There are two types of diabetes in cats:
1. Type 1: caused by the insufficient production of insulin.
2. Type 2: inability of body’s cells to handle the insulin produced.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas which regulates the glucose level in the body. When there is an insufficient production of insulin in the body or it is not handled properly the body starts breaking down fats and proteins to use as alternative sources and the sugar levels in the blood stream hikes and gets into urine as well, which results in excessive urination and the cat will start eating more yet lose weight.
Cats of all age can fall victim to feline diabetes but it more common in old, obese cats. Moreover male cats tend to have diabetes more than female cats.
Since cat’s body cannot utilize the sugar it eventually ends up in blood and urine and both blood and urine show high sugar level.
Symptoms of Feline Diabetes
• Frequent Urination
• Increase in thirst
• Loss of weight
• Lack of appetite
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Poor skin and coat
• Dehydration
• Abnormal breathing
Diagnosis of Feline Diabetes
If your cat exhibits these symptoms you should take it to the vet immediately who would check the blood glucose level of your cat. A high blood glucose level always does not indicate diabetes as under stress cats show high blood sugar level. So to properly diagnose feline diabetes a sample of urine would also be taken to test for sugar level in urine.
Treatment of Feline Diabetes
Treatment of the disease depends upon its severity. Cats that are not ill require controlled diet high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which would help in weight reduction as well as bringing down the blood sugar level. Moreover your vet might advise you to give the cat smaller portions of meal but increase the frequency of meals rather than giving one or two large portions.
Depending on the diabetes severity the cat might also require injections of insulin once or twice daily under the skin to regulate the blood glucose levels. The cat might be required to get hospitalized to determine the glucose level and to determine the right type and amount of insulin of insulin dosage to be administered to the cat.
The cat might also be given oral medications to treat the diabetes. Oral medications have been successful in the treatment of feline diabetes.
Treatment of a diabetic cat is absolutely necessary or it will result in its death. Moreover you have to be careful with the insulin treatment as well. As too much insulin in the blood would cause the sugar level to drop rapidly which can be very dangerous and can be the cause of death as well. You have to carefully monitor your diabetic cat to take care of the pet as well as the disease. If the cat has diabetes because of being overweight, the need for insulin injections might go away if the cat loses weight. But if the cause of diabetes is some other factor, it might remain with the cat for its entire life span.
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