Will our furbabies be ok?

My partner was feeling emotional tonight about the possibility of Dweezil having a shortened life because of the Diabetes...so i was reassuring her. But now she's gone to bed, i'm feeling alone and scared.

Will Diabetes shorten our cats' lives IF it is regulated?

I told her no, that if regulated, there would be no reason it would shorten his life. That once the numbers get below a certain point, his kidneys won't be overworked, his pancreas will recover, and basically, even if he remains on insulin for the rest of his life, as long as he is regulated, what is the difference between his own body naturally producing enough insulin and it being given to him from an external source? So he should have no reason to die early from it.

But is this true?

I mentioned to her that a person with Diabetes who eats well and takes their insulin if required need not have any complications. It's only those who eat poorly and don't treat themselves properly that end up shortening their lives. But can that be applied to cats?

I am scared. I want my baby to have a long life...or at least as long as it would've been if he didn't have Diabetes. Is this possible?

 

He can have a normal life. If you control the glucose, you prevent the complications.

 

Both my Mitten and Patches lived more than ten years as diabetic cats. Mitten succumbed to heart problems. Patches had a stroke or nerologic problem

 

Thank you so much. I am feeling calmer now. I am so glad i found this place.

 

As with so many other diabetic cat owners on this message board, it's natural to worry.

You are doing the best you know how for Dweezil. Trying to find a low carb food that does not spike his BG numbers, trying to learn to home test, giving him insulin to help Dweezil feel better. Giving him hugs and lots of attention.

Wink is now 14, and was around 11.5 when he became diabetic and went untreated and unregulated for months. But, he is doing better now and so will Dweezil.

Yes, there may be some residual side effects in Dweezil, but you caught the diabetes quickly and are doing your very best to get him better.

For example, I can still see some residual effects in Wink from the diabetic neuropathy, he walks a bit lower, but still infinitely better than 2 years ago when he had trouble with stairs and couldn't jump more than a foot. These days, it's an effort to keep him off the kitchen counters while I'm cooking dinner!

Most of the condos I have read that talk about how someone's diabetic cat died, say it was something other than the diabetes as cause of death.

Remember that by treating Dweezil, you are preventing him from dying of starvation as his body would be unable to process his food sufficiently to keep him alive. You are now feeding him a better diet that will help him to live a healthier and longer life.

That is what I think about when I hug my Wink, that he is healthier and enjoying life more.

 

J.D. had diabetes since he was 11 and passed away at 20.

 

Just found your other post with this same topic. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/will-our-furbabies-be-ok.131959/

Hopefully, we'll all post over there from now on.