Does your cat have Feline Diabetes?
First let’s look at the definition of Diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is caused by the inability of the body’s hormone insulin to balance blood sugar (glucose) levels properly.
Glucose produces energy in the body. When food is digested into a body it enters the blood system, it then signals the cells to convert sugar into energy. The more you eat the more insulin is needed and secreted and the more glucose is spent. If the blood rises to high small amounts of insulin is secreted to make sure that the glucose levels don’t get to high. If the glucose levels do get to high it is called hyperglycemia. Sometimes the glucose levels fall very low which is dangerous, called hypoglycemia.
There are two types of Diabetes, Type One and Type Two. Type one is when the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin. Type two happens when the cells in the body doesn’t respond to the insulin as much as it should. The body will react to both which will result in high blood sugar levels where there won’t be enough glucose to be processed. What happens is that the body is unable to produce enough energy and the body will start to starve to death, and will lose weight in the process.
In your diabetic cat, you will start to see him drink a lot more which is called Polydipsia, and then have excessive urination, which is called Polyuria. When you see these symptoms, contact your Veterinarian right away. What is happening is glucose is building in the urine and your cat’s body is responding by flushing the excess from his kidneys through urination.
Other signs of Diabetes Mellitus in cats are increased appetite, lethargy, poor hair coat, liver disease and weight loss. If you see your cat have a strange weakness in his rear legs that is a disorder called Neuropathy. All of these symptoms can result into a condition called Ketoacidosis.
If you see your cat with those symptoms or even if there is just a feeling that something is not right, call and go to your veterinarian right away. They will perform diabetic tests like checking your cat’s blood to see if it has normal blood sugar. They will also want to check your cat’s urine to see if there is an elevated amount of keytones present.
Feline diabetes can affect any breed of cat, but most often happens in older, over weight, male cats, but female cats can get it also. There are many causes of feline diabetes like genetics, obesity, diseases of the pancreas, hormonal issues, and even different medications, but one of the most important causes that can be preventable is your cat’s diet.
The good news is that feline diabetes is not a death sentence; it is a treatable disorder and what I believe to be a very preventable disorder.
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