Cats

Basette is back from the vet’s and has had her teeth cleaned. Apparently, they were really nasty. Not surprising, considering she has never had her teeth cleaned (bad Mommy!). I actually never knew cats were supposed to have regular dental cleanings until recently. Basette grew up as a vicious mouser in the barn. She lost a third of her front teeth from chomping on rats, mice, rabbits, birds, and whatever else was slower...

Basette could drive someone (like her caretaker or vet) to being giddy and depressed on alternating days. For a while after the antibiotic treatment with Clavamox, she responded well to the insulin. Little by little, however, her glucose levels crept back up and over 500. It has seemed like every option has only provided a temporary solution which lasts, at most, two weeks. My vet just came up with a suggestion: what if...

Some times miracles never cease to amaze! This might be overly optimistic, but Basette’s glucose was much lower today. She is actually responding to the insulin at long last. This morning when I took her into the vet’s, her glucose level was 444. This afternoon, her glucose was 290. Finally below 300! Party on, Garth! Unfortunately, a second exam of her retinas confirms that they are detached, and one eye has had a...

Some good news, and some bad news. Good news: Basette’s insulin dose is having some effects and appears to be helping her. She is feeling better and has been up and around more. Bad news: She has lost more of her vision. This morning I sat and watched her before going in to work. For 30 minutes, I sat and talked to her watching how she reacts to my voice. How she turns...

I waited anxiously at work all day after dropping Basette off at the vet’s this morning. Her eyes hadn’t improved any from the night before. She still seemed to be able to see where I was. She came over and sniffed my feet, purring loudly. She even followed me into the office the night before. However, she seemed confused. Patient, purring, and not sure what was going on. With her eyes like that,...

Something strange is happening with Basette’s eyes. This evening her pupils looked completely dilated. Even when I picked her up and looked at her eyes in bright light, the pupils didn’t respond. She isn’t looking directly at me. She looks in my direction, but never meets my gaze, unlike my other kitties. This isn’t right. Click on the picture to see what I mean. Take a close look at her eyes. I called...

The Little Black Wonder Cat(tm) is home at last, after a few days with the vet. For the past six or more years, Basette has been a proud client of Oak Ridge Veterinary Clinic. During her stays, she enjoys fine Southern hospitality and gourmet prescription diabetic food. She has her own little kitty condo, complete with deluxe bed (courtesy of Mom), clean towels to cover the bed, more litter box changes then a...

It is certainly possible that Basette’s responsiveness last night was from a cleared up infection that didn’t show up on the UTI tests. I hope so! Basette’s glucose was above 500 again this morning, so she’s going to try her on the bovine insulin (PZI) again. Another update! Vet just called and said that Basette responded today to an insulin dose of 5 units — down from 15 units (which is a WHOPPING...

Here is some good news, at least! Basette went back to the vet’s this morning. Her glucose levels were still high this morning and afternoon. However, after she recieved her insulin, her glucose levels plummeted from over 500 down to almost half that!! Woohoo! If Basette was here, I’d party. The vet was esctatic. I was delighted. We’re not jinxing anything, though, and hoping that it wasn’t a fluke. In all of her...

Basette looks a little better today. She has been walking with me to the door and into the office. The vet said that the UTI tests were negative. Basette will go back into the vet’s on Monday next week for another round of dosing… Maybe she’ll respond this time. It was really good to see her feeling even a little better. Related Images:

Two months ago, Basette, my 14 year old domestic shorthair cat, was taken in to the vet because of poor coat condition, excessive water consumption and urination (in inappropriate places of course), and overall lethargic demeanor. She was diagnosed with diabetes. Her initial glucose levels were over 350 (100-150 is normal, 200 high end of normal). She has been on three different types of insulin at varying doses, and her glucose has still...