About Untreated Feline Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious illness that could have life-threatening consequences for your cat. If left undiagnosed, the disease could cause permanent damage to your cat's body and will lead to much pain and suffering for the animal. The condition leaves the cat unable to regulate its own blood sugar. Seek advice from a vet if you recognize any symptoms of diabetes.

  1. Identification

    • According to Pawprints and Purrs, diabetes mostly affects male cats from the age of 6 and is more common in cats that have been neutered. Common symptoms include increased urination, increased levels of thirst, vomiting, a poor quality coat and lethargy. The cat's weight might also change; often a decreased appetite leads to weight loss. These symptoms are not confined to diabetes, so your vet will test your cat for any other underlying conditions.

    Significance

    • Diabetes is a complicated illness and cannot be cured. If it is left untreated, the cat's health will worsen until it enters a coma and dies. The longer the condition is left untreated, the worse its effects will be. The muscle cells will start to die, affecting the cat's ability to walk. Eventually, the diabetes will cause its organs to fail, at which point the disease will be unmanageable. Therefore, it is crucial that the disease is diagnosed early.

    Causes

    • According to Cat World, the exact cause of diabetes is unknown. However, several things can predispose a cat to this condition. Some felines may be genetically disposed to have a high level of insulin resistance, which would leave them more susceptible to the disease. Obesity and other conditions, such as pancreatitis and Cushing's Disease, can lead to the development of diabetes. Certain medications, including steroids, are also connected with a higher incidence of the illness.

    Prevention/Solution

    • The treatment for diabetes will depend on how advanced the condition is. If it is diagnosed early, it can be managed by feeding the cat a special diet and ensuring that it stays at a healthy weight. For more advanced stages, the cat might require regular insulin injections and must be carefully watched for changes in behavior (for instance, lethargy or vomiting) and eating habits. As obese cats are more likely to develop diabetes, controlling the cat's weight is an important preventative measure.

    Considerations

    • Some cats may have elevated blood sugar due to stress. This is a different condition from full-blown diabetes and requires different treatment. As Cat World points out, a vet may need to run several blood and urine tests over time. For an accurate diagnosis, the vet might look not only at glucose levels but also at the amount of serum fructosamine in the blood. This tends to be higher in cats with diabetes and separates out high blood sugar caused by stress from that caused by environmental factors such as stress.