Diabetes And Weight Loss In Cats
This is potentially the scariest thing on the list so let s get it out of the way first.
Diabetes and weight loss in cats. This endocrine disorder affects the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin a hormone needed to regulate blood glucose. Additionally burmese cats seem to also be at a higher overall risk. Other symptoms that commonly appear include loss of appetite lethargy and hiding. Signs of diabetes include weight loss increased appetite thirst and urination and lethargy.
This often involves switching your cat to a high protein low carbohydrate diet. An alarming number of cats are developing diabetes mellitus which is the inability to produce enough insulin to balance blood sugar or glucose levels. To get the energy it needs the body turns to other sources breaking down fats and proteins to feed glucose starved cells. Diabetes is typically managed with insulin and a diet change.
Diabetes and type ii diabetes specifically is a very common disorder in cats. Left untreated it can lead to weight loss. 8 common causes of sudden weight loss in cats. Diabetes is very common in cats and will require immediate veterinary care and ongoing treatment.
In both type i and type ii diabetes the cells in the body are unable to absorb glucose from the blood and they become starved of energy. It seems counter intuitive that less is more but in the case of insulin it usually is. In addition to unexplained weight loss diabetic cats typically drink an abnormally large amount of water and urinate large volumes as well. Weight loss is an important sign of diabetes in cats.
Obese diabetic cats should be fed a diet that promotes 1 to 2 loss of body weight per week. Not all cat weight loss is caused by. Your veterinarian may recommend a diet change to help regulate your cat s glucose levels and promote weight loss as obesity complicates diabetes management. Although not all cat weight loss is caused by cancer it is a relatively common culprit.
Nutrition is a very important part of managing diabetes in cats. 4 anxiety stress or depression. So when i joined fdmb back in 2005 i quickly learned that diabetic cats do best on a low carb diet and that the symptoms i saw weight loss excessive urination and hunger were probably due to too much insulin rather than too little. Overtime without treatment diabetes is a fatal condition.