WHAT IS THE MEANING OF DIABETES?

Feline diabetes occurs in 1 of every 400 cats, although recent studies have shown that this figure has been increasing in recent years and although its number is still lower than that of dogs and usually affects cats older than 7-8 years, rarely appears below this age. Castration and obesity are also an added risk in terms of the onset of diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that in humans is usually for life but nevertheless, not all felines are. It is shown that in some cases, after several years of treatment with insulin, a minimum percentage of cats have been completely cured and have stopped needing their insulin treatment. I must say that I know some of those cases where the cat no longer needed insulin.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that controls blood sugar which transports muscles, fat and liver cells where it is used as energy. However, in diabetics, their pancreas does not produce enough insulin, which causes a very high level of sugar (hyperglycemia) and that is why this insulin must be introduced externally.

There are two types of diabetes:

• Type I: Usually occurs in young kittens, even months and is called "insulin dependent diabetes mellitus" characterized by the selective destruction of beta cells of the pancreas causing an absolute deficiency of insulin. This means, that the pancreas does not produce insulin. Its cure is practically impossible and they will need the administration of external insulin for life.

• Type II: Usually occurs in cats between 7-8 years of age, mostly overweight. It is characterized because its pancreas does not produce enough insulin, so they need external insulin, but in their case, it is possible to be healed after a few years with insulin treatment.

SYMPTOMS

High levels of sugar cause:

• Blurry vision
• Excessive thirst
• Fatigue
• Vomiting
• Frequent urination
• Voracious hunger
• Weightloss
• Problems with motor function
• They pee or defecate out of their litter box

Therefore, if your cat is diabetic, you will have noticed that he eats a lot, drinks a lot of water, not only from his bowl, but he goes looking for it in the shower, in the sink or in the bidet. Wherever water comes out, your cat will come quickly to put the mouth under the water, which will increase the amount of urine. However, in spite of this hunger and this voracious appetite, the cat is becoming thinner and thinner, leaving the ribs to be seeing. Every day, he will be weaker, he will not even clean himself, he will smell bad and his fur will lose the shine it once had. Another very common symptom in a diabetic cat not yet diagnosed is that he will urinate anywhere in the house and almost never, in his litter box. In this case, we should not get angry with our cat because he does not do it on purpose, it is simply a consequence of his illness. All these are symptoms that something is completely wrong. It's time to go to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

THE WATER


I wanted to write this section about water because its excessive consumption, is usually the most obvious fact that something is wrong, and probably "what goes wrong" are symptoms of diabetes. Of course, you have to take into account the age of the cat, the breed, the exercise they do or the climatology of the place where they live before becoming alarmed. I know cats that drink a lot of water and are not diabetics, they are simply very active.

Cats usually do not drink a lot of water, and although it is true that many barely touch the water, they love to stuff themselves with the faucets, whether it's the shower, the bidet or the sink. However, there are cats that have never drank from taps or show the slightest interest. Well, if the water consumption is not very large, we must pay great attention. Water deficiency causes dehydration and the crystallization of urine, which also causes infection and pain in the urinary tract.

It is advisable to give wet food to those cats that do not drink enough water, in this way, at least, when they eat they also drink water.

Well, given that, in general, a cat should consume 2-4 ounces (50 to 100 milliliters) of water, in addition to his food, but we must take into account that dry food is only a 10% of water and wet food  a 80%, so obviously, if you only feed your cat with dry food, he will consume more water than when he eats wet food. When we notice that the water consumption is excessive,  to the point of completely emptying the water bowl, as I said before, it means that something is wrong. Discarded urine infection, diabetes remains. By drinking so much water, it is evident that his urine amount will increase, sometimes tripling even the visits to the litter box to urinate. At the time of collecting the urine, we will think that it was a big dog who has been urinated there instead of our cat and we will be forced to change the sand more usually than usual. If your cat is in this case, go immediately to the veterinarian to do a blood and urine test, since if he has diabetes, you have to start giving him insulin as soon as possible.

TESTS

A blood test is the fastest way to detect diabetes in our feline pets. If your cat has a blood glucose level above 150mg/dl, it may mean that he is diabetic. My cat had a level of 580mg/dl the first time we check with blood glucose to check if he was diabetic and his result left no doubt.

We can also check his blood sugar level through his urine using the urine strips and if these show glucose in the urine, it is an unambiguous sign that our cat is diabetic because when the sugar levels in the body are too high, they pass from blood to urine. If ketone bodies (ketoacidosis) appear in the urine, it would be best to take the animal immediately to an animal hospital.

Checking blood sugar with a glucometer

There are glucose meters (glucometers) that can be used at home to avoid continuous animal transport to the veterinary clinic with the consequent nerves that will cause his blood glucose level to rise and give us erroneous measurements.

Another test, which I certainly did to my cat, is the blood glucose curve. To do this, you must leave the animal admitted to the veterinary clinic all day long during which, the veterinarian will be making continuous glucose measurements (every 2-4 hours) to see the pattern of decreases and increases in insulin, to what levels it goes up or down and at what times (for example, before or after food intake), or to determine how long insulin works in their body. This implies continuous punctures in the pads of their paws, which is a continuous suffering for the animal that must be considered before doing this test. This test is also usually done in cats recently diagnosed as was my case, or in cats to which insulin does not seem to work especially after a period of stability and that is when you have to find out why.

As I said before, I did the curve of glucose to my cat at the insistence of the veterinarian and because we were in the beginning of his diagnosis and my ignorance about this disease was total, I let myself be guided by a "professional" who later showed me that she was far from being a professional. The glucose curve in my case, according to this veterinarian, just told me that my cat was diabetic, which I already knew with a simple blood test.

Another test that is usually done, is the measurement of fructosamine. In a healthy cat, fructosamine should be between 300 and 400. If it exceeds 500 is means that he has long had high blood glucose levels and this is another symptom of diabetes. Fructosamine is a substance that is formed when glucose molecules combine with certain proteins in the blood. The level of fructosamine indicates the blood glucose level during the last month. This test is done only by extracting a droplet of blood.

Anyway, if you find a good veterinarian, he will put you on the right path and will tell you what level of glucose shows both his blood and his urine and which is the most appropriate dose of insulin that you should give  your cat.

If your veterinarian has as much idea about diabetes as the ones I visited, he will only get you more confused, he will unnecessarily lengthen the disease of your cat and you will get in despair because despite the treatment, you will not see any improvement. It is then when you will start looking for information about how to treat diabetes in cats and perhaps this page and others that swarm online will help you better understand how to treat your pet and what this disease is about.

BUT WHAT ARE THE CAUSES RESPONSIBLE FOR DIABETES?

Below I explain some causes of diabetes:

• Another illness: In some cases, diabetes is caused by another disease that triggers glucose levels, but once the disease is cured, diabetes usually disappears. 

• Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that causes the destruction of pancreatic cells which causes a decrease in the cells capable of producing insulin. The pancreas is an organ located behind the stomach that intervenes in the metabolism of sugar with the production of insulin and glycogen. Some symptoms of pancreatitis are: decreased appetite, lethargy or dehydration. Rarely abdominal pain and vomiting occurs. The treatment of pancreatitis is usually based on antibiotics, (although not always), as well as fluids and medications to relieve pain. A diet low in fat is usually recommended. In most cases, once the pancreatitis is cured, diabetes usually disappears.

• Obesity is also a possible cause of diabetes but as with pancreatitis, in many cases it is usually transient because when losing weight, sugar levels are regulated and diabetes disappears but in the meantime they usually need insulin until their pancreas recovers its normal capacity to produce insulin.

• Castration also increases the chance of a cat ending up with diabetes. It is known that the percentage of diabetic cats is higher in males than in females, especially if they are castrated.

• Cushing's syndrome (hyperadrenocorticism) also causes high blood sugar levels. This disease is caused by the excess of a hormone called cortisol that interferes with the effects of insulin causing diabetes. This disease is usually detected because the cats that suffer from it, cannot be treated with insulin because insulin do not work in them  despite giving them high doses. Anyway, Cushing is a rare disease in cats.

• Medications to treat other types of diseases, such as corticosteroids, can also produce an increase in blood sugar levels causing diabetes but once these drugs are suppressed, diabetes disappears.

• Hyperthyroidism. This disease is another cause of feline diabetes.

• Age is another risk factor since diabetes usually begins at 7-8 years of age, especially in castrated and obese male cats, although this is not a general rule, of course. In the case of my cat for example, I have to say that he was neutered and his illness began when he was 7 years old but he was never obese.

SYMPTOMS OF CETOACYDOSIS

Diabetic ketoacidosis (CD) is an emergency that happens when insulin in the body is practically non-existent, so the animal uses fat as an energy source. In this way, the metabolism of fat creates ketones, which accumulate in the blood and urine. As I explained earlier, if ketones appear in the urine, you should act quickly to avoid a diabetic coma and even death. The only possible treatment in this case would be the intravenous administration of fluids as well as the administration of insulin until the animal is stabilized.

The symptoms of acetoacidosis are: lethargy, weakness, lack of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, strong breath, agitated breathing and in severe cases, loss of consciousness.

This is a cat named Romeo who had diabetes. His owner has sent me these photos so you can see the difference, before and after using Lantus. Today Romeo has a normal life and is practically recovered from his diabetes.

BEFORE:

AFTER: