Cats and Birds information on net.

People know all too well the dangerous of eating food that is high in fats and sugars. This often leads to diabetes, which will then increase the chances of the patient suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease. The same thing can also happen with cats and it called feline diabetes.

Feline diabetes unlike some other illnesses may happen at any age. There are three types. The type 1 happens when the cat is unable to produce the right amount of insulin. Type 2 occurs when the body becomes resistant to it. The third is due to the side effects of the drugs that are given to treat either of the two.

Indications that a cat may have feline diabetes includes abnormal breathing, dehydration, loss of appetite and a messed up coat. This is because cats normally clean up and groom without any help, which is never seen with dogs. Veterinarians will be able to confirm this assumption after getting a blood and urine sample to check on the sugar levels.

There are 5 ways to treat feline diabetes. These include a change in the diet, insulin injections, medication, food supplements and monitoring the sugar and insulin levels.

Ideally, this should be food that is low in carbohydrates. The only time that the other four mentioned are used is when this problem has been going on for many years and a change in lifestyle will not show any significant improvements.

The most challenging of the four mentioned is administering insulin into the cat. Before leaving the clinic, the doctor will teach the owner how to do it since the wrong way of doing it could injure the pet.

There are different ways of doing this. A confident owner will hold the cat in one hand with the syringe in the other. Those who are frightful will need the help of another individual to make sure it stays still. Some give the cat a treat for behaving the entire time this is being injected.

There is no standard insulin dosage. The owner will have to go to the clinic regularly during the first month to determine how much should be given and how often. This may change later on so the cat will have to be examined again after 6 months.

Medication and supplements can be done orally or mixed with the cat's diet. Placing strips in the litter box can obtain urine samples to check on the insulin and sugar levels. This is much better than sticking a needle into the cat once a week. Some have even written down the food intake in a diary so this can also be checked by the doctor.

The one thing that separates this illness between humans and cats is the fact that surgery is not considered to be an option. This is expensive and the process of looking for a donor is very difficult.

There is no cure for feline diabetes. The best doctors and owners can do is control it using the different methods currently available. This should also continue even if things are normal because changes in the diet may once again put the cat at risk.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:13 AM