Diabetes in cats is very similar to diabetes in people. Diet plays a large role in managing the disease and most patients end up on insulin injections at some point. You may shudder at the thought of having to give your cat daily injections but I assure you, even the most squeamish owner can learn to use the incredibly small syringes or insulin pen after seeing their cat barely even notice the injection. It is a complex disease which requires a lot of monitoring but affected cats can live happily for years with the illness and some may even go into remission if treatment is started early.
- Cornell University Feline Health Center www.partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet-owners/diabetic-cat — excellent videos on how to care for a cat with diabetes, as well as a fact sheet on the disease here: www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/topics.cfm.
- International Cat Carewww.icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/diabetes-mellitus — a great section on diabetes, check out all their links for how-to videos on collecting urine samples, checking blood sugar at home and how to give an insulin injection.
- Feline Diabeteswww.felinediabetes.com — an excellent resource for owners of diabetic cats. They also have an online support group. This is, however, an American site so please bear in mind that some of the treatments may be different due to prescribing restrictions in the UK.
- CatInfowww.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes — a very thorough and informative discussion about caring for a cat with diabetes, particularly regarding the effects of feeding a proper wet food diet
- Diabetes in Catswww.pet-diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-mellitus-cats.asp — a website for owners of diabetic cats, written by one of the companies that makes insulin. Not an independent resource, but a good read nonetheless.
- My Cat Has Diabeteswww.mycathasdiabetes.com/index.html — also written by an insulin manufacturer but in conjunction with the American Association of Feline Practitioners, it is a good summary of the disease.
- Cats Protectionwww.cats.org.uk/cat-care/care-leaflets/veterinary-guides — along with guides for general cat care, they also do a series of veterinary guides for many different diseases.