Feline Diabetes

The Basics of Diabetes

Our pets tend to suffer from many of the same diseases we do.  One particular disease  cats share with us humans is Diabetes Mellitus, where the body is unable to produce enough or respond appropriately to the hormone insulin. The result of this inability is extremely elevated glucose levels.  Several risk factors for diabetes are obesity, inactivity, increasing age, and glucocorticoid therapy.  

​Symptoms of Diabetes in Cats

Some of the symptoms of diabetes in cats are:
--Increased thirst
--Increased urination
--Weight loss
--Lethargy
--Muscle wasting on their back
--In some instances, the nerves in the hind end may be damaged and result in a flat-footed stance.

Diagnosing Diabetes in Cats

In order to diagnose diabetes in cats, your veterinarian will need to run bloodwork to determine a definitive diagnosis.  However, because a stressed cat sometimes has high glucose levels due to the stress of coming the vet, just running a glucose test is not always helpful.  Instead, your veterinarian will need to run a test to check your cat's fructosamine levels.  Fructosamine is a molecule whose concentrations are consistently elevated  in cats with diabetes but also whose levels are not affected by the stress of coming to the vet.

​Treating Diabetes in Cats

Although it takes a large commitment for an owner to treat a cat suffering from diabetes, the disease is manageable if the owner is willing to comply with their veterinarian's plan for treatment.  If your cat is diagnosed early enough, the chance for long term damage to the pancreas can be minimized.  

Some of the treatments your veterinarian may recommend are dietary changes to a high protein and low carb diet, oral medications, insulin injections, and weight loss.  Sometimes, if caught early enough, and treatment is initiated immediately, there is a chance your cat could go into diabetic remission.  If your cat is suffering with any of the symptoms listed, please feel free to call and schedule an appointment for your cat to be seen by our veterinarian.  The earlier it is detected, the better your cat's chance for successful management.  

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