Home BG Testing of Cats

Updated August 20, 2000
(added an image showing how to tell when a Bayer Elite Test Strip is properly filled with a blood sample)
More changes and additions still to come

A human diabetic will test their own Blood Glucose (referred to as BG) levels several times a day. This is necessary in order for them to keep their BG levels within a safe range. This is a normal part of the standard treatment of Human Diabetes. It should be an accepted addition to the treatment of Feline Diabetes - but may vets do not even mention it when laying out the cat's treatment plan.
The Glucometers (devices which measure the amount of glucose in blood) which are currently available are High Tech marvels. They are able to accurately measure glucose levels using an unbelievably small amount of blood.
The Glucometer I use to test Simon is a Bayer Elite XL. It requires only 2 micro litters of blood to perform the test. To get an idea of how very small a drop of blood this is, look at the ear on the president on a US dime - that is about the size of the drop of blood needed to measure the glucose level.
With this Glucometer I am able to quickly and easily test Simon's BG levels at any time, with hardly any complaints on his part. (It's true! I don't mind the testing at all. Well, I do object occasionally to Bob hanging on to my ear for so long, but that's really not a problem, Simon)
There are other glucometers available, but I have not used any other than the Bayer Elite Xl. If you want to look at information on the others, got to the Meter Information Page which will be added shortly.
Simon was diagnosed on a Saturday, by Tuesday we already had a meter. I spent the weekend researching the various meter and decided on a Bayer Elite XL for the following reasons:
1) It uses test strips which "sip" up the blood. You need only put the end of the test strip in the drop of blood and it will draw the blood in via capillary action.
Unlike other meters which require you to place the drop of blood on a particular spot on the test strip, you merely touch the end of the test strip to the drop of blood for a few seconds and the blood is drawn into the strip.
You have a clear view of both the drop of blood and the end of the test strip the whole time. With meters using strips where a drop of blood must be placed on a particular spot on the width of the test strip, your view would be blocked by either the strip or the cat's ear.
Basically, many of the other meters call for a "hanging drop of blood" which can be transferred to the strip.
The Elite does not require a "hanging" drop of blood. It needs only 2 micro litters of blood - as I said earlier, look at a US dime, see the ear on the president? The drop of blood needed with the Bayer Elite is about that size.
Reportedly the Accu-check meter also uses a drop of blood this size (but I have seen statements that say that it needs 4 micro litters not 2) and, if you use the Comfort Curve test strips, it also "sips" the blood into the test strip. I did not select the Accu-check because:
First - the "sipping" strips were an add-on, that is came out after the meter - it used to use the "drop on" type of strips. I prefer the Bayer because the original design included the "sipping" strips. It would appear that Accu-check perhaps came up with the "sipping" strips as a reaction to Bayer's - you know, trying to keep up with the competition.
The second reason I did not choose the Accu-check is that the area on the strip that "sips" the blood is on the side of the strip, not the end like Bayer's. It is easier to touch the end of the strip to the drop of blood on the cat's ear than it is to touch the side of Accu-check strip to the ear.
Also, the test area on the Accu-check is curved inward, I suppose to "fit" a human's finger. Again, this makes it more difficult to use on a cat than the Bayer strip.
I ruled out all of the meters that do not "sip" the blood as I figured it would be difficult to touch the drop of blood on Simon's ear to an exact spot on the strip. From what I've heard since then, including your experience, I think I made the correct decision.
2) Bayer makes another meter called the Dex which also "sips" the blood into the strip. During my research I saw comments from others saying that you had to be sure to hold the Dex perfectly level when taking the sample. I called Bayer and asked them about this and they confirmed it.
Given that I was going to be taking blood off a cat's ear, I did not want ot have to worry about whether I was holding the meter in the correct orientation. That ruled out the Dex.
The woman I talked to at the Bayer hotline told me that I should go with the Elite. She has talked to many people testing cats and it is the one, of those made by Bayer, which they use.
3) The final reason I picked the Bayer is because of the 24 hour 7 day a week hotline, which I called to ask about the Dex.
Bayer seems to only hires diabetics for the job and they are great people. I was hesitant to call them at first since I was going to use the meter on a cat, but they put me completely at ease.
They talk to a lot of people testing cats and dogs. While they can not give any medical advise, for humans or cats or dogs or little green men from Alpha Centauri, they can provide all the help you need in using their products.
On member of the FDMB got a Dex and she told how she was having trouble with it and going through so many strips that it was getting quite expensive. At the suggestion of others, she called Bayer and they wound up sending her an Elite XL and a new supply of strips. They sent it and then simply told her to send in the Dex.
Is that great customer support or what?
I suppose the other company's have similar hot lines, but Bayer's was the first I called and it sold me on their products.
My advice is to get a Bayer Elite or a Bayer Elite XL. The only differences are that the XL stores more readings in memory and has the capability to upload the readings to a PC. You need a special cable that costs about $35.00 and software. Both are available from Bayer. Their software can be downloaded for free from their web site.
I am a programmer (have been at it for 28 years though at times it seems I've been dealing with computers since birth) and I've looked at their software - the kindest thing I can say is that it "sucks". I am working on software of my own and will make it available for free when I have it finished and tested.
Both Bayer's software and mine will only run on Windows systems, not Unix or Mac.
When we bought the Elite XL, the price was $55.00. It came with a rebate form for $25.00 and Bayer will rebate an additional $20.00 with you send in another meter (any brand, any condition).
Bayer and everyone else is making their profit on the strips, not the meters.
We buy 100 strips for $63 - $67 . I have been told there may be lower prices available but I haven't gotten around to searching for them.
In a nutshell, here's how I test Simon:
1) Locate Simon. I make sure I know where he is before I start.
2) I get the materials together.

Meter

Test Strips (two so I'll have another at hand if I screw up)

Lancet

Instant hand warmer (I happened to have these so I use them to warm his ear) Note - as explained below in detail, I no longer warm Simon's Ear before testing.

Reading glasses (I'm 48 and in the past year my close up focus distance has moved out to something like 18" and I need the glasses to clearly see the drop of blood - it is awful small and I'm close to it - without the glasses it would be rather blurred.)

4) I activate the hand warmer by bending the little metal disk inside the plastic pouch. Most people use a damp wash cloth that they micro ware for a bit - more information in below.
5) I go to Simon. I usually go to him rather than take him to a particular spot. If he's somewhere where I can't sit down comfortably and have good lighting (like if he's in the basket under the kitchen table) I get him and sit down somewhere else. If he's on the bed, sofa, outside on the front screened in porch, or even in the basement on top of the dryer, I go to him and test him there.
6) I sit down and put him on my lap, the exact position is described below. I then open the test strip foil package and put the strip in the meter - this turns the meter on. I take the cap off the lancet - I hold the lancet in my hand, I don't use the automatic lancet device that cam with the meter - more info below.
7) I then prick his ear - lots more info below.
8) I touch the end of the test strip to the drop of blood and wait for the meter to beep. I hold the end of the test strip in the drop of blood for 1 or 1 /2 seconds after the meter beeps just to be sure it has enough blood in the reaction chamber. I then look at the strip to make sure there's enough blood - you guessed it - more info below.
If this is not a pre shot test, I put Simon back in whatever position he was in before I put him in my lap, such as laying down, give him a small treat (Tender Vitals or Whisker Lickin's Tarter Control or Pounce Tarter Control) and leave him to return to whatever he was doing before I so rudely interrupted him
If it's a pre shot test, I wait for the meter to count down it's 30 seconds and check the result. If it's not too low, I give him his injection and then do the same as above, reposition him, give him a treat... If the reading is considerably lower than a normal pre shot test, I will reduce the insulin dose or perhaps even skip it entirely.
I know I have really simplified this description, there is a lot more information below.
One thing I don't go into below is the use of Vaseline which other sites and people talk about using. The idea is that by applying a small amount of Vaseline to the spot where you are going to draw the blood, the blood will bead up and not spread out in the fur.
Simon is basically a Russian Blue and he does not have a lot of fur on the edges of his ears, or anywhere else on his ear for that matter. His ears are not bare, but there's not a lot of thick fur.
The drop of blood always beads up and I've never even tried putting Vaseline on his ear. You can try it both ways - with and without Vaseline and see which works best for you.
If you can skip the Vaseline, it's just one thing you don't have to do and it speeds up the process.
NOW - above I said that I warm Simon's ear before pricking it - I lied!
Actually, I used to do it every time I did a test. Then one day I happened to not grab a hand warmer and did not realize it until I'd gone out to the front porch and found Simon.
I did the test without warming his ear and had no difficulty getting an adequate blood sample.
I have not warmed his ear since. That was at least 200 tests ago.
So - try warming the ear and try it without warming the ear. If you are able to get an adequate blood sample without warming the ear it will be just one less thing to do and will make the whole procedure shorter.

How the Meter Measure the Glucose Level in the Blood Sample

Here's how the testing is done by the meter:
When the rounded tip of the test strip is placed in the drop of blood, the capillary channel in the test strip will then draw the blood into the reaction chamber where it will interact with the reagents (the chemicals) to cause a chemical reaction which will produce free electrons. The number of free electrons produced by the chemical reaction is directly proportionate to the amount of glucose in the sample. This "charge" is then read by the meter electronics and the BG level is displayed.
The test strip is actually a little printed circuit with two "wires" to carry the "charge" from the reaction chamber to the electronics inside the meter to carry the "charge".
The reason the meter "counts down" 30 seconds it that the meter is calibrated to "read" the "charge" produced by the effects of a specific amount of reagents with a specific amount of blood for a specific length of time - 30 seconds.
Bayer has done testing and has determined how many free electrons will be released for a give amount of glucose in the sample after the chemical reaction is allowed to continue for these 30 seconds.
When this interval is up, the meter's electronics measures the "charge" and displays the result.
Because the test strips contains the reagents (that is, chemicals) which are affected by exposure to air, moisture, and temperature, once you open the foil package, they begin to degrade.
Bayer sets a time limit of 15 minutes, after which an opened test strip should be discarded. Depending upon conditions, a strip might produce an accurate test after 15 minutes, but the whole purpose of home testing your cat is to get accurate readings of his Blood Glucose levels. Taking the chance that a strip might still be good after, say, 20 minutes simply jeopardizes the accuracy of the testing
So, you need to use a strip within 15 minutes after opening it or you should discard the strip and use another one.
I wait to open the strip until I am ready to test, usually before I put Simon on my lap.

Top Seven Mistakes when using a Bayer Elite or Elite XL

Here are the top seven ways to mess up a BG reading with the Elite. Either I or my wife, Sharon, have made these mistakes so I know they work (the wrong way of course). I'm sure I'll find others as we continue testing Simon, but these are ones that you can watch out for now.
Mistake number One - Forget to code the meter for a new box of Test Strips with a different F number than the previous box. The readings will be off because the meter is not coded correctly for the strips being used.
Each box of test strips comes with a Code Strip which you use to code the meter for that batch of test strips. The Code strip is enclosed in a little cellophane bag. The Code strip is shaped like a regular test strip but you won't mistake it for one. First of all it has a blob of green plastic on the end that you would normally inset in the drop of blood when doing a test. Second, it has an F number printed on the back - such as F-5.
This F number will match the F number printed on the back of the foil package containing the test strips.
Test strips are actually little chemical laboratories, if you will, in which chemical regents react with the blood sample to create ions. The meter electronics is then able to measure the electrical charge of these ions and determine the amount of glucose in the blood sample.
When a batch of test strips is manufactured it is assigned a F number and a Code strip is created to code the meter to the specify characteristics of that batch of test strips.
Before the meter can accurate determine the amount of glucose in the blood sample, based upon the electrical charge created by the chemical reaction, it must "know" some information about the test strips being used.
The Code strip provides this information. Whenever you switch to a new box of strips, you must always insert the code strip that comes with the new box to "code" the meter to the new strips. Failure to do this when using strips with a different F code than the strips you've just been using, will cause inaccurate test results.
The F code for a strip is printed on the back of the foil package. It is not a bad idea to check that the F number flashed by the meter when you insert a normal test strip, matches the number on the strip package, though I must admit that I rarely do this myself.
All of the test strips I have used to date (7/14/00) have all had code number F-5. If the code number of the last box of strips matches that of a new box, you don't need to insert the new Code strip to code the meter, but I almost always do. It's a good habit to develop because some where down the line you will encounter a box of test strips with a different Code number and if you don't code the meter the readings you obtain will be incorrect.
Mistake number Two - Touch the flat side of the strip to the blood instead of the edge of the rounded end.
Because the opening through which the blood is "sipped" is at the edge at the very end of the strip, touching the side to the blood gets you nowhere.
My wife was the one of us who made this mistake (but, as I said, I've "discovered" all the others by myself, thank you very much).
She was doing a test on herself and the meter did not beep when she touched the strip to the blood. She asked me why and I looked and realized that she had set the wide side of the strip down on the drop of blood rather than placing the tip of the strip in the blood.
The tip must be touched to the drop of blood, not the side of the strip - the tip.
Mistake Number Three - Try to delay putting the strip fully into the meter until you have the drop of blood and then wind up letting the strip flip out of meter and land who knows where.
The Bayer Elite will "time out" three minutes after you inset the strip. Thus, if you have not sampled the blood within three minutes after you inset the strip, the meter will turn itself off. This is no doubt done to same the batteries.
I had seen many people saying, in messages and on web sites, that they put the strip into the meter only far enough for it not to fall out and do not push the strip the rest of the way into the meter until they had a drop of blood for the test.
I began doing this and it was working fine until the time I picked up the meter, putting my index finger on the strip to push it in and caught my finger nail on the strip instead of my finger tip. When I pushed down on the strip, it bent and then went flying off to parts unknown. I did not find the strip until the next day, it was behind a chair next to the bed on which I had been testing Simon.
There I sat with Simon on my lap, a drop of blood on his ear, me unable to let go of his ear or he would flip the blood off his ear into my face (he's got really good aim) and no strip in the meter. Luckily there was another strip within reach and I managed somehow to open the foil package, extract the strip and get it into the meter all with one hand and my teeth while the other hand hung onto Simon's ear.
Since then, I get everything ready -- the tip off the lancet, the foil package open, Simon on may lap and then I fully insert the strip and proceed to prick Simon's ear and do the test.
Three minutes is an awful long time when you think about it in regards to how long it takes to prick the ear and then pick up the meter and touch the tip of the strip to the drop of blood.
If you can't get a drop of blood of suitable size in three minutes, you probably will not get one - your cat is likely to have decided that you are total klutz and will have started to make it clear that he or she wants to leave or at very least will make clear his or her feelings about the lack of hand-eye coordination so rampant in the human race.
I've not had the meter time out and shut itself off during any test. I doubt it would do so unless you are really having a lot of trouble getting a large enough drop of blood.
If the meter should time out, you can remove the strip and reinsert it to turn the meter back on, but this will probably take two hands or at least some fancy juggling on your part using one hand.
If the time expires and you can't manage to remove the strip and reinsert it to turn the meter back on, you'll probably want to let your cat go and try again later.
But if you want to try using the "partial insertion" technique, here's how I was doing it, but I repeat one bad experience was enough to teach me that I can go ahead and insert the strip completely and still have plenty of time to complete the test before the 3 minute time-out interval elapses.
Put the strip in the meter just far enough that it will stay put but not turn the meter on. Then set the meter down at an angle, propped up against something, so that the end with the strip is elevated. This will help to hold the strip in place until you are ready to pick up the meter and fully insert the strip.
When you're ready, pick up the meter something like the way you hold the computer mouse -- place your hand so the meter is in your palm and then put your index figure on the end of the strip and push it fully into the meter.
Be sure not to bend the strip or it may pop out of the meter. Also if it is actually bent so that it creases, the strip will probably be damaged and will have to be replaced.
With practice you can do this fairly easily, but I don't use this method any longer because, as I've already said, I know that I can get an adequate drop of blood in much less than three minutes.
Mistake Number Four - After getting the sample into the meter, set the meter down so that the tip of the test strip is against some nice absorbent material - like your spouse's blue terry cloth robe.
I had gotten the sample into the strip and set the meter down and held Simon's ear for a few seconds to make sure the bleeding had stopped. While doing this I was giving him a good chin scratching. I looked down at the meter, concentrating on the display area, not even glancing at the strip.
The meter counted down and showed a reading of 252. This was a pre shot test and 252 was much lower than normal for one of Simon's pre shot tests at the time.
I started thinking about whether I should give Simon his injection or whether to reduce the dose. I happened to glance at the test strip and saw a nice red spot on the terry cloth robe against which the end of the test strip was resting.
By the time I noticed, every last molecule of blood had been sucked out of the strip by the robe.
I decided against re-testing and gave Simon his normal insulin dose.
If you get insufficient blood into the test strip, or if it sucked out as it was for me, the reading will be lower than the actual BG level. Since I knew that the 252 reading was lower than his actual BG because of this mistake, I felt safe giving Simon his normal dose.
I did not have another strip with me (now I always take 2 when I go to test Simon) and would have had to go into the kitchen to get another. Rather than risk making Simon mad by hanging on to him while I fetched another strip or risk him taking off and my then having to hunt him down, I just gave him his injection and let him go.
Besides, by the time I'd gotten another strip from the kitchen, the drop of blood would probably started to coagulate and I'd have had to prick his ear again.
Now whenever I set the meter down during a test I double check to see that the strip is not touching anything.
Mistake Number Five- Get too little blood to make the meter beep.
If this happens, don't try to add more blood once you've removed the strip from the drop of blood.
Doing so may cause air to get between the two samples of blood and this will invalidate the test results.
If the meter does not beep within a reasonable length of time after you've put the tip of the test strip in the drop of blood-- you'll know how long it takes from experience -- you'll just have to take the strip out and insert a new one and do the whole thing over.
Mistake Number Six - Try to do a test on the screened in porch where Simon has been watching the world go by when the outside temperature is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit without making sure you get the ear warm enough.
Before going any further on this one, let me reiterate that I no longer warm Simon's ear before a test. I've found that by picking the right target spot on his ear (this is something you will have to learn by practice on your own cat) and with some massaging of the ear, I can get an adequate sample without warming his ear.
However, it happens, by coincidence, I stopped warming his ear early this Spring and so I may find it necessary to warm his ear when the weather gets colder again if he's been outside or on the screened in porch. I doubt that I'll go back to using the instant hand warmers, but I may rub or puff on his ear to warm it a bit if it is very cold.
All of that in mind, let me describe this "mistake"--
Simon was out on the porch one evening so I decided to go test him there. I warmed his ear for about as long as normal and then pricked it. Nothing! Tried again. Nothing!
I then realized that it was a bit nippy out there and because of that I'd have to warm his ear longer to get it warm enough to easily get a good drop of blood. So, I warmed his ear about twice as long as usual, pricked it, got enough blood and did the test. I wound up taking about twice as long to do the test as usual and Simon was beginning to get a bit ticked off about it.
(remember, this was early on in my learning how to do tests quickly and easily and I no longer warm his ear but you may find it helps you with your cat)
The question of how long to warm the ear and how warm to get it is one that a lot of people ask.
Many times they are answered by someone saying "Until it's warm enough." Right!
I use an instant hand warmers (again - this is what I used to do) when I warm up Simon's ear. They get almost too hot to hold tightly, but not quite.
I simply put it to his ear so that his ear is held between the warmer and head. Some people recommend wrapping whatever is used to warm the ear around the ear so that it is touching both the front and back of the ear.
Most people use a damp wash cloth that has been micro waved for about 15 seconds. They then put the wash cloth in a plastic bag so that the cat's ear will not get wet. If it gets wet the blood will spread out instead of forming a drop.
I have not used a wash cloth, I had these hand warmers and used them from the beginning. I also do not wrap it around his ear, I just put the warmer on his ear so that his ear is pushed against his head.
Many times he leans into the warmer, I suppose it feels pretty good. I always watch him to be sure he's not trying to pull away, as I suppose he would do if it got too hot.
His ears are quite maneuverable and I have to check that he hasn't pulled his ear out from under the warmer.
I guess I keep it there for about 10 or 15 seconds, moving it gentle back and forth. These hand warmers get to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit, or so says the package, I have not measured the temperature, and 10 to 15 seconds seems to do the trick.
If I grasp his ear between my fingers and it feels quite a bit warmer than usual, it is probably warm enough, But I harder ever check anymore, I know how long it takes from experience and just go ahead and pick up lancet and prick his ear.
Expect for the possibility of hurting the cat if you over do the warming, as far as doing the test goes, I don't think it is really possible to get the ear too warm
Mistake Number Seven - Don't look at the strip to see if it really has enough blood when the meter beeps.
It is possible, though it has happened to me only once, for the meter to beep before it actually has enough blood in the test chamber.
If you hold an unused strip up to a light, and perhaps put on your reading glasses or use a magnifier, you will see that it has a square area a bit down from the rounded tip. This square is the testing chamber into which the blood is drawn.
You'll notice that the two "wires" that run down the sides of the strip turn and lead into the testing chamber. This is now the meter "senses" the electric "charge" that is produced by the chemical reaction.
Just a bit farther down on the strip from the test chamber, you'll see a small Plus Sign (+) enclosed in a faint circle.
Just a bit farther down on the strip from the test chamber, you'll see a small Plus Sign (+) enclosed in a faint circle.
To be sure you have enough blood, always check that the blood has reached this circle around the Plus Sign (+).
This drawing I've done shows how the blood has reached the faint circle with the plus sign. This is an adequately filled strip, and will produce an accurate test result.
When I'm testing Simon and the meter beeps, I leave the strip in the drop of blood a second or so after the beep and look to see if the blood has reached this circle. .
In my testing there have only been about 3 times in over 600 tests that the meter has beeped before the blood has reached this circle, but it's better to check each time and be sure.
Too little blood will produce a low reading. This is logical if you think about it.
The meter and test strip are designed to test the glucose in a given amount of blood. The amount of chemical reagents in the strip are geared for this and the time the meter "counts down" before displaying the results is also geared to using a specific amount of blood.
If you get too little blood into the strip, it follows that you are also not getting enough glucose into the strip for the reading to be accurate.
Think if is as a recipe. If you are making a cake from scratch and use too little water, you'll get something that resembles a cake but it will be awful dry.
If you were going to measure the glucose level in some blood using chemistry laboratory test tubes and beakers, you'd carefully measure out the chemical reagents and the blood. You'd want to be sure you got the "recipe" right - exactly right amount of chemicals and exactly right amount of blood.
Too little or too much of either and the "recipe" fail. That is, the number of ions created in the chemical reaction during the 30 second countdown would be lower than if the correct amount of blood had been obtained. The meter will read this lower electrical charge as a lower glucose content of the sample.
It is pretty difficult to get too much blood in the test strip, it will only hold so much and when that much is in the strip no more will fit.
This is not true, however, for the Bayer Dex meter. I have heard reports of getting too much blood into the strip and having some of the blood reach the electronics in the meter. Even the people at Bayer's hot line acknowledge this.
For the Elite or Elite XL, you probably can not get too much blood into the strip.
If you always check that the blood has reached the circle around the Plus Sign (+) you will have accurate results.
When you look at a strip when the blood has reached the circle, you can clearly see that it has because the leading edge or front of the blood in the strip has a curved edge -- it has stopped at the edge of the circle. If it does not reach the circle the front edge will be straight or jagged, not curved.
When I do a test I always wear my reading glasses and make sure I have plenty of light - not necessarily plenty of light to shine through Simon's ear, as many people suggest, but enough light to see what I'm doing and to see the strip so that I can tell if the blood reaches the circle.
When I first began testing Simon, I positioned him so that light shone through his ear. I have found that to be unnecessary. I only need light on the surface of his ear where I am going to prick it.
Those are the major mistakes I've made so far, and I think this pretty much covers the mistakes which can cause inaccurate readings.
Others might be using strips past their expiration date or using strips which have gotten too cold or too hot - the storage temperature range is on the strip box.
If you "discover" any more more mistakes, let me know and I'll add them to my list.
One minor "mistake" I'd like to mention is the placement of the meter. Since I have only two hands (and I strongly suspect most of you do also) I can only hold Simon's ear with one hand and the lancet with the other. After pricking his ear I set the lancet down and pick up the meter. No big thing, right? Wrong - if I have Simon on my lap and am pricking his right ear (which I use most of the time) and I set the meter down on the left side, I must then reach around Simon with my right hand (my left hand is hanging on to his ear) to get the meter. This is quite clumsy, so I always remind myself to set the meter down on the right hand side so that I can simply reach down and pick it up.
This may seem a minor point, but it's little things like this that make the difference between being able to quickly, easily and with a minimum of fuss do a BG test and having the whole thing turn into a fiasco where the cat want's to leave and you're still struggling to finish the test.

How I position Simon when I'm Doing a Test

I have become convinced that many of the problems people have in doing BG tests on their cats stem from the position in which they attempt to do the test and how they hold the cat.
Not to criticize her, but I watched my wife do her first test on Simon and saw how he tried to pull away from her and fought.
This was caused, I believe, because she did not have control of him. She had hold of his ear and that was her only point of contact with him.
Try grabbing your cat by the ear and try to keep them in one place or control the movement of his or her head - it does not work.
I have thus adopted the following position for testing and it has served me quite well.
I always put him on my lap where I can control him easily. Even if he is laying on the bed or sitting in a chair, I always sit down and put him on my lap. I have found that I can keep control of him this way without having to exert any real amount of force.
I position him differently on my lap depending upon which ear I'm going to use.
Imagine my having Simon on my lap with him facing directly away from me, his rear end is up against my stomach and he's sitting on my legs.
If I am going to use his right ear, I will turn him about 45 degrees to the right so that I can put my left arm against his left side, the palm of my left hand on his forehead, and hold his right ear with the fingers of my left hand. I then do the pricking and pick up the meter with my right hand.
If I'm going to use his left ear, I turn him 45 degrees to the left and put my right arm against his right side, his forehead in the palm of my right hand, and use the fingers of my right hand to hold his left ear.
Then, I do the prick with my left hand, but because I am right handed and it is easier, I switch hands and hold his ear with my left hand and pick up the meter in my right hand. This gives me better control of the meter allowing me to accurate place the strip into the drop of blood.
If this is hard to visualize, put your cat on your lap and turn him or her to the right. Then put your left arm against the cat's left side, place your palm on his or her forehead, and hold the right ear with the fingers of your left hand.
In the position you can exert pressure against his left side and hold the cat into your chest if he or she starts to wiggle. It puts the ear you're going to test way from you, that is, it's not on the side of the cat that is nearest you so that if you dow have to hug the cat to you, the ear is not close up to hour body. You have room to work.
Now turn your cat the other way and put your right arm against right right side, his or her forehead in the palm of your right hand, and grasp the left ear with the fingers of your right hand. Again, you can "hug" him or her against you with your right arm if the cat wiggles around.
Because you have cat angled across your lap, not turned completely sideways, his or her rear end will be up against you and he or she can't move backwards to avoid the testing. You arm is against the cat's side, so the cat can't go that way, and with your palm on the forehead, covering his or her eyes if you wish to do so, he can't move away from you in a forward direction.
This sounds a lot more complicated than it is. Try it with your cat and you'll see that it is actually a pretty natural position to hold the cat for testing. You'll have pretty good control of him or her and still have one hand free to prick his ear with the lancet and to pick up and position the meter.
I'll try to get Sharon to take some photographs of the procedure and and add them here. You know the saying, one picture is worth a thousand words - I think I may have used about two thousand words trying to describe this position.
When I go to put the test strip into the drop of blood, I always brace the hand holding the meter against the hand holding the ear. This provides me with very solid control of the meter and I can place the tip of the strip right where I want it. Remember that we are talking about a very small drop of blood and you want to be able to hold the strip in the drop until sufficient blood has been drawn into it.
Even if Simon moves his head while I'm taking the sample, because I am bracing against the hand hold the ear, both hands will move with his head and the test strip will stay in place. Remember, I have his forehead in the palm of the hand holding his ear and the hand in which I'm holding the meter is braced against the hand holding his head and ear.
If he moves his head, my hands just move with it and the strip doesn't leave the drop of blood.
Simon does not move very often while being tested, he is actually very good about the whole procedure, but there are times when he will shift his head around and I want to be sure the strip stays in place until sufficient blood has been drawn in for the test to be accurate.
That Simon does not give me much trouble and wiggle around a lot is, no doubt, because all of our cats are used to be handled and picked up and "loved on" quite often. Just about any time we pass one in the house he (or she, we have one girl - named Cleo) will get some attention even if it's just to lean over and scratch an ear.
I find myself picking up Simon much more often since I started testing him. I don't want him to think that every time I pick him up he's going to be tested.
I realize that the cat's degree of cooperation, or lack thereof, will vary, but if you handle a cat enough, it is easy to do BG testing.
Even an adult cat can be gotten use to more handling. When we got Thomas and Cleo from my sister-in-law when she moved to Texas, Thomas was easy to handle. Cleo, however, did not want to be picked up. She would squirm and struggle to the point where you would almost drop her. (She is very overweight and it made her even harder to hold when she struggled)
I began a campaign to get her used to being picked up. Every time I saw her I'd pick her up and scratch her ears, chin, or stomach and then put her down.
I gradually began holding her longer and longer. Now we can pick her up and she doesn't struggle at all (well, not much and very rarely). She now will actually get in our lap all by herself - something she never did before. (She's also losing weight, so she can get about easier)
This whole procedure took about 5 weeks, but it was time well spent -- ah, I have an advantage here -- I work from a home office and some weeks I'm home almost all the time so I was able to pick her up quite often during the day.
Having a cat who you can not handle is a real problem when something comes up that requires you to pick them up, like an emergency in the house, or taking them to the vet, or getting them out of the way of a dog outside, or anything else that requires you be able to pick them up and carry them.
Some other things I do or don't do while testing
-- I always hold the lancet in my; I don't use any type of "automatic" lancet device. I have much better control and aim this way. Using a lancet device makes it harder to hit the target you have selected. I have found that I can prick Simon's ear just deep enough by hand and that I can tell that I've gone deep enough by feel and sound -- there is actually a very faint sort of pop when the lancet penetrates the skin.
-- I don't use gauze or anything else under his ear. Given the position in which I hold him, I can simply hold his ear with my fingers and it will be solid enough to allow me to do the prick easily. I don't always put my fingers right under where I will pricking. I just hold his ear snugly and insert the lancet.
-- I try not to be hesitant or slow in pricking Simon's ear. I just do it! If you try to do it slowly or are hesitate, you'll wind up taking longer, leaving the lancet in longer, and the entire procedure will be more difficult for both you and your cat. Just choose your target and stick the lancet in and pull it right out.
-- If it seems I'm not going to get enough blood, I remedy that by gently "milking" or rubbing his ear.
To "milk" Simon's ear, I simply grasp his ear, with the fingers of the hand with which I held the lancet, between where I pricked it and the base of the ear and gently rub back and forth to push blood towards the site of the prick. I do this also with the fingers I was using to hold his ear as I pricked it.
So, I have fingers of both hands gently rubbing back and forth, releasing when near the prick and grasping again when away from it, to push blood towards the prick. I almost always get enough blood this way if the initial drop was not big enough and it takes only a couple of seconds.
I think also that Simon sort of enjoys the motion. Most cats like to have their ears scratched or rubbed.
I do not, however, hesitate to do another prick if I am not getting enough blood. There is no point in putting Simon through any more time for the test than is necessary. If I see that the initial drop is virtually nonexistent, I prick a again but I do wait a few seconds before making this decision.
-- I've found that the prick will stop bleeding on it own almost immediately, but I still grasp his ear at the prick point and hold it for a few seconds while the meter counts down to be sure the bleeding stops. This is true unless I get a "gusher." Once you've gotten a gusher yourself you know what I mean. This most often happens if I hit a vein - more about that below.
If you get a gusher, don't panic, just apply firm pressure, but not enough to hurt the cat, until the bleeding stops. It shouldn't take more than 45 seconds or so for a pricked spot to stop bleeding, even in the case of a good gusher.
I rub his chin while I'm holding the prick spot to distract him. Simon does not seem to mind any part of the test except having his ear held still for so long a time. I don't think the prick bothers as much as my holding onto his ear for the time it takes to get a large enough drop of blood, get it into the test strip, and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
As far the bleeding stopping on it own - remember, we are looking for such a small amount of blood, and the lancet is so small, that the "wound" we are creating is very, very tiny and it will normally close by itself.
I have found, however, that if I grasp his ear and then release it and wipe off any blood my fingers and then grasp his ear again and hold it for a couple of seconds, it helps the bleeding stop sooner.
(Don't tell my wife, but if I'm wearing jeans, I'll usually wipe my fingers on the jeans - after all it's such a little bit of blood that it will probably never even show, right?)
-- There is an ongoing debate about whether to prick the vein at the outside of the ear or the area between the vein and the edge of the ear.
I did some comparison tests, pricking the vein and doing and reading and then pricking the area outside the vein - I did these tests at the same time and Simon was getting a little restless by the time I finished both tests.
I have not seen any significant differences in the numbers. You can do the same comparison tests to see what your cat's numbers are in the different areas. Bear in mind, however, that you will never get the exact same reading even if you test a second time at the same spot -- it will always vary.
Given that, and the fact that we are not looking for specific BG numbers but are testing to see the range in which the BG number falls, I don't see much difference between using the vein or not.
It is usually easier to get an adequate blood drop from the vein, but with experience you can get a good sample from anywhere on the ear.
Once I wasn't paying enough attention and I let Simon move his ear while I was pricking it. I wound up pricking it about half way between the artery that runs up the middle of his ear and the vein on the outside.
I got a good drop of blood and had no reason to believe the test results were inaccurate.
So, use the spots that work best for you and your cat
BUT STAY AWAY from that blood vessel that runs from the tip of the ear down the middle of the ear to the base. This is an artery and you DO NOT want to prick it. First. the bleeding will probably be harder to stop and second, the Bayer meter (and others, I believe) are not calibrated for arterial blood and the reading will be incorrect.
I guess that's about it, anything I haven't covered is explained in the manual that comes with the Bayer meter.
If you have any questions or are l having problems with inaccurate readings, let me know.
Also, don't hesitate to call the Bayer hotline - they really are great people. That number, which you can find in the meter's manual and on the quick reference card is 1-800-348-8100.

This site is dedicated to Sugarcats everywhere and, in particular, to my Best Buddy - Simon

"Simon, If I could, I would search the entire universe for a cure for this damn disease.
Why did it have to be you?"

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