Okay, so this may be a really stupid question...but can cats get/have diabetes?

If so, are the symptoms like, or at least similar to, humans?

Background: I have 2 cats, Molly & Oscar. Molly is a White Domestic Short Hair weighing approximately 10 lbs. Oscar is a Tabby & White Domestic Short Hair weighing approximately 22 lbs (yes, our Vet knows how much he weighs...that is another long story). Last week, Molly had a few vomiting spells...she was really lethargic and I could see in her eyes that she felt bad (poor thing). Just about when I was ready to take her to the Vet's office, she got better. Now, though, she is drinking water like crazy. Before, I could leave the water bowl out for well over 24 hours before I had to refill it (it's just a plastic cereal bowl) now I'm having to refill it every evening. I have "caught" her several times just drinking and drinking. After noticing that, I realized that there has been ALOT of pee in the litter boxes lately. Both cats prefer to do their 'business' in private, so I can't be sure that most of that urine is hers...but considering how much she is drinking, that is my assumption.
I realize that Oscar's weight would make him more inclined to have/get diabetes...but Molly is the one exhibiting the signs. Any info or advice?

I know that most of you are going to tell me to take her to the Vet, which I plan to do, I'd just like to know if I'm on the right track before I get there. :-)

Thanks!
Kelly

Yes, cats can get diabetes. It is usually age related, around 10 or older. Some exhibit the usual signs, others don't. My brother has one cat who became diabetic. His only sign was his back legs gave out on him. They're treatment is insulin shots and a regulated diet once they're stabilized. It is cheaper to get the insulin through a pharmacy then the vet. Have your vet give you a prescription.

Dianne

Sorry, I should have included their ages:
Molly - 10 1/2 years old
Oscar - 9 1/2 years old

Thanks for the reply Dianne, I'll keep that in mind about getting insulin at the pharmacy.

Kelly

Well, I took Molly to the Vet last night and it's official - she's diabetic.

Any advice on dealing with a diabetic cat would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Kelly

OK, your life has just officially changed. First, be prepared to do a month of test strips to find out your cat's peaks and troughs of blood sugar. There are different kinds of insulin, and you and the vet will have to figure out which one will work best for your cat. If you end up with one type, you can only get it through your vet, but the others are pretty widely available. The shots don't hurt the cat if done correctly, and my daughter's cat actually comes to her for his shot. He knows he doesn't get food if he doesn't get the injection. :>)

Research what food will be best. Your vet will start with the most common course of treatment, insulin and food-wise, but if it isn't effective, your vet must be willing to spend a lot of time helping you. Our vet has a diabetic cat, so she's willing to discuss every possible treatment option and appreciates the research my daughter has done. Your diabetic kitty will probably have to eat different food than the other cat, and in specific amounts. No more free feeding. Insulin dosages might have to be adjusted a few times before the right level is reached.
I do hope your kitty is an indoor cat, it will make all of this easier. Hang in there, it sounds like a lot, but your cat will feel great and live a lot longer!
It gets easier after the first adjustment period.

There is a website devoted to cats with diabetes, it is moderated by vets, so find it and prepare to learn a LOT. My daughter's cat can only eat a specific canned food to avoid all carbs. The vet tried to put the cat on a diet cat food to get his weight down a bit, but the cat's blood sugar went sky high in just two days. We prefer to have the diabetes under control v. a thinner cat. Hang in there!

WOW - thank you SO much for the information! As of right now, the vet and I have decided to get Molly onto her new food (Diabetic Maintenance by Purina, I believe) and see how things go. Of course it will take awhile to get her switched over since I am mixing the food right now, but she really seems like it and I'm glad. The vet told me to monitor her symptoms and if anything changes (negatively) to bring her in for the glucose curve. Then, we will decide on insulin.

Do you care to give me the website you spoke of for Diabetic Cats?

Again, thank you!
Kelly

The website is www.felinediabetes.com. Diabetes is a very serious disease, you need to start monitoring glucose levels NOW, not wait to see how the new food will work out. It is easy to do. Out of control glucose levels cause kidney, eye and heart damage while your cat SEEMS to be healthy. Find out if your town has a vet with more than just an average interest in feline diabetes, please, and make an appointment ASAP! Vets are very understanding if you need to change to another practice. Your kitty will have many years left if you are willing to really attack the problem now. Once the internal damage is done it is too late.

Well, I have a 17-year-old diabetic cat (Siamese) who has had the disease for over 5 years. She is under control. I do not have to check her blood. She gets Humulin N insulin twice daily, 12 hour intervals. The way I do it is to feed her, then as soon as she is finished she gets her shot. I take her to the vet every 6 months or so to make sure her sugar level is good. She has had no adverse affects thus far. She gets her meals at 9 am and 9 pm every day.

I don't find this difficult to deal with at all. She takes the shots well, and if for some reason I forget to do it she reminds me. Really, she does! She knows it makes her feel better--I know she does.

My Hercules has had diabetes for about 4 years and is on PZI insulin. We tried many other types but this is the only one that works for him. It is expensive but worth every penny for my precious boy. Carol M

Isn't it nice to know it can be so easy to manage, and that the cats actually help us manage it? PZI is the insulin that works for my daughter's Cosmo. Checking blood sugars at the vet doesn't work for him--he gets excited and they get all out of whack. He's apparently controlled well now that he's on his regular wet, very low carb diet. My daughter only checks his glucose when he's puking a lot. The new cat seems to help--I think he's getting a bit of exercise playing with her. Long live our furry friends!

Hercules also doesn't do well with blood tests at the clinic. He gets very agitated and the results are not very accurate. He developed the symptoms after being injured we think by a car. He was an outside kitty that I had captured, had neutered and he had adopted us. He was missing for several days and came crawling into our yard one evening and was in bad shape. I took him to the emergency room for stitches and to make sure nothing was broken but then about a month later he developed all of the symptoms of diabetes. He was tested positive and we believe it all stemed from what ever happened to him. Needless to say he is now an inside boy and doesn't even want to venture outside. It must have been a very traumatic experience for him.

Poor Hercules! Cosmo's developed as his teeth went bad. Just like humans, injury and disease can touch it off. I'm glad Hercules is smart enough to know where he's safe and loved! Carol V.

Wow, again, thank you for all the replies. I have had a really bad two weeks...the night I came home from the Vet with Molly's diagnosis, I found out that my Grandpa was being taken back to the Hospital (he had been sick for awhile). That was last Monday (5th). He died on Monday (12th). So, I left home that night and won't be home again until Sunday. It has been hard dealing with his death and worrying about Molly at home. My neighbor is going over twice each day to feed the cats and said that she seems to be doing fine.

Please keep all of us in your prayers.

Thank you,
Kelly

My grandfather passed away last Monday so I was gone for a week (I live about 6 hours from my family).

Molly has definitely lost some weight, mostly because she won't eat much when I'm away. She is eating better for me now, and I'm glad.

I see definite improvement in her water intake and output (she is drinking and urinating less), so that is good, too!

Thanks again,
Kelly

Kelly, also go to Binky's Page, [www.sugarcats.net], it has a LOT of information, included instruction on how to give your cat a shot & how to test sugar levels. You will need to invest in a blood glucose meter (glucometer) & test strips. Check out [www.felinediabetes.com] for different types & the best kind to use.

Binky's Page has a list of foods by brand & type that you can compare. Make sure you pay attention to the carbs column - you need something with a carb percentage of 14% or less. Very hard to find in dry food - but there are a few. Depending on what you feed your cats now, you might not have to change canned foods. I feed Friskies ground canned foods & most of what I'm already giving them is well below the 14% mark. There is a dry food that was recommended to me called Innova EVO Cat & Kitten food (VERY expensive). Do a google search on it & their website will tell you where in your area you can buy it.

And as far as having to feed your 2 separately - NOT necessary. It's not going to hurt your big guy to eat the same as Molly. I have 5 cats & they ALL get the same feedings. I split 1 can in the AM among all 5, & 2 cans at night. And I DO leave a little bit of dry down because it was suggested to me to do so by another dc owner (dc=diabetic cat) because if the cat starts getting low sugar, they will look for food to eat on their own.

I, too, noticed a very quick improvement in my Baby Kitty's water intake & litter box use in just 4 days of injections. And she's less lethargic, less cranky, & purrs more. Oh - I also strongly urge you to join The Muffin List, an e-mail group that offers support to owners of diabetic pets - both dogs & cats. I'm on there as well - Sandy H. From Rochester, NY. Go to [www.petdiabetes.net] for more information & to sign up. Hope to see you there!

:)
Sandy H. - Rochester, NY, meowmie to Baby Kitty (dc) & Desiree, Clarisse, Dusk & Isis (ndc's)

See us at [www.flippyscatpage.com] or [www.catster.com] (Baby's page - scroll down to "My Family" to see the other 4 ndc's)
MySpace: [www.myspace.com] (for Friends Requests, please indicate you are on Cat Diary's Forum)

Thanks for all the information--and encouraging Molly's owner about the glucose testing. Most pharmacies have coupons for FREE meters (nice ones!) if you buy the test strips for the meter. Just ask the pharmacist. Or ask a diabetic friend to give you their old meter. Carol

You are quite welcome. I hope Molly & her owner can use what information I provided. I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to go with the "cookie cutter" type of care that many vets will dish out. I prefer to do my research, confer with other people in the same situation, & then use what works for my fur kids. Not every cat is the same & neither is every human & their personal situation. Diabetes is not automatically a death sentence, but it does require a certain amount of commitment. It's when something like this happens, that you find out who the true pet lovers really are.

:)
Sandy H. - Rochester, NY, meowmie to Baby Kitty (dc) & Desiree, Clarisse, Dusk & Isis (ndc's)

See us at [www.flippyscatpage.com] or [www.catster.com] (Baby's page - scroll down to "My Family" to see the other 4 ndc's)
MySpace: [www.myspace.com] (for Friends Requests, please indicate you are on Cat Diary's Forum)

Thanks, again, for all the responses. I can't thank you all enough for the support you give.

Sandy - Just to clarify, I really can't let my other cat, Oscar, eat Molly's food as he is prone to UTIs and has to continue his current diet of Prescription Diet C/D. But, they are both doing really well eating all of their food when I put it down as they are learning that I will take it up when they walk away. I am glad you advised me to keep a little bit of dry food out in case her sugar gets low...there have been a couple of times that she has cried for me to feed her and I just assumed that she was mad that her bowl wasn't there anymore - now I realize that she may have known that she needed to eat, and was asking me to help her.

Thank you, all, again,
Kelly

Hello,my name is jinzy and I have a 14 year old calico cat named Nikkita. I had been taking her to the same vet all her life. I began bugging him to do a geriatric blood work up for the past several years but always told to come back another day for him to take blood. No matter which day it seemed to be the wrong day or I just missed the lab people. In the spring when I took her in for her yearly shots I told the vet I was concerned because she was loosing weight even though she was eating like a pig. I also told him that she had been vomiting. She was weighed and she had gone from 9 lbs to 6 lbs. The vet said her muscle tone was good and not to worry. I again asked for geriatric screen and again was told to come back another day to have the blood work done. Well she continued to loose weight, stopped all grooming, began to "go" in inappropriate places. She literally was skin and bones. I called the vet and outlined my concerns.I was given an appt for 7-24-08 at 4pm. I arrived (early) and after a while the tech came out and told me that I would have to come back friday or monday because they couldn't do any testing on her til then. I was shocked at not being able to see the vet. It's not like I'm some kinda deadbeat. They always got their money before I left the office. I don't have to tell you I was hopping mad. I called another vet and got a appt for today. As soon as he laid eyes on her he said it was either hyperthyroidism or diabetes. An hour later I had the test results, it was diabetes. (The crazy thing is this cat has never been overweight a day in her life. she has always been a petite and slender cat). Anyway, I would appreciate any advice you can give me.She has an appt Wed. morning to see a specialist and right now has to take two shots a day and the vet gave me special food for her.Now I have three other cats and a dog, so any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Jinzy,

I am so sorry to hear about the run-around you got from your vet. Good for you for taking her somewhere else!

I wish I could give you advice...but I am still learning myself. I have chosen to not give my cat, Molly, any insulin because of her age and the expense involved. She has lost alot of weight, but was a little heavy (according to the vet) to begin with. I worry about her constantly, but for now she seems to be doing really well. She has days that I can tell she doesn't feel well, but overall things are looking okay.

I hope someone else will reply to this thread to give you that advice you are looking for...I at least wanted to reply and let you know that I will be praying for you and your cat.

Keep us updated!
Kelly