Duke is the star of this Feline Friday. Read this update on his condition, then click on his photo for the rest of today’s Feline gallery.

I’ve been giving Duke insulin shots for about a month and a half, with three days of testing so far as we try to hit the right dosage.

It turns out that this is a complex process. If he gains weight, the extra fat effectively blocks the insulin, reducing its ability to help process the body’s sugars. So I’ve got to keep reminding myself that his diet needs to be strictly regulated to avoid weight gain. On the other hand, I have to be sure that he eats prior to getting his twice-daily insulin shots. Otherwise he risks a hypoglycemic collapse, which could be deadly.

So feeding becomes a drawn out process. First I have to get Duke down into the bedroom where I can feed him on his own. That usually involves having to remove Toby, and sometimes Kili, from the room. Then measure Duke’s food–about 1/8 cup of dry food, maybe a little more, and about 1/2-can of special low calorie M/D. I leave him to eat by himself, then feed the rest of the cats out in the kitchen. I can’t forget Duke, because I have to return in 10 or 15 minutes with his favorite brush and the syringe of insulin.

With any luck, he’ll have polished off his meal. If not, I do a little coaxing, and offer some food pets, the stroke-while-he-nibbles effect. It usually works. Then we move onto the bed to be brushed. If he doesn’t jump up on his own, I have to lift him up and immediately offer the brush. He likes it, and that’s very good because this is camouflage for the shot. While I’m brushing with one hand, I pet him with the other, holding the syringe in my teeth. When he’s relaxed, I choose a target, pinch a patch of skin/fur into a little “tent”, then quickly insert the needle and discharge before he even feels anything. Usually it goes smoothly, we finish off with more brushing, then I open the door and let the other cats in, since they are always curious whenever a door is closed.

Anyway, we are all learning, and Duke is looking and acting better. Hopefully his next test will find that we’re moving in the right direction.

And so it goes.

–>See all of today’s Friday Felines