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How to Help Your Cat Avoid Diabetes

2016/5/3 17:23:31
  Cats can develop diabetes in much the same way as humans do but there are some simple steps that can taken by their owners to help reduce the chance they will get the condition later in life. Here are some of them. There are two main types of diabetes that cats can get and they are very similar to the disease in humans. Type 1 is the kind that cannot be avoided and often starts when they are kittens while Type 2 is the one that comes along in later life and is intimately involved with diet. Therefore, this latter kind is the one that we owners can help our cats to avoid.

Type of food
The first step to helping your cat avoid life as a diabetic is based around the type of food they eat. Cats are carnivores and this means that while they use carbohydrates to create energy, their systems aren’t designed to handle a lot of them. This is shown by cats lacking a digestive enzyme that we humans have to break down the carbohydrates during digestion – cats are designed for protein and fat metabolizing, not carbohydrates.

So if a cat eats too many carbohydrates, this can cause them to become insulin resistant. What this means is that their body makes the right amount of insulin but their cells no longer react to it I the right manner. This in turn means the pancreas tries to make more insulin to deal with the problem but in time, wears out and can’t help the body’s needs any longer. At this point, the cat has diabetes.

The moral of the story is simple – ensure that your cat gets plenty of protein in their diet and a moderate amount of fat but not too much carbohydrates. One of the best ways to do this is to base their diet around canned food, as generally this has lower amounts of carbohydrates – always read the label though! Dry foods tend to have higher amounts of carbohydrates so limit their access to these, but again check out the labeling, as there are dry foods contrary to this.

Quantity of food
The other main step to be taken concerned the amount of food that we give our cats. Obesity is the main trigger factor in developing Type 2 diabetes and even if you have your cat on a low carbohydrate diet, if they are eating too much, then diabetes is still the likely outcome.

There are lots of factors to take into account when selecting how much food to feed your cat. These include:
• Calories in the food
• How much exercise they get
• What treats they receive in addition to the food
• Their metabolic rate and ambient temperature
• Any existing health conditions

Therefore, being a cat dietitian is a complicated job but experts say that the best thing to do is start with a kitten that is in good condition and weight and once they have matured, weigh them once a month to ensure they are not gaining or losing weight. If either of these things happen, you can adjust their portions accordingly and also watch out for signs of any other health problems that may be the cause.

Conclusion
Sometimes you can do all the right things for your cat and they still get diabetes – just like humans it is something just genetic. But by following these few simple steps, you will set off on the right track and help to reduce their risk factors later in their furry lives.