A Whole-Family Approach to Feline Diabetes
Like many busy families, Whiskers’ humans work together to prioritize his care while balancing work, school and chores. Even the kids pitch in by making sure Whiskers’ bowls are always full!
But over the years, Whiskers’ unlimited access to food has added up. Sure, he’s carrying a couple extra pounds these days, but he still looks quite handsome. His mom even wondered if he’d even lost a bit of weight lately, but it was hard to tell. She chalked it up to a happy accident.
Lately, the kids have been needing to replenish his water more frequently too. This is because, unbeknownst to the family, Whiskers has slowly been growing thirstier. He’s also been visiting the litter box more often, but who would ever notice a stealthy cat like Whiskers coming and going?
For this reason, many cats like Whiskers only get diagnosed with diabetes when it reaches a critical stage called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent medical intervention. Symptoms of DKA include vomiting, lethargy and weakness. Because these are more noticeable symptoms, this is often the first time most families detect that something is even wrong with their cat. At this point, hospitalization is required in order to have a chance at recovery.
Fortunately, Whiskers’ family always brings him to the veterinarian for his annual check-up, even when he appears healthy. Whiskers isn’t typically a big fan of going to the vet, but that’s nothing that an anti-anxiety pill and yummy treats can’t fix!
At his exam, Whiskers happily enjoyed some catnip as the doctor advised doing annual blood work. She cautioned that his age and extra weight put Whiskers at an increased risk of disease. His family agreed; if anything was wrong with Whiskers, they’d want to catch it early.
Because of his family’s diligence, to their surprise, Whiskers was eventually diagnosed with diabetes. The doctor explained that his pancreas was failing to properly regulate his blood sugar. However, because of its early detection, they had more treatment options available to them.
The family left with the proper medications, a therapeutic diet, and a plan in place to track Whiskers’ blood sugar. A few months later, he was in diabetic remission! No, it wasn’t a miracle; it was the result of early intervention and working together as a family to support Whiskers… just like they always have.
Dr. I. Wonder is here to answer your questions regarding your furry family members. If you have a question, email it to us at danielle@NeighbourhoodPetClinic.com. Our team at Neighbourhood Pet Clinic will tap into their collective experience to answer your various questions.
