November is Pet Diabetes Month
Feline Diabetes is Most Prevalent in Overweight Older Cats
Nov 10, 2009
Excess grains in the diet make the cat's small pancreas work too hard to keep blood sugar levels in a safe range. This overwork can contribute to diabetes developing in the cat. Obesity is another result of feeding a high grain diet and an obese cat requires more insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. This has resulted in feline diabetes in epidemic proportions. As with humans, a shortage of insulin or inefficient insulin production results in diabetes in your cat and obesity is usually the underlying factor.
Symptoms
The most observed symptoms of feline diabetes include increased thirst and increased urination, weight loss with lethargy, normal or increased appetite in the early stages, decreased appetite in the later stages, poor quality hair coat, limping in the rear legs and in the end stages, coma and death.
Importance of Diet in Treating Feline Diabetes
Feeding your cat a high quality grain free diet is the best insurance against becoming susceptible to feline diabetes. There are many well informed holistic veterinarians as well as licensed pet nutritionists who can recommend an appropriate and healthy diet. As a concerned pet owner, you should become informed and educated about your pet’s health to promote a long life for your cat. Although these high quality cat foods are somewhat more expensive than the cheaper high grain foods, the savings will be realized in a healthier cat and fewer visits to the vet.
Water is vital to your cat’s health. Cats on a dry food diet are often chronically dehydrated. The natural prey of a wild cat contains between 65-80% water. Dry food averages 10%, and canned food 78%. Since cats were originally a desert species, they do not have a strong thirst for water and it is their natural instinct to derive most of their water from their diet. Dry food has been promoted for years for human convenience rather than the cat’s health.
Holistic veterinarians and pet nutritionists generally agree that feline diabetes results from consumption of cheap low quality high grain foods. Many times the diabetes can be reversed or minimized simply with a change in diet especially in the early stages of the disease. Prevention is much less harmful (and costly) than discovering your cat is diabetic. Many cats that are in a diabetic state no longer need any insulin when they are fed an appropriate low-carbohydrate feline diabetic diet recommended by your veterinarian or pet nutritionist. High quality grain free diet is the best insurance against becoming susceptible to feline diabetes. There are many well informed holistic veterinarians as well as licensed pet nutritionists who can recommend an appropriate and healthy diet.
As a concerned pet owner, you should become informed and educated about your pet’s health to promote a long life for your cat. Although these high quality cat foods are somewhat more expensive than the cheaper high grain foods, the savings will be realized in a healthier cat and less visits to the vet.
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