Diabetes in Cats – How To Identify The Symptoms And Treatment Options
Diabetes is a common problem that affects most cats. It often occurs when the cats has insulin defeciency, which means the blood glucose levels aren’t properly stabilized. Cats normally suffer from the two main types of diabetes. Essentially, cats that suffer from type one diabetes are unable to create enough insulin while those with type two diabetes can make enough insulin but secretion is weakened.
What felines are more at risk of diabetes?
While this condition can occur unannounced at any age, it normally affects middle-aged felines and these are cats that are between 7-9 years old. Studies show that males are more vulnerable to get affected. Another common risk factor is obesity and this is seen in Burmese cats.
Symptoms to check out for
Some of the common symptoms of diabetes in cats are weight loss, increased appetite, excessive urination and increased thirst. Most owners often complain that despite eating healthy meals, their cat still experiences weight loss. Others complain of more urine clamps in the litter box. Wobbliness or impaired walking ability by the rear legs is also a common symptom of diabetes in cats.
Treatment options to consider
Treatment often aims to address the aforementioned clinical signs. Low-acting medications that treat diabetes for human are also used in cats. Complete diabetic remission is achieved through medications that stabilize blood glucose levels. And fast recovery often depends on the cat’s regular diet, type of diabetic medication, and how properly the low blood sugar is stabilized.
Diet forms an essential aspect of treatment. In fact, numerous studies now show that feeding your cat a high-protein diet is preferable. Also consider canned low-carbohydrate diets over dry meals when feeding your cat. You can get feed recommendations from your vet or simply conduct internet search on the best foods to feed your cat to alleviate the symptoms of diabetes.
There are efficient veterinary and human insulin preparations available and they work extremely well. What’s more, monitoring the cat’s glucose levels regularly is important to offer long-term diagnosis of diabetes. But for cats that don’t get complete remission, resolving the clinical symptoms always remains the main goal. Therefore, cat owners are advised to monitors signs of excessive urination and frequent peeing when their cat is on diabetes medication.
Conclusion
If you suspect your cat has diabetes, you should visit the vet to receive appropriate treatment. This is important to prevent the condition from worsening.
References: Catster, Pets.webmd, Catvettucson
Copyright: Local Value
