This is Mr Biggs, he was a stray Tom cat, who I used to leave out food for and gradually he moved in with me.  As I write this he is sitting contentedly by the fire. He was always a huge cat, hence the name, also affectionately named after a gardener who used to leap out of the bushes at passing (human) females.  Mr Biggs the cat used to do this too (cat females) and not in a nice way either, as he terrified Sparkles and bit her tail badly on a couple of occasions.

Now neutered, he is calmer and more affectionate but still prone to chasing Sparkles. Post neutering, his sedentary lifestyle and ever present food supply mean that his former large bulk has turned into fat.  He always used to remind me of a nightclub bouncer, but he now looks as though he would be much too overweight to be able to do that job.

This is where the Diabetes comes in, for my veterinary nurse neighbour (whom I quote incessantly on these pages) looked at him with horror a few weeks ago, saying that he needed to loose weight or could become Diabetic (amongst other things).

Now that I am slowly reducing the amount of food that I give Mr Biggs, I will hopefully, not ever have to notice the following - Signs of Diabetes:

SIGNS

Your cat will be drinking an urinating much more than usual, which will often be accompanied by an increased appetite but also a weight loss. A sweet smell will also sometimes be noticed on your cat’s breath.

CAUSES

Diabetes results when the Pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to allow the body to utilize sugar (glucose).  This results in high blood sugar levels, which cause increased drinking and urination. Some cats are genetically predisposed to the onset of Diabetes.  An overweight cat has a greatly increased chance of becoming Diabetic.

SOLUTIONS

If you suspect that your cat is Diabetic, go to the Veterinarian and if this is confirmed, your cat may have to be be put onto a course of Insulin. With proper dietary changes your cat come off insulin.

DIETARY CHANGES FOR CATS

Recent studies have shown, that cats benefit greatly from higher protein and lower carbohydrate diets, like the food that a cat would eat naturally in the wild. Purina and Hills now make specific food for Diabetic cats and you can also buy tinned food that fits this purpose at a normal grocery store. A food that contains less that 5% carbohydrate and high protein can help a diabetic cat enormously and is the single most important change that you can make to help your cat get off insulin.  Eliminate dry food entirely from a diabetic cat’s diet.

FOODS TO HELP YOUR CAT GET OFF INSULIN THERAPY:

Wellness Chicken or Turkey

Fancy Feast Chunky Chicken or Chunky Turkey

Nature’s Variety Organic

Raw food

EXERCISE

Regular exercise will decrease the amount of insulin needed and keep your cat healthier all round.  If your cat is an indoor cat make sure that he or she gets exercise every day; throw a ball, waggle a piece of string, dangle a feather on a string, get a toy etc etc.

CHROMIUM

This supplement makes the cells more receptive to taking up blood glucose. The dose is 25 mg per 10lbs body weight daily. 

ANTIOXIDANTS

These limit the damage to other cells inthe body caused by the Diabetes.

Vitamin E (100 IU per 10lbs body weight twice daily)

Vitamin C ( 100 mg per 10lbs body weight twice daily)

FISH OIL

One regular strength capsule per 10lb body weight once daily.

So you can see that there are many things that you can do if your cat has Diabetes but the greatest cure of all is PREVENTION.

Information and advice taken from Veterinary Secrets Revealed go to the official site for further details on Cats Health Care.

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