You may be surprised to learn that one of the symptoms of feline diabetes is weakness in your cat’s legs.  If you notice your kitty walking on her “elbows” on her back legs instead of her feet, or on her “wrists” on her front legs, you may have a diabetic cat.Your kitty may also display weakness. She may need to lie down after a short walk, and her legs may go out from underneath her without warning.  This problem is called “feline neuropathy.”

Why Does Diabetes In Cats Cause Weak Legs?

It comes as a surprise to many cat owners that feline neuropathy is a symptom of feline diabetes.  This condition is a result of nerve damage caused by high blood sugar levels.  It’s very important that a diabetic cat receives veterinary treatment to lower blood glucose levels as soon as possible to prevent any further damage to her nerves.

Why Is Nerve Damage Often a Problem With Feline Diabetes?

When the body is unable to regulate blood sugar levels, diabetes in the result, both in pets and humans.  Either your kitty’s body isn’t producing enough insulin (type 1 feline diabetes), or her body isn’t able to use the insulin being produced (type 2 feline diabetes).

High blood sugar levels are especially dangerous for nerve, kidney, and eye cells.  Why?  Because these cells are don’t need insulin to be able to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, which makes it possible for them to absorb so much glucose that it causes damage to these cells.  This is why it’s so important to control blood sugar levels in a feline diabetic.  

Can Feline Neuropathy Be Reversed?

Sometimes the nerve damage is reversed when the high blood sugar levels are brought under control, and the cat is able to walk normally again.

It’s also possible that the weakness in the cat’s legs is due to muscle wasting, which is a result of untreated feline diabetes.  Once the blood sugar levels are controlled, the cat owner may wish to gently exercise the feline to rebuild the muscle.  

Some owners have had some success in reversing feline neuropathy by treating their cats with methylcobalamin, also known as methyl B-12.  This product is available at natural food stores.

The Best Treatment Is Prevention

The best way to avoid complications of diabetes in cats is to prevent the disease in the first place.  Avoid letting your feline friend get too heavy.Too much weight predisposes a feline to many health problems.Instead of overfeeding high-carb dry cat food, try to switch your pet over to a high-quality canned food instead.

Regular exercise is a natural way to control blood sugar levels, besides keeping your pet slim and in good condition.

Can A Feline Diabetic Be Helped By Giving Her Natural Remedies For Cats?

Many human diabetics are using herbal remedies, including fenugreek, astragalus, and goat’s rue, along with chromium, to control their blood glucose levels naturally.  Would these herbs work in cats, too?  The answer is yes.   

Many cat owners have been successful in using a combination of diet, exercise, and herbal remedies to regulate their pets’ blood sugar levels naturally.  You can learn more about natural remedies for cats with diabetes by clicking on any link in this article.

It’s unfortunate that the feline diabetes incidence is rising among the pet cat population.  Unfortunately, there are several myths circulating about diabetes in cats.  If you have a diabetic cat, you need to know the facts about how you can help your diabetic pet. 

Myth #1. Putting Your Feline Diabetic To Sleep Is The Only Treatment

This isn’t necessarily true.If your cat is not elderly and has no other health issues, it’s possible to successfully manage this disease. 

It’s not difficult to learn how to check your diabetic cat’s blood sugar levels and give him insulin injections, but there is a learning curve. 

Myth #2. Feline Diabetes Cannot Be Prevented

Quite a few pet experts believe that this disease is a man-made condition that can be prevented by feeding your kitty a high-quality canned food, not dry cat food.

What’s the problem with dry food?This food is composed mostly of grains, which contain too many carbs for kitties.  Cats have evolved to eat meat, not grains.  Free-feeding dry cat food will more than likely lead to a fat cat, and overweight kitties are predisposed to many health problems, including diabetes in cats.   

Myth #3.  It’s Too Hard To Check Your Kitty’s Blood Glucose Levels At Home

It can be challenging at first, but anyone who lives with a feline diabetic should learn how to check their cat’s blood sugar levels.Never administer an insulin shot unless you know what your cat’s blood glucose levels are.  Plus, it’s much less expensive for you, and less stressful for your cat, if your vet teaches you how to do this simple test at home.

Myth #4. Your Kitty Will Need Insulin Injections For The Rest Of His Life

This isn’t true.You may be surprised to know that a simple change in diet from dry food to canned food may be all that’s needed to reverse feline diabetes.  Losing weight can help, too.If you kitty loses weight too quickly, it can cause serious problems for him, so always check with your vet first.

Mild exercise is a natural way to manage blood sugar.Start slowly to get your cat into shape.  Gradually work up to two or three ten-minute exercise sessions every day.

Myth #5. Don’t Waste Your Time With Natural Remedies For Cats

On the contrary, researchers have found that the mineral chromium, along with certain herbs, including goat’s rue, astragalus, and fenugreek, are all very effective in helping to control blood sugar levels in human diabetics.  These remedies are also effective for kitties, as well.  Many cat owners have found that a combination of dietary changes, daily exercise, and natural remedies for cats has made it possible to discontinue insulin injections for their pets.

Don’t believe any of these myths about feline diabetes.  Click on any link in this article to find out how natural remedies for cats can help keep your favorite kitty healthy.

Do you live with a diabetic cat?  If you do, you already know that it’s necessary to pay a lot more attention to your kitty’s health.  Although cat diabetes doesn’t cause circulatory problems or blindness like diabetes in people does, there are four dangerous complications of feline diabetes that you need to know about. 

Feline Neuropathy

The cat owner will notice weakness in the pet’s legs.  If you notice your kitty walking on her “wrists” on her front legs, or on her “elbows” on her back legs, she may have feline diabetes.  Nerve damage results when the blood glucose levels are too high over a period of time.  This condition is sometimes reversed when cat diabetes is treated.

Feline Ketoacidosis

This problem is often seen in an untreated feline diabetic.  Glucose is normally broken down by the kitty’s body for energy.  But in cat diabetes, the body can’t break down this glucose, so the body starts breaking down fat instead.  This process produces ketones, which are a waste product.  The build-up of ketones causes ketoacidosis, which is a fatal condition unless the kitty receives immediate veterinary care.

Symptoms of ketoacidosis in cats include:

• Breath either smells sweet, or like nail polish remover
• Dehydration
• Either excessive thirst, or not drinking any water at all
• Not eating for more than twelve hours
• Fast breathing
• Vomiting
• Weakness and lethargy
• Frequent urination

Feline Hypoglycemia

If a diabetic cat is given too much insulin, or doesn’t eat on schedule, her blood sugar levels may drop to dangerously low levels.  Kitty may stagger around and be uncoordinated, and seizures may follow.  A fatal coma may follow. 

Treat feline hypoglycemia by rubbing a little corn syrup or honey on the cat’s gums.  Don’t wait to take the cat to the vet, as this is an emergency.

Hepatic Lipidosis

Any overweight kitty who suddenly goes without eating is at risk for developing this problem.Instead of using glucose for energy, the kitty’s body breaks down fat instead, which causes a build-up of fat in the liver.  Symptoms are similar to ketoacidosis, and also include jaundice, or a yellowing of the cat’s eyes and gums.  Again, get Kitty to the vet right away, as this is an emergency.

Prevent Complications Of Diabetes in Cats

If the cat’s blood glucose levels are kept at normal levels, these complications of feline diabetes can often be avoided.  Research shows that natural remedies for cats, which include the herbs astragalus, fenugreek, and goat’s rue, along with chromium, are very effective for regulating blood sugar levels in kitties.

Don’t wait for your feline diabetic to fall victim to these complications.  Click on any link above to learn more.

Is feline incontinence becoming a problem for your cat? You need to realize that incontinence in cats, or dribbling and leaking of urine, and inappropriate urination are two different things.

Often an incontinent pet is unaware that she has a problem. Inappropriate urination, on the other hand, is when a cat is purposely urinating in places other than her litter box. This may be a behavior issue, but it can also be cause by feline lower urinary tract disease.

It’s important to know the difference between the two because incontinence in cats can be a sign of serious health issues for your feline friend.

Ten Reasons For Feline Incontinence

1. Usually the simplest reason is feline lower urinary tract disease. One of the symptoms of a feline bladder infection is needing to urinate often. It may be that your cat just isn’t able to make it to the litter box in time.

2. Your cat’s bladder may be scarred, due to recurring feline urinary problems. This prevents her bladder from expanding to hold urine, so she may not be able to hold it.

3. Cat bladder stones can cause a partial blockage of your cat’s urethra, making it impossible for her to empty her bladder completely. As her bladder fills with urine, the pressure can force some urine around the blockage. If you suspect a blocked cat, get her to the vet as soon as possible, as this can be fatal within a day or two.

4. The result of a weak urinary sphincter can be an incontinent cat. This is more common in older spayed female dogs, but it does occasionally happen in spayed cats, too, especially if they’re heavy. This type of incontinence, called hormone-responsive incontinence, can develop years after she’s been spayed.

5. Feline diabetes can cause an incontinent cat. A diabetic cat is drinking lots more water than normal because the disease makes her very thirsty in an effort to flush the excess sugar out of her body. Because of this she’ll need to urinate more, too. She may have trouble making it to her litter box before she has an accident.

6. Cats with feline leukemia sometimes become incontinent, too. This can happen in both males and females.

7. As a cat ages, the urinary sphincter can weaken. Your cat may develop other problems as she gets older, such as diabetes, which cause her body to produce more urine than normal. Combine a very full bladder with a weak urinary sphincter, and it’s easy to see why urinary incontinence in cats is the result.

8. She may have a neurological problem with the nerves in her bladder that cause her to be unable to hold her urine.

9. Bladder tumors can be another factor.

10. An older can who is getting forgetful, or in the early stages of senility, may develop litter box problems.

Natural Feline Urinary Support

If your furball is having cat urinary problems, it’s important to take her to the vet for a check-up to rule out anything serious. Most cases of inappropriate urination are due to feline lower urinary tract disease, which can be a frustrating condition to deal with.

The most important thing you can do is to feed your cat a high-quality canned food. Cats are meant to get most of their water from their food, so feeding a cat dry food all the time is an invitation to disaster in the form of cat urinary problems.

You may want to consider giving your kitty one of the many natural remedies for cats that are available for feline urinary support. Herbs and homeopathic remedies have a long history of success in humans, and they’re very effective for urinary problems in pets, too.  Just click on any link to learn more.