Posted By Russ Emerson on February 16, 2006 at 11:25 pm
Mycah just had her first me-administered insulin injection.
When I got home from work 25 minutes ago I fed her, and prepped the injection. When she was done eating I called her over, “posed” her so I could aim properly, and stuck her just the way the vet taught me. Mycah didn’t even flinch. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
Having had that initial success, I feel much better about the future.
Mycah was very good, and got a treat and a good chin-skritch out of the deal.
Win-win.
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Posted By Russ Emerson on February 16, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Mycah is as polite and sweet-natured a cat as I’ve ever known (as long as other cats aren’t around.) She doesn’t like to be held, and she doesn’t park her cat butt in human laps, but she is nonetheless a very very sweet furball.
So sweet, in fact, that after the initial disappointment had worn off, the diagnosis of diabetes she received yesterday seemed — in a funny/strange way — rather apropos.
My little sweety… sick. I’m pretty “down” about that. Not heartbroken, though — diabetes doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Ask a human diabetic.
There’s a ton of information on the web about feline diabetes, so much that I’ve barely skimmed the surface of it. But one thing seems consistent in what I’ve read thus far: with proper care, the cat can have a long and happy life.
Proper care is, for the time being, going to consist of twice-daily insulin injections, though we’re going to make an effort to control the diabetes with diet, as well.
By “we” I mean me and the veterinarian. Though it’s early in the treatment, it’s plain to see that when one has a diabetic pet, working closely with the vet is not optional. For instance, less than 24 hours after the diagnosis had been made, I’d had a one-on-one training session with the vet, during which I learned a bit about the disease, learned how to inject insulin, was equipped with the necessary implements (meaning, insulin and syringes) and developed an action plan for the next two months.
The cats who live at the clinic serve as training aids for neophyte needlers. They get a kitty treat for their forbearance, e.g., not clawing the arms of the injection trainees like me. Since a cat feels little or nothing when an injection is done properly, the treat isn’t so much a reward for being stuck, but rather a reward for being manhandled by a stranger and sitting still for a minute. Not a bad deal, if you’re a cat.
I’m not going to say it’ll be easy caring for Mycah, but neither am I going to bemoan my fate. I’m not the one who’s sick, after all. Sure, the care will cost some, and I’ll have to maintain a strict schedule for her injections, but that’s all part of the deal when you accept the responsibility of caring for an animal.
I took up this duty of my own free will, and I will see to it that Mycah’s life is as happy and healthy as I, my vet, and science will allow. Being a good steward demands no less.
Forget ye not the
Friday Ark at
The Modulator and the
Century Edition of the Carnival of the Cats at
Bloggin’ Outloud.
Category: Animals |
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