What Causes Diabetes In Cats?

What Causes Diabetes In Cats
Feline Diabetes What is Diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the body cannot properly produce or respond to the hormone insulin. This results in elevated levels of the sugar glucose in the blood, which is the main source of energy for the body.

Like the human body, the cells in a cat’s body need sugar in the form of glucose for energy.
However, glucose in the blood requires insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, to “unlock” the door to cells.
Insulin attaches to cells and signals when the time is right to absorb glucose.
By absorbing glucose, cells in fat deposits, the liver, and the muscles get vital fuel while lowering levels of glucose in the blood.

In Type I diabetes, blood glucose concentrations are high because of a decrease in insulin production. In Type II diabetes, glucose levels are high because cells in the body do not respond appropriately to insulin. In both Type I and Type II diabetes, cells cannot access the nutrients they need even though there is plenty of sugar in the blood, because insulin can’t transport the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells that need it.

Cats with diabetes most commonly suffer from the Type II form of the disease.
It is estimated that between 0.2 % and 1 % of cats will be diagnosed with diabetes during their lifetime.
Risk Factors The most important risk factors identified for the development of diabetes in cats include, increasing age, physical inactivity, male gender, and the use of glucocorticoids (steroids) to treat other illnesses such as feline asthma.

In some countries, Burmese cats appear to have a higher risk of developing diabetes than other breeds, but this may not be true in the United States.

Obese cats are up to four times more likely to develop diabetes than ideal weight cats, so the most important thing a cat owner can do to decrease their risk of developing diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight and encourage physical activity through daily play.
Clinical Signs
The two most common signs of diabetes noticed by owners at home are weight loss despite a good appetite and increased thirst and urination.

Weight loss may be noticed at home or during a routine examination with the veterinarian. In both Type I and Type II diabetes, the cells in the body are unable to absorb glucose from the blood and become starved of energy. To get the energy it needs, the body turns to other sources, breaking down fats and proteins to feed glucose-starved cells.

This breakdown results in weight loss, despite an increased appetite.
Excessive thirst and urination can also signal diabetes in a cat.
High levels of sugar in the blood can overwhelm the ability of the kidney to filter glucose, allowing sugar to “spill out” of the blood and into the urine.
This high urine glucose concentration can actually pull excessive amounts of water into the urine, resulting in increased urine volume, increased urinary water loss, a propensity for dehydration, and a compensatory increase in thirst.

In rare cases of uncontrolled diabetes, cats may experience damage to the nerves in the hind limbs, resulting in a “plantigrade” stance of the hind limbs (walking or standing with their hocks on or close to the ground). This is not painful, and will often resolve with treatment.

Diagnosis Your veterinarian will diagnose diabetes mellitus by demonstrating persistently elevated glucose levels in a cat’s blood and urine.
This testing, along with consistent clinical signs, will lead to the diagnosis of diabetes.
A single blood glucose reading in a veterinary clinic may not be sufficient to diagnose diabetes in all cases.

Cats can develop a short-term elevation in blood glucose as a response to stress, known as stress hyperglycemia. In these uncertain cases a lab test known as a fructosamine concentration can be helpful. This test gives a rough average of a cat’s blood glucose concentration over the last two weeks, so would not be affected by stress hyperglycemia.

Other tests will likely be recommended by the veterinarian to rule out other diseases which might be contributing to a cat’s clinical signs, such as a urinary tract infection, chronic kidney disease, pancreatitis or hyperthyroidism.
Treatment
The main goals of treatment for feline diabetes are:

Restoring normal blood glucose concentrations
Stopping or controlling weight loss
Stopping or minimizing signs of increased thirst and urination
Avoiding inappropriately low blood sugar due to treatment (hypoglycemia)

These goals are best achieved through a combination of insulin and dietary therapy. Insulin Therapy Injectable insulin is a mainstay of treatment for feline diabetes. Unlike humans with Type II diabetes, oral medications to reduce blood sugar such as glipizide have not shown to be consistently effective in cats.

There are multiple types of insulin preparations that can be used for cats in the treatment of diabetes, such as lente insulin (Vetsulin), ProZinc or glargine insulin.
These types of insulin vary in cost, duration of action, and concentration, so it is important for an owner to discuss the pros and cons of each type with their veterinarian when deciding which insulin is best for their cat.

It is also important to note that each insulin type has a specific syringe size (U-100 or U-40), so it is vital that a cat owner ensure that they are using the appropriate syringe for their cat’s insulin. Insulin injections are given under the skin (subcutaneously) approximately every 12 hours.

While giving injections may seem daunting, most owners can be taught to administer these injections at home quite easily and due to the very small needle size, cats tend to tolerate these injections very well. Though ideally injections should be spaced 12 hours apart, varying injection times by 1-2 hours when needed will not adversely affect a cats’ treatment.

Dietary Therapy A diet low in carbohydrates has been shown to improve blood sugar regulation in diabetic cats. There are several prescription food options that are available in both wet and dry food forms, though feeding a wet-food only diet may be beneficial for many cats.

For cats who are overweight when diagnosed with diabetes, slow, controlled weight loss under the close monitoring of a veterinarian is very important to achieve better control over blood glucose levels. The optimal timing of meals for diabetic cats is controversial. Many veterinarians recommend feeding at the time of insulin injection to avoid a dangerous drop in blood glucose levels.

However, there is no definitive evidence that the timing or frequency of meals in diabetic cats protects them from insulin-induced hypoglycemia. With a low carbohydrate diet, free choice feeding may be acceptable for cats who prefer to “graze” throughout the day, especially if a longer-acting insulin preparation is used.

If food must be withheld for any reason, such as an anesthetic procedure, it is generally recommended to give 50 percent of the usual dose of insulin, with careful follow-up monitoring to ensure good glycemic control. Monitoring Close monitoring by both the owner and the veterinarian is an essential part of treatment for a diabetic cat.

Regular monitoring will help determine the ideal insulin dose for each cat as well as help avoid complications, such as hypoglycemia or uncontrolled diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis. Regular assessments of weight, water intake, and appetite should be recorded to help determine if treatment goals are being met.

Blood glucose curves are the ideal way to monitor blood sugar regulation during treatment. During a blood glucose curve, the cat’s blood sugar will be checked right before receiving an insulin injection, and then every 1-4 hours throughout the day. This helps make sure that the average blood glucose is within an acceptable range, and that the value does not drop dangerously low at any time throughout the day.

These assessments may need to be performed every few weeks when a cat is first diagnosed with diabetes in order to determine the appropriate dose of insulin, but can be spaced out further once the diabetes is more well-regulated. Even in a stable cat, blood glucose curves should still be performed every 3-4 months, as insulin needs can change over time.

Eventually, many cat owners can learn to perform blood glucose curves at home.
This helps avoid stress hyperglycemia and inappetence experienced by many cats in the veterinary clinic, and can therefore give more accurate results.
Blood can be collected at home from an ear vein or paw pad, and should be read on a blood glucose monitor that has been validated in cats.

Alternatively, some veterinarians may utilize a continuous blood glucose monitoring system to help determine blood sugar concentrations at home. With this approach, a small monitor is implanted on the cat’s skin in the veterinary clinic, and it stays in place and records blood glucose readings every few minutes for up to two weeks.

Though this can provide a lot of information without repeated needle pricks, not all cats will tolerate the monitor for long, so it is not a viable option for all owners.
It is very important that owners who monitor blood glucose readings at home do NOT change their cat’s insulin dose without first consulting with their veterinarian.

If performing a blood glucose curve is not an option, a fructosamine concentration can be used to get a rough estimate of blood sugar control over the last two weeks with a single blood sample. However, this is not an ideal way of monitoring a diabetic cat, as it only measures the average, rather than the blood sugar highs and lows throughout the day, and these are often more important in determining the success of their treatment.

Prognosis and Remission Though there is no cure for feline diabetes, the prognosis for a good quality of life is good with adequate management at home. With early, aggressive treatment of diabetes, many cats will enter a state of diabetic remission, meaning they are able to maintain normal blood sugar levels without insulin injections.

Older cats, cats who have previously received steroid medications, and cats treated with glargine insulin have been shown to be more likely to go into diabetic remission, but the most important factor is starting insulin therapy early and monitoring closely.

If a cat has not entered diabetic remission within the first six months after diagnosis, it will almost certainly require life-long insulin injections.
Cats who have achieved diabetic remission should continue to be fed a low-carbohydrate diet and receive close monitoring, as some will eventually require insulin therapy again.

Last updated 2021 : Feline Diabetes

How do you prevent diabetes in cats?

Diet is one of the best ways of preventing diabetes in cats. Just like with people, diet can affect a cat’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Making sure that your cat eats a healthy, well-balanced diet and isn’t overweight are the best ways to help prevent diabetes in cats.

Can diabetes come on suddenly in cats?

Symptoms o f Diabetes – Cats suffering from diabetes may display a range of different symptoms; some are far more commonly experienced than others. Thus, while cat owners should focus their attention on the more common symptoms, less frequently-encountered signs may also give an indication of diabetes.

Can you reverse diabetes in cats?

What Causes Diabetes in Cats? – Feline diabetes occurs when a cat develops high blood sugar due to a deficiency in insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas (an organ located in the middle of your cat’s abdomen below her stomach). Insulin lowers blood sugar levels by moving sugar from the bloodstream into cells where it is needed.

Proper blood sugar levels are important because it determines the amount of glucose (a major source of energy for the body) your cat’s cells receive. Conditions, such as pancreatitis or genetic factors can negatively impact the pancreas and lead to low insulin levels, causing Type 1 diabetes. Type 2 feline diabetes is more common.

In those cases, even though a cat is making enough insulin, her body does not respond to the hormone. As a result, she develops high blood sugar. What Causes Diabetes In Cats Just like in humans, are at increased risk for insulin resistance and diabetes. Cats who are on long-term steroids, either via injection or orally, are also at an increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes because steroids interfere with insulin’s function.

Does dry food cause diabetes in cats?

Feeding cats dry food could increase feline diabetes risk Feeding cats dry food could increase their risk of developing feline diabetes, according to new research. A number of animals can develop diabetes, with cats much more prone to the condition than dogs.

Feline diabetes can be tricky for owners to manage, but the diabetes management principles are the same as in humans: keep blood glucose levels at a normal range and make sure they receive their medication, most likely insulin.
The study, which was conducted in Swede, was based on just over 6,700 cats.

The owners of the cats were asked to participate in an online survey which featured 48 questions based on an animal’s breed, age, sex, whether it had been neutered and its general health. The researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences also asked about the condition of each cat’s body size, exercise levels, diet, general behavior, current medications and the type of food it ate.

A total of 1,369 cats already had diabetes at the beginning of the study; the remaining animals did not.
The cat owners’ answers relating to food were broken down into three different groups: dry, wet and mixed, which meant they gave their pet both.
The owners were also asked to judge their cat’s body type, which was also grouped into three categories: underweight, normal weight and overweight.

The findings showed a link between feline diabetes and cats that ate a lot of food, stayed indoors most of the time and did not exercise. Lead researcher Malin Ohlund, DVM, said: “Through our research we found that while obesity is a very important and prominent risk factor for diabetes mellitus in cats, there is also an increased risk of diabetes among normal-weight cats consuming a dry food diet.

“This correlation, compared to normal-weight cats on a wet food diet, is a new and interesting finding that warrants further research, as a dry food diet is commonly fed to cats around the world.” Ohlund and colleagues suggested that this increased diabetes risk could be explained because dry food puts an “increased demand” on the cat’s insulin secretion.

As dry food is such a common way to feed cats, the researchers have recommended “further attention” on the subject is needed. The findings have been published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. : Feeding cats dry food could increase feline diabetes risk

Can overfeeding cat cause diabetes?

Consequences of regular overfeeding – Cats will get fatter if they’re regularly overfed. This means they get less mobile, more lethargic, less active, and can eventually get sick. Obese cats can get liver or heart disease, or diabetes. In our clinic, we see some families who have more than one diabetic cat, because that family tends to overfeed their pets. Overfeeding is easily preventable.

What age do cats usually get diabetes?

Incidence – Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the second most common endocrine disorder in cats, with an estimated incidence of 0.5% (1 in 200-250 cats). Its incidence appears to be increasing, probably due to an increase in obesity in the cat population. Several risk factors for DM have been identified: age, obesity, neutering and gender.

Age has been identified as the single most important risk factor.
Diabetes occurs in a wide age range of cats, but most cats are over 6 years of age when diagnosed.
The average age at diagnosis is 10 years and the peak incidence is between 9 and 13 years.
Diabetes in young cats is extremely rare.
Obesity increases the risk of developing diabetes 3- to 5-fold.

Given that the prevalence of obesity in cats between 5 and 11 years old in the U.S. is over 40%, the high prevalence of feline diabetes mellitus is understandable. Neutered cats have nearly twice the risk of developing DM and male cats 1.5 times the risk.

Do cats with diabetes feel pain?

Diabetes in Cats: Frequently asked questions Most cat parents overlook the concern of diabetes in cats and they end up spending lots of time and money to get the health concern under control. As a cat parent, it is inevitable for you to arm yourself with some information regarding cat diabetes, like diabetes symptoms and some prevention tips.

Cat diabetics is easily preventable diabetes, provided you invest some time, effort and foresee some scenarios.
Maintaining an active working relationship with your veterinarian can be handy to take timely actions.
Here is a list of frequently asked questions about cat diabetics.
What are the reasons for cat diabetics? The exact reason for diabetes in cats is still unknown, however, some cats, by breed are more vulnerable to diabetes when compared to the other.

For instance, Burmese cats are 3.7 times more vulnerable to diabetes when compared to other breeds. This condition is increasingly more in older cats. What are the earliest symptoms of diabetics in cats? Some of the earliest symptoms of cat diabetes are frequent thirst, urination, and increased appetite.

Cat trying to drink water from unusual sources like kitchen sinks and bathtubAn unusually excessive quantity of urine in the litter boxCat demanding more food than usual

What are the latter symptoms of diabetics in cats?

The reluctance of your cat to engage in any kind of physical activity like to jump and walk.Hind legs of your cat touching the ground when she walks.Lack of appetite and vomiting are considered to be serious signs of diabetes in cats, which indicates that your feline is seriously affected by the health concern.Preventing diabetes in cats

How do you treat a cat with diabetics? Feeding your cat an appropriate diet is the first thing that you need to consider for alleviating the concern of cat diabetes. Prepare a diet which is low in carbohydrate. Almost all dry cat food is rich in carbohydrate and low in protein, therefore, it is ideal to stay away from dry cat food.

Canned cat food or homemade food for your feline companion can be your one-stop solution.
If the concern seems out of hand, your cat will need an insulin injection that can be prescribed and administered by your veterinarian.
Veterinarians can train to administer insulin at your home.
Once you start treating your cat for diabetes, schedule a regular checkup to track the blood sugar level and her response to the treatment.

Regular exercise is another ideal means to keep the concern of cat diabetes at bay. Provide her with plenty of playtime, stage a play area in your house or backyard by installing cat scratch poles or cat trees.

How can a veterinarian help to control cat diabetes? A veterinarian can help you to decide on a diet plan that your cat’s system is designed to handle and also the type of steroids that you can use with respect to her health condition. Using steroids in a cat vulnerable to diabetes is something that you need to consider twice as it can easily worsen the health condition of your cat. Is diabetes painful for cats?

Diabetic cats are vulnerable to neuropathic pain. It is a condition that affects the body’s nerves. This can pain can affect the hind legs and even the spinal cord. : Diabetes in Cats: Frequently asked questions

What happens if a cat is not treated for diabetes?

Treatment – Diabetes is definitely treatable and need not shorten an animal’s lifespan or life quality. However, diabetes is life-threatening if left alone. Untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak legs in cats, and eventually malnutrition, ketoacidosis and death.

Diet is a critical component of treatment, and is in many cases effective on its own. It is becoming clear that lower-carbohydrate diets will significantly lower insulin requirements for diabetic cats. Carbohydrate levels are highest in dry cat foods, so diabetic cats are best off with a low-carbohydrate, healthy canned diet. Oral medications that stimulate the pancreas and promote insulin release work in some small proportion of cats, but these drugs may be completely ineffective if the pancreas is not working. A slow-acting dose of insulin injected twice daily, along with a low-carbohydrate diet, keeps the blood sugar within a recommended range for the entire day. Most cats do not object to injections, and insulin is very inexpensive. Some people are reluctant to switch from pills to insulin injections, but the fear is unjustified; the difference in cost and convenience is minor, and injections are more effective in almost all cases. Many cats are actually easier to inject than to pill.

Many cat owners are able to control their diabetic cat’s condition for years, and the animal leads a normal life. If you are willing to work closely with your veterinarian, you and your cat can have many happy years ahead. : Feline Diabetes

What can I give my cat naturally for diabetes?

1. Turkey Burgers – This recipe is extremely flexible, which means you can incorporate whatever vegetables are in-season and what you have available. Take a pound of ground beef and two eggs in order to keep protein levels high; this can help with maintaining steady blood sugar levels.

Can you control a cat’s diabetes without medication?

Natural Ways to Manage Diabetes in Cats By Aly Semigran If your cat has been diagnosed with diabetes, there are several treatment options available to help your feline live a long, healthy life. But is there a way for cat parents to avoid regular insulin shots and rely on natural remedies alone? Not exactly, says Dr.

Tara Koble, DVM of The Cat Doctor Veterinary Hospital, in Boise, Ida. “Some diabetic cats can be managed on a low-carb food alone, without insulin,” says Koble. “This is the only ‘natural’ treatment that sometimes works by itself. Many cats need a combination of a low-carb food and insulin.” Most veterinarians agree that natural supplements that tout diabetes remedies don’t work as effective treatment options.

Insulin shots may be a necessary means to managing a diabetic cat’s health. “There is no ‘natural’ replacement for insulin. However, insulin itself is a naturally occurring hormone, and in cats who need it, we are just technically replacing what is lacking,” says Koble.

“Other natural supplements that are marketed for diabetes just help support the overall health of the cat but they don’t treat the disease directly.” On the other hand, there is a natural approach to preventing diabetes in cats that is highly effective. Koble recommends pet parents pay close attention to diet and exercise.

“The two best things any cat parent can help do to protect from diabetes would be to feed the highest quality canned, low-carb or raw diet that is possible,” she says. “The second critical thing to help prevent diabetes is to get your cat moving. Exercise is protective against diabetes, and indoor only cats are usually lacking severely in activity.”

How much is cat insulin per month?

How Much Does Cat Insulin Cost? – Insulin costs for cats vary depending on where you get their medication and the brand name. You can typically expect to pay $50-$100 per month, but prices can be as high as $300 per month. You can purchase generic drugs, which work just as well, to save some money on your cat’s prescriptions.

Generic medications for cats have the same active ingredients and desired effects as their name-brand counterparts; they simply cost less.
To find the best cat insulin cost, you’ll need to know about the different brands available.
Your vet will likely ask you whether you want the brand name or generic, but if they don’t, you can still rest assured they’re sending you home with a quality medication or a prescription for quality medication.

Your vet might choose particular insulin based on the duration of action, which tells you how long the drug will be effective. These are the brands of insulin for cats: Lente : Lente is an intermediate-acting medication that’s FDA approved for pets and has a 12-hour duration of action.3 Name brands include Vetsulin and Merck Animal Health.

Glargine : Glargine is a long-acting medication that’s ideal for most cats and may be effective at controlling blood sugar levels in diabetic cats.
Glargine also has high remission rates associated with its use and can be used by dogs.3 Name brands include Lantus and Sanofi.
PZI : Protamine zinc insulin (PZI) is a long-acting medication and is FDA approved for use in cats only.3 PZI may be prescribed by vets to use once daily to minimize the potential for hypoglycemia in cats.

Name brands include ProZinc. NPH : NPH is a short-acting insulin that’s typically used in dogs and is not recommended for cats because it has a short duration of action.3 Detemir : Detemir is long-acting insulin for dogs and cats that offers prolonged absorption for a steady duration of action.3 The insulin dose your cat needs will depend on their body weight. What Causes Diabetes In Cats

Does wet cat food cause diabetes?

Common Causes? – Here’s the thing, we don’t actually know for sure what causes feline diabetes. A study was done to lump certain categories of felines into groups that are more likely to have or be at risk of developing the disease. Not surprisingly, many of the causes are similar to diabetes in adult humans.

Adult cats who are overweight, generally inactive, and are greedy eaters all tend to be more at risk of diabetes. According to some studies, being male also increases the odds. Some of the more controversial reasons for feline diabetes stem from what type of food your cat eats. A direct link has not been made yet, but shows a connection between high-carbohydrate/starch diets in cats and general poor health including possible diabetes.

Diets consisting of mostly dry cat food are high in carbohydrates from the starches used to hold the dry food together. A cat’s natural diet in the wild mainly consists of protein-rich prey with very little carbohydrates. Cats lack several of the enzymes humans have to break down carbohydrates, such as the enzymes in our saliva ().

Is dry or wet food better for cats with diabetes?

Best Foods for Cats With Diabetes – When choosing a diet for your diabetic cat, it’s best to choose wet foods that typically come in cans or pouches. Wet foods are lower in carbohydrates than dry foods and contain more water than kibble. Cats need water in their diets for hydration and urinary tract health because they often don’t drink enough water on their own.

If you are having trouble getting your kibble-addicted cat to eat wet food, you will need to take time to transition your cat to wet food.
When searching for the right commercial wet food, pay close attention to the content of carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
The diet should have as few carbohydrates as possible.

It should mainly consist of animal-based protein and fats. About 50% or more of the calories in your cat’s diet should come from animal-based protein and 20-40% should come from fat. Calories from carbohydrates should be less than 10%, but lower is always better.

Be aware that not all wet cat food is the same. Wet foods with a lot of gravy may contain a lot of sugar. Although cats cannot really taste the sweetness, they can still become addicted to it. Many cat owners notice their cats love gravy-based wet foods more than pate wet foods. Feline nutrition expert Lisa A.

Pierson, DVM of catinfo.org has created a very useful website with advice about feeding diabetic cats, The site includes a detailed and useful cat food composition chart that lists the contents of many commercial wet cat foods. The following list includes some of the many optimum wet foods for cats with diabetes:

9 Lives: Pate varieties onlyDave’sEvoEvolveFancy Feast: Stick with chunky, classic, flaked, and roasted varieties; avoid gravy lovers, marinated, medleys, and sliced varieties as they are higher in carbohydrates.FreshPet: Found in the pet food aisle in a refrigerated caseFriskies: Choose the pate or flakes varieties; avoid other varieties as they contain too many carbsHalo: Avoid “Spot’s Stew,” but other varieties are low in carbsHolistic SelectI and Love and You: Most varieties are low in carbs; consult nutrition information firstIams: Most varieties are low in carbs; consult nutrition information firstMeow Mix: Pate varieties are low in carbsNature’s VarietyNewman’s OwnNuloPinnacleProPlan: Prime Plus and True Nature varieties are low-carb/high-protein; avoid other varietiesSheba: Pate varieties onlyTiki Cat: All varieties contain very few or no carbsTriumphWellness: Complete Hath line is low in carbs; many other varieties are too high in carbs, so consult nutrition information firstWeruva/B.F.F.: Many varieties are low in carbs; consult nutrition information first Wysong

Do diabetic cats sleep a lot?

All cats enjoy 20 or so hours of sleep every day, but excessive lethargy may be caused by diabetes. For example, if your cat suddenly no longer runs or jumps, it may be worth a trip to the vet.

What causes cats blood sugar to spike?

Hyperglycemia in Cats – The term hyperglycemia refers to higher than normal levels of glucose in the blood. A simple carbohydrate sugar that circulates in the blood, glucose is a major source of energy for the body, of which normal levels range between 75-120mg.

Insulin, a hormone that is produced and released by the pancreas into the bloodstream when glucose levels rise, plays a pivotal role in maintaining the blood sugar levels within normal limits.
If insulin concentration is too low or there is absolute deficiency of insulin, levels of glucose rise sharply leading to hyperglycemia.

Some of the causes for hyperglycemia may be pancreatitis, and the resulting inability to produce insulin; normally occurring hormones, especially in female cats; diet; and infections of the body (such as teeth, or urinary tract). Middle aged and older cats are more at risk for developing hyperglycemia, but otherwise, no breed is particularly disposed to this condition.

What can I give my cat naturally for diabetes?

How do you prevent diabetes in pets?

A Balanced Diet – The first and most important step is to eat a healthy diet. A well-balanced, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet will help your pets maintain a steady blood sugar level, which can help them avoid insulin resistance and diabetes. It’s just as vital for you to check their food’s nutrition labels for yours.

Can you control cat diabetes with diet?

However, most cats with diabetes can be stabilized on a carefully controlled program using their normal diet. Stabilization on a non-prescription diet is much easier if a complete, moist food is fed. Clean drinking water should be available at all times.