Treatment for Cat Diabetes:

Diabetes in cats is becoming increasingly common today, and if the condition is not detected and treated in time, it can have serious consequences.



Untreated diabetes in cats can cause severe nerve damage and even death, and even if it does not reach this point, it can drastically affect a cat’s quality of life. With prompt attention however, all this suffering can be avoided. In fact, successfully treating diabetes in cats is often extremely simple, which is why neglect of this condition is particularly tragic.





For diabetes in cats, treatment consists largely of dietary changes, especially in the early stages. In fact, a unique feature of diabetes in cats is that the condition can go into remission. This can sometimes by using only dietary modification, but in most cases, a combination of diet and insulin is needed.



The diet should be low in carbohydrates, as this is thought to reduce fluctuations in blood glucose levels. Generally, most experts recommend a carbohydrate intake of between 4 per cent and 8 per cent of a cat’s total calorie intake. If this is not enough, insulin injections will also need to be given. These must be chosen carefully, with regard to both type and dosage. There are several different types of insulin, and you will have to take your veterinarian’s advice on which type is suitable for your cat. The dosage also needs to be planned carefully, and may fluctuate as the animal’s blood glucose level fluctuates. A low carbohydrate diet usually stabilizes the cat’s blood glucose levels, but it is still always important to monitor blood glucose. Today, this can be done quite easily and cheaply at home, and the same goes for administration of insulin injections.

You should remember that remission is not always permanent, and the symptoms of diabetes can return at any time. Therefore, even if the combination of diet and insulin put your cat in remission, you should continue to monitor its insulin and return to your vet for regular checkups.

Some pet owners prefer using pills instead of insulin injections, but as yet these are not a good substitute. The pills do not always work, and in some cases, they may also cause further damage to the pancreas and the liver too. Insulin injections are therefore considered a better option. Often, giving a cat pills is a lot more difficult than giving it an injection. Contrary to what most people would expect, the pain of an injection is also minimal and barely noticed by the animal.