What a "Sweet" Cat!

I didn't put "sweet" in quotes because I'm being sarcastic or I don't really believe it; with a blood sugar level of 570mg/dl (normal would be between 70 and 120) Cooper has diabetes mellitus.

Cooper actually came to us because he was walking funny according to his owner. His hind legs were sort of wobbly and he was very lethargic. Always a big cat, Cooper had been losing weight over the last year or so. Digging a little deeper into his history, we also found that he was PU/PD(polyuric/polydyspic)-drinking a lot of water, particularly demanding that the faucet was turned on for fresh water at all times.

Every one of these symptoms, even the "walking funny" can be symptoms of diabetes due to the excessive blood sugar levels. Cooper wasn't limping in his hind legs-he was showing a neuropathy or weakness here. Diabetic cats with these symptoms are usually fairly advanced in their diseases and most veterinarians do not believe that the weakness is a painful condition but rather a lack of sensation. I suppose that is the lesser of two evils.

In a diabetic (human or animal) there is not enough insulin to allow cells to receive glucose from the blood. The body is actually unable to detect the glucose in the blood and is fooled into thinking starvation is occurring. This is why protein, starch and fat start to breakdown, despite the fact that plenty of glucose has been there all along. But without the insulin, the "fuel" cannot get to the tissues that need it. A normal kidney can prevent glucose loss in urine. In diabetics, glucose overwhelms the kidneys and it spills into the urine. Glucose is able to draw water with it into the urine. This leads to excess urine production and excess thirst to keep up with the fluid loss (all that drinking and peeing.)

So, Cooper came back in this evening with his humans, ready to start the huge undertaking of managing his diabetes. He was dispensed a prescription diet of a high protein, low carbohydrate food. His owners were taught how to handle insulin and syringes and gave a few test injections to Twitchi, our Flake's Fund cat (who is still waiting for a home!) They were given lots of information on the disease and websites that have information they can trust (there is so much "hysterical" information out there on the web; it can be overwhelming when your pet gets a diagnosis like this.) Some sites for more info on diabetes in pets are:

www.felinediabetes.com
www.caninediabetes.org
www.sugarcats.com

We will schedule frequent rechecks of his blood glucose levels, and keep in touch with his owners on how they are handling his symptoms and his medications. We will make sure they know what kinds of things to watch for that indicate his blood glucose levels may be changing-so they don't inadvertently overdose him on insulin, and then what to do in case that happens. We have actually had many diabetic cats resolve their diabetes! It could happen with proper nutrition and insulin administration right from the start, so I let Cooper's owners know that was a remote possibility. We'll keep our fingers crossed for him. It is a crummy diagnosis, for sure, but he is lucky to have dedicated humans helping him through these initial tough times. He really is a "sweet" cat.

Peace,
DrReneigh