Unfortunately Diabetes in cats is steadily increasing. Diabetes is a serious condition that needs immediate attention and consistent monitoring. But the good news is that there are steps you can take to help prevent this all too commonly seen feline illness. But if your kitty has feline diabetes there are ways to control it so you can maintain a good quality of life for both you and kitty if you diagnose the problem early.
Diabetes in cats occurs when there is a problem with the cat's insulin. Either the insulin isn't able to regulate the blood sugar anymore or the pancreas is not making enough insulin to regulate the blood sugar. There are a variety of reasons why this happens but there are some common risk factors that appear to contribute to this problem. You can help prevent diabetes by reducing the controllable common risk factors.
Controllable Risk Factors
The main risk factor that you can control is your cat's weight. Obesity is the main controllable risk factor you can control to help prevent feline diabetes. It is best to be careful and make sure your cat doesn't get to the point of being overweight. This doesn't mean you should deprive him of food, but it is important to feed the recommend amount of a quality cat food.
If your cat is already overweight work with your vet to start a weight loss plan. It is important to make gradual changes as losing weight too quickly can cause other serious health problems for your cat.
Maintaining a healthy diet is another important step you can take to prevent diabetes in your cat. This goes right along with keeping a healthy weight. Just like us if cats eat junk food they will gain weight and lack necessary nutrients. Unfortunately some cat foods contain too many fillers so your cat may eat too much because he doesn't feel full. Buy a good quality cat food and make sure you aren't providing too many unhealthy treats.
Lack of exercise is the other controllable risk factor. Make sure your cat is getting enough exercise. Have fun with him and have kitty play time every day, and find some toys he likes to play with on his own so he can play when you're not there too. Rotating toys can help keep them interesting.
Other factors like medications, a hormonal imbalance and stress can also be risk factors. You can take steps to minimize stress, but you will need to work with your vet on these other factors.
Non-Controllable Risk Factors
There are some factors you can't control, but it is good to know about them so you can watch for any symptoms and get a diagnosis early if you start to see signs that your cat isn't acting "normal".
Age can play a role; middle-aged and older cats have a greater chance of getting feline diabetes. Gender can play a role too as males are more likely to get this than females. Just like with us humans some cats may have a genetic factor giving them a greater predisposition of contracting this disease. Certain breeds also have a greater risk.
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