Day and Night



I am immensely grateful to everyone who has left supportive messages and to Jane of Jane and Chris who offered to share her experience of caring for a diabetic kitty and very kindly stood by her offer by answering a question I had.

Poor little Magic is still having a really hard time. My earlier optimism that she was beginning to eat was misplaced as it was not sustained and she has eaten negligible amounts since. She has also vomited a few times. I am really disappointed as the tube feeding needs to continue and she is driven spare by the bandage and tube. An appetite stimulant was started 2 days ago and tonight an anti-emetic added. A review at the Vet Hospital on Tuesday showed that on ultrasound her liver is improving and it is less 'bright' and more defined. Her liver and renal bloods have shown signs of recovery with only an odd few remaining abnormal. Here glucose was low but thought to be the nadir rather than a hypo.

The morning tray with crushed drugs, feed, water for flushing and insulin

 

These last three mornings have been a dreadful flashpoint with her growling for the full 25 minutes, jerking each time I move to press the plunger, giving me the odd smacky paw and legging it with the 50ml syringe of feed attached to her neck. I have no idea why this is as I don't do anything different, the tube has not dislodged or blocked and I try everything to keep her feeling settled. Yesterday I had to split the feed because she became so resistant and stressed that I let her calm before resuming. Later I gave her a very stern talking to I told her that the situation was not good, and I was no happier than she was, but it was a means to an end till she was eating.!.!.! I also warned her that if she kept it up I'd be forced to do the cat burrito with her wrapped in a towel. That earned me a gimlet stare.......!

Strangely, the evenings are a much calmer affair. Tonight, for instance, she watched me prepare the feed, drugs and insulin then followed me through and when I spread the towel out and patted it she walked with great dignity and settled herself to be fed. It brought a tear to my eye and I felt such love for her accepting what is happening with such grace.

 

In the absence of any other reason for the morning shenanigans I need to consider that my pre-noon grumpy, narky, growly cat is actually just not a morning cat and I never noticed before.

The bandaging of her neck drives her bonkers and I never know what state I am going to find her in. Before I took her back to the vet hospital she was sitting with her paws tucked in under her chest and on a quick glance I saw the white collar and thought everything was chirpy. When I lifted her to trim her nails she suddenly unravelled. I then realised there was only the pinned end of the bandage and the padding round her neck as she'd unravelled and removed the rest, tucked it underneath her and sat with her arms folded looking as innocent as a cherub. I reckon I am pretty wise to cats but I was flabbergasted by her downright craftiness in outfoxing me. The next time I hear anyone refer to a cat as a 'dumb animal' I'm going to introduce them to her!