Feline diabetes (Diabetes mellitus) is a complex, though somewhat common disease in cats. It is caused by a lack of or deficiency of insulin in the body, and cats with greater risk factors for the disease are usually older, neutered, male and obese cats. While feline diabetes can be monitored and treated successfully at home, there are some important things to remember when traveling with your diabetic cat. Therefore, with the proper precautions and preparations, traveling with your diabetic cat can be safe, and the treatment as effective as it is at home.
Things You'll Need
- Portioned cat food
- Bottled water
- Insulin
- Disposable needles (for cats)
- Traveling refrigeration unit
Instructions
Insulin Therapy While Traveling
Pack your insulin in a high-quality refrigerated travel container.
Pack enough disposable needs to last the entirety of the trip.
Pack a container of food treats that you will give to your cat immediately before the insulin shot. If your cat is used to the shots and you no longer need treats to distract your cat, you may want to pack some food anyway. Because your cat may feel nervous, he may need a big of coaxing to accept the insulin shot. A small food treat is the best method for doing this.
Give your cat his insulin shot in the appropriate manner at the same time that you would give your cat his shot at home. Because the environment will be different from home, and your cat may be feeling additional stress, make sure that you mimic as many home-like factors as you can.
Dietary Maintenance While Traveling
Prepare individually portioned food for each meal that you will be away with your cat.
Feed your cat at the same time as you would normally feed him at home. According the Feline Advisory Bureau, "Altering the feeding regime may upset the stabilization of the diabetes." Therefore, as he will already be under some stress due to traveling. Try to maintain the feeding time as closely as possible.
Pack enough bottled water for your cat for the entire trip. While it may seem like an indulgence, cats that have diabetes need to get a lot of water and are usually very thirsty. If you are unsure of the kind of water that will be available where you are traveling, you should pack enough water that you know is safe.
Research local stores that sell the type of cat food you feed your cat. If for any reason your luggage is lost, you will need to be able to find your cat's food wherever you are traveling, in order not to upset his dietary maintenance.