Did you know that over 1% of cats are diagnosed with diabetes? If your feline friend is among them, you’re not alone. Diabetes is a type of disease that occurs in both humans and animals. It is a chronic medical condition characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood. There are two types of diabetes. Basically, animals suffer. If your cat has diabetes, then this article is for you. In this article, I will share complete guidelines on how you can keep your feline friend healthy. Many things to follow at that time, like the importance of diet, what to do, a feeding schedule, or many other things.

Why do cats get diabetes?

First of all, I want to explain the matter because many people don’t know about it. People should be aware of that to avoid problems for their cats. Diabetes is a type of long-term disease and it has no final treatment. Diabetes mainly indicates high levels of sugar in the blood. Do you know why cats get diabetes? Many things are responsible for that, but people do these regularly because they don’t have any knowledge. Cats are like humans, so every cause is applicable which is responsible for human diabetes. Here, I am sharing a list of reasons you must learn:

• Insulin Resistance
• Pancreatic Dysfunction
• Obesity
• Genetics
• Age
• Other Medical Conditions
• Diet

These are common factors and very effective. There can be more factors which are responsible for cats’ diabetes, but these are the most common and we make these mistakes regularly. You need to stop doing these and maintain everything properly. I will explain more below.

What are feline diabetes?

We already learned about cat diabetes. It occurs when the pancreas becomes unable to produce proper insulin. There Are two types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes: It happens when the pancreas fails to produce sufficient insulin due to damage or destruction of the insulin-producing beta cell. This type of diabetes is not common for cats but it is typically seen in younger cats.
• Type 2 diabetes: This type of diabetes is common for cats. It occurs when a cat’s body cells become resistant to the effect of insulin and also when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin as much as the cat’s body needs. Most of the time, type 2 diabetes happens due to obesity and other metabolic reasons. It happens with older cats.

What are the symptoms & diagnosis of cat diabetes?

Many symptoms can be seen if your cat has diabetes. But these symptoms are not permanent; they can change very frequently. The common symptoms include frequent hunger, increased thirst, urination, weight loss despite increased appetite, lethargy, weakness, and recurrent infections. Now, let’s move on to what to do if you notice these problems in your cat. These are diagnostic treatments. You need to take him to the diagnostic center to treat him. It requires some tests to find out the actual problem. Mainly, they test urination or many things. So take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible if you notice the symptoms in your cat.

Also, there are some common risks if any cat gets the diabetic problem. Everyone should learn about the matter to take proper action as a primary treatment. Here, I am shortly mentioning some common risks and factors that can happen with a diabetic cat:

• Obesity
• Hyperglycemia
• Weight loss
• Dehydration
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Neuropathy
• Cataracts
• Urinary tract infections
• Secondary health conditions

How to maintain a proper diet for a diabetic cat?

Maintaining a proper diet for a diabetic cat is essential. Without a proper diet, your matter can be more dangerous. It is good to tell you one thing that sometimes diabetes can be the cause of death. Diabetic cats have a completely different diet system. You obviously need to obey the required method during managing the cat diet. The required nutritional method helps your cat to balance their blood sugar.

Why is a balanced diet important for a diabetic cat?

Maintaining a diet is essential to provide proper nutrients. And as your cat has a diabetic problem, then you must need to obey the following rule. As nutrients can need proper protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, etc. but for the diabetic cat, everything has a limit. So a balanced diet will help you to maintain the nutrients. A balanced diet is essential to support overall health, maintain a healthy weight, or many other things.

It is necessary to say that there are some specific nutrients that help for diabetic cats more. These nutrients are protein, fiber, and low carbohydrate.

Which diet is best for a diabetic cat – Commercial or homemade?

There are two options to select and provide the nutrients. Commercial foods are good because they make the food only for the diabetic cat by deep research. They contain all nutrients. But homemade diets are customizable. And they are also better than commercial food in providing the right nutrients. Also, the commercial food can be so costly and the homemade food is easier and enough as a proper diet. So my recommendation is to choose homemade food for your cat’s diet. It is not only my recommendation to provide homemade food, but also some veterinary doctors recommended it.

Monitor your diabetic cat regularly.

Monitoring a diabetic cat regularly is necessary. Regular health check-up, regular weight measure, regular blood test, and many things to monitor. It is important to make changes in the feeding routine and feeding menu. Also, it needs to get well-bring good health conditions. Consult with your veterinarian regularly to improve the caring method. Take your cat for a vet check frequently.

Feeding schedule and routine for a diabetic cat

Maintaining a feeding schedule to maintain a proper diet is most important. You need to provide food to your diabetic cat after a specific time. The measures are applicable according to age and size. For a diabetic cat, feeding a large amount of food is not better; the better option for a diabetic is to provide food frequently in a low measure. It is good specifically for a diabetic cat. Additional food can be harmful for diabetic cats so feeding low measure food is suitable for diabetic cats. It helps to avoid any risk.

An optimal feeding schedule can depend on many factors for a diabetic cat. It depends on individual factors like insulin regimen, activity level, and response to treatment. A diabetic cat needs food all day long in a small amount. You should give food three to four times a day and the specific time can be 6-8 hours. And also monitor the health conditions to make changes to the feeding schedule and feeding routine. Monitoring is needed to provide proper nutrients according to his health condition. And never forget to consult with the veterinarian for any change in feeding schedule and feeding routine.

Feeding tips for diabetic cat

Here I am sharing some feeding tips to make your life easy. It will help you to care for your cat well.

1. Offer a variety of canned and dry food options.
2. Warm the food slightly to enhance aroma.
3. Try hand-feeding or offering small amounts of food throughout the day.
4. Consult with a veterinarian for recommendations on appetite stimulants or feeding strategies.

Avoid these foods for diabetic cat

Some foods you need to avoid from feeding your diabetic cat. See the list and always stay away from these foods.Because these foods are really dangerous for diabetic cats:

1. Foods high in carbohydrates.
2. Sugary treats or snacks.
3. Foods high in fat.

Keep monitoring your diabetic cat

Monitoring is necessary for a diabetic cat. Always keep your cat in your eyes. Here are some tips to follow. Actually, it will tell you what to notice on your cat’s health. Take a look shortly:

Here’s the list for managing complications associated with feeding diabetic cats:

1. Monitor blood glucose levels regularly.
2. Be alert for signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
3. Keep emergency supplies on hand.
4. Work closely with a veterinarian to address underlying health issues.

Ensuring Optimal Health and Well-being

Problems are a common issue but coping with them is important. If your cat is affected by diabetes, then you need to take action immediately. Because if you take action earlier then your cat will get well earlier. Also, you can apply our recommendations to get a good result. Not always everything becomes applicable from the internet. But everything I tried to provide is recommended by veterinarians. So I can give a prospect that you can easily apply my recommendations to your diabetic cat. And my best recommendation is always that I say everyone never depends on the internet always. Take your cat to the veterinary for check-up. Consult with a veterinarian and then take proper treatment. They will give you proper suggestions as they are monitoring your cat in real life. If the article is found helpful then share the article. And follow us on social media to keep you updated regularly. Thank you!