One out of every four hundred cats is diagnosed with diabetes. Cats with diabetes require special care. It is important to know the symptoms of feline diabetes if you have a cat(s). The symptoms are similar to those of a human with diabetes. Cats with diabetes can have type 1, type 2 or transient.
Symptoms of Feline Diabetes
The early signs that a cat may have diabetes include the cat eating more than usual they do this to compensate for not being able to metabolize the glucose in their blood. The next sign is the cat eating much less, which develops into malnourishment. Then you may notice more common signs of diabetes including drinking more, urinating more and a larger appetite again but this time with weight loss. Cats with diabetes who have a more advanced condition can display the following symptoms vomiting, difficulty breathing, weakness, loss of appetite, dehydration, lethargy, coma and death. One other common sign you may notice at first as “odd” is the way the cat walks he/she will walk on the back of the paws instead of more towards the toes like a cat normal walks, this is easy to notice because it looks “odd.”
How to Care for Cats with Diabetes
Seventy percent of all diabetic cats will need some type of insulin either oral insulin or injectable insulin. The diabetic cat will need to follow a special diet and get regular exercise. Obesity can trigger diabetes in cats male cats are twice as likely to develop diabetes as female cats especially if they are over ten years old and weigh over 15 pounds. Cats with transient diabetes start out with type 2 diabetes and over time with a high protein low carbohydrate diet, these cats with diabetes will no longer need insulin if their body re-regulates its self.
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