Diagnosing Diabetes in Cats

Symptoms commonly indicating diabetes resemble those associated with other health conditions, so diagnosing diabetes in cats requires both tracking clinical symptoms and conducting medical tests. If treated properly, feline diabetes will not adversely affect your cat's quality of life. However, if left untreated, diabetes can be fatal to your cat. If you suspect your cat may be suffering from diabetes, you should seek medical attention for your cat as soon as possible.

Characteristics of Feline Diabetes

Impaired insulin production by the pancreas causes diabetes in cats. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the body's blood sugar levels. In a healthy cat, the pancreas produces the right amount of insulin needed to convert sugar consumed in food into energy that fuels the body's cells. In a cat with diabetes, also known as hyperglycemia, production of too little insulin causes too much sugar to remain in the blood.

Symptoms Assessment in Diagnosing Diabetes in Cats

Symptoms that may signal diabetes in initial to advanced stages include the following conditions:

  • Polydipsia, or increased thirst
  • Polyuria, or increased urination
  • Inappropriate elimination, involving urinating out of the box or spraying
  • Marked decrease or increase in appetite
  • Vomiting
  • Marked weight loss or weight gain
  • Altered gait, known as “diabetic neuropathy,” causing your cat to walk on the hocks of the back legs
  • Lethargy
  • Weakness
  • Depression
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Poor hair coats

Diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening medical emergency brought on by the build-up of ketones in the blood, causing it to become dangerously acidic

Medical Procedures Used to Diagnosing Diabetes in Cats

Your vet will follow these steps to either diagnose feline diabetes or rule it out:

  • Taking a medical history to determine onset and severity
  • Performing a physical examination to look for conditions as depression, dehydration, weight irregularities, unhealthy coat, enlarged liver or enlarged kidneys
  • Ordering a urine test to detect whether glucose (sugar) is present, a sign of diabetes
  • Ordering a blood chemistry panel to measure relevant levels of glucose, ketones, liver enzymes, cholesterol, potassium, sodium and phosphorous

Distinguishing Between Types of Diabetes

Your vet may classify your cat's diabetes in one of these three categories:

  • Type I, or Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus, in which your cat's pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin, necessitating supplemental insulin injections you administer to your cat
  • Type II, Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus, in which your cat's cells exhibit insulin-resistance, necessitating dietary modification and possibly administration of other medications besides insulin

Secondary Diabetes Mellitus, caused by hyperthyroidism, pancreatitis, acromegaly or Cushing's disease and requiring insulin supplementation when the severity of the condition warrants it

Caring for a Cat with Feline Diabetes

Caring for a diabetic cat is both demanding and rewarding. For the rest of your cat's life, you will have to closely monitor your cat's behavior, strictly regulate your cat's diet and judiciously follow your cat's treatment plan. Your vet will help you cope with the physical and emotional demands having a diabetic cat places on you, as well as teach you how to perform daily tests and injections. With your good care, feline diabetes will not shorten your cat's lifespan, even as your cat grows older. The fruits of your labor will be having a happy, significantly healthier cat you enjoy, and who enjoys you, for a long time after the diagnosis of feline diabetes is made. A word of caution: Never give your cat too much insulin, which can cause a quickly fatal condition, hypoglycemia.