington standing in the middle of my bedroom looking disoriented. He looked up at me and cried. I picked him up and he continued to cry as he looked aimlessly around the room. I put him down so I could pick up the phone to dial my vet. His back legs splayed outward and he stumbled. We rushed to the vet’s office. I suspected a blood sugar “crash” and was right.

Lexington’s blood sugar dropped to a very low level of 26 (normal range for a diabetic cat is between 100-200; non-diabetic, 80-100). He stayed at the vet for the rest of the day. When I picked him up at 5:00 his blood sugar was 70 and he was alert, chirping, and happy to see me. Two weeks prior Lex’s blood sugar level was 408. My vet shook his head at the drastic drop and thought that Lex could very well be in remission. There were new marching orders—no more insulin injections, and a follow-up blood sugar check in two days.

This morning I took Lexington to the vet for his follow-up blood sugar check.  A few minutes after he was taken back to the exam room, Johnna came out with Lex in his carrier in one hand, a thumbs-up on the other, and a big smile. “His blood sugar level is 115–he’s in remission,” she announced. “Yay! Oh my gosh! Hallelujah!” I said, jumping up and down and clapping. I was over-the-moon with joy; no more insulin, no more needles, no more worry. Lexington was healthy again. I was one very happy cat lady—and maybe just a little crazy. I finally stopped the pogo stick routine.

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There is a chance that the diabetes could return, but as Johnna said, “Keep doing what you are doing,” which is the grain-free, low carbohydrate meat-based protein diet, minimal grain-free kibble, and the easy part, providing lots of love.