How can I look after my cat that has diabetes?
Some types of diabetes can be controlled simply by diet but many need daily injections of insulin. The vet will work out the daily dose of insulin, and the practice will go through the whole regime with you. It may well involve urine analysis at home, exercise and food control as well as the insulin injections.
A high fibre diet is usually recommended, as this helps treat obesity as well as slowing down the glucose absorption from your cat's intestines so there is no glucose surge. The carbohydrates in the diet should be complex, not ordinary sugar, and so semi-moist foods are not usually recommended due to their sugar content. The diet should be palatable and of high quality and you should never give your cat tit-bits. The same diet should be fed in the same amounts at the same time each day and it is very important with diabetes to be careful with both food and exercise.
Diabetes is quite a complex condition to manage, so ask the vet as many questions as you need to, until you're sure in your own mind about what the management of diabetes involves. It is one of the conditions where the treatment needs a great deal of commitment and time.
Where possible, keep to a strict daily routine of feeding and exercise and feed only a diet recommended by your vet. Keep some glucose handy, in case your cat shows signs of hypoglycaemia (where the glucose levels are too low) but always contact the vet first if your cat's behaviour changes.
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