This is something very odd, but I just had to share. Its a gross/funny sort of diabetes moment. Its only possible because circumstances require me to use a glucose meter on a regular basis.
I have two cats that keep the clutter in my house to a minimum. When I am thinking about getting rid of something but am undecided, one of them will knock it off the shelf or the table, causing it to crash to the floor and break. What doesnt go crashing to the floor, the other marks with urine. These items then end up in the trash for obvious reasons, especially since I was considering getting rid of them anyway. These guys don't "pussy foot" around. Its black or white, no gray area.
So, what is the message when Naughty cat #2 starts peeing on my glucose meter? I'm hoping its a sign that soon there will be a divine intervention and I am no longer going to need it ;) (yeah, right)
Until then I will keep testing regularly and apologize to my dr. about my tracking sheets smelling a bit off. And I am going to look for a new case and behavior modification for the feline.
Just a moment of strangeness that makes me shake my head while keeping the journey for good numbers interesting.
(No comments/advice from cat haters please. I am not getting rid of the cat. I prefer ditching the meter.)
OMG - really - your cat pee’d on your glucose meter! If it had been a ketone stick - now that would have been interesting. I’ve never thought of using my cats as a way to declutter my house (I need help there - I’m a pack rat). I’ll discuss this with them later, as they roll around on the kitchen table (don’t tell my Mum this - she would NEVER eat at my house again). Here’s to good blood glucose readings for you!
Have you heard of unclutter.com? http://unclutterer.com/ It’s got some good posts and comments that cover a wide range of organization. I like to read it to re-focus on keeping clutter to a minimum - you know, when the cat method falls short - or they are napping on the job…yes on the kitchen table, belly up, shedding copiously…
Maybe the cat has seen you pissed at the meter & decided to add his two cents/scents, too.
I also have a redecorating cat. Nathaniel knocks things off shelves for the sheer pleasure of watching them crash. Makes dusting a whole lot faster since he’s cleared several shelves. I’m thinking of just buying rubber accessories from here on.
My cat, like myself, is diabetic and gets tested 3 times a day. The insulin shots he has gotten used to, but the pricks on his pads or ears he never has and always knows its coming. He would probably love to pee on his meter (or mine for that matter since it would be the backup) so I’ll be sure to keep this article away from him!!
Wow! How do you even trick your cat into sitting still long enough to position him for a drop of blood??
Naughty cat #1, the experimentor of gravity, has an auto immune condition that requires prednisone for an extended period of time. The vet says there is a chance that this could lead to diabetes, Type II. Interestingly, it causes insulin resistance. As a Type I that was news to me.
The idea of testing feline blood sugar boggles my brain. But I asked the vet about insulin. She said there is a long acting porcine insulin on the market that cats tolerate better than the bovine, which had been the standard. Thought it was interesting that they are using animal insulins again when they’ve been discontinued for humans.
I was also concerned that my cat has developed an auto-immune condition. I tried telling this to the vet, very briefly mentioning my situation and then telling her the timeline coincided with the same time I got the cat and now years later we are both sick. I wondered if he and I both werent exposed to something environmental. (There was lots of heavy duty home remodeling going on; lots of chemicals; less than optimal ventilation. She thought I was over-identifying with my cat! But something has to be going on when human conditions start affecting our pets. This has probably been discussed at length in the pet section.
He is pretty good. I put him on his back in my lap and rub his toes, that seems to settle him down long enough to get a sample. If I ant draw and need to go for the ear, that’s slot more dificult and the wife has to help.
Cats have a big range! When he was dx’d, his curve high was almost 650 which is very high ( don’t want it over 300), but cats are very comfortable in the 50’s as well. His curve now ranges at low of 69 and peaks at 180. At that range there is now ketones or glucose in urine and he is happy and playfully ( at 15 years)
Ya, we moved three years ago and that triggered his D. What’s crazy is while o was only dx’d a couple months ago, I now know I have had symptoms at least 3 years. My vet said is very common for pets to get same disease as their owners. Wierd stuff
Maybe your cat is trying to tell you someone. He wants your meter (and maybe he is diabetic and wants to be tested. )
Cats pee on things as a matter of marking them with their scent especially if it is something new in their territory.
Does the cat pee on other new things too?
Male cats tend to do this more than females. I haven’t had a problem with my cats but they are all females- one of my older cats will pee on something if she gets nervous or stress (like after a move) but otherwise no problem. Also cats that are not fixed will do this more than cats that are.
In order to keep my cats in line (I have 3), my best weapon is the spray bottle. Sometimes you have to start them early on it but if you really keep up on, it works very well after a time. Doesn’t mean they will be perfectly behaved all the time (they are cats after all - they don’t give a fun what you want them to do) but it is honestly my best tool to keep them under control (and they know it!)
Now, I have gotten to the point where if see cats doing something I don’t want or even if I just want to control them more all I have to do is shake the spray bottle (water bottle) at them. Hehe! Of course I have to be in the room and do it right when they are doing their “bad” behavior but it is pretty effective to keep them generally under control.
I have the same method when I am sleeping with a neck roll pillow. One of my cats often like it bother me when I am sleeping if she does all I have to do is wave the neck roll pillow at her and she runs away. Heheh! I once swatted her on the butt with it and that was all it took! Now, she is "controlled’.
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