Disappointment for Indigo

Indigo’s fructosamine test could, in fact, be analysed in the veterinary hospital, and did not need to be sent away, so the results were reported to us late yesterday. Indigo is diabetic.

This is a disappointment. It will mean that she will be seen as less adoptable by many people who do not want the bother and expense of a diabetic cat. They are not much more expensive than other cats, particularly those with special diets and other unusual needs and, once the diabetes is regulated, the effort to care for her is rather small. But many don’t see it that way.

The principal concern for the moment, though, is managing Indigo’s diabetes. Because of her blood-glucose numbers, it was recommended that I immediately start Indie on a two-unit dose of insulin twice a day; her numbers are such and the dose is small enough that she need not be measured right away. But I intend to buy a Freestyle Libre glucose monitor and have that attached to her, to help determine the proper dose. That will require yet another trip to the veterinary, which I hope to arrange for Friday. In the meantime, I will watch Indigo for signs of hypoglycemia resulting from her insulin injections.

Fortunately, she has so far received two injections and not noticed them. The trouble is that one of her favourite spots in which to lie is between two bookcases, and she is difficult to reach there. She also likes to lie on top of bookcases and cat-trees, and proper access is tough there, too. But we will figure things out.

There are other aspects that need taking into account, some of which come with experience. The ‘pen’ that is used to inject the insulin is handy, but a new one tends to shoot out quite a bit more insulin for the first three or four injections than later. So I switched the pen I had been using for Neville with a new one, and reduced Nev’s dose by a unit to account for the new stream of insulin, until it settles down. Indigo will receive her medicine from the Nevsky’s half-used pen, the contents of which come out in the proper drops. There is no chance of contamination from one cat to another due to changing the needles, which are the only part of the pen that contacts the cat.

After all the sensors, readings, recordings and measurements are done, Indie will be able to live a normal life, interrupted twice a day with injections. Performing a ‘curve’ periodically to measure the insulin’s effectiveness will be a chore for both human and cat, but it will be accomplished. Indigo’s new future will be different than that previous envisioned for her, but it will be good.