Just like humans, cats can get diabetes. Diabetes often goes hand in hand with chronic kidney disease in cats, although not all diabetic cats will suffer from kidney disease, especially if diabetes is caught early and the cat’s blood sugar is well-regulated. Here is some important information about feline diabetes.
Before I begin, a reminder that I am NOT a veterinarian. The information on this website is all based on my personal experience and , while I take care to be factual, it is not meant to take the place of good care and advice from a veterinarian. Please always consult with experts about your cat’s care.
Symptoms of Diabetes in Cats
Cats may not have many symptoms in the early stages of illness. Eventually, however, most develop
- Increased Thirst
- Frequent Urination
- Weight Loss
- Some cats show excessive hunger yet lose weight despite a large appetite.
My cat Pumpkin had all of these those diabetes symptoms and started looking generally unwell and unkempt. When we received his diagnosis, I felt both upset and relieved. The relief was that at least it wasn’t cancer. In my mind, at least diabetes is less likely to be quickly fatal.
Feline diabetes isn’t as hard to manage as you might think, so please don’t give up on your cat. Sometimes diabetes even goes into remission in some kitties – especially with consistent care. Whatever the case, don’t give up!
Causes of Feline Diabetes
The most common causes of feline diabetes include a poor diet or any diet that leads to excessive weight, illnesses such as pancreatitis or kidney disease, and genetic predisposition.
Treatment of Feline Diabetes
- Weight loss sometimes helps cats reverse diabetes. Some cats may naturally lose weight on a diabetic diet since this diet is typically low in carbohydrates and high in protein.
- Testing blood sugar: Diabetic cats should have their blood sugar closely monitored, and this is especially important if the cat is on insulin. This is the best way to know if it is safe to give insulin, how well diabetes is being managed and whether a diabetic diet is working or needs modification. The standard method is to use a lancet on the ear tip to retrieve a blood drop. Ask your vet to show you how or look online for videos showing how it is done– there are many. You will need to purchase a glucose monitor specifically calibrated for pets. A monitor meant for human use will not give you an accurate reading of your cat’s blood sugar. There are many pet glucometers, but not all are accurate (and that could change by the time you read this) so it is best to just ask your veterinarian which one they recommend.
Alternatively, there is a continuous glucose monitoring system for pets. A small sensor is implanted in a shaved area of the cat’s skin, usually on the back between the shoulder blades. This might be the best solution if you are unable to get blood drops or if your cat’s blood sugar is unstable. The sensor will need to be replaced on occasion.
- Diet
A diabetic diet for cats is pretty similar to diabetic diets for people in that it is going to be a low carbohydrate diet with good quality protein. There are commercial diets to choose from that are very good. Pumpkin’s blood sugar did well on Royal Canin veterinary prescription diet, but your cat may prefer some other brand. The main emphasis needs to be on lowering carbohydrates. I encourage you to offer quality wet food, rather than dry food, if your cat tolerates it.
I changed pumpkin’s diet to a prescription kidney food when he was diagnosed with CKD, but before that, while he was on diabetic food, his diabetes was well-managed, and he was playful and had good energy.
- Giving Insulin
One of THE MOST IMPORTANT things to know about giving a cat insulin is to use the correct size of needle for your insulin so that you are not inadvertently giving the wrong dose. Please discuss this with your vet. If your cat is put on Lantus (Pumpkin was on this and cats seem to do well on this long-lasting insulin) you might have the choice between using an insulin pen versus a syringe. We preferred the pen. The downside to a pen, however, is (at least in the case of Lantus) the lowest dose you can give is one unit.
Your vet office should show you how to give your cat insulin, but it helps to look up video tutorials elsewhere and to practice. I recommend practicing on an orange or something with a similar texture (just remember not to eat it!)
I was nervous about giving Pumpkin his insulin at first, but I eventually got over my anxiety. Insulin needles are fine gauge, so that helps a bit.
Beware of Low Blood Sugar
A healthy blood sugar range for non-diabetic cats is 80 – 120 mg/dl. It is a good idea to get to know what the normal range is for your cat so you know when he might be getting too low – otherwise, the rule of thumb is that anything below 80 mg/dl is low
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is an emergency. You need to act immediately to prevent your kitty’s blood sugar from dropping further. Some signs include behaviors changes, tiredness, anxiety, yowling, weakness, disorientation, fainting, coma.
Rub some Karo syrup on kitty’s gums. If you don’t have karo syrup (but please do have some on hand if you have a diabetic cat) you can use thick sugar water or pet gels that contain molasses or sucralose. Even if kitty comes around quickly, it is a good idea to have her checked out by a vet right away to make sure she remains stable.
Glucose Curves
These are done to make sure the diabetic cat is getting the correct amount of insulin.
A glucose curve is performed by taking a pet’s blood sugar every two hours for 12 hours (or the amount of time suggested by your veterinarian).
You can do a glucose curve at home – in fact, this can often give a more accurate reading because your cat won’t be as stressed as she would be at a vet office (stress affects blood sugar).
Ideally a diabetic cat’s blood sugar will fall between 120–300 mg/dL (5.6–16.7mmol/L. If readings are higher or lower than this, your vet might want to adjust insulin dosages.
Fructosamine Test
A fructosamine test gives a pretty good indication of how a cat’s blood sugar is doing over the prior two-week period. It is often used to see how diabetic cats are doing as it isn’t as much affected by stress as an in-office blood glucose test would be. If your veterinarian isn’t doing these tests, ask about them (and find a better vet if they still won’t do them)
I implore you to have faith and do whatever it takes to treat your diabetic cat – it IS treatable. It might feel stressful at first, but after a while checking glucose and giving shots feels routine.
While diabetes isn’t really considered curable, some cats DO go into remission and enjoy many years of quality living. I feel Pumpkin would have lived a long time with his diabetes had he not developed kidney disease. Don’t give up!