Diabetes has imposed subtle changes in my life and lifestyle, and it's also left its mark on Isabella. A few observations on how she's changed since her pancreas went on strike:
1) She doesn’t smell as nice any more. I used to call Isabella my “good-smelling cat.” I’d bury my nose in her fur and take a big whiff -- she just had a nice scent about her. Sort of like fresh laundry, only more cat-ish. Then, six months or so before she was diagnosed, I noticed she didn’t smell as nice. She didn’t smell bad, just not good like before. I even teased her: Casey's gonna be the good-smelling cat. (Unlikely- his scent is rather musty). Being on insulin has not restored her good smell status, which is sort of sad.
2) She’s not a fatty. Isabella lost some of her rotundiness before diagnosis. OK – I admit it: she got downright boney. Insulin therapy plumped her up and her weight went back to normal. Not fat, not skinny, just normal. She looks good (though she still has that hangy skin flap on her tummy).
3) Her coat is silkier than ever. This, I’m sure, is a direct result of changing her diet from dry kibble to canned. Both cats have gorgeous, soft fur.
4) She has vague issues with her hind legs. I suppose it’s a minor case diabetic neuropathy. She walks a little low in the back, not all the way down on her hocks, but not up on her toes, either. Some days are worse than others. I’ve been dosing her with 5mg of methyl-B12 for about six months and have seen some improvement. My yardstick is not how she walks, but how she jumps – and darn it she’s started getting on the kitchen counter again lately. I sure didn’t miss that habit!
5) She responds to new sounds: The beep-beep of the microwave when I heat her ear-warming rice bag. The clinking sound of the syringes, kept in a mug in the cupboard. The sound of lid the coming off the box that stores her testing supplies. The snap of the test strip vial. Any of these will bring Isabella trotting – because she knows that treat can’t be far behind. For the record, Casey comes trotting too, since he gets also treats.
Except for the change in her weight, no one else notices these subtle shifts in her condition and her habits. To the outside observer, Isabella looks like a healthy – though cranky – little cat. And that’s a good thing.
1) She doesn’t smell as nice any more. I used to call Isabella my “good-smelling cat.” I’d bury my nose in her fur and take a big whiff -- she just had a nice scent about her. Sort of like fresh laundry, only more cat-ish. Then, six months or so before she was diagnosed, I noticed she didn’t smell as nice. She didn’t smell bad, just not good like before. I even teased her: Casey's gonna be the good-smelling cat. (Unlikely- his scent is rather musty). Being on insulin has not restored her good smell status, which is sort of sad.
2) She’s not a fatty. Isabella lost some of her rotundiness before diagnosis. OK – I admit it: she got downright boney. Insulin therapy plumped her up and her weight went back to normal. Not fat, not skinny, just normal. She looks good (though she still has that hangy skin flap on her tummy).
3) Her coat is silkier than ever. This, I’m sure, is a direct result of changing her diet from dry kibble to canned. Both cats have gorgeous, soft fur.
4) She has vague issues with her hind legs. I suppose it’s a minor case diabetic neuropathy. She walks a little low in the back, not all the way down on her hocks, but not up on her toes, either. Some days are worse than others. I’ve been dosing her with 5mg of methyl-B12 for about six months and have seen some improvement. My yardstick is not how she walks, but how she jumps – and darn it she’s started getting on the kitchen counter again lately. I sure didn’t miss that habit!
5) She responds to new sounds: The beep-beep of the microwave when I heat her ear-warming rice bag. The clinking sound of the syringes, kept in a mug in the cupboard. The sound of lid the coming off the box that stores her testing supplies. The snap of the test strip vial. Any of these will bring Isabella trotting – because she knows that treat can’t be far behind. For the record, Casey comes trotting too, since he gets also treats.
Except for the change in her weight, no one else notices these subtle shifts in her condition and her habits. To the outside observer, Isabella looks like a healthy – though cranky – little cat. And that’s a good thing.
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