Your veterinarian will also begin insulin therapy to reverse the high levels of sugar and ketone bodies in the blood, as well as reduce the elevated acid levels. Glucose levels will be checked every one to three hours to monitor response of the treatment.

What happens if diabetes goes untreated in cats?

Untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak legs in cats, and eventually malnutrition, ketoacidosis and death. Early diagnosis and treatment by a qualified veterinarian can not only help prevent nerve damage, but in some cases even lead to remission so that the cat no longer needs injected insulin.

Can diabetes cause blindness in dogs and cats?

Blindness is a frequent occurrence in diabetic dogs, less frequent in diabetic cats. Hyperglycemia in dogs causes both cataracts and retinopathy, either of which alone can cause blindness in a few days or weeks.

What is feline diabetes mellitus?

Thomas Graves and WebMD team up to provide feline diabetes information and tips for treatment or prevention. An alarming number of cats are developing diabetes mellitus, which is the inability to produce enough insulin to balance blood sugar, or glucose, levels .

What is a non-ketotic diabetic cat?

The majority of diabetic cats are non-ketotic, and their diabetes is analogous to human type 2 diabetes mellitus, characterised by insulin resistance, obesity and pancreatic amyloid deposition.

When to take your cat to the vet for diabetes symptoms?

If you notice any of these signs, take your cat to the veterinarian immediately. If untreated, diabetes in cats can lead to severe issues, including weakness in the legs (diabetic neuropathy), diabetic ketoacidosis, infections, cataracts, nausea, kidney failure, severe dehydration, seizures, coma, and even death, explains Koble.