Caring for your Diabetic Cat
Source: Uwe Gille
Feline diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is a common ailment found in cats around the world. It is caused by the hormone insulin failing to properly regulate the amount of glucose in a cat's bloodstream. In a healthy animal, food is consumed, insulin is created and then the glucose is converted into usable energy. However, if your cat has diabetes, this process will not occur and its blood sugar levels will be higher than normal, causing health problems and in severe cases, even death.
Diabetes is one illness where nurture can play a bigger part that nature. No one breed is more prone to diabetes than another but lifestyle can have a big impact as the illness is more common in overweight cats. Age and gender can also have an influence, as older, male cats are more likely to develop the disease.
If your cat has diabetes, it may experience some or all of the following symptoms:
• Excessive urination (polyuria)
• Excessive thirst (polydipsia)
• Increased appetite
• Loss of weight
• Fatigue or lethargy
• Vomiting or diarrhea
While there is no cure for diabetes, there are several ways in which you can treat the illness and make your cat's life a lot more comfortable.
1. Insulin injections may need to be given once or twice each day. The dose will depend on your individual cat, and your vet will give you clear instructions on how to do this. These injections will be pain-free to the cat and are very affordable.
2. Dietary management is essential. Overweight cats will need to be put onto a weight loss regime, while underweight felines will require some form of high energy diet. Both are designed to maintain a normal level of sugar in the blood.
3. On occassion, your cat may need to spend a few days with your vet. Here, they will be closely watched until their condition stabilises and they can go home.
4. To ensure that the vet can do his or her job well, the cat owner should keep a diary each day logging when the insulin was taken, how much the dose was, how much food and water was consumed that day, and the general behaviour of the animal.
If all of the above procedures are followed, your cat should live a long and healthy life. However, there are a few complications which may occur which require serious medical attention. Hypoglycaemia is the medical word for a dangerously low blood sugar level. If too much insulin is given, it can lead on to this condition and your cat can feel weak and disorientated. Ketoacidosis is another condition caused by diabetes which has been poorly controlled. It can lead to vomiting, collapse and even death.
For more information about these sorts of complications, or anything else to do with feline diabetes, e-mail our resident vet Dr. Dalya on drdalya@petside.co.uk
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