🐾 Diabetes in Cats

❓ What Is Diabetes?

🐾 Feline diabetes is similar to type II adult-onset diabetes in humans.
🐾 Diabetic cats typically start out overweight but lose weight as the disease progresses.
🐾 Common signs include increased thirst and urination, weight loss, lethargy, poor coat condition, and difficulty walking with the back legs.
🐾 Diabetes is managed through a low-carbohydrate diet and/or insulin injections, depending on severity.

🥫 Diabetic Diet Recommendations

🐾 Feed grain-free, meat-based canned food—avoid rice, gravy, and fish flavors. Commercially prepared raw diets are also acceptable.

Recommended healthy canned food brands:
• Blue Basics
• Call of the Wild
• Evanger’s
• Identity Pet
• Innova
• Honest Kitchen
• Natures Variety
• Natural Balance
• Tiki Cat
• Walk About
• Wellness Core
• Ziwi

🐾 Look for grain-free, preferably organic meat flavors with recognizable ingredients.
🐾 This diet is similar to a human Atkins-style diet: it supports stable blood sugar and weight loss.

🐾 Daily Portions:
• 2–3 cans of a 3 oz size (e.g., Fancy Feast), or
• 1–1.5 cans of a 5.5 oz size (e.g., Friskies)

🐾 Approved treats: cooked meat, lunch meat, or freeze-dried meat.

🐾 If your cat refuses canned food: use grain-free dry food or Purina DM dry.
• Feed 1/8 cup, 3–4 times per day.
• Note: Cats on dry food cannot go into remission and will require insulin.

🩺 Monitoring Your Diabetic Cat

🐾 For cats managed with diet alone:
• Check blood glucose every 4–6 weeks until it normalizes.

🐾 For cats on insulin:
• Recheck exam and fructosamine test every 3 months to monitor long-term regulation.
• Feed and medicate your cat as usual—no fasting required.
• This test can be scheduled at any time of the day.

🐾 For all diabetic cats:
• Chemistry panel and CBC recommended annually.
• These tests detect complications early, including infections and fatty liver disease.

💉 Insulin Guidelines

🐾 Insulin is given subcutaneously once or twice daily.

🐾 Cats on dry food may require higher doses.

🐾 Never give more insulin than prescribed—overdosing can cause dangerous hypoglycemia or death.

🐾 Do not give insulin if your cat has not eaten.

❄️ Storage & Handling

🐾 Store insulin in the refrigerator and protect it from light.

🐾 Do not use if cloudy or discolored—replace immediately.

🐾 Warm the syringe between your fingers before injection to reduce stinging.

📦 Syringes & Disposal

🐾 Use U-100 insulin syringes as prescribed by your pharmacy.

🐾 Dispose of used needles in a hard-sided container such as a sharps bin, detergent bottle, or coffee can.

🐾 Do not return used needles to the clinic—it is illegal to transport medical waste.

⚠️ Signs of Hypoglycemia

🐾 Warning signs: drunken gait, weakness, seizures, or coma.

🐾 If this happens:
• Rub 1–2 tsp of Karo syrup, maple syrup, or honey on the gums
• Offer food
• Contact our office immediately

🧪 Monitoring & Remission

🐾 One month after starting insulin, a blood glucose test should be performed.

🐾 After that, fructosamine levels should be checked every 3 months to evaluate regulation or remission potential.

🐾 If blood sugar normalizes and remission occurs, insulin can be discontinued under supervision.

🎥 Learn to Give Insulin

🐾 Visit www.youtube.com and search for ‘vetvid diabetes’.

🐾 Recommended videos:
How to Give Your Diabetic Cat an Insulin Injection
How to Prepare an Insulin Syringe to Inject a Diabetic Cat

Have questions or need support with your diabetic cat?
We’re here to help—contact our feline-focused team:
📞 610-398-3556

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