Cats are among the most popular of human companion animals and in fact are even more popular than dogs in some countries. It's easy to see why, cats are affectionate animals, who are quite easy to care for, and make excellent pets.
As with any pet, when you adopt cat, you take on responsibility for its health and wellbeing. Cats are generally robust animals, but they can become ill, and one of the most serious cat diseases is feline diabetes.
Diabetes in animals in not as common as it is in humans, but the cause of the disease is similar. It is caused by a failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. This insulin is used to control the amount of glucose or sugar found in the blood, and when it is not present in sufficient quantities, sugar levels rise out of control and cause diabetes.
You need to be alert for signs that your cat may have the disease. Common signs include a significant increase in water consumption and urination, deterioration in the condition of the coat, a drop in weight and loss of appetite. If these symptoms are present you need to make an appointment with your vet right away.
If the disease goes untreated then the consequences are dire. The cat will begin to display more serious symptoms like vomiting and become lethargic, eventually lapsing into a coma.
Fortunately, like the human variant, feline diabetes is treatable. You will need to make a few changes to your cat's lifestyle, but there is no reason at all why she can't live a full and happy life.
Diet is all important in controlling the disease. You will have to feed your cat at specific intervals every day, and you will also have to administer insulin shots twice daily. Your vet will set the dosage and intervals between shots and will show you how to get the syringe ready and give the injection.
You will also henceforth have to keep your cat indoors. If the cat was previously an outdoor cat this will likely cause a problem at first. The cat will complain and try to get out, but you must not allow this. You can't have the cat wandering around outdoors when it is time for the insulin injection.
Follow your vets instructions closely when administering insulin. The cat must always be fed first before getting the injection. If the medication is administered before the cat has eaten, the result will be hypoglycemic shock, which is usually fatal.
Your vet will need to monitor the cat's health on a regular basis and may at some point reduce the frequency or dosage, but unfortunately the cat will always need to be on insulin.
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