How to care for your Diabetic cat

Once your feline buddy has been diagnosed with diabetes it is your duty as a pet parent to give them the best possible care to help them fight the disease. Feline Diabetes can be controlled through dietary changes, exercise and leading an active lifestyle.

Here are a few tips on how to care for your diabetic cat:

• Make dietary changes: Diabetic cats must be on a high protein and low carbohydrate diet. A variety of low carbohydrate and diabetic friendly food  are commercially available but you need to take your vet’s advice on the type of food that is best suited to your pet.   
• Monitor blood sugar levels at home:  Since diabetic cats need to check their blood sugar levels you can do so at home with a glucometer and testing strips. Your vet will teach you where to search for the vein and how to work with the glucometer. You also need to keep a chart of your pet’s blood sugar readings to show the vet.
• Give insulin to your pet: Insulin is still the most effective way of treating diabetes. You may find it a bit difficult to inject insulin to your pet but you will slowly get perfect with practice. Usually the best location to inject insulin is the loose skin between and near the shoulders. Your vet will teach you the method of administering insulin to your feline buddy.
• You need to work with your vet: You need to work vigilantly with your vet to help your cat fight the disease. So, conducting regular blood sugar tests and charting the readings and sending them to your vet is what you need to do. Also, you must ensure that your pet is on a special diabetic diet and gets enough exercise to enjoy a healthy life.

Happy parenting!