Feline diabetestypes and causes

Thereare two types of feline diabetes - Diabetes Mellitus (sugar diabetes)and Diabetes Insipidus.

The two cat diseases should not be confused.Whilst they may bear the same name and often present with similarsymptoms, the two diseases are very different.

This disease is commonly called sugar diabetes. It is a disease that affects the endocrine system (name given to the glands that control or produce hormones) and is a complex, but fairly common disease in cats.

In short, it is a condition where the cat is unable to regulate orcontrol its blood glucose (i.e. blood sugar).

This is due to the bodyeither not utilizing the insulin it produces or the body notproducing sufficient insulin.

The result of this is an abnormally highblood sugar level.

Simply put - in a healthy cat, food is ingested and thereafterdigestion takes place. Glucose (sugar) then enters the blood stream.

Inresponse to this, the pancreas will release the hormone insulin.Insulin regulates the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates and assiststhe muscle, fat and liver tissue to take up the blood glucose.

Essentially insulin allows the cells to utilize the glucose for energy. No insulin = no glucose utilization = hyperglycemia

This cat diabetes is also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes.

It iscaused by the pancreas producing and secreting inadequateamounts of the hormone insulin.

As the body is unable to take up glucosefrom the blood, insulin needs to be provided either in the form oftablets or injections.

Catdiabetes affects up to 3 in 1000 cats. Type-I diabetes is the mostcommon and accounts for about 80 of the cases of diabetes in cats.

Thisform of the disease is characterized by the body"s cells having aninadequate response to the insulin that is being produced.

Type II catdiabetes is non-insulin dependent.

The Type-II diabetic cat will rely ona diabetic diet to control this form of feline diabetes - (i.e. lowcalorie- high fibre diet).

Thecause of feline diabetes mellitus is largely unknown and not clearlyunderstood. Most experts do agree that there are a number ofpredisposing factors that may be responsible for causing the disease:

genetics

Certain cat breeds e.g. some Burmese cats appear to have a higher incidence of developing feline diabetes.

obesity

An overweight cat is more likely to develop cat diabetes.

an obese cat is prone to diabetes

sex

Male cats appear to have a higher propensity for developing cat diabetes.

age

Diabetes is more common (and on the rise) in geriatric cats or cats over 7 years of age.

hormonal imbalances

due to acromegaly (pituitarygland produces excess growth hormone)- hyperthyroidism (thyroid glandproduces excess thyroid hormones) and Cushing"s Syndrome (body exposedto high levels of the hormone cortisol).

drugs

The long term or continued use of certainmedication can affect the pancreas and reduce the productionof insulin. Corticosteroids (cortisone) for treating inflammationamongst other conditions may also cause pancreatitis and affect theproduction of insulin.

pancreatic disease

i.e. tumors, pancreatitis, viral and bacterial infections

It is critical to identify feline diabetes symptomsearly on and to seek the advice of a veterinary practitioner for anaccurate diagnosis.

Take a look at the chapter on cat diabetes treatment and its prognosis.

Thepancreas is an endocrine gland situated in the upper abdomen andlocated next to the liver, duodenum and stomach.

The pancreas has thefollowing functions:

• To produce enzymes that assists with the digestion of food.
  
• The beta cells in the pancreas produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that assists the cells of the body to utilize glucose thereby regulating blood sugar - insulin regulates high glucose levels.
• Glucagon is alsoproduced by the pancreas and this hormone also regulates blood glucoselevels - glucagon is released when the blood sugar is too low. 

With this in mind, it stands to reason that any major damage tothe pancreas that results in an over or under production of insulin orglucagon may result in life-threatening cat illnesses. 

Theanti-diuretic hormone (ADH), also known as vasopressin, is producedin the hypothalamus of the brain and stored in the pituitary gland.

In diabetes insipidus the pituitary gland fails to secrete theanti-diuretic hormone, vasopressin and this results in the kidneysnot being able to conserve water or controlling the concentration ofurine.

In certain instances, it may also result from the kidneys forsome reason not reacting to the hormone vasopressin.

The kidneys areresponsible for eliminating waste products by filtering the blood.

Afailure of removal of waste from the body can be fatal to the health ofthe cat, but can be treated successfully. Diabetes Insipidus is a rarecat disease.

To Top of Page

DISCLAIMER