While limiting adverse effects, pet parents must always consider their diabetic cats because it maximizes treatment success. An integrative animal hospital without any doubts knows the heal to your matters - an “integrative treatment approach” involving multiple types of therapies and combining alternative and conventional medicine.
While limiting adverse effects, pet parents must always consider their diabetic cats because it requires an enormous treatment effort. An integrative animal hospital without any doubts better knows the heal to your matters - an “integrative treatment approach” involving multiple types of therapies and combining alternative and conventional medicine.
Diabetes mellitus, a condition characterized by the inability to produce enough insulin to balance glucose levels and blood sugar, affects an increasing number of cats. If untreated, it leads to vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness of the limbs and legs and lethargy – and worst coma or death.
Diabetes mellitus or feline diabetes is common among obese, neutered male cats and older cats – and it might be even more common than what many pet parents think.
Even so, the disease has been diagnosed each day in cats of both sexes and all breeds. According to statistics, an estimated number of 1 in 100 to 1 in 500 cats acquire it, increasing over time.
Yet in another source, the true incidence of feline diabetes is unknown, but the figure is estimated to be between 0.5% and 2% of the entire cat population and be possibly underdiagnosed.
One of the major causes is insufficient insulin or lack of insulin response that can be due to persistently high blood glucose concentration.
A few factors contributing to insulin resistance include endocrine diseases, such as acromegaly that affects up to 30% of diabetic cats, or obesity.
Feline diabetes is also due to a poor diet, which is a major contributing factor to its development. Both obesity and poor diet increase a cat’s risk of it.
In some cases, it is caused by hormonal diseases (e.g. hyperthyroidism), chronic pancreatitis and use of steroids and certain medications.
Weight loss (even with increased appetite) is a sign of feline diabetes, especially among Type I and II diabetes cat sufferers. Both types are characterized by the cat body’s inability of absorbing glucose from the blood that leads to lack of energy – noticeable among those lacking interest in activities and movement.
With the inability to use the energy from glucose, the cat’s body turns to other fuel sources, such as proteins and fats to feed the cells, eventually leading to weight loss.
Diabetes mellitus signs also include frequent urination and thirst. High blood glucose levels lead to excessive glucose excretion into the urine, an action leading to the pulling of more water into it. When this happens, increased urine volume and raised levels of water loss to follow. But it does not end there. This action also leads to dehydration – and so follows increased thirst.
Diabetes mellitus is a serious condition, but it can be prevented. At the very least, talk to your trustful pet hospital about your cat’s body weight if your feline friend is overweight. Do not make any dietary changes on him without their guidance because rapid weight loss can have adverse health effects!
Simply put, diet plays a major role in preventing diabetes. In general, cats need low carb, high fat and high protein diet. For this reason, you may want to work out a meal plan or diet recommendations from your vet. To prevent the disease, you should also consider good oral care, including regular dental cleaning.
As a general rule of thumb, you should contact your vet right away if your cat is showing diabetes signs.
The condition, although serious, can be managed with insulin shots and joint efforts between your vet and you.
Yes! But don’t worry, as there are ways of blood glucose monitoring to do at home. Your vet will discuss your options that may include a handheld glucometer and blood test strips used for checking blood glucose concentration.
NOTE: It is important that you feel comfortable performing high blood sugar monitoring for your diabetic cat to prevent a health crisis. Do it each day at home to check for high blood sugar because it can spill into his urine.
Depending on the severity and nature of your cat’s condition is the type of treatment that he’ll receive.
In the earlier stages and for cats not gravely ill, daily insulin shots will be administered, oral medication will be given and dietary changes will be recommended. Lifestyle changes, including physical activities, can also be another point.
But for cats with a severe condition, they might have to be admitted to the veterinary hospital, both for medications and IV fluid administration to stabilize his blood sugar levels.
While diabetes mellitus or feline diabetes is a serious disease, it can be prevented and managed with combined efforts between you and your veterinarian. Finally, with proper treatment and management, cats with diabetes can still have a happy long life with their pet parents or perhaps even without them. Consider taking your diabetic cat to an integrative animal hospital and ask for the right feline diabetes management plan today!
Lilly Myers is a freelance content writer and social worker at Beverly Hills Speech Therapy. She has just recently received Master's in Medical Sciences. Besides her occupancy she tries to find a spare time for volunteering and helping the people with disorders.