u/itsmanda0803

Hi everyone! I recently moved into a new apartment and the refrigerator has this thick plastic on it. I really couldn’t tell that there was plastic except where there’s some bubbling and some holes. Can this be peeled off safely, or is this supposed to be there? I’m wondering if maybe the apartment or a previous tenant put it on to protect it since this isn’t a new fridge. The fridge section has these holes where it’d be easy to pick at and peel, but I’m not seeing much on the freezer section, so I don’t know where I’d start there. Any advice or clarification would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi everyone! I made a post yesterday about how my cat Charlie had to be hospitalized overnight for a severe hypo episode. His glucose was in the 30s and 40s from a super small insulin dose so they’re thinking he may be entering remission. Luckily they got his glucose back up and he was able to come home today! His last insulin dose (Lantus) was about 50 hours ago now, and we will not be administering any insulin (unless his numbers go really high) until we can get in touch with his doctor on Monday.

In the meantime, I’m wondering what I should be doing to monitor him and make sure he doesn’t go low again?

He’s been home for about 5 hours now and is doing pretty good. The ER vet told me to test him twice a day to make sure he’s not going too high. I tested him about 2 and a half hours ago and he was at 68 mg/dl, which of course freaked me out. Just a note, his ear was cold and I had to squeeze a bit so it may have been a bit falsely low. He also hadn’t eaten a ton since he was home at that point since he mostly wanted to nap. I got some kibble down him and tested him 20 minutes later and he was at 102 so I was relieved. I called the emergency vet and told them about this, and they were happy his numbers went back up and told me to test again within an hour or so and see how he’s looking. He at a little more by himself between tests and when I tested again about 45 minutes later he was at 106, which I think is good.

To be honest, I’m almost scared to go to sleep. I really thought I was going to lose him on the drive to the vet, it was so scary. I feel the need to test him every hour, sometimes more, which I think is overkill and wasteful but I’m so paranoid he’s going to go hypo again. Is that likely at this point? Even though 106 is in the normal range it feels so low compared to his “normal” diabetic numbers. I’m thinking of setting a few alarms during the night to test at least every 2-3 hours. Does that sound okay? Should I be testing more/less? I’m sorry that this is a bit rambly, this is our first severe hypo event and I’m just a bit anxious that I’m not doing enough. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

My 15 year old boy Charlie has been kind of hovering around diabetic remission so it’s been real tricky knowing when to give insulin and when to not. He was around his normal glucose around shot time last night, so I gave him his 0.25 units. I woke up this morning to check his glucose and he was at 40. It seems like his pancreas is sometimes trying to do its job and he just went way too low with the added insulin.

Long story short, I tried giving karo syrup and high carb treats and kibble but his glucose wasn’t going any higher. I rushed him to the emergency vet and he’s doing okay but they’re going to hospitalize him overnight to make sure his glucose stays stable.

I don’t know why I’m posting this. Weirdly I feel guilty that my cat is going through this even though I tested him and made sure he wasn’t too low before giving his insulin last night. I guess I’m partly seeking comfort but also to show that these things can happen even when you think you’re doing everything right. Please keep my Charlie in your thoughts ❤️

UPDATE: Charles is coming home today! He’s doing much better and his glucose levels have been stable without the IV glucose so they think he’s gotten through the worst of the episode. Thank you everyone for all your kind words, it was very comforting to read last night when I was missing my baby. ❤️

Hi everyone! Apologies if this isn’t the right subreddit for this kind of thing. I have this table that I thrifted awhile ago that I really like, but unfortunately I knocked it over recently and the glass underneath shattered. I thought I could maybe save it one section of the glass gave way when I lifted the table and that part of the top sort of folded and fell off. I still have all the mosaic pieces as you can see. Is there anything I can do to save this table and design? Thanks!

Hi everyone! My 15 year old boy Charlie and I recently moved apartments, we’ve been at the new place for about 5 days now so definitely a recent move. I’ve only had Charlie for just over a year but he’s a really chill cat and had no accidents when I brought him home the first time so I figured this time would be the same.

Unfortunately, he keeps trying to pee and poo in my carpeted bedroom. I’ve been closing the door to that room for most of the day, but I leave it cracked at night because he likes to sleep with me for some of the night. A few days ago I caught him peeing on a pair of my pants that were on the floor, and last night he tried pooping in an empty corner of the room. Luckily he scratched at the carpet beforehand and that woke me up so I was able to shove a blanket under him to catch most of it (he has chronic diarrhea that he is under treatment for so I’d rather not have him poop on the carpet lol).

He does only have one litter box in my apartment, but he did fine with just one last time and even my vet in the past said 2 was probably unnecessary since we live in such a small space. I’d be happy to add a temporary litterbox to my bedroom, but where he’s going isn’t a very convenient location and I’m worried it’d become a permanent box. He uses his main litterbox in the living room just fine when the bedroom is closed, it’s only when it’s open that he tries to go in there to use the bathroom instead. I’ve had a Feliway diffuser in my bedroom since we moved in, this is the first time using Feliway so could that be making him want to mark in there? Sounds like an opposite reaction than what is expected though.

This seems like this is just a stress response due to the recent move, is there anything I can do to help him through this and adjust to the new space without sacrificing my new carpet? Thanks!

Hi everyone! I am going to be moving apartments this weekend with my senior boy Charlie and I’m looking for any tips that could make this easier on both of us.

I’ve got some gabapentin that I will be giving him the day that the movers are here, and I also put a Feliway diffuser in the new place today to give it time to move through the whole apartment. I’ve never used any Feliway products before so not sure if they’ll help him but figured I’d try it! I’m also going to try to move all of his furniture / beds in my car along with him to maintain the smells. I also thought I could lay out some of my worn clothes in the new place as well. I’m going to try to keep him confined to maybe the bathroom and my bedroom for a day or two, but if he’s anything like when I adopted him last year, I think he’ll be exploring the place pretty quick lol.

Unfortunately it’s just me and him so logistically it will be hard to not leave him alone during some of the move. I was thinking I’d keep him in my current apartment’s bathroom while the movers are here getting all the big furniture. After that, I’m not sure what I should do. I could leave him in the old apartment while I go with the movers to the new place (about 25 minute drive), but I don’t really like the idea of leaving him all alone. I could bring him with while I go to meet the movers at the new place, and I could set him up in the new bathroom before the movers start moving stuff in, but I’m worried all the noises will freak him out. And of course I can’t leave him in the car while they’re moving the furniture in. Any idea what would be best?

He’s a pretty chill cat so I’m hoping he’ll adjust easily, but any tips or advice to make the move easier would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hi everyone! Charlie and I are back with another question lol. What low carb non-raw wet foods do your sugar kitties love? We’ve been doing Fancy Feast classic pate as it seems to be the most recommended on this sub, but he’s been having some bouts of nausea that makes him not too interested. I think it may be a food aversion thing or maybe just boredom because I gave him some Sheba pate and he gobbled that right up. I’ve heard a lot about the Tiki Cat and I believe Weruva pates but there’s so many different types and flavors I’m not sure what to try. I have a few different pet stores near me so any of those bigger brands are probably accessible. I’ll likely keep him on Fancy Feast for the most part but it’d be nice to have some backups for when he’s feeling picky. Any recommendations from your kitty to mine? Thanks!

Edit: Asking for no raw options due to my cat’s FIV+ status!

Hello again! My 15 year old boy Charlie has a very complicated medical history and has unfortunately lost a lot of weight recently. Last week he was just over 7 lbs. We have been to the vet numerous times and he has started treatment for possible small cell lymphoma, but I’m worried he’s going to continue this rapid weight loss and will lose too much before the treatment can really kick in. He has a really good appetite and is eating a metric ton of food a day (probably between 300-400 calories!) but he’s just not absorbing much nutrients right now. I’m not sure if throwing more calories at it will help, but I was wondering if anyone has any high-calorie food or treats that I can offer to give him as good of a chance as possible to keep some weight on him? I know there’s high calorie gels and liquid meal replacement products out there, but I’m not sure what is diabetic-friendly. Would kitten food be a good idea instead of Fancy Feast for his wet food? It’s also okay if a suggestion isn’t super low-carb, he eats some dry food throughout the day that isn’t low-carb but helps with his GI issues and his glucose is stable enough that it isn’t a big problem.

He currently eats Fancy Feast classic pates, Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach kibble, Tiki Cat Stix / Churus, Fancy Feast Savory Cravings, a few Temptations, Purr Pops, and different single ingredient freeze-dried treats.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

tldr; What foods/treats are great for getting a lot of calories in a diabetic cat?

My 15 year old boy Charlie just got his first dose of chlorambucil this afternoon!

He’s been a bit down in the dumps these past few days, still using his box and drinking but he’s had a bit of a low appetite and has been pretty lethargic. This is probably just a coincidence, but he seems to have perked up a bit since he had his first dose about 4 hours ago. I doubt there would be improvements already, but this is sort of our last chance to try and keep him comfortable so I’m feeling hopeful and praying that he will continue to improve so we can have a little more time together.

Please keep him in your thoughts while he starts this journey! 💕

My beautiful 15 year old boy Charlie has been losing a lot of weight recently. The vet suspected it was his hyperthyroid acting up, so we increased his dosage last week but he lost another half pound just in that short amount of time. Based on all his symptoms, he was diagnosed with suspected small cell lymphoma yesterday (we didn’t do the biopsy confirmation due to his age and heart murmur). I just ordered the chlorambucil and will be starting that as soon as it arrives, most likely early next week.

Has anyone gone through this and have any tips for us? I’m mostly worried about his weight. How long should it take for him to start gaining some back if the chemo is working? Please keep Charlie in your thoughts, he’s got a lot of spunk left in him so I don’t think he’s ready to go yet. ❤️

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone had some favorite treat options for their diabetic kitties? My 15 year old boy Charlie currently really likes the Tiki Cat duck stix and freeze dried chicken, but I think he’s wanting a little variety. He definitely misses his Tempations-style treats (which he does still get a few a day when doing his glucose tests), are there any low carb options that are similar? I’m also interested in some more single ingredient freeze dried options, but a lot of the brands I see are “raw” freeze dried, and my vet wants us to avoid those because of his FIV status. Charlie’s glucose is pretty stable right now (stays mostly under 170) so I’m not too terribly worried about him getting a few higher-carb treats here and there, but I’d love some more low-carb options to spoil my baby! Thanks!

tldr; What’s your diabetic cat’s favorite low-carb non-raw treats?

I adopted my 15 year old boy Charlie from the shelter last August. They considered him to be a hospice cat due to his older age and his laundry list of medical issues (FIV, hyperthyroid, asthma, allergies), so I adopted him knowing that he likely wouldn’t live many more years. Over the past 10 months or so, he’s slowly developed more medical problems (feline herpes, IBD, diabetes). He will be turning 16 in September, and frankly I’d be surprised if he made it to 17. He’s still comfortable with the help of medication and his vet doesn’t think it’s time to make that difficult decision yet, but lately I’ve been struggling a lot with the idea that he lived so much life before me.

According to the shelter, he bounced around rescues, shelters, and foster homes for 10 whole years before I adopted him, and they think he was a stray for a bit before then as well. I’m so glad that I am able to provide him a forever home for however long he has left with me, but it kills me to think that he spent so much of his life without one and that I wasn’t there to spoil him and love him.

This is such a silly thing to get upset over, but I just get really sad when I think about it. I’m grateful for the time I’ve had with him, I just wish I could’ve had him for more of his life. Has anyone dealt with similar feelings? I feel like it’s partly some anticipatory grief too, he is the first pet that I adopted after moving into my own place and I just adore him. He’s my universe. Besides spending time with him and living in the moment, is there anything I can do to help address this feeling? Any advice or comfort would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with waterless shampoos or wipes for a greasy coat? My 15 year old boy Charlie has had a sort of greasy looking coat since I adopted him almost a year ago. He’s had tons of bloodwork and checkups since then and there doesn’t seem to be any medical reason for why his coat looks like this (he does have hyperthyroidism but his T4 numbers are looking great with the help of his daily meds). I recently found out that he has some arthritis in his spine, and with his older age I was wondering if maybe he can’t or just isn’t grooming himself as much as he should be. I’ve seen some waterless shampoos and wipes at the pet store so I was wondering if that might be worth trying? Any specific types or brands? I’d like to avoid a full bath if possible, I don’t want to stress the old man out lol. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

This is sort of a diabetes-adjacent question, but has anyone seen this sort of bruising under hair growing in post-Libre monitor? It seems to be only under this little chunk of hair that’s been growing in, I believe it was shaved about 1-2 months ago. He did have multiple sensors in quick succession on this patch of skin so maybe it’s just irritation, but I figured it’s been long enough that that wouldn’t be the case. It’s hard to tell but I think it looks more like a bruise than a rash, I sent some photos to my vet friend and they told me to just keep an eye on it for now to see if it improves in the coming days. My cat lets me touch the area and move the hair around so I don’t think it’s painful, and my cat seems perfectly fine behavior-wise. I also do my cat’s injections around 1-2 inches away from this spot, could that be causing this irritation? I figured it could be some lingering irritation or maybe the hair growing back is a bit itchy, causing him to scratch and maybe bruise himself. He’s been a little itchy but nothing I considered out of the ordinary until I saw this. Anyone have something similar happen to their cat?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some more enrichment for my 15 year old boy Charlie. He unfortunately isn’t too big of a fan of regular toys, but he’s very food motivated so most of his “playtime” is just using puzzle feeders. We have this one in the picture as well as a foraging mat, but he likes this puzzle the best. However, because he’s (almost) toothless, he struggles a bit getting the treats and dry kibble out of the small compartments. He still likes eating some dry food so that’s not the issue, it’s just having to lick the food out of the puzzle that makes it a bit difficult. Are there any puzzles that are more toothless-friendly? I’ve been thinking about trying lickmats for some more enrichment so any recommendations along that route would be appreciated as well! Thanks!

TLDR; 15 year old cat vomiting clear liquid once a day but all the usual chronic vomiting causes seem to be ruled out (prone to pancreatitis / IBD flare ups but is treated with prednisolone, hyperthyroidism is controlled, kidneys look great, intestinal ultrasound looks normal)

Hi! My 15 year old boy Charlie has been dealing with some chronic vomiting and the vets can’t figure out why. I just adopted him this past August and he’s always been a little “pukey”, but that was mostly solved by spreading his meals out so that he doesn’t get too hungry during the night. He dealt with a pancreatitis flare up a few months ago and was pretty nauseous during that time (not really vomity, just not eating a lot). This behavior was controlled by cerenia/zofran, but those meds are expensive so I’d like to get this figured out.

He has been vomiting a clear liquid (almost like a thick water) almost every day between 9 am and 5 pm for the past 1-2 weeks, usually a couple hours after eating. Being a hospice cat, he is always at the vet lol and at his last intermal med visit his intestinal ultrasound looked great! He’s on 7.5 mg prednisolone daily for chronic pancreatitis/IBD. We also just did bloodwork and his hyperthyroid is still controlled by his medication and his kidneys look great. We were prescribed Omeprazole once a day and that stopped his vomiting for a week but it unfortunately started back up about a week ago. The vet gave the go ahead to go up to twice a day which we started today, but he still got sick around dinner time.

I feel like all the usual suspects for chronic vomiting (kidney disease, hyperthyroid, pancreatitis, IBD) can be ruled out for him, so I’m wondering if anyone has experience with other stuff causing vomiting? We did somewhat recently (within the last month) transition his kibble from Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach to Dr Elsey’s cleanprotein chicken dry food. I’m hoping it’s not a problem with the food though because his diabetes is much more controlled with this lower-carb food. He could also just need more time to get used to it if it is the new food maybe? I also figured if it is the food, I assume there’d be more food present in his vomit? I’m also wondering if maybe he needs his meals even more spaced out? He gets a can of wet food for breakfast and a can for dinner then a little kibble at 2 am, 5 am, 11 am, 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm, and 9:30 pm with an automatic feeder. I’m not sure how much more spread out we can do lol! Could it also maybe be a hairball that he can’t get out? I figure it wouldn’t take this many vomits to get it out though.

His vets frankly aren’t too worried about this (it definitely isn’t as high of a priority as some of the other things he has battled recently) but I’d of course like to keep him as comfortable as possible. Luckily he still has a great appetite and good energy so he doesn’t seem to affected by it. He has a lot going on medically-speaking so I realize that it could be a number of things causing this, but if anyone has any ideas, even some “weird” suggestions please let me know! I’m willing to try anything lol!

Hi! My 15 year old boy Charlie was recently diagnosed with diabetes close to 2 months ago. Unfortunately he needs his steroid for chronic pancreatitis, so we’re pretty much just letting him be diabetic. Suffice it to say I need to get comfortable with home testing lol.

We were mostly using Libre sensors for the first month or so while adjusting his diet and everything to see what dosage kept him stable, but Charlie didn’t love those and they fell off pretty easily. I’ve transitioned to at home testing with an AlphaTrak 3 device loaned to me from his internal med vet.

I have 28 gauge lancets that I’ve been using (freehand, no device) and I feel like my cat is turning into a pincushion. I can usually get a drop of blood but sometimes I have to prick a few times since I struggle and hesitate with how deep I should go. He flinches a lot so it must be pretty uncomfortable, and tonight he was actually meowing a bit trying to get me to stop, which broke my heart. He gets treats after and I try to stick to the outside edge of the ear in the “sweet spot”, but I can’t seem to make this a more comfortable experience, which would be great especially since I’ll need to test him 3-4 times a day for the next week or two. Would a lancet device work better? Different gauge needles? Just more time and practice? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!