Treating a diabetic cat who's not responding to insulin can be both frustrating and heartbreaking. But in many cats, insulin resistance has a simple cause that's easy to fix. Learn to home test so you can track your cat's numbers and figure out why the insulin isn't working as well as it should. And check often for ketones. Cats with high blood glucose levels are prone to diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening emergency.
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Insulin Management
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Using the wrong syringes, storing insulin at the incorrect temperature and using insulin beyond its expiration date can all cause what appears to be insulin resistance in cats. The package insert will tell you what kind of syringes to use and how to store the insulin.
Diet
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Dry food and high-carbohydrate wet food both make it difficult to achieve regulation. Diabetic cats need a low-carb, all-wet food diet.
Somogyi Rebound
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When a cat gets too much insulin and its glucose levels drop too far or too fast, the liver can overreact and dump glucose into the blood, causing what appears to be insulin resistance.
Acromegaly
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Acromegaly is caused by a pituitary gland tumor that continuously secretes growth hormone. "Acrocats" can be treated with large doses of insulin divided into several doses a day, radiation therapy or stereotactic radiosurgery.
Insulin Antibodies
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Every cat produces antibodies in response to an insulin injection. But some produce so many antibodies that most of the insulin never reaches the bloodstream to control glucose levels. High doses of insulin can overcome the antibodies.
Other Illnesses
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If untreated, such chronic illnesses as hyperthyroidism, kidney disease and heart disease can cause insulin resistance in cats. Severe obesity, chronic pancreatitis and infections can also interfere with the effectiveness of insulin.
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