# Cat Diabetes



## Kitty00776 (May 1, 2009)

I went to the vet today and they told me my cat may have diabetes. I am not sure yet i have to wait till monday for the results (they sent her blood off). But im kinda preparing for the worst, and i dont know anything really about human diabetes, much less cat diabetes. Does anyone on here have a diabetic cat or know anything about it? I just kinda want to know what i might be in for. Im still hoping she doesnt, but i'd still like to know about it.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

My Mom's cat Blacky was diabetic. She was always heavy, then lost a lot of weight and was diagnosed. My Mom was very devoted to her and gave her a shot of insulin every day. When she was away I'd give Blacky the shot. It wasn't hard at all. 

Blacky was diagnosed at age 10 and passed away last year at age 16. She lived a normal life without complications. I hope your cat isn't diabetic, but it is manageable.


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## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

I personally do not have any experience with handling cats that have diabetes, but one of the people I know, from a differant forum, wrote an article for ibdkitties.net about her experience with diabetes. Living With Feline Diabetes is the link to the article. It talks about what diabetes is, the possible causes, treatments, insulin, home testing BG levels, diet, and remission.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

I don't have a diabetic cat, and I'm sure there are probably people here who can provide you with some more detailed information and helpful links, but I'm sort of peripherally familiar with the condition because I have a condition (reactive hypoglycemia) that involves some of the same processes and dietary concerns.

Basically what diabetes is, in brief, is the body's inability to properly regulate blood sugar levels. When you consume foods that contain sugar (or foods that are broken down into sugars, like carbohydrates) your body produces insulin as a reaction, to keep those sugar levels from going too high. In a diabetic person or cat, the body has either become insulin-resistant, or is unable to even produce enough insulin to lower blood sugar levels, thus they remain abnormally high, causing the various health problems attributed to diabetes. 

Therefore the most important thing in a diabetic diet is carefully controlling sugar intake. In humans this is a bit more complex, but in cats it's thankfully much simpler due to the fact that they're obligate carnivores. They don't even need the foods that tend to spike blood sugar levels.

What will be spiking blood sugar levels in cat food is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a food humans need for energy, but cats don't have nearly the same carbohydrate requirement. Foods containing too many carbohydrates, especially grains (corn is probably the worst, as it has a very high glycemic index) can cause and aggravate diabetes.

And ideal food for a diabetic cat is one that is 100% grain-free, with a fairly low carbohydrate content. This means grain-free canned food (dry foods, even grain-free ones, contain more carbs than canned foods) or raw food.

Some grain free canned foods are:
-Wellness (grain free flavors are marked with a yellow triangle)
-Merrick Before Grain
-Blue Buffalo Wilderness
-Evo

Commercial raw brands:
-Primal
-Nature's Variety
-Rad Cat
-Feline's Pride
*You can also find a plethora of information on homemade raw diets in the raw subforum on this site.

These are not complete lists, just some brands I know of off the top of my head to be good foods. 

I hope that helps! The good news is, with a proper diet, some diabetic cats don't even _need_ medication, as their symptoms an be controlled simply by diet alone. However these are options you should obviously discuss with your vet. Only your vet can tell you whether or not insulin or other medications are required for your cat's condition.


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## Kitty00776 (May 1, 2009)

Thanks im really hoping for the best. But i took her to the vet partly because she hasnt been drinking much, but the vet said with diabetes she should be drinking more i think it was her glucose levels that were really high. They supposed to be about 100 and her was 220 or 250 i cant remeber i think it was 250. Which seems really high. She never been a fat any of her life she actually very small compared to my other cats. And she is currently on wellness but it the dry complete heath version. I just switch her at the begging of the year, since i could fianlly afford a better brand i was hoping it would keep my babies healthy. Im kinda scared for my other cats cause i have her mom and brother and possible dad, and i think diabetese is genetic isnt it? She also has to have a urine test done so im hoping that come back good too i have to collect the sample at home.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

A cat's blood glucose can shoot really high if the cat is in pain or is stressed. If your girl was really nervous in the car or at the vet's, that could explain the spike in her glucose, and it may not have anything to do with diabetes. You should request a fructosamine test (another type of blood test). Fructosamine will show what her glucose level was over a longer period of time, and it won't be impacted by the temporary stress of a vet visit or car ride. If the fructosamine test shows her glucose to be elevated, that will confirm a diabetes diagnosis.

If she really does have diabetes, the following website will provide you with some crucial information about this disease that could help bring her into remission:

YourDiabeticCat.com - Helping and Preventing Feline Diabetes

Laurie


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## Kitty00776 (May 1, 2009)

Thanks for all your advice, im just waitng now to see what result say. They had to send her blood away but im not exactly sure of the test they did. She was really nervous, she doesnt go outside so a car ride then a strange place i got the scratches to prove how scared she was. That might be why they sent to test aways cause it was one to see how it has been over time. Ill put an update on here when i hear anything. Thanks again for all the information and support it has helped.


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## Kitty00776 (May 1, 2009)

I found out yesterday that she doesnt have diabetes. He blood and urine both came back good, so i am extremly happy! I went out a bought her a toy even


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

That's great news! I have a cat who was initially misdiagnosed with diabetes, too, because his BG spiked REALLY high in the vet's office (over 450). It can shoot way up there when a cat is stressed and/or in pain.

I'm very happy that your cat is not diabetic, after all. What a relief for you!

Laurie


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## Kitty00776 (May 1, 2009)

Thank you so am i its a BIG relief. She never goes out so i figure that why her spikes so high cause she was stressed. Im still healing from her vet visit where she clawed me up lol.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

That's terrific news! I'm glad to hear she's ok...you must be very relieved.


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