“So what’s the deal with all the diabetic cats?”

I’ve read that it’s estimated that one in 400 cats will become diabetic – I’ve read that a few places, though I’m not sure which study/ies are being cited. My own vet feels that diabetes in cats is on the rise, although I question whether it’s really on the rise or if pet owners are just getting better at noticing the subtle changes of diabetes and bringing their cats in for treatment. The fact that I have three of them, is mostly due to luck (or lack of luck), although I have one of the cats because I have experience in treating diabetic cats.

How can you tell if a cat is showing signs of diabetes? It isn’t always easy, especially in early stages. I was hyper-alert with the little grey cat after she was diagnosed with Feline Triad Syndrome and was put on a steroid regimin. She already had pancreatitis (part of the triaditis), and adding steroids to pancreatitis was almost as good as a guarantee she’d become diabetic. I watched for changes in drinking behavior (diabetics drink more), changes in urination (diabetics urinate more), changes in eating behavior (some diabetics become ravenous, others refuse to eat) and changes in weight (unexplained weight loss is usual in diabetics). On 2 August 2009, in my entry Feline Triad Syndrom and LGS I noted that I’d been forced to start her on steroids and predicted she’s be diabetic within a year. I started testing LGS’s urine with over-the-counter test strips that change color if there is sugar in the urine. In September 2010 I started seeing signs of increased drinking/urination, refusal to eat food, weight loss, and vomiting. None of these signs were necessarily diabetes, since pancreatitis can cause all this in cats too. About the same time though I started seeing positive indications of sugar in her urine with the test strips. Nothing explains that except high blood sugar levels. On 25 October 2010 LGS was diagnosed as diabetic and started on glargine insulin. There are no good alternatives when treating triaditis, though fortunately some cats can be managed without steroids.

My foster cat came to me with diabetes. Other than being a middle-aged cat she had no other indicators that would have signalled she was at high risk. Her weight was good, her health history unexceptional. She had originally been adopted from the rescue group I volunteer for; we have a clause in our adoption agreement that states that if you have to surrender a cat you adopt from us for any reason you must return the cat to us. It guarantees that if a placement doesn’t work out the cat gets a second chance through us for a good home. Foster cat’s owner had a stroke and had to be hospitalized; the owner’s son tried to care for the cat but his dog terrorized the kitty and he had to release it to us. We’d hoped that the recent stress the cat went through caused a temporary rise in blood sugar levels, but it turned out not to be the case. Whether the cat had been a diabetic for a while and no one noticed because of her home situation, or if she was simply at risk for diabetes for some reason and the stress pushed her over the edge we’ll never know.

The Little Black Cat has had inflammatory bowel disease (but not feline triaditis) for a while. We were treating her with a regimin that included budesonide, a steroid that mostly acts locally in the GI tract but is only supposed to affect the rest of her body minimally. I don’t know if the budesonide is responsible for her developing diabetes, or if an incidental finding of some amyloid build-up in her pancreas is related. Regardless, she started refusing food and begging to drink out of faucets. Water seeking activity like this in a cat that hasn’t previously displayed the trait can be a signal that something is up. I didn’t catch that LBS was urinating more, but then I’ve got four cats at large in the house now, two of which were already confirmed diabetics. The finding of occasional large urine clumps is no longer a real indicator of anything anymore! When LBS started losing weight we took her to the vet, where diabetes was confirmed through ketones in the urine (yes, you Atkins people, I know that for you keto-acidosis is a beautiful thing, but it is also an indicator of moderate to severe metabolic disease). Further clouding LBS’s health picture was the discovery of a moderate hypercalcemia when her blood-work was returned. It might mean nothing, or it might mean a lot. If she does have another illness brewing, the stress on her system might account for why she’s now insulin dependent. As I mentioned in a previous entry, we’ll have to monitor, do a few more tests in another week or so, and see what happens from there.

My current fear is that my second foster, Tank the 24 lb cat, will also develop diabetes. Obese cats are at much higher risk for developing the disease. We’ve got Tanker on a sensible weight-loss program at the moment; let’s hope that this isn’t too little too late. As an incidental observation, male cats are statistically more at risk for diabetes than female cats – with three female diabetics in the house I really hope we aren’t tempting fate with an at-risk male cat added to the herd.

So that’s the deal with the diabetic cats.