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Diabetes In Cats – Q and A

Rebecca Schmidt • Apr 14, 2017
A dangerous number of cats are developing diabetes. Diabetes is a disease when your cat’s body does not have the ability to produce enough insulin to balance glucose levels, or blood sugar. If untreated, diabetes can result in weight loss, vomiting, severe depression, coma, loss of appetite, or even death.
Q. How common is Feline Diabetes?
A. There is no exact percent of how common diabetes is in cats, but it is estimated that 0.5 % to 2% of cats will have diabetes.

Q. What Is My Cat’s Lifespan with Diabetes?
A. There really is no telling of how long your cat can live with diabetes, it really depends on each cat. If you notice early symptoms and act on it fast it will likely do less damage on your cat’s body long term. It also depends on how well you take care of your cat and maintain their medical needs that are increased with diabetes

Q. What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes In My Cat?
A. Many symptoms of diabetes are the symptoms of many other diseases too, so when noticing these symptoms you will want to speak with your veterinarian. Symptoms may include – increased drinking, increased urination, weight loss and increase or decrease in appetite. Diabetes is known to cause “Plantigrade” stance, which is when you cat appears to walk on the hocks of their rear legs.

Q. Can I Prevent My Cat From Getting Diabetes?
A. Diabetes can’t be prevented, however you can reduce the chance by not allowing your cat to become obese, encouraging exercise, feed appropriately ( no people food), and lastly avoid the use of corticosteroids, which are commonly used to treat inflammatory conditions. The short term symptoms are increased hunger, loss of energy, and increased thirst and urination. The long term affects may include a poor or thin hair coat, muscle weakness, development of obesity due to increased hunger, and poor wound healing and other symptoms.

Q. What is The Treatment for a Diabetic Cat?
A. Treatment is very important for a diabetic cat, diet is the key component. It’s said that a low-carb diet is best for a diabetic cat. When treating a diabetic cat there are usually insulin injections needed. There are oral medications out there but it is only recommended if insulin is not able to be used due to the side affects. Most recommend taking your cat into the vet to learn to give insulin injections because it can be complicated and you don’t want to give the insulin incorrectly.

Q. What Is The Testing For A Diabetic Cat?
A. There are blood and urine tests that you will want to due every 3-4 months; it’s also a good thing to make sure nothing else is going on as well. There are many other tests done such as a blood panel test which can show you if your cat has liver issues or kidney issues, which are common in diabetic cats and blood glucose levels. Also there are fructosamine blood tests that show your cat’s average blood glucose concentration from the past 2-3 weeks. This is a great test for long term diabetic cats. Diabetic cats also need urine culture tests, which detect bacteria which can cause an infection. Diabetic cats are more prone to urinary tract infections due to their immune system being compromised.

Q. Will I Have To Test My Cats Blood And Give Her Shots Everyday?
A. Yes and no, Insulin shots wills have to be given every day to maintain the proper sugar levels in your cat’s body, often times people are scared of injuring their cat with insulin injections and of the overall idea. Once you learn how to do it properly people often find it easy to do. Blood tests will not be done at home; those will be done by your local veterinarian when going in for a diabetic checkup.
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