Feeding a Cat With Diabetes

In this guide

When one owner took his cat to the vet after noticing lethargy, a lost appetite, and urine sticking to the paws, the diagnosis that followed, diabetes, came as a genuine surprise. Like many owners in that position, he had not known cats could even develop the condition, and worried about giving regular insulin injections and how it might affect his cat's quality of life.

In practice, the diagnosis proved far less daunting than feared. Giving insulin became a simple part of the daily routine, no more difficult than brushing teeth, and the cat returned to his old self, running around and eating well again, once settled on the right diet and insulin regime.

Why Cats Develop Diabetes

Diabetes disrupts insulin, the hormone responsible for moving glucose from the bloodstream into the body's cells. Feline diabetes more closely resembles human type 2 diabetes, where the body still produces insulin but becomes less responsive to it. Sugar builds up in the blood, leading to symptoms such as increased thirst and urination, and left untreated, it can eventually cause serious complications.

The exact cause is not fully understood, though overweight cats face a higher risk, since excess weight reduces the body's sensitivity to insulin. Older cats are also more prone to developing the condition. Other contributing factors include chronic pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism, and certain medications, such as corticosteroids.

Changing the Diet

Cats are natural meat eaters, so a diet built around plenty of protein matters, and this becomes even more important once diabetes is diagnosed. According to Dr Richard Nelson, a professor of internal medicine at the University of California, Davis, the ideal diet for a diabetic cat combines higher protein with lower carbohydrate content, since cats are far less efficient than people at processing carbohydrates. Most canned food is already higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates, while many dry foods rely more heavily on starch. A vet may recommend switching to a specially formulated food, or moving to an all-canned diet.

Weight also needs close monitoring. While many diabetic cats are overweight, some are actually underweight if the condition went undiagnosed for a long stretch. According to Dr Thomas Schermerhorn of Kansas State University, some cats need to gain weight at diagnosis, some need to lose it, and others are fine exactly as they are. An overweight cat should lose weight gradually, since a suitable diabetic diet supports weight loss and can make the condition easier to manage overall, as losing weight helps the body use insulin more effectively and lowers blood sugar. Every cat is different, and a vet remains the best source of guidance on the right nutritional plan, based on health, weight, the severity of the condition, and the individual cat's taste.

Timing of Meals

Meal timing needs to be coordinated carefully with insulin dosing. According to Dr Kathryn Michel of the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school, meals should be timed so calories are being absorbed while insulin activity is at its peak, in order to avoid hypoglycemia, or dangerously low blood sugar. Feeding twice daily, with insulin given right after each meal, is a common approach. One owner, for example, feeds his cat half a can of high-protein, low-carbohydrate food each morning and evening, followed each time by a shot of insulin.

It matters that a diabetic cat actually eats at each meal, since skipping an insulin dose because of an empty stomach can be dangerous. If a cat dislikes a new high-protein food, or resists the shift from grazing to set mealtimes, temporarily reverting to the previous routine can help ensure the cat keeps eating.

Ongoing Monitoring

Because feline diabetes carries the potential for serious complications, close monitoring matters. This includes checking blood sugar levels, either at home or through regular vet visits, watching appetite, weight, and food and water intake, and keeping an eye on the litter tray to confirm urination stays consistent. Any change in normal routine is worth mentioning to the vet.

Can Diet Improve the Condition?

Careful attention to diet and insulin therapy can sometimes allow the insulin dose to be lowered over time, and some cats even go into remission. Remission does not mean a cure, however. Dr Schermerhorn recommends owners continue to think of their cat as having diabetes, simply controlled, since flare-ups can still happen and insulin may be needed again periodically. Long-term commitment to managing a diabetic cat is very much part of the deal. With a strict diet and insulin routine maintained over the years, it becomes easy to forget the condition is even there, as one owner found with his fifteen-year-old cat, who still runs around the house like a much younger animal.

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