Cat Diabetes Signs:

Feline diabetes is a condition that is characterized by high glucose levels in the blood.



This is either the result of the body being unable to produce enough insulin, or the body not responding to insulin like it should. Normally, insulin helps the body to convert the glucose that is obtained from food into useable energy, and the body produces just enough insulin to keep glucose levels stable. When this mechanism fails, the body does not have enough energy, leading to a variety of symptoms.



As the disease gets progressively worse, the number and severity of symptoms increases, and the condition can ultimately be fatal.

Typical symptoms of diabetes in cats are a sudden increase or decrease in weight. Initially, the appetite tends to suddenly spike, resulting in rapid weight gain.



However, the appetite tends to come and go, and the cat’s weight may rise and fall over the next few weeks, and over time there will be noticeable weight loss. Two more typical signs of diabetes in cats are an increase in thirst and an increased need to urinate. Since the body needs to flush out the excess glucose that it cannot process, it eliminates it through urine. In order to urinate more frequently, the cat must of course drink more water, and therefore both urination and thirst increase simultaneously. This is usually the symptom that leads to the discovery of diabetes in cats. Owners notice their cat constantly hanging around its water bowl or the most easily accessible taps or buckets, and casually consult a veterinarian about the issue, only to find out that the cat has diabetes.

Since the inability to properly process glucose means that a cat with diabetes does not have enough energy to function normally, lethargy and fatigue are two more symptoms of cat diabetes. As time goes by, these symptoms get worse. The body also starts to use the limited energy it has for essential processes, and there may therefore be a noticeable deterioration in the quality of the cat’s coat. The cat may also suffer from skin infections with an alarming frequency. As with diabetes in humans, cats also start to suffer from peripheral nerve damage if diabetes is not treated in time. In cats, this is usually manifested in the form of weakness in the rear legs. It is important to get the problem identified and treated before all these symptoms get too severe, especially because in cats, diabetes can be completely gotten rid of in the early stages.