Caring for Cats with Diabetes
Has your cat recently been diagnosed with, or exhibiting signs of diabetes? Not to worry, your furry friend can still live happily and healthy as long as you take the proper measures to treat and care for it. Typical symptoms for feline diabetes could include change in appetite and strange behaviors such as sleeping or hiding more or less frequently. They also might become more or less affectionate than normal. It is also common for diabetic cats to become more thirsty and urinate much for frequently due to the high amount of sugar in the urine. This is why it is always important to give constant access to fresh water to your diabetic pet.
Upon noticing noticing any of these symptoms it is important to seek help from a veterinarian right away. Remission from the disease is possible especially if it’s caught early and acted upon fast. The most common treatments for diabetes mellitus in cats includes:
1. Administering insulin shots for pets
The administration of insulin shots for pets is one of the most common and effective methods to begin treatment. Insulin is a hormone shot that is designed to help regulate the animal’s blood glucose levels. Insulin therapy will require the cat owner to inject their pet with a syringe to safely dispense the insulin just underneath the skin.
2. Orally fed hypoglycemic medication
Another option for feline diabetes treatment is the administration of orally fed hypoglycemic medications. These types of medicine come in pill and liquid form and can be a better choice for cat owners that might be uncomfortable with using a needle for injections. However, these types of medications are mostly effective on cats with mild diabetes and do not always work on all cats.
3. Providing glucose weight management cat food
Special diet and routine exercise are important factors in assisting a cat with diabetes to live a happy and healthy life. Glucose weight management cat food is available to help balance the proper nutrition that your pet needs. Typically foods that are rich in proteins and low in carbohydrates are good to feed to cats that suffer from this disease and when selecting a food option it’s usually better to choose a canned wet food over a dry kibble. It is also good practice to keep the meals that are fed to the cat consistent as far as meal times and portion sizes.
4. Increasing the cat’s activity level
Play time is something that should never be skipped. Offer the cat new and exciting toys and allow it to explore and play in environmentally intriguing spaces. Finally, schedule routine appointments to your cat’s veterinarian to check up on the diabetes and overall health to help ensure comfort, good health and happiness for your beloved pet for many years to come.