Sunday, 29 October 2023

A funny turn

 

A funny turn

I'm ready - let's go!
On Thursday morning Jellicoe was on top of one of the kitchen cupboards and didn’t want to come down. Normally he is vociferously harassing me for breakfast. Alarm bells rang. Barry lifted him down and we offered him food and although he did eat, he was twitching and unsteady on his paws. I thought he was going to have a seizure. Having lived with Frodo the Faller for many years I was well aware of the signs.

Knowing how quickly cats deteriorate when unwell, we called our vets and although they didn’t have any appointment slots free, they agreed to do a blood test since we all felt Jellicoe’s glucose levels were low. It proved to be the case and then he went back at the end of the day to be checked again when it was decided that he should spend Friday there for the whole day to have his glucose curve checked. That meant that he was to have no breakfast on Friday morning. By then, Jellicoe was feeling quite chipper again and couldn’t understand why his food was being withheld.

Where's my breakfast?
We had been doing blood tests at home to check his levels but it was causing him distress which we thought might be worse than persevering with them. We decided that we should begin testing again rather than the more stressful, for Jellicoe, twice-daily trip to the vet, or not test at all, and run the risk of another downward spiral. It transpired that the entire testing kit we had was out of date so we bought another one which arrived very promptly.

It looks very straightforward in the videos. A quick prick in the ear flap should produce enough blood to smear the blood glucose test strips. It’s not quite so easy in practice! Jellicoe is a very good-tempered cat but his ears are sensitive - and very hairy. 

We’re told the little prick doesn’t hurt, but it’s not our ears that are being punctured. Ensuring that enough blood appears sometimes means squeezing the ear flap to produce a bubble, again, not something Jellicoe enjoys.

We managed it yesterday evening after he came home and again this morning. We will have to brace ourselves to repeat it this evening. I’m sure (I wish!) that we will get better at it! We don’t like testing his patience and causing him stress but it is in his best interests.

A good wash is required after a meal, starting with the left paw . . .

 . . . and continuing with the right

We changed Jellicoe’s feeding and insulin injection routine. I had been jabbing him while he ate but the problem with continuing that is that if he does not eat all his food, he will have too much insulin in his body. That is serious and can cause seizures and even death. Usually he finishes everything he’s given and immediately looks around for more, but that cannot be guaranteed. So now I hover over him, hypodermic syringe in hand, ready to jab him as the last morsels disappear.

He’s worth it, though. He’s such an affectionate boy – to everyone, apart from his brother!

33 comments:

  1. Poor Jellicoe. We so sympathize with your Mum tho, she loves you and does all these things so you can all continue to enjoy being a family. Mr T hated the ear infection treatments he used to require quite regularly, so we understand how tough this is on your humans. See if you can keep it on the level for them.

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    1. Thank you. He's not out of the woods yet - glucose levels are too low so we're in constant touch with the vets. Delicate creatures, cats!

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  2. It is so stressful, giving important but uncomfortable medical care to our loved pets. My hat is off to you! The most I've had to do is give daily pills, but even that was nerve-wracking. I hope your sweet boy is stable for a good long while now.

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    1. Thank you, Jenny. Although he appears well, his glucose levels are too low, so we're monitoring him as he can deteriorate very quickly.

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  3. Fingers crossed for Jellicoe. Perhaps he will get used to treatments.

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  4. Poor Jellicoe, I hope he becomes resigned to the treatments so they don't bother him so much. Lola has become resigned to her monthly flea treatment dose, she used to fight me and run away, now I bring it to her and ask "are you ready for this?" and she just sits there while I apply it.

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  5. Hi Janice - I do hope Jellicoe will recover his health ... with thoughts for you all - cheers Hilary

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  6. When l saw Jellicoe photo at the top there...
    I thought...at last a pussy~cat post...but not
    quite the one l expected...poor fella, let's hope
    you can get his feeding and insulin injection
    routine sorted, bless him, tummy rub for the little
    fella....! Bless...!x
    😼 🐾🐾 😼 🐾🐾 😼 🐾🐾 😼 🐾🐾 😼

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    1. He went through such a lot last year and we thought we had the problem licked. We were told he was a particularly difficult case to stabilise. Well, we wouldn't have them if we didn't love them.

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  7. Good luck. I hope things go well for you and Jellicoe. We now have to give Batty an inhaler twice a day. He doesn't like it, and neither do my shoulders which bear the marks of his displeasure. How I wish that we could convince him it is for his good - as I am sure you do.

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    1. Poor Batty! Poor you with permanent scars on your shoulders. I scruff Jellicoe now, hoping it's similar to being scruffed by a mother cat. I think it''s working . . . I have to say dogs are easier to medicate.

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  8. Jellicoe is blessed to have such caring attentive humans looking out for him.

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    1. Thank you, Gail. You understand what it is to look after a poorly pet, I know.

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  9. They seal our hearts, we had an elliptic cat, who would not eat his breakfast each morning until he had his lump of cheep with his tablet in.

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    1. Getting tablets into a cat can be quite a pantomime, but easier if they're very enthusiastic about something like cheese. Our cats love cheese . . .

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  10. It's a nightmare to give a medication to a cat ! They feel it if you are 1 km away or even if you only think of it ! To give a pill we had to be two, one who throw the pill in the open hold mouth the other keeping the mouth closed otherwise they would spit it out even wrapped with chicken or meat !! Fortunately with my four cats I was lucky, they only had some signs at the end and then it was the end. Rosie eats in very small portion, so her bowl is always full and she only eats at night !!
    Apparently there are cats who do so. I don't mind I fill up her bowl and go to bed. So far everything works, but she sleeps a lot she will be 17, but she still plays and sings during the night !

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    1. We've been lucky with our cats, I think. You're right though - they sense when something is going to happen and escape if they know they're not going to like it.

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  11. Sorry to hear about the poorly pusscat. Hope you get on top of things with him soon x
    Alison in Wales x

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    1. Thank you, Alison We nearly lost him last year before the vets managed to get the right insulin for him I didn't realise there were so many types! x

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  12. How I hope Jellicoe is feeling better and the insulin level also by now. I have always had trouble medicating my cats for anything. I dread to think if Precious gets diabetes. She hates being picked up for any reason ever, even after 11 years here. Best wishes all round for you.

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    1. Thank you, Lynn and Precious It must stress you both so much going to the vet. Herschel doesn't like being picked up very much but we make a point of picking him up for a short while every day and he's more accepting now.

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  13. I understand your feelings about Jellicoe and how much you do for him! He sounds delightful and well worth the effort. Pets are special...and family. I have a 16+ year old dog (Tulip) who has kidney disease, and I have been nursing her along for a couple years now with special home cooked diet & some meds. She now has a red spot on her head, which has gotten larger. The vet was never SUPER concerned, but I am. Tomorrow I will have it needle-aspirated (rather than biopsied - as to biopsy she would have to be anaesthethized (sp). Not inexpensive, but even at 16+ she is well worth it to me. She is my FAVORITE dog ever!

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  14. I hope Tulip repays you by staying around for a long time yet. You deserve that. You're right, of course, our pets are family and very important.

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  15. well done on the diagnosis. Hope you get the levels sorted quickly without too much discomfort. B x

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    1. It's a little unsettled still, but Jellicoe seems otherwise well.

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  16. Poor Jellicoe! And poor you: I'm very much aware of how stressful it is when one's pets are unwell! Keeping my fingers crossed! xxx

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    1. I think he'd be fine if we didn't insist on pricking his ears, poor boy. x x x

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  17. Aww Jellicoe.. hope he feels better.

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    1. He seems happy and alert enough but doesn't like us messing about with his ears, understandably.

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  18. Poor Jellicoe - how are things today (Monday)? xx

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  19. There was a bit of a glitch yesterday glucose too low and later too high but today the levels are quite good. x x x

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