What should a cat with diabetes eat?

Cats can also suffer diabetes, disease that will require treatment and a strict veterinary follow-up. In addition, it is a condition with which the animal will have to live, so it is very important that, as caregivers, we know and understand this disease to be able to help our cat have the best quality of life possible.

In this article we will explain what diabetes is, focusing on the care that a diabetic cat has to receive, with special attention to what a cat with diabetes should eat.

Diabetes

This disease is a problem in the production of insulin, which is the hormone that will regulate the amount of glucose in the body. Insulin is produced in the pancreas. When we eat, we eat foods with glucose, producing a peak of this compound.

At this moment insulin intervenes, which allows glucose to enter the cells, where it is transformed to produce energy, but when this is missing, the glucose remains in a high quantity in the blood and this will generate a symptomatology and, the long, complications that, if left untreated, can produce the death of the animal. Therefore, insulin deficiency causes hyperglycemia y glucosuria (high levels of glucose in the urine).

Between the symptoms of diabetes the following stand out:

• Increase in thirst and, consequently, in the intake of water (polydipsia).
• Increase in appetite that results in a voracious hunger (polyphagia).
• Inexplicable thinning, as it increases the amount of food eaten.
• When drinking more, the amount of urine eliminated will also rise and we will see that the cat goes to urinate more frequently (polyuria), which can cause dehydration.
• In advanced cases will appear lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, dehydration or general weakness.

Diabetes tends to affect more castrated male cats of middle age, 7-8 years, that is why it is important to go to periodic veterinary reviews, since early diagnosis will allow to establish quickly the appropriate treatment.

In addition, obesity is a predisposing factor, so it is important to know what a cat with diabetes should eat. We also have to provide you with a proper activity to your needs to maintain an optimal weight. Diabetes is recognized as having a genetic predisposition, as well as environmental causes. Inactivity, stress, other diseases and, as we have said, obesity, constitute risk factors.

Diagnosis and treatment of diabetes

If our cat has any of the symptoms described in the previous section, we must go to the veterinarian promptly. Rapid treatment can achieve remission of the disease. Through a blood test and urine the veterinarian will be able to determine the amount of glucose.

The fructosamine. An elevation of their values ​​will be indicative of diabetes, which, with the diagnosis confirmed, we must start the treatment, including what a cat with diabetes should eat. Other tests may include physical examination, urinalysis and culture, and abdominal ultrasound.

Generally the treatment It is intended to maintain the quality of life of the animal as long as possible and consists of the following:

• Insulin injections in doses and guidelines that will mark the veterinarian. It is normal to have to adjust this treatment, so you will have to repeat the glucose measurements. Based on the results the veterinarian will establish the appropriate guideline for each cat.
• When having to administer injections, the caregiver must learn to prick his cat, a task that the veterinarian will teach him, since it is vital that treatment can be followed at home.
• The caregiver must scrupulously observe the clinical instructions, go to the revisions and consult with the veterinarian any alteration in the state of the cat.
• Among the therapeutic options is included, with a fundamental role, nutrition, which we will develop in the following section.

Feeding a cat with diabetes

As we have said, food will meet a crucial role in the treatment of a diabetic cat, that’s why it’s so important to know what a cat with diabetes should eat. These sick cats should be fed a specific food for their disorder.

Luckily, in the market we already have a range of feed and wet food formulated to control diabetes These foods help balance the amount of glucose without losing nutritional quality. We can follow these tips to get our diabetic cat to accept the new feed:

• For a specialized food such as that for diabetic cats to be effective, it must be provided exclusively, but if we see that our cat does not eat it, we can begin mixing it with its usual feed.
• At the beginning it may be necessary to offer the food in its wet version, since it is usually more palatable than dry feed and thus it will be easier for the cat to eat it.
• We dispense the possibility of heating the food, since this spreads better its aroma and can be more attractive to the cat.
• We can even mix the feed with water to turn it into a paste if the cat eats it better. Remember that it is very important that the animal feed.
• In the last case, if the cat does not accept the specific feed under any circumstances, we will have no choice but to return to its usual food, ensuring that it is high-end. Likewise, animals with other serious diseases will preferably eat a specific feed for them, rather than the one recommended for diabetic cats.

This feeding has to be low in Carbohydrates and high in proteins to facilitate glycemic control and promote the remission of the disease. This diet will help to achieve and maintain the cat’s ideal weight. For this we must give the recommended daily amount, without exceeding, divided into several doses per day. It is important to maintain the routine in the feeding and in the administration of insulin.

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

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