The answer is yes! This article explains how and why diabetes develops in cats, and the steps you can take to reverse the process and get your feline friend back to health.
Diabetes mellitus is a very common endocrine disease in cats, and its incidence has increased dramatically in recent decades. In 1970, one in 1,000 cats developed diabetes; by 1999 the figures had risen to one in 100 to 200. Today, the incidence of feline diabetes is closer to one in 100 and is correlated with an increase in obesity, which is estimated to affect 63% of cats. There are approximately 93 million cats in the United States: if one in 100 has diabetes, that translates into huge numbers, of epidemic proportions. What can we do there? Can diabetes in cats be reversed? To find out, it helps to understand why the disease develops in the first place; the causes are multifactorial and directly related to diet, lifestyle, and increased exposure to environmental toxins. We can then examine what we can do to reverse the processes leading to diabetes in our cats.
Normal Metabolism and Nutritional Needs in Cats
Cats are obligate carnivores. This means that in order to survive and have optimal health, they must consume protein. They have very little, if any, carbohydrate dietary requirements.
Based on their physique and dentition, cats are designed to hunt, pounce, tear, and shred their food. In nature, carnivores consume herbivores.
Did you know? The model prey diet of a cat eating one mouse a day should be very beneficial, and studies in which domestic cats were allowed to choose what they wanted to eat showed that they self-select a diet high moisture, high protein and low protein. carbohydrate diet.
Unfortunately, many commercial kibble formulations contain up to 55% carbs. From this perspective, it may seem that restricting all carbohydrates is the solution to diabetes. However, if that were the case, why aren’t all cats that eat high-carb diets diabetic? The answer depends on other mitigating factors.
Causes of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus involves an imbalance of several metabolic systems, and essentially a
poor regulation of glucose metabolism. In general, exposing the body to too much sugar (glucose and carbohydrates) is what triggers the process. It results from a slow and chronic aggression of physiology, affecting the processing of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, hepatic metabolism and lymphatic detoxification system to the secretion and use of hormones , enzymes, cofactors and more.
The cellular effects of inflammation, oxidative stress, altered membrane permeability, ion homeostasis mechanisms, and poor quality protein expression due to epigenetic factors underlie the changes that manifest as a dysregulation between glucose and insulin.
Did you know? A variety of factors predispose cats to diabetes, and obesity appears to be the biggest cause of diabetes compared to just increased carbohydrate intake.
A domesticated lifestyle means that a large number of cats have become more sedentary and quietly feed on an endless supply of commercially prepared, highly processed and poor quality kibble. Humans, in essence, helped turn their cats into lazy carb addicts.
So, can type 2 diabetes be reversed?
Amidst all this complexity, the good news is that the body is designed for health and homeostasis. Since food is what the body uses for fuel, the digestive system and all metabolic by-products, reactions and interactions are elegantly designed for ingesting, absorbing and utilizing nutrients. All we need to do is help the body do what it does best.
Treating Diabetes in Cats – Supporting the Body
Once diabetes is diagnosed, it is important to recognize any other aggravating factors, such as obesity, pancreatitis, urinary tract infection, or inflammatory bowel disease. As cats have very specific nutritional needs, we can start by supporting the body in different ways:
- Feed a species-appropriate, moisture-rich, biologically available diet
- Begin home blood glucose monitoring and insulin therapy as directed by your veterinarian
- Provide adequate sources of:
- Vitamin A: beef liver, pumpkin, sweet potato skins, cantaloupe
- Taurine: scallops, prawns, cod, Nori seaweed
- Arginine: turkey, pork, chicken, spirulina, pumpkin seeds, a little cheese, chickpeas, lentils
- B12: lamb liver, sardines, trout, salmon, enriched nutritional yeast
- Increase exercise and enrichment activities
- Set up a detoxification and cellular cleansing protocol using sources of homeopathy, zeolite or clinoptilolite
- Use natural anti-inflammatory agents such as nutraceuticals and essential oils
- Reduce stress
This process can take several months, but when you institute this therapy under the guidance of a holistic veterinarian, your cat’s biological system can return to optimal functioning.
