Please help--sick cat won't eat or drink

amvan

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My cat began showing signs of really being sick on Thursday (wouldn't eat or drink, kept himself away from people). Up until then he had been eating a lot (as usual), drinking a lot (not as usual), and urinating a lot more than usual. (Should have been my first clue.) I took him to the vet that day and was told he was dehydrated, had a fever and an infection, and was diabetic. They gave him 3 fluid injections for the dehydration as well as an insulin injection. When we got home that evening he ate a small handful of dry food and had a little water, which had me elated. That was the last he ate or drank. It is now Saturday night. I took him back in on Friday morning and he stayed at the vet's until 5pm. They monitored his blood sugar which had reduced from over 400 to just over 200. He still had a fever. They gave him an antibiotic and another insulin injection. I was told to give him insulin twice a day after his morning feeding and his evening feeding. He never ate today. He is wasting away! He has lost so much weight in just a few short days. I've tried to give him water in a medicine syringe but he fights it. The fighting is much weaker than it should be. I've also tried to give him the juice from his wet food, which he usually loves, but he fights that, too. What can I do? I can't watch him starve himself to death. Will he start to eat on his own, or does he need medical intervention? The vet's office isn't open on the weekends so I have to either take him to the pet ER or wait until Monday. The vet said he would call in a couple of days, which would be great if he called tomorrow, but if he doesn't, do I just take him in to the ER? I don't think this can wait until Monday. He can't last long without water. Or food. He's only 5 years old, and my 4 children are absolutely in love with him, as am I. Please give any suggestions or advice that you can. And as soon as you can. My little guy needs some help fast. 
 

ritz

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So sorry you're having problems. (problem with computer, so I'll make this short)
I'd see if he would eat baby food (meat + broth only). Or see if he'd drink goat milk (you can get this at Whole Foods or similar store). if he refused both, I would take him to the E vet. I don't know much about diabetes, but it seems he is awfully young to be diabetic, maybe something else is going on with his pancreas? And the dramatic weight loss is really concerning.
Good look; prayers and vibes. Keep us posted.
 

LTS3

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If it were my cat, I would take the cat to the ER for treatment ASAP. Diabetic ketoacidosis can set in pretty quickly and can be fatal if it's not treated right away. This is NOT something you can treat at home. Does the cat's breath smell like nail polish remover? If it does, the cat needs to go o the ER ASAP. Even if it doesn't, your cat needs treatment so he doesn't get edhydrated or fatty liver disease from not eating.

What care instructions did the vet give you other than give insulin twice a day? How much insulin did the vet prescribe and what is the name of the insulin? Did the vet do a fructosamine test? That's the test that gives an verage of blood glucose levels over the past few weeks and is used to make a diabetes diagnosis. A 5 year old cat is pretty young to have diabetes.

Have you tried canned food? That might be more appealing. Dry food is a big no-no for diabetic cats. In fact, dry food is one reason why many cats end up diabetic in the fist place. When your cat is feeling better, you can change the diet to low carb canned food. Raw food is also an option but not doable by many people.

I highly recommend the http://www.FelineDiabetes.com web site for more info on caring for your diabetic cat
There's a  forum there with many experienced members from all over the world. I found that forum extremely helpful when my previous cat was diabetic.
 
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amvan

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He came right to me when I called to him this morning. Still not well though. I can tell by touch that he still has a fever. After looking at his food and water bowl like he really, really wanted some, he tried a few small licks at his water. I then put a few pieces of his dry cat food in front of him one at a time. He looked at them like he wanted them but didn't know what to do with them, then finally started to eat them. He only ate about 15 individual pieces, but that's more than he's had in the past couple of days. Doesn't seem to want his wet food yet. I'm gonna try the same thing with him again in a while and hope he's responsive.

The vet sent me home with an antibiotic to help get rid of any infections and hopefully help with the fever. He said to not give him insulin if he misses 2 meals, which of course he did. The amount of water he has had is certainly not enough, and I know he needs another dehydration treatment. I know it's gonna cost an arm and a leg, but I think he needs to be seen again today, and since the vet's office is closed today, I guess it will have to be the pet ER. This is so rough. Especially on him, of course, but I am sick with worry for him. He is the best cat, so good with the crazy kids and so young. We are not ready to say goodbye to him. Thank you for the responses so far. Please keep them coming. Your positive vibes are comforting.
 
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amvan

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Oh, and he was prescribed 3 units of Novolin to start, twice a day. I don't know the exact testing he had, but that it was general blood work that showed his blood sugar level (over 400) and his white blood cell count (over 40,000). I just want him to get better.
 

cheryl83

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Hi, I've had a problem over the last few days with my cat not eating his wet food and only eating bits of dry. Blood tests show that he's fighting an infection but they're not sure what. To help with the dehydration I've been given him chicken broth, and also cat milk which I add extra water too. Adding warm water seems to encourage him to drink it. He's been lapping this up. You could also try to tempt him with fresh chicken. My boy has been refusing most treats but is eating those 80% meat sticks that you can buy at stores. Just try to get anything you can down him.

It's a good sign that he's started eating some dry food. I know how good it feels when they've been off their food and start eating something.

Good luck and hope he feels better soon :)
 

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I would recommend a visit to the ER, when cats don't get all their calories they can develop something called Hepatic Lipidosis which can be quite serious and can even lead to death quite quickly.  It's a good sign he is eating something, but I agree dry food is not the best for diabetics, you want to feed a canned food that is lower carbohydrate.  At the vet I work for we usually hospitalize the newly diabetic patients for about 2-3 days and run glucose curves on them to determine the proper dose of insulin for the owners.  Over 200 on the glucose is still considered quite high, we aim to get it lower than about 150 I believe with insulin.  Here is an excellent source of information on diabetic cats, http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes 
 
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amvan

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But if he doesn't eat he can't have his insulin, right? I know his blood sugar is all messed up right now. I was able to get him to eat about 13 more dry food pieces and drink a few licks of water again about an hour ago. But that surely wouldn't be enough to give him his insulin?

Question: I've heard of people giving their dehydrated cats Pedialyte. Is this a no-no?
 

LTS3

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But if he doesn't eat he can't have his insulin, right? I know his blood sugar is all messed up right now. I was able to get him to eat about 13 more dry food pieces and drink a few licks of water again about an hour ago. But that surely wouldn't be enough to give him his insulin?

Question: I've heard of people giving their dehydrated cats Pedialyte. Is this a no-no?
Yes, no food means no insulin especially for newbies. You don't want to send your cat into hypoglycemia (low blood glucose level). As you get more experienced with managing your cat's diabetes and closely track blood glucose levels you can better make a call on whether to give insulin or not.

I searched the FelineDiabetes.com forum. It looks like you can give unflavored Pedialyte to dehydrated diabetic cats. It's best to check with a vet first, though.
Oh, and he was prescribed 3 units of Novolin to start, twice a day. I don't know the exact testing he had, but that it was general blood work that showed his blood sugar level (over 400) and his white blood cell count (over 40,000). I just want him to get better.
I've never used Novolin but from when I was on the FelineDiabetes.com forum, it wasn't a recommended insulin to use. The best insulins to use for cat are Lantus, Levemir, and ProZinc. You can ask your vet about these.

3 units is a pretty large dose to start with. It's better to start at a very small dose and work your way up than to start too high and risk hypoglycemia. 1 unit or even half a unti are better and safer starting doses.

A one time blood glucose check, like in a general bloodwork, will only show the blood glucose level at that very moment. For most cats, even non diabetic ones, a vet trip is enough to send blood glucose levels really high. Normal non stress levels are roughly 60 to 150 mg/dl. Ask the vet for a fructosamine test. Or, just check your cat's blood glucose levels at home yourself. You jsut need a blood glucose meter and test strips. The ones for Humans are fine to use on a cat
I used an Accu Chek Aviva but there are lesser expensive ones out there.

Definitely check out the FelineDiabetes.com web site and forum for more in depth help and info on the best way to manage your cat's diabetes
The info and help can be overwhelming at first but soon you'll be a pro at giving insulin injections and testing blood glucose levels and understanding curves and trends.
 
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amvan

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Thanks!
 
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