Content
- What is feline diabetes?
- Causes of Diabetes in Cats
- What are the symptoms of diabetes in cats?
- How is the diagnosis made?
- What is the treatment?
Diabetes is a disease that requires a lot of care and control to allow the patient to lead a normal life, and it affects not only humans, but also various animal species, such as felines.
At PeritoAnimal we know that when your cat is suspected of suffering from diabetes, it may feel worried and distressed, so we will offer you a guide on the most relevant aspects of this disease.
If you want to know everything about the diabetes in cats, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, continue reading this article.
What is feline diabetes?
It is a disease that every day affects more cats around the world, especially those at home. It consists of the impossibility that develops the feline's organism from correctly process glucose and other organic compounds present in food, necessary for the healthy reproduction of cells and obtaining energy.
This impossibility occurs because of a insulin production failure, a hormone generated in the pancreas that is responsible for processing glucose entering the blood.
In this sense, there are two types of diabetes:
- Type 1: occurs when the feline's own body is responsible for destroying the deposits where it produces insulin, so that the necessary amount of this hormone is not obtained.
- Type 2: The pancreas works perfectly by releasing insulin, but the feline's body resists it, so it doesn't allow the hormone to work properly. This is the most common type in cats.
By not processing glucose, the cat's body lacks the energy necessary to lead a normal life, so it begins to take this energy from other cells, which triggers various health problems.
Causes of Diabetes in Cats
There are a few factors that make your cat more likely to develop diabetes, such as the following:
- Obesity (over 7 kilos);
- The age;
- The genetic disposition;
- Race (Burmese suffer more from diabetes than other races);
- Suffer from pancreatitis;
- Suffer from Cushing's syndrome;
- The use of steroids and corticosteroids in any medical treatment.
In addition, neutered male cats tend to suffer from diabetes to a greater extent than females.
What are the symptoms of diabetes in cats?
- Excessive thirst.
- Greedy appetite.
- Decrease in weight.
- Increases the frequency of urination, as well as the abundance of it.
- Lethargy.
- Bad looking fur.
- Vomiting.
- Carelessness in hygiene.
- Difficulty in jumping and walking, with a weakness produced by muscle degeneration, which makes the feline lean not on its legs but on its hind hocks, the area that resembles human elbows.
These diabetes symptoms in cats they may not all occur together, but with 3 of them it is necessary to consult the veterinarian to determine if it is diabetes or some other disease.
With diabetes, your cat may consume more food and still lose weight quickly, so this symptom is unmistakable.
If the disease is not treated and controlled, it can occur complications, such as diabetic retinopathy, which causes eye problems and even blindness; neuropathy and hyperglycemia, which is a constant accumulation of high blood sugar levels.
In addition, it is necessary to be aware of possible developments of urinary infections, kidney failure and liver problems.
How is the diagnosis made?
When it comes to diabetes in cats, blood and urine tests are needed to determine your feline's blood sugar level. However, for many cats the trip to the vet can be a stressful experience, simply because they have to leave the house. When this happens, the blood test is likely to show results on glucose levels that are not 100% safe.
That's why, after a first examination by the veterinarian, it is recommended collect a urine sample at home after a few days, when the cat is relaxed in its natural environment. In this way, a more accurate diagnosis can be obtained.
In addition, it is also recommended to take an exam aimed at measure the presence of fructosamine in the blood, a decisive analysis when it comes to proving whether or not you are dealing with a cat with diabetes.
What is the treatment?
The treatment of feline diabetes is aimed at keeping the symptoms that affect the cat's normal life under control, as well as preventing complications and prolonging the animal's life, ensuring a healthy existence.
If your cat suffers from type 1 diabetes, the treatment requires insulin injections, which you should administer daily. If, on the contrary, you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the most important will be to introduce a drastic change in the diet, and maybe some insulin injections are necessary or not, it all depends on how the patient progresses.
One change in diet Diabetic Cat's is focused on reducing the levels of glucose present in the blood. It's no secret that most processed feline foods on the market today contain large amounts of carbohydrates, when in reality cat food should be protein-based.
That's why the diet of diabetic cats is based on reducing to a minimum the amount of carbohydrates your pet consumes, increasing their protein levels, either with food you prepare at home or with wet cat food.
In relation to insulin injections, only your veterinarian will be able to determine the exact dose your cat needs. It should be administered a maximum of twice a day over the skin of the neck. The idea of insulin treatment is to provide the feline with the tools necessary for its body to perform its functions as normally as possible, avoiding complications.
The veterinarian's instructions regarding the dose of insulin and its frequency must be strictly followed for the treatment to be effective.Before reaching a definitive dose, the cat needs to be monitored for some time to determine the behavior of its glucose levels.
There are also oral medications called hypoglycemic which are used to replace insulin, but only the veterinarian will be able to tell you which of the two treatments is the most suitable for your cat.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.