Feline diabetes: Causes, symptoms and treatment options

Feline diabetes causes increased thirst, increased urination and increased appetite.

Feline diabetes mellitus is common in cats and can easily become life-threatening when undiagnosed or left untreated.

Diabetes mellitus in cats

Feline diabetes mellitus is caused either by an inability of cells to utilize insulin properly (insulin resistance) or an inability of the pancreas to secrete adequate amounts of insulin.

Unlike diabetes in dogs, diabetes mellitus in cats may involve insulin resistance in the early stages of disease, with the pancreas still able to produce some amount of insulin. However, as the disease progresses, cells within the pancreas become overtaxed and eventually die, leading to the inability of the pancreas to secrete insulin. It is for this reason that early detection and intervention in feline diabetes is important in treating diabetic cats.

Symptoms of diabetes in cats

The symptoms of feline diabetes are a direct result of hyperglycemia, or increased blood glucose levels, resulting from relative insulin deficiency or insulin resistance. The most common symptoms seen in the early stages of feline diabetes are:

• increased appetite
• increased thirst
• increased volume of urine production
• weight loss

Some cats may also exhibit a neuropathy which produces an abnormal gait in which the cat walks or stands in a flat-footed manner. Diabetic cataracts, while common in diabetic dogs, are rare in cats with diabetes.

Treatment of diabetes mellitus in cats

In the early stages of diabetes, while the pancreas still retains the ability to produce and secrete insulin, treatment with oral hypoglycemic medications such as glipizide may be effective. However, if the pancreas is no longer able to secrete adequate amounts of insulin, insulin injections will be necessary to treat feline diabetes.

Dietary modification is normally advisable in treating diabetic cats as well. Diets containing high protein and low carbohydrate levels are normally recommended for diabetic cats. High fiber diets are no longer recommended as they have not been found to be helpful in diabetic cats.

The primary object of treating diabetes in cats is to control the blood glucose level and avoid extreme hyperglycemic episodes and to control the clinical symptoms associated with diabetes. Remission of diabetes may be possible, at least for a time, in some cats if the disease is diagnosed early and the glucose levels can be adequately controlled.

Cats being treated for diabetes must be monitored closely, both by observing for the occurrence of clinical signs of diabetes and by the performance of laboratory testing, such as blood glucose curves and other measures of glucose production.

If left untreated, feline diabetes mellitus can result in extremely high levels of glucose in the blood steam and a life-threatening ketoacidosis. 

The copyright of the article Feline diabetes – Causes, symptoms and treatment options is owned by Lorie Huston. Permission to republish Feline diabetes – Causes, symptoms and treatment options in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Photo Credit: Morguefile.com/Loren Davis