Feline Diabetes

It may be a bitter pill to swallow, but feline diabetes is commoner than you think, and vets across the world report a growing number of cases as more and more people opt for cats as pets, without adequate knowledge about feline diets and metabolisms. The result: diabetes, which is just as serious a disease in cats as it is in humans.

A colleague  reported a few months ago that her cat "Duncan" had been urinating far above his usual level for quite a while. However, the family took no notice until Felix also began to display symptoms of unusual tiredness and listlessness. “We realized something was seriously wrong when Felix began drinking huge amounts of fluid. Earlier, he would have to be persuaded to drink his required amount of water,” says the colleague.

The diagnosis: feline diabetes. It came as a complete shock to our colleague and her family, because they had always been reasonably careful about what Felix ate and drank, and couldn’t imagine what could have brought the disease on.

In order to understand that, however, we need to know a little more about diabetes itself. In very basic terms, diabetes is the medical condition that occurs when the blood sugar level, controlled by a hormone released in our bodies called insulin, rises or falls abnormally owing to a reduction or increase in the levels of insulin. More commonly, humans as well as cats experience a rise in blood sugar levels owing to a decrease in the production of insulin in the pancreas.

How do you know when your cat has feline diabetes? Well, though symptoms vary from cat to cat, the more common symptoms include excessive passing of urine, increased thirst, weight loss, lack of appetite, poor coat condition and a general lethargy.

These warning signs should be enough for you to see the vet immediately, because if you don’t, you will lay your beloved cat open to the perils of untreated feline diabetes. Recorded case histories show that cats with untreated diabetes will vomit frequently and regularly, thus becoming dehydrated because of which they will stop urinating, become so lethargic as to be almost inactive, and gradually lapse into a comatose condition. And that, as we know, is not too far from the end.

However, feline diabetes is fairly easily controlled, if not always entirely cured. Of course, it will require a great deal of effort on your part, because cats don’t take to disciplining kindly, but you will get there in the end.

Most importantly, your cat will need to be fed only at set times, and should not develop a habit of snacking whenever s/he feels like it. You, too, should take care to see that s/he doesn’t get more food than s/he needs. Also, keep him/her indoors as much as you can because over-exertion can be a problem with diabetes patients. 
Finally, and crucially, you will have to give your cat insulin shots. The vet will determine the frequency and dosage, but you can quite easily do it at home. Just remember to feed your cat before s/he gets the dose, because an insulin dose on an empty stomach can be fatal and result in a hypoglycemic shock. In case your cat does get a ‘hypo’, feed him some glucose immediately.