Thank you for choosing the Cat Hospital of Media for boarding your beloved cat. We know that it can be difficult to find assistance when you need to leave your diabetic cat, and we are happy to help.
Prior Examination: Because diabetic cats can be more medically fragile, for new patients our hospital requires an examination of your cat within a month prior to the beginning date of the boarding period. This allows us to perform any necessary tests or discuss any new findings that were not previously noted. We will then have a better understanding of your cat’s needs while boarding.
What to bring: Please bring your cat’s insulin in a cooler bag with an ice block for transportation, your insulin syringes, and your cat’s prescription diet – enough for the entire boarding period. We do not stock most prescription foods.
Insulin administration: Our kennel staff is present only during posted opening hours Monday through Saturday. We do have one kennel technician who will be present for a brief time on Saturday evening and again twice on Sunday. There is no overnight staff present at any time. This does mean that most days, your cat will not receive their insulin exactly every 12 hours. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the two doses will be approximately 8 hours apart.
Behavior while boarding: Many of our clients find that their cats are calm and relaxed while in our feline-only, Cat Friendly boarding facility. Unfortunately, some cats are stressed despite our best efforts to provide a warm, caring, quiet environment. Cats can express their stress in a variety of ways, from not eating to becoming frightened and combative! Diabetic cats that are not eating can become sick very quickly. After an examination by a veterinarian, these cats may need a spot blood glucose check, an appetite stimulant, an anti-nausea medication, and sometimes even IV or subcutaneous fluid support. Frightened cats will need a mild sedative, which not only helps control their stress level but also keeps our kennel technicians safe while they administer your cat’s twice daily injections. In these situations, we will attempt to contact you about your cat using the information you provide at drop-off.
Blood glucose checks:: Our kennel staff will check your cat’s blood glucose twice daily while boarding. Although your diabetic cat may be well-regulated at home, boarding is unfortunately an unusual stressor to your cat and can lead to diabetic dysregulation. Since cats exhibit different behavior in the boarding facility than they do at home, our boarding staff might not see the clues that your cat gives you at home when they’re not feeling normal. Checking your cat’s blood glucose twice daily will help us prevent administering insulin to a hypoglycemic (low blood glucose) patient.
Discharge: When it is time for your cat to go home, you can expect any unused insulin, syringes, and prescription food to be returned to you. We will also tell you how your cat did while boarding, and help you plan for a successful boarding period in the future.
We hope that this information has helped answer your questions about boarding your diabetic cat with the Cat Hospital of Media. Please do not hesitate to call or text us with your questions. 610-627-2287
