Feline Diabetes Symptoms

Cat diabetes is a common endocrine disease in cats. The feline diabetes symptoms range from increased thirst and frequent urination to weight loss. Detecting diabetes in time can increase your cat’s life expectancy and quality.

Feline Diabetes Symptoms

Due to an increased level of glucose in the blood, a diabetic cat will experience the following symptoms:

  • Increased thirst
  • Increased appetite
  • More frequent urination
  • Weight loss
  • Lack of energy
  • Dry mouth
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Depression
  • Vomiting
  • Cataracts in rare cases (less frequent than in dogs wit diabetes)
  • Neuropathy (some nerves will not transmit electrical impulses as they are supposed to affecting limbs especially)

If you notice any of these symptoms, or a flat footed stance (which is caused by neuropathy), you need to visit your vet. An early detected condition may be fully treatable while a cat with undetected diabetes may develop liver and bladder diseases and may even die.

Causes of Diabetes

Diabetes in cats may be a hereditary condition. However, there is a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus in obese cats.

The disease may occur as a secondary condition in different diseases of the immune system, virus infections or pancreatic disease. The pancreas produces the insulin, so if this organ is affected, the cat may have diabetes.

Certain cat breeds are more prone to diabetes and females also might develop the disease more often due to the reproductive hormones.

Diagnosing Diabetes

Diabetes may be diagnosed by running some blood tests. If the glucose level in the blood is elevated, this can point to diabetesmellitus.

However, hyperglycemia may be caused by stress in felines, so the test may not be conclusive. For this reason, the levels of fructosamine and a urine sample are also needed for an optimal diagnosis.

Feline Diabetes Treatment

Diabetes in felines should be diagnosed as soon as possible. A cat with diabetes diagnosed from its early stages may recover after a change in diet and treatment with hypoglycemic agents. Weight loss may also be recommended; a lot of obese cats develop diabetes.

However, the typical treatment for feline diabetes consists of shots of insulin. Once detected, the condition is manageable.

The insulin will decrease the blood glucose levels to a normal value and will be effective for several hours according to the type of the shot and the amount of insulin. The cat may get insulin shots at a frequency of 4 hours or once per day. You will need to administer the shot to your pet.

Felines with diabetes must be kept under constant observation; they must get their insulin shot and they need a regular check up. The vet needs to supervise the glucose levels and decide if the insulin dosage is correct.

 

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